Renovating Your Writing outlines the principles of effective composition by focusing on the essential skill set and mindset every successful writer must possess. Now in its second edition, this novel text provides readers with unique strategies for crafting and revising their writing, whether for school, work, or play. The new edition emphasizes, in particular, the importance of the writer embracing a rhetorical perspective, distinguishing between formal and social media compositional styles, and appreciating the effort needed to produce clear, concise, and compelling messages.

“Gardner is encouraging us all to start where we are and dare to make our lives bigger and stronger, more satisfactory, and better. Chris Gardner is a knockout!” —Maya Angelou Chris Gardner’s astonishing memoir—the phenomenal New York Times bestseller, The Pursuit of Happyness, which inspired the film of the same name starring Will Smith—served as a shining beacon of hope for countless people. In Start Where You Are, “a book that teaches you how to transform the impossible into the possible” (Sidney Poitier), Gardner offers indispensible life lessons in getting from where you are to where you want to be.

Communicate with potential customers—and persuade them to buy: “The best copywriting teacher I know.” —Michael Hyatt, New York Times–bestselling author of Your Best Year Ever This book is for everyone who needs to write copy that sells—including copywriters, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. Writing copy that sells without seeming “salesy” can be tough, but is an essential skill. How to Write Copy That Sells offers tips for crafting powerful, effective headlines and bullet points, reveals the secrets of product launch copy, and supplies specific copywriting techniques for: email marketing websites social media direct mail traditional media ads, and more “Ray invites you into his inner sanctum where he opens his real-life copywriting toolkit . . . Get this book!” —Judith Sherven, PhD, and Jim Sniechowski, PhD, bestselling authors of The Heart of Marketing

Get heard by being clear and concise The only way to survive in business today is to be a lean communicator. Busy executives expect you to respect and manage their time more effectively than ever. You need to do the groundwork to make your message tight and to the point. The average professional receives 304 emails per week and checks their smartphones 36 times an hour and 38 hours a week. This inattention has spread to every part of life. The average attention span has shrunk from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight in 2012. So, throw them a lifeline and be brief. Author Joe McCormack tackles the challenges of inattention, interruptions, and impatience that every professional faces. His proven B.R.I.E.F. approach, which stands for Background, Relevance, Information, Ending, and Follow up, helps simplify and clarify complex communication. BRIEF will help you summarize lengthy information, tell a short story, harness the power of infographics and videos, and turn monologue presentations into controlled conversations. Details the B.R.I.E.F. approach to distilling your message into a brief presentation Written by the founder and CEO of Sheffield Marketing Partners, which specializes in message and narrative development, who is also a recognized expert in Narrative Mapping, a technique that helps clients achieve a clearer and more concise message Long story short: BRIEF will help you gain the muscle you need to eliminate wasteful words and stand out from the rest. Be better. Be brief.

Ever since the story of his transformation from homeless, single and struggling father to millionaire became known the world over, Chris Gardner --whose life story both inspired the movie The Pursuit of Happyness and became a #1 New York Times bestseller by the same name--has been inundated with two questions: “How Did You Do It” and “How Can I Do it Too?” Gardner’s power-packed, transformational reply is the basis of this long-anticipated book. As a departure from standard self-help tomes that promise overnight riches and exclusive secrets for success, Gardner avoids any tilt toward magical thinking by staying with real issues and solutions impacting individuals in all walks of life. If you’ve had the rug pulled out from under you, or have been dealing with the loss of a home, a job, a health or financial crisis, or simply can’t find the motivation to pursue new challenges, Start Where You Are abounds with life lessons that offer hope and provide a road map for starting anew. This is also the book for anyone ready to launch a personal, professional undertaking, or break generational cycles that hem in their potential. Taking stock of his own credos, including “The Cavalry Ain’t Coming,” “Find Your Button,” and “Seek the Furthest Star”-- Gardner’s 44 life lessons are earthy, soulful, and always accessible. With an array of stories from the author’s own life, as well as from those he has known or admired, both famous and not, Start Where You Are has arrived just in time to embolden and encourage all of us, even in our era of great global change, reminding us of the infinite resources we already have in our collective pursuit of happyness, and spurring us on in only one direction - forward!

"Whether you're new to web writing, or you're a professional writer looking to deepen your skills, this book is for you. You'll learn how to write web copy that addresses your readers' needs and supports your business goals ... Topics include: write marketing copy, interface flows, blog posts, legal policies, and emails; develop behind-the-scenes documents like mission statements, survey questions, and project briefs; find your voice and adapt your tone for the situation; build trust and foster relationships with readers; make a simple style guide."--Publisher's description.

Learn the “Big Picture” approach that will aim your congregation at the mission field in your back yard, or around the world. Many churches want to make the transition from an inward to an outward focus, from catering to the needs of members to reaching out into the world to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Too often they try to accomplish this radical change by taking half steps and partial measures, initiating a new program here or adding a new staff members there. Yet this kind of change requires more. To succeed in changing its core focus this way, a congregation must learn strategic thinking; it must commit itself to seeing the big picture, and to taking the steps necessary to paint that picture afresh. Everyone, including pastors, lay leaders, key teams and groups, and the congregation as a whole must be involved in a process of transformation. Paul D. Borden, author of Hit the Bullseye and Direct Hit, knows that this transformation will not be easy. But if the target is bringing more people into saving relationship with Jesus Christ, what could be more worthwhile?