EMPIRE-BUILDING
BY WRITING AND SPEAKING
by Gordon Burgett
(see
two Sample Chapters below; touch here for the Table of Contents)
One good idea can change your life and everybody
else's....if you know how to share it. Better yet, from one idea you can create
your own empire, with you as the emperor or empress.
If you know something that others will pay to
know, that is the core. Not only do you strengthen that unique element of
knowledge, you redefine and repackage that expanded core by the most
appropriate of the many means of information dissemination: articles, a book,
talks, speeches, seminars, audio and/or video tapes, a newsletter, consulting,
and more...
By sharing needed information one way it leads
to sharing it by others, and the collective sharing further identifies you as
the person, the perceived expert, to be sought for even further help,
information, or direction in that area of inquiry.
EMPIRE-BUILDING BY WRITING AND SPEAKING takes you through the process, from identifying the
core knowledge to putting all of the means in motion.
The concept is old but the terms are new, and
having it now in how-to form, the why's and how's, in a sensible process you
can follow, is a godsend for people who know something, or can, and want
desperately to share it with others.
This book shares a way that you can do just
that and still live a decent life, with the monetary as well as psychic rewards
that you deserve for helping others and yourself.
One idea can be the core of an empire.
It can make you rich and set you free.
Yet ideas alone aren't enough. If they
were, the world would be full of liberated millionaires. Ideas must be
directed, structured, and put in motion. They must have a purpose. So this book
offers a 15-step process by which you can turn ideas, through writing and
speaking, into action. It helps you disseminate your ideas and create an action
plan.
EMPIRE-BUILDING BY WRITING AND SPEAKING suggests a form of operational
order to the otherwise random chaos of
knowledge so that ideas can be directed at problem-solving, goal-attaining,
even profit-making. They can be the difference between sharing by one means or
many, better said, the difference between enlightening a few and earning
several hundred dollars or telling the world and a potential $1,000,000!
This may be Burgett's
longest remembered book by the writers and speakers he has helped. Have you the
courage to be the ruler of your own empire? Then buy, read, and do.
ISBN: 910167-02-8/paper
ISBN: 910167-03-6/cloth
192 pages
$12.95/paper
$15.95/cloth
Chapter
6: Definition
At last,
one goal! Which we'll call an objective, to distinguish it
from the many unchosen goals still on our list―and others unlisted.
Now you
must take that objective and clearly define it so you know precisely,
word-by-word, what you want to achieve. This is done for four reasons, plus
common sense.
One, to look with greater clarity at an objective that may have been
inexactly or imprecisely phrased when you first listed your many goals in Step
One.
Two, to identify its core subject, which will serve as the focal point
for later research.
Three, to reduce the definition of that objective to one sentence.
Many
contend that if you can't state your objective in terms of your intention and
at that length you either have too many objectives posing as one or the purpose
is still too vague in your own mind to know what the actual objective is.
In
information dissemination, that sentence is known as the "purpose
statement." Its implied challenge is usually what drives you, fuels your
energy, and directs your promotion; it also acts as a measuring rod for your
achievements. So it must be clear and exact. A purpose statement is a
powerful working tool.
And four,
to convert that one-sentence purpose statement into a "working
question," the sub-questions which will later help provide an operating
framework for its answer and realization.
Therefore,
your energy here is directed at examining the objective, challenging its every
word, isolating a core subject, stating (or restating) that objective as a
purpose in one sentence, and creating a working question. You also need this
level of definition so that, at the next step, you can determine and explain
why you want to achieve that precise objective.
Step Six,
then, is one of definition. Let's use the example to show the steps and results
of definition.
An
Example of Definition
You first
stated your objective in this way: "I want to show writers how and why to
publish their books."
But what
specifically does that mean? The first three words are clear enough, but you
must question every word that follows.
show: Will you actually
"demonstrate"? Do you mean "explain"? Will this vary
according to the means used: "show" on video but "explain"
on audio cassette? Or perhaps "teach," though that may scare some
away?
writers: Do only writers
want to self-publish books? Or do all who write books think of themselves as
writers? For example, a speaker or an entrepreneur who wants to self-publish
is, in one sense, a writer, but may not primarily identify with that
classification. And what about the person who acquires a book, or has one
ghosted or even written under a different name, and
wants to publish it: who is the writer? And would that be self-publishing or
just plain publishing? Is it necessary to identify the specific group here? Why
not just "people" and let the kind of people come from the context in
which the statement is used?
