The KellyGram

Wisdom and Wit About Words

Published by Bob Kelly

Resident Wordsmith and Quotemeister

WordCrafters, Inc.

www.wordcrafters.info

Providing the Right Word for Speakers, Writers, Ministry Leaders and Business Executives – since 1979!

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Volume 1 – Number 10 October 2003

In This Issue:

The Quote Corner (Books Part 2)
Media Release DOs and DONTs
Linguistic Absurdities
Shameless Self Promotion
Smile Awhile
A Final Word

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BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ All issues of The KellyGram are available in html format at www.wordcrafters.info. .

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THE QUOTE CORNER (Books Part 2)

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Books are a delightful society. If you go into a room filled with books, even without taking them down from their shelves, they seem to speak to you, to welcome you.

- William E. Gladstone

Without the love of books the richest man is poor, but endowed with this treasure, the poorest man is rich.

- Leon Gutterman

What refuge is there for the victim who is oppressed with the knowledge that there are a thousand new books he ought to read, while life is only long enough for him to attempt to read a hundred?

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

The foolishest book is a kind of leaky boat on a sea of wisdom; some of the wisdom will get in anyhow.

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

A blessed companion is a book a book that fitly chosen is a lifelong friend.

- Dougles Jerrold

Books are the one element in which I am personally and nakedly acquisitive. If it werent for the law I would steal them. If it werent for my purse I would buy them.

- Harold Laski

A house without books is like a home without windows.

- Horace Mann

When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.

- Michel de Montaigne

When you sell a man a book, you dont sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue you sell him a whole new life.

- Christopher Morley

If a man wants to read good books, he must make a point of avoiding bad ones; for life is short, and time and energy limited.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

Books are readily available, and what companions they are. A good book is the same today as yesterday. It is never displeased when we put it down; it is always inspiring when we pick it up. It never fails us in times of adversity.

- Fulton J. Sheen

Books are lighthouses erected in the great sea of time.

- E.P. Whipple

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket.

- Chinese Proverb

A book, tight shut, is but a block of paper.

- Chinese Proverb

The best books remind you of what youve always known but had forgotten.

- Anonymous

(Note: These quotations are taken from our collection of nearly 400 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If youre looking for some quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email or call us at 480-895-7617. Or, if you have a quote topic youd like us to feature in an upcoming issue? Email it to us and well get it on the schedule.)

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MEDIA RELEASE DOs and DONTs

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In submitting releases to the media, be aware you're competing against perhaps hundreds of other releases for a busy editors attention. The easier you make that editors job, the better your chances of getting the publicity you seek.

Style/Format:

The three most important rules in preparing media releases (or any written material) are:

1) readability, 2) readability, 3) readability.

A good general rule to follow: use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs. It makes for very readable copy.

There are several tools available today for measuring readability. They include: 1) the Gunning-Mueller "FOG" Index, the Flesch Reading Ease Score, and others. Many word processing software programs include at least one readability formula in its grammar check program.

Avoid technical language, acronyms, and "buzz words." If an editor doesnt understand what youve written, it probably wont get printed. High-tech companies are often guilty in this area. If you simply must use technical terms, try to at least keep them out of the first paragraph.

Double-space all copy with wide margins. It makes your release easier to read, and gives the editor ample room to make changes and/or corrections.

Use only one side of each page. The first page should be on company letterhead.

USING ALL CAPS IS A NO-NO. First, its harder to read and, second, the editor will have to go to the trouble to change it, or may take the easy way out and trash it. Always use upper and lower case, both in headlines and body copy.

The name, phone number and email address of the person in your organization who will be your primary media contact should appear at the top of your release.

Be brief! One page is best. For a longer release, enter the word "MORE" centered at the bottom of page one, and add a brief description (one or two words) and the page number at the top of the next page. At the end of the release, on a separate line, type "###" or "30." Both symbols mean "the end."

If you simply "have to" include more information than will fit on two pages, consider a separate fact sheet, with short, bulleted items about your company. Background data, such as brochures or annual reports, can also be helpful.

At the top, include the date the release is sent, and the date of release (if different). It should read: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" or "FOR RELEASE on or after [date]." The former is better, as the editor may not notice your release date.

Your headline should summarize the release and get the readers attention. Many editors prefer to come up with their own headlines, but include them anyway. They give the editor a "snapshot" of the content.

For email releases, what you say in the Subject field is critically important. With limited space (about 55 characters), its essential that you grab the editors or reporters attention quickly. Unlike headlines, its OK to abbreviate, use symbols (e.g. "&" for "and"), numerals ("1^st" for "first"), etc.

