Editing

Over the years we’ve talked about Nigerian princes, fake domain registrars, and phony peddlers of board seats. But what about when friends need a favor? Consider this recent email string from the publisher of the Coast News, for whom I write the Ask Mr. Marketing column. He asked to handle a discreet matter for him. [...]

Last month, 43,090 new businesses formed in California. I registered my own LLC early last year to protect me legally and financially. The paperwork was good for two years. So imagine my surprise when I received an official looking renewal form in the mail today. Form 501-LLC was my California Limited Liability company biennial order [...]

CNN calls Oprah Winfrey “arguably the world’s most powerful woman.” “She has more credibility than the president,” says columnist Maureen Dowd. She’s been mentioned as a presidential candidate herself. So why would entertainment’s most powerful woman be involved with a slipshod marketing campaign selling weight loss gummies? Short answer: SHE ISN’T! I play Words With [...]

  For the past thirty years, music fans throughout America and the world have marveled at Nita Whitaker’s strong, sultry and captivating vocals. She’s gone from being a Miss Louisiana runner-up to singing on the hit movies The Bodyguard and the Ten Commandments, to recording several show tune and gospel albums, to collaborating extensively with [...]

Many people don't realize that writing a book means you're in business for yourself.  Therefore, we offer as a public service the best way to get started. Because, if you’re serious about building a business, you need a business plan. It’s like having a blueprint to erect a strong, stable house in which you’ll live. [...]

I once published a column about people whose every third word was “Like”. I mentioned how I wouldn’t hire people who spoke so carelessly, since this wasn’t the image I wanted to project for my business. Many readers apparently found this verbal tic equally annoying. Reports came in of parents sending my thoughts to their [...]

When we write our books, we know our stories or subjects best. They’ve been living in our heads for weeks or months (or years), we know what we want to say, and we have a good idea what will resonate with our readers. It’s our baby, and we’re understandably proud of it. When it comes [...]

Today I spoke with an author, a whistleblower who published a book about his fight against massive health care fraud. He excitedly reported, “I got a call from Bloomfield Production saying they want to turn my book into a made-for-TV movie. They’ll auction it between Netflix and several others, and they’re talking about me making [...]