how and why:
These seem okay, since "how" is the process and "why" the
purpose, the key elements others will usually pay to know. The only
problem is the order. It's unlikely that others would care to know
“how” until they’d been convinced, and that comes from the
“why.” Why not reverse the order?
to publish: Actually you
mean "to self-publish." Except for the possible confusion posed two
definitions back, between self-publishing and publishing others' works, you want
to distinguish the difference between sending one's written copy to others for
them to publish or publishing it oneself. So the term "self-publish"
is correct in this context.
their: Again, can a person
self-publish others' books? Or by gaining proprietorial
rights does it become "their" book. Except for that, the word is
proper and to use any other word would be more confusing. But wouldn't it be
just as clear if you deleted the word altogether?
books: Two issues: singular or
plural, and does one self-publish just books? "Book" presumes that
those you will be addressing will write just one. "Books" suggests
they need more than one to self-publish or to consider the procedure. And can't
one self-publish reports, workbooks, all sorts of
printed matter? Even tapes might fall into that category. Again, do you need
the word at all?
Yes, this is boring, but if millions are won and lost on periods
and commas, as lawyers are quick to say, consider the potential loss
from a loose word or three!
The
verdict, after much writing of sentences and asking if the new word
combinations suggest other confusions, is this:
"I want to show people
why and how to self-publish."
Which becomes both your objective and your purpose statement. From
it you form your working question, which is simply the heart of the purpose
statement put in interrogatory form: "Why should and how can people
self-publish?"
From the
answer to that question you build your empire.
----------
Chapter
8: Research
Empires, in
our context, are built of knowledge which you would provide to others as information―for pay. You would share that commodity
through writing or speaking.
Some of
that knowledge may be original, the result of studies you have conducted,
observations you have made, or experiences you have had or have heard about and
from which you have drawn your own conclusions.
Or it may
be knowledge accessible to others that you are finding, defining, combining,
presenting, or interpreting, where the degree of uniqueness is less a factor
than your making it available and understandable.
Sometimes
the knowledge is widely known and used and you are making it even more usable
by providing a step-by-step process. Or showing how it can be applied either to
everyday life or in unusual ways.
Whatever
the source or use of the information, the results of your research must be
accurate and they must be marketable if you are to build an empire from them.
In terms
of accuracy, what you gather and use must be factually correct. Its source(s)
must be reliable. Usually, it must also be current.
As for
marketability, however it is gathered and packaged, there must be enough people
who will buy your information at a sufficiently high price, plus there must be
appropriate means to provide and sell it.
Sometimes
that information will be so valuable or so constituted that it can be sold by
just one means of dissemination. Yet the value of most information can usually
be increased many times over by increasing the means of its sale. Later we will
see that the use of multiple means can create the bedrock and windfall of your
empire.
But for
now, what does this mean to you? Research, and plenty
of it!
To build
an empire from information, you will be expected to understand that information
thoroughly, plus much related information leading to and from your point of
specialization.
That is,
others will expect you to be an expert about your topic. Most of your expertise
will come from knowledge already available. Gathering that knowledge; defining
it; becoming aware of the references, resources, and future fonts; knowing the
"state of the art," and being able to translate what you gather and
know into salable information is the purpose of your
research. It is also the foundation of your empire and a key to its prosperity.
Where
accessible information is located, how it can be obtained, and what more is
needed for its best evaluation depends largely upon the topic itself.
Most
research for most topics is library-based, then people- and field-found. Add to
that personal experience with the applied aspects of the topic and you have
covered the main sources.
It is
impossible to guess the steps that even typical readers of this book must take
to research their empire-building topics. Let me, instead, refer you to your
library for books about research techniques, then show you, through the
example, how I develop an accurate, comprehensive, current pool of information
upon which to build an empire.
As to the
length of time your research should take, there are two measurements to
consider. Initial, intensive research done at the outset of empire-building may
take from 20-100 or more hours of serious application. Assume you know nothing,
start from an encyclopedia and other prime points,
and move out and toward your specialization.
The
second time period lasts as long as your empire exists. You should set aside a
specific period of time each week or month for on-going research. Your
expertise is as good as today's discovery and tomorrow's investigation. When
your learning ends, so should your empire.
(In the
book an extensive example follows, but the graphics don't reproduce well
here...)
|
Gordon Burgett |
(800) 563-1454 |