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-   -   Can reading fiction books help you be more persuasive? (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11350)

Dien Rice October 27, 2022 10:03 PM

Can reading fiction books help you be more persuasive?
 
Here's what I know!

Gary Halbert has recommended reading John D. MacDonald - who is the author of the Travis McGee series of books...

According to his protege, the late Scott Haines, reading the Travis McGee books made him a better storyteller!

Another very successful marketer (who I won't name) has recommended reading Hunter S. Thompson! (He did this in a personal email he sent to me.)

The reason why? You can learn from his turn of phrase - to get the words you use to capture attention, and also to delight the reader...

So, I think the answer is... "yes!" Reading fiction - and well-written nonfiction - can make you more persuasive.

The first rule in the well-known "formula" for persuasion is to get "attention"...

You can't persuade people if you don't first have their attention!

Getting attention is also the first rule in being a successful fiction writer... If you don't get the reader's attention, they'll put down the book, and may never come back!

Another marketer who I know is a fan of Dean Koontz... Here's one of Dean Koontz's opening paragraphs, from "Watchers"...
"On his thirty-sixth birthday, May 18, Travis Cornell rose at five o'clock in the morning. He dressed in sturdy hiking boots, jeans, and a long-sleeved, blue-plaid cotton shirt. He drove his pickup south from his home in Santa Barbara all the way to rural Santiago Canyon on the eastern edge of Orange County, south of Los Angeles. He took only a package of Oreo cookies, and a large canteen full of orange-flavored Kool-Aid, and a fully loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Chief's Special."
Already it makes you wonder... Why is he bringing a gun? What is he planning to do?

Gets you invested in the story!

Best wishes,

Dien

GordonJ October 28, 2022 10:21 AM

Re: Can reading fiction books help you be more persuasive?
 
At 1 P.M. Travis was on the beach, just south of the Santa Monica pier. He had a white tee shirt, flip flops, khaki shorts and some blood stains on his legs.

His early morning meeting with well known Internet Marketing guru, Dan Kernal, an expert in NLP, hypnosis, and bull ****e, went as planned. Travis wanted his 15,000 dollars back, after all, Dan did not do what he said he would, in fact, Dan took the money and went to Acapulco to party and sniff cocaine he bought with Travis' money.

Anyhow, to the point. YES, but not only fiction, even very difficult reading, such as some physics books, and I like to read children's books. How does a reader progress from Charlotte's Web to The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to

Harry Potter as young adult readers...

Into the mystery, murder, mayhem pulp and the literary classics?

What we learn from our reading, is IF, we are paying attention or just reading for pleasure. I like Stephanie Plum, a Janet Evanovich character, in her several dozen best sellers. I can read her longest book in about 15 minutes.

About once a year, I revisit a few classics...THE RED PONY, by John Steinbeck, which was first published as a serial in magazines. A short novella, and Steinbeck was a must read for me, and all things Hemingway too.

Any written thing that ENGAGES your brain, gets and HOLDS attention, is a good source of human behavior.

Gordon

P.S. I don't do well with Stephen King, Dan Brown and Tom Clancy, best sellers all...but I struggle getting through them, they DO NOT hold my attention, too much detail bogs me down.
ALSO. I get a lot of good from both poetry and SONG LYRICS. Read Desolation Row by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and many of the stars of Pop music too.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Dien Rice (Post 43336)
Here's what I know!

Gary Halbert has recommended reading John D. MacDonald - who is the author of the Travis McGee series of books...

According to his protege, the late Scott Haines, reading the Travis McGee books made him a better storyteller!

Another very successful marketer (who I won't name) has recommended reading Hunter S. Thompson! (He did this in a personal email he sent to me.)

The reason why? You can learn from his turn of phrase - to get the words you use to capture attention, and also to delight the reader...

So, I think the answer is... "yes!" Reading fiction - and well-written nonfiction - can make you more persuasive.

The first rule in the well-known "formula" for persuasion is to get "attention"...

You can't persuade people if you don't first have their attention!

Getting attention is also the first rule in being a successful fiction writer... If you don't get the reader's attention, they'll put down the book, and may never come back!

Another marketer who I know is a fan of Dean Koontz... Here's one of Dean Koontz's opening paragraphs, from "Watchers"...
"On his thirty-sixth birthday, May 18, Travis Cornell rose at five o'clock in the morning. He dressed in sturdy hiking boots, jeans, and a long-sleeved, blue-plaid cotton shirt. He drove his pickup south from his home in Santa Barbara all the way to rural Santiago Canyon on the eastern edge of Orange County, south of Los Angeles. He took only a package of Oreo cookies, and a large canteen full of orange-flavored Kool-Aid, and a fully loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Chief's Special."
Already it makes you wonder... Why is he bringing a gun? What is he planning to do?

Gets you invested in the story!

Best wishes,

Dien


Dien Rice October 29, 2022 01:54 AM

But can persuasive people _write_ fiction?
 
Hi Gordon,

Very interesting!

You did "get" me with this... Where did the blood stains come from??!?!!

Inquiring minds want to know!


Which makes me think... I can't think of that many copywriters who have published fiction books...

Only two spring to mind at the moment...

Denny Hatch and Richard Armstrong...

Some of Denny Hatch's fiction books are The Fingered City, Coldcocked, and The Stork...