We recommend that everyone responsible for generating media releases use a style manual. Many major newspapers publish their own. Among the most popular are The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook. These and others should be available in most local bookstores or at the public library.

Spell out the days of the week, months of the year, etc.

In your copy, dont use first or second person pronouns. Having to change "we" and "our" to the third person just makes more work for the editor.

DONT rely on a spellcheck program to catch errors.

Content:

Avoid whats known in the media as "puff," flowery or self-promotional language about your organization or its products and services. A "puff piece" is almost certain to wind up in the editor's waste basket. If you send them on a regular basis, youll develop a reputation that will cause editors to ignore even your newsworthy material.

Avoid such terms as "The XYZ Company is [pleased] [proud] [happy] [delighted] [honored] [thrilled] [ecstatic] [overjoyed] to announce, etc." Editors arent interested in your emotional state. Say "has announced" and get on with it.

The term "announced today" should also be avoided. Its OK for immediate, breaking news aimed at TV and radio stations, and daily newspapers, but weekly and monthly media will have to delete it. "Has announced" is still your best choice.

Grab the editors attention quickly. The first paragraph should begin with whats known as the "summary lead," giving the key facts of the release. The summary lead covers the "5 Ws and the H" Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? If that first paragraph misses the mark, it probably wont matter what else you have to say.

Make sure your release is newsworthy! Whenever possible, start with a unique angle or "hook," something that will get attention quickly. Like beauty, newsworthiness is often in the eye of the beholder, but deciding what is or isnt newsworthy really isnt that difficult. If you aren sure, send it anyway and let the media make the call.

Take the initiative. If not much of a newsworthy nature has happened to you lately, get creative. For example, try a different approach to an otherwise routine event or activity.

Dont assume the editor or reporter is familiar with your company. Write a brief summary of your organization, and use it as the closing paragraph in all your releases.

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LINGUISTIC ABSURDITIES

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Im not ready to throw in the towel yet, but I seem to be losing ground in my battle to rid the world of the PC (uh) Movement and its adherents, along with those who continue to mangle our language in other ways. In a recent article, a newspaper editor (of all people) incorrectly referred to the President, in his capacity as head of our military forces, as the Commander and Chief, instead of Commander in Chief. (Shouldnt someone whose job involves editing other peoples work know that?)

Shortly before that, while inquiring about a special summer package being offered at a Scottsdale resort, the receptionist carefully explained, not once but twice, which amenities were included and which were discluded! (Say what? Perhaps area schools have discluded English from the curriculum.)

Finally, we visited a shop last month where a number of paintings by a certain artist, now deceased, were on display. The shop owner was quick to point out that most of the paintings had been done while the artist was still alive. (I managed to resist the urge to ask to see the ones hed painted after his death.)

As you can see, being a grammar policeman isnt easy, but at least we try our best not to make misteaks.

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SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTING

(With thanks to Debbie Allen)

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Although basically were the shy and retiring type (right!), we were inspired by Debbie Allen, author of Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters, to come out of our shell. Besides, in the immortal words of the late, great Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean, "If ya done it, it aint braggin." Accordingly, we present the following items, with the humble request that you hold your applause:

Our book, The Tremendous Power of Prayer, which won a Silver Angel Award from Excellence in Media in 2001, has recently been released in Spanish. (We hope it sells better than the English version.)

An article we co-authored with Barbara McNichol, called "Making Meetings Memorable," was published in the September issue of Professional Speaker, the magazine of National Speakers Association.

We recently sent some quotations on "speaking" to a colleague at his request. His response: "I just opened your file of speaking-related quotations. They are FANTASTIC." Well plan to publish them in a future issue of The KellyGram.

Our newest book, Worth Repeating: More Than 5,000 Classic and Contemporary Quotes, may be ordered directly from our website at www.wordcrafters.info. Upon request, well be happy to autograph or personalize books ordered via our site, at no additional charge.

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SMILE AWHILE

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When it comes to the wonderful and wacky world of words, our oldest daughter, a medical transcriber, is a chip off the old blockhead. She recently sent us the following samples found in actual medical charts:

Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.

On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.

Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.

Patient refused autopsy.

Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.

Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant, with only a 40-pound weight gain in the past three days.

Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.

She is numb from her toes down.

While in ER, she was examined, X-rated, and sent home.

Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.

She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.

Patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took job as stockbroker instead.

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A FINAL WORD

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Id be unstoppable if I could only get started!

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© 2003 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.

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