Inspiration
This morning, while enjoying a mug of French roast and a heaping helping of Cocoa Puffs, I asked my AI copywriting robot, “B-9?,” to tell me the “greatest joke ever.” He told the one about the chicken crossing the road. (Best joke ever? I don’t think so. ) So I asked him to try again, and…
Today’s email is for business people who have written a book… …or are thinking about doing so… Last night, the St. Louis Publishers Association invited me to speak on this topic: How to Leverage Your Book to Maximize Sales and Profits. It occurred to me that you probably are NOT a member of the St.…
It was a dark and stormy night. Really, it was… …way back on this day — July 2 — in 1505. A young fella named Martin Luther got caught in a violent storm. He was so awed by God’s thunderous wrath… …he decided to become a monk… …right there and then… …on that stormy night.…
My favorite Super Bowl ad… …”Robots” by Discover: My GPT-powered copywriting robot, “B-9?” skipped the Super Bowl (he’s a Dolphins fan, and he’s not into that Travis-Taylor drama). But I shared the ad with him this morning and asked, “Do you like it?” “B-9?” said: “I don’t have personal opinions.” I asked: “Does it bother you…
Yesterday’s email about punny highway signs reminded me: I fell in love with Melissa over a silly joke. I was 25. She was 23. We were gathered with friends at her apartment, playing a game called fictionary. The rules: One person holds the dictionary and chooses a word the other players don’t know. Each player…
On this day (Dec. 28) in 1732, Ben Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack. For 25 years, he published the Almanack annually — 10,000 copies per year. To celebrate the Almanack’s birthday, I’ll share a favorite quote from each edition, starting with the first “1733” edition. Maybe these can inspire some new year’s…
Rumor has it Muhammad Ali carried in his pocket a copy of Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” This morning, in his excellent, weekly newsletter, 5-Bullet Friday, Tim Ferriss said he’s studying the poem. I’m sitting at Lambert St. Louis International Airport waiting to board a plane to Tampa… …and I’m studying the poem, too. I like…
I came across a cool quote yesterday from Carla Bley. She was a jazz pianist and composer who passed away earlier this week, Austin Kleon shared her words in his newsletter: “Listening is how I started. I didn’t start when I was a piano player. I didn’t start as a composer. I started as a listener.”…
Taylor Swift is in the news… …again. And I want to understand why. So I turned to the one-and-only who could help me make sense of this… … … … … …my great and powerful GPT-powered copywriting robot, B-9(?). Here’s our conversation: Me: Hey, B-9(?), what’s the big deal about Taylor Swift? B-9(?): Hey Tom!…
In his brilliant book How to Write One Song, Jeff Tweedy tells a story about his Dad who would go to the basement when he was sad or mad, drink a beer or two, and write a poem. Jeff Tweedy writes lyrics and music for a living. He’s the founder and leader of the band Wilco. But…