A couple of Richard Armstrong's fiction books are The Don Con and God Doesn't Shoot Craps...

You're an amazing storyteller, Gordon... I sometimes read through some of your stories (such as those on the Sowpub home age) again and again... I even copied a couple of them out once... :)

Not sure if I was able to fully absorb the awesome "Gordonesqueness" of them though... :)

Best wishes,

Dien

Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonJ (Post 43337)
At 1 P.M. Travis was on the beach, just south of the Santa Monica pier. He had a white tee shirt, flip flops, khaki shorts and some blood stains on his legs.

His early morning meeting with well known Internet Marketing guru, Dan Kernal, an expert in NLP, hypnosis, and bull ****e, went as planned. Travis wanted his 15,000 dollars back, after all, Dan did not do what he said he would, in fact, Dan took the money and went to Acapulco to party and sniff cocaine he bought with Travis' money.

Anyhow, to the point. YES, but not only fiction, even very difficult reading, such as some physics books, and I like to read children's books. How does a reader progress from Charlotte's Web to The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to

Harry Potter as young adult readers...

Into the mystery, murder, mayhem pulp and the literary classics?

What we learn from our reading, is IF, we are paying attention or just reading for pleasure. I like Stephanie Plum, a Janet Evanovich character, in her several dozen best sellers. I can read her longest book in about 15 minutes.

About once a year, I revisit a few classics...THE RED PONY, by John Steinbeck, which was first published as a serial in magazines. A short novella, and Steinbeck was a must read for me, and all things Hemingway too.

Any written thing that ENGAGES your brain, gets and HOLDS attention, is a good source of human behavior.

Gordon

P.S. I don't do well with Stephen King, Dan Brown and Tom Clancy, best sellers all...but I struggle getting through them, they DO NOT hold my attention, too much detail bogs me down.
ALSO. I get a lot of good from both poetry and SONG LYRICS. Read Desolation Row by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and many of the stars of Pop music too.


GordonJ October 29, 2022 02:07 PM

Anyone can write a book.
 
Cheers Dien,

Anyone can write a book.
I know.

I paid 97 for a course on how to do it. I wonder, has ANYONE ever read Hatch's work ( I have read Armstrong).

Of course, there is writing a book, and there is getting it published. What I call or knew as the VANITY press is alive and well on Amazon and eBay, etc.

As you know, my daughter 'Tink', has written 3 books so far, and one of those was published by a New York Publisher; SKY HORSE. and picked up by Simon & Schuster. The other two were self published. Having an actual literary agent and prestigious publisher opened up other doors.

She has finished her script and is now submitting that to potential producers.

I have written short stories, even a novella. I find I am more suited to the Script.

And although Hollywood is not knocking down my door (mainly because they don't know about me, yet)...I do have several scripts, which maybe, I would do the Patterson thing and hire other writers to turn the scripts into books.

I think because of my ADD, or laziness, I lose interest in writing long stories but shorter writing or visual as a script makes you write, are more my cup of tea.

But to answer your question, just send me 87 bux (a discount) and I'll send you my used copy of ANYONE CAN WRITE A BOOK,

Gordon



Quote:

Originally Posted by Dien Rice (Post 43338)
Hi Gordon,

Very interesting!

You did "get" me with this... Where did the blood stains come from??!?!!

Inquiring minds want to know!


Which makes me think... I can't think of that many copywriters who have published fiction books...

Only two spring to mind at the moment...

Denny Hatch and Richard Armstrong...

Some of Denny Hatch's fiction books are The Fingered City, Coldcocked, and The Stork...

A couple of Richard Armstrong's fiction books are The Don Con and God Doesn't Shoot Craps...

You're an amazing storyteller, Gordon... I sometimes read through some of your stories (such as those on the Sowpub home age) again and again... I even copied a couple of them out once... :)

Not sure if I was able to fully absorb the awesome "Gordonesqueness" of them though... :)

Best wishes,

Dien


Glenn October 31, 2022 11:01 PM

How To Make Money Reading Books
 
Thanks Dien,

The above Subject line outpolled all 200 other Articles I tested at Medium.com

Not by a Little.

But by 100X

I Make Money for myself and Clients by Combining ideas from several books.

For Example:

I Read, "Influence" by Robert Cialcini.

But the NJ owner of a CarWash DID Not.

So.

A - I gave him the idea to Have his SALES people pitch the HIGH price options First. Then middle then low.

He stood at a Jay Abraham seminar and Gave Me Credit
for increasing his sales margins by 40%

Did he pay me?

NO.

He stiffed me.

HOWEVER.

A Chiropractor who got most of his biz doing Workshops for Health Food Stores.

A - Boosted his Bttm Line by Focusing on his Most Profitable Item.
(Special food sales to prevent Allergies)

B - Once He Made More moolah he paid me 10Grand

C - I Interviewed him for 2 hrs about Kinesiiolgy.

Wrote a one page Report Called:

How Muscle Testing
Finds Pain Doctors
Are Blind To

Which when handed out In Waiting Room and Before his Vitamin Store Demonstrations TRIPLED His Sales.

And I was Promptly Fired.

Thanks,
Glenn

P.S. - What I do now is offer a FREE ENERGY CONSULTATION. Raise folks Chi Energy over the phone. Then Find out what they do to make moolah and Boost it.


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