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Wisdom and Wit About the Wonderful and Often Wacky World of 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 5 – Number 11 November 2007
In This Issue:
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FUN WITH WORDS
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As some readers alertly noticed, two of the acronyms for clichés which we used last month were wrong. APLTW should have been ASLTW, for "Actions speak louder than words," and THABTW should have been THABTO, for "Two heads are better than one."
In proofreading the October issue, two heads would have definitely been better than one, and I apologize for not putting my best foot forward. It was obviously not the best of all possible worlds.
This month, I may be biting off more than I can chew, and going from the frying pan into the fire, but Ive decided to seize the bull by the horns, and try a few more acronyms for clichés.
I realize these errors got me BTEB so, now, WADR, Ill stop BATB, go ahead and BTB, and GDTBT. Will I get them right this time? YGIAGAM, but LGIAS.
Youll find the correct answers elsewhere in this issue.
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THE QUOTE CORNER (Thankfulness)
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This week, well be continuing a marvelous tradition that began in the autumn of 1621, when the Pilgrims in Virginia paused to celebrate their harvest, and to give thanks to God, who had provided for them so bountifully.
George Washington proclaimed November 26, 1789 as the first national day of thanksgiving, but it wasn't until November 26, 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national harvest festival, that Thanksgiving Day became an "official" annual holiday.
In 1941, Congress passed a resolution, setting the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day, and there it has remained. The theme and meaning of Thanksgiving have changed little since the Virginia Pilgrims gathered with local Indian tribes to rejoice at their good fortune. Nearly four centuries have passed since that day, and we as Americans have been richly blessed by God throughout those centuries.
To commemorate the occasion, we offer the following quotations:
Self-pity and gratitude are mortal enemies. Where one exists the other cannot.
Since both are highly contagious, individuals must choose gratitude before
becoming too thankless to do otherwise.
Mike Adams
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
Aesop
True gratitude consists in thanking God for everything when youve got everything.
O.A.
Battista
I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude
is happiness doubled by wonder.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.
Marcus
Tullius Cicero
There is always something for which to be thankful.
Charles Dickens
If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your
life mightily.
Gerald Good
For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude.
Clarence
E. Hodges
Gratitude is not a virtue that comes easy to the human race.
W. Somerset Maugham
Thanksgiving is nothing if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart to
God in honour and praise for His goodness.
James R. Miller
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure
of our thanksgiving.
W. T. Purkiser
Seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives
rest of the heart.
Hannah Whitall Smith
Mankind is never truly thankful for the benefits of life, until they have
experienced the want of them.
Albigence Waldo
God gave you the gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank
you"?
William Arthur Ward
If you cant be thankful for what you achieve, be thankful for what you escape.
Anonymous
(Note: These quotations are taken from our collection of more than 400 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If youre looking for some quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email at bob@kellygram.com, 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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BOOK SALES: HERES A DIFFERENT APPROACH!
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If youre dreaming about your new book becoming a best seller, Ted Rogers has some advice for you: "Stop selling your book!"
Ted, a member of National Speakers Association (NSA), is the founder and principal of Phoenix-based Inspired Living Systems. An author, speaker and lifestyle coach, hes a past president of NSAs Arizona chapter. Hes also an expert in special market book sales where, instead of selling a few copies of your book through a bookstore or wholesaler, you might sell hundreds, or even thousands of copies, using the special market process.
His advice, quoted above, is based in large measure on book publishing statistics. For example, most major book publishers wont accept any unsolicited manuscripts, and many literary agents wont either. Even if you do manage to get your book into a publishers hands, you have less than a two percent chance of it being accepted.
The situation at self-publishing companies isnt much better. According to Teds research, average book sales by even the largest self-publishing companies are less than 150 copies each, and that includes the copies you buy yourself!
During a recent presentation, Ted described the powerful marketing programs hes developed, through sponsorships and special market sales. His goal: "I want to sell my books by the truckloads with a single sale!" On one occasion, that approach resulted in a sale of more than 100,000 books in one order, paid in advance, with a no return policy.
"The special market sales process," Ted says, "begins by asking yourself a series of questions." They include the following:
To learn more about Teds approach to selling books in large quantities, you may email him at ted@inspiredlivingsystems.com, or phone (623) 848-7157.
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SMILE AWHILE
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A ventriloquist is traveling through the Deep South, entertaining in small bars along the way. As hes telling his usual redneck jokes, a great big guy in the audience gets up and says: "Ive heard just about enough of your smart-aleck hillbilly jokes. We aint all stupid here in Mississippi."
The embarrassed ventriloquist begins stammering out an apology, when the big guy interrupts him again, "You stay out of this, buddy. Im talking to that little wise guy on your knee."
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ODDS AND ENDS
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Back Issues:
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Comments/Questions:
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Answer to Fun with Words:
BTEB Behind the eight ball
WADR With all due respect
BATB Beating around the bush
BTB Bite the bullet
GDTBT Get down to brass tacks
YGIAGAM Your guess is as good as mine
LGIAS Lets give it a shot
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THE LAST WORD
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"No people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with the gratitude to the Giver of good who has blessed us."
(Theodore Roosevelt)
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© 2007 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.
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