“Dear Mr. Ford (or Mark, if you prefer), I am a two-time author and have been a professional biographer-ghostwriter of over 30 clients’ books since 1999. I also write the occasional event speech. I’m ready to transition out of book ghostwriting ASAP. Question: Do you think I’m suited for copywriting, given my background?” – VC

My response: Copywriting is a job that requires at least four complex skills. The first is the capacity to empathize with the reader. That, you may or may not have naturally. If you don’t, you can still write good and successful ads. But you will never write great ones. The second complex skill is the craft of salesmanship. This is something that can definitely be learned. (AWAI is the place to learn it.) The third is very important, but almost never discussed by copywriting gurus. And that is the skill of good thinking. In advertising, that means thoughts that are both interesting and emotionally compelling. This, too, can be learned. And the fourth is the skill of being able to express good thoughts simply and coherently.

As a seasoned ghostwriter, I suspect you already have three of these four skills. The one you may need to work on – salesmanship – is actually the easiest to learn.

So, yes. You are definitely suited for a successful career as a copywriter. Go for it. And good luck to you!

Why I do what I do: 

“Following your advice to rise early. Almost done with the first draft of my second book. Wishing you a wonderful day. And thank you so much for all the great insights, wisdom and experience you share. Your writings have been most helpful.” – AD

Re the Apr. 4 issue: 

“I recently lost a loved one. I found that Daniel Wagner concept of transactive memory to be, as you said, beautiful, but also comforting. Thanks for the variety of the thoughts you include in your blog.” – KM

“You should do more research. Your report on the Hunter Biden laptop story only scratches the surface. This is a scandal that won’t disappear easily.” – KB

Re my review of West Side Story: 

“You failed to mention the choreography of the recent version of West Side Story. To me, it was just amazing! By the way… I have always thought that Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet the best movie experience of my youth. I am still smitten with Olivia Hussey.” – JM

My response: You are right. I didn’t think of it. I should have. I didn’t even give it much thought. It seemed like it might have been the original choreography. I’m sure it was a new arrangement. I do think that song translates better from stage to film. Choreography feels a bit strange, almost artificial when you see it on the screen. But when you see it on stage, it feels (to me) natural and you can appreciate the movement because you are enjoying it in 3-D.

I agree with you on Zeffirelli’s R&J – and also remember warm feelings towards Olivia Hussey… I’m going to watch that again!

Re the Mar. 14 issue in which I talked about one of my experiences in Japan: 

MS sent in an amusing short video about some Japanese rules of social etiquette. Click here to watch it.

Re Ready, Fire, Aim

“Ready, Fire, Aim is the best book I’ve ever read on how to build a profitable business from scratch. My partners and I used it as a blueprint for taking our business to $10+ million in revenue. Now I make all my employees read it.” – MM

Re the Mar. 28 issue on stress: 

“I thought your piece on the ‘upside of stress’ was a good one. It makes sense to me that it’s not the stress that hurts you, but how you react to it.” – JP

“I feel the same way when I’m preparing for my competitions. I’m going to try that protocol next time I do. Oh, and good luck. I’m sure you’ll kick butt!” – PL

Re the Mar. 23 issue on Ben Carson:

“Good piece on Ben Carson. I thought he was the most composed of the candidates and stayed composed during his tenure as Secretary of Housing under Trump. It’s crazy that he’s been so demeaned by the mainstream media.” – PL

Re my interview with Charles Mizrahi:

“I watched the interview you did with Charles Mizrahi. You were good when you were looking at the camera, but when you were looking away, which was often, it was very distracting. You should get someone to coach you when you do interviews.”
– AS

Re my review of Kill Your Darlings:

“Thanks for the recommendation of Kill Your Darlings. I had never heard of it. Watched it last night. It was really so interesting. Made me want to learn more about Ginsberg and that crew.” – EG

A book recommendation from JW: 

“Mark, have you read the book Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton? I’ve been reading it and found myself wondering what you’d think. I always appreciate your rare intersection of wealth building, philosophy, and art. Let me know if I can gift you a copy if there’s any interest!

“With gratitude for your many years of shared wisdom.”

My response: 

Thanks for the recommendation. No, I haven’t read Status Anxiety, but I’ve read a fair amount of Alain de Botton, and I’m roughly acquainted with his arguments in the book. I covered much of the same ground in Living Rich, but from a more pragmatic (how to live rich without necessarily being rich) perspective. I will put it on my reading list.

A letter from a young, determined-to-become-wealthy, nephew: 

“I’ve been looking at a lot of art recently as I would like to expand on what I already have. I’ve found this piece and would like to know your opinion on it and if you think it would be a good investment. I have the link below and a picture of it in case the link doesn’t work.”

My response: 

Thanks for asking. No, I don’t think it’s a good investment.

As near as I can tell, this artist has no reputation in the world of “serious” art. He’s not collected by museums. Or institutions. Or wealthy people. He’s just an old fart like me trying to make money selling his art on Artsy.

If you absolutely love his work, buy the least expensive piece you can find (that you like). But expect the value of it to drop by 70% the moment you purchase it. I will explain more by sending you chapters of the book Im writing on this subject. Working title: The Art and Science of Investing in Art. Stay tuned!

– Your Uncle and Art Advisor

Re Critical Race Theory:

“Have you read How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi or White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo?” – AG

My response: 

Yes. I read both of them. And I’ve mentioned both of them here on the blog.

They are… how shall I put it? Just plain dumb.

CRT attributes all racial inequities to racism. Not work. Not study. Not integrity. Not ambition. The only reason one ethnic group is richer or poorer than another is because of institutional racism.

But don’t ask a proponent of CRT why it is that Blacks from Nigeria or many parts of the Caribbean outperform African Americans, Hispanics, and even White Americans in many important financial metrics. Just asking the question, they will tell you, means you are racist.

Click here for John Stossel’s comments on these two books.

Re my Mar. 9 essay “Becoming a Writer… in Spite of Myself”:

“Thank you for such an honest and candid essay about achieving a childhood dream. It is refreshing to hear a personal anecdote that rings true!” – BP

Re my Mar. 7 essay on Group Decision-Making:

“Thanks Mark. The Decision-Making article defines you perfectly. It also defines an executive I’ve been working with at my biz. Some of your articles I keep. This is one of them.” – MF

Re my Goal-Setting System:

Several readers wrote in to ask if I still use the same system. If you remember, I begin with yearly goals, which I convert to monthly goals and then to weekly objectives and daily task lists.

The short answer: I do… but with some refinements. I’ll explain in an essay I’m working on for next week.

Re the P.S. in the Mar. 7 issue:

“I have followed your writings from back when you started ETR. Your latest YouTube link to videos of people in embarrassing situations really turned me off. I grew up through most of grade school and some high school being bullied…. I have worked through most of the pain but I don’t have any desire to see others in those situations.

“I don’t understand the fascination that people have watching others suffer. Seems to me to be a sign of what is wrong with our society at the present moment. A severe lack of empathy for our fellow citizens and all the inhabitants of Earth.

“I hope we as a species find a way to improve our compassion or we may be doomed to our own extinction and perhaps that of the planet also. We do not seem to be anywhere near as smart as we think we are.” – RK