Empire-Building by Writing and Speaking: A How to Guide for Communicators, Entrepreneurs, and Other Information Merchants [Paperback]

Gordon Burgett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0910167028 | ISBN-13: 978-0910167024 | Publication Date: April 1, 1987

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gordon Burgett's three 'niche' writing books are a roadmap for how to use your ability to write to make money." -- Wally Bock's newsletter

From the Back Cover

One idea can be the seed 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, put in motion. They must have a purpose.

So this book offers a 15-step process by which you can turn ideas, though writing and speaking, into action. It helps you disseminate your ideas and create an action path.

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.

ARTICLES / BOOKS/ SPEECHES/ WORKSHOPS/ TAPES / CONSULTING / NEWSLETTERS

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Communication Unlimited (April 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910167028
• ISBN-13: 978-0910167024
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gordon Burgett currently speaks nationwide about his three arenas of specialization: "How to Get Your Book Published Free in Minutes and Marketed Worldwide in Days," "Niche Publishing: Publish Profitably Every Time," and "Empire Building by Writing and Speaking," offering keynotes, break-out sessions, and workshops at conventions, retreats, and colleges or universities. (See www.gordonburgett.com; for seminar descriptions, please see www.gordonburgett.com/seminars.htm.)

In late 2010, Gordon published "How to Get Your Book Published Free in Minutes and Marketed Worldwide in Days." In bound and/or digital format, it is available from Gordon, Amazon.com, lulu.com, lightningsource.com, createspace.com, smashwords.com, and as a Kindle book. (See www.ancillarypublishing.com.) He then published a how-to example of that book's thesis in "How to Create a High School Graduation Book."

Burgett has also published 1,700+ articles and 40 books, plus offered over 2,000 professional spoken presentations, mostly to associations and conventions and through university extension programs. During that time he has appeared extensively on radio and TV, as a guest author and a publishing specialist. Burgett is a long-standing member of the National Speakers Association, the American Society of Authors and Journalists, and the Independent Book Publishers Association and has produced 26 audio CD and cassette programs. His published books also include How to Sell 75% of Your Freelance Writing, the Travel Writer's Guide, Speaking for Money (with Mike Frank), Sell and Resell Your Magazine Articles (for Writer's Digest Books), Treasure and Scavenger Hunts, Life After Dentistry (with Dr. Jay Hislop), Standard Marketing Procedures for Dentists, The Writer's Guide to Query and Cover Letters, Standard Marketing Procedures for All Dentists (with Reece Franklin), Ten Sales from One Article Idea, and The Query Book. (See www.gordonburgett.com for specifics about each book or product.)

Four of Burgett's books have been Writer's Digest Book Club top choices: Sell and Resell Your Magazine Articles, The Travel Writer's Guide, The Writer's Guide to Query and Cover Letters, and How to Sell More Than 75% of Your Freelance Writing.

Gordon has owned and directed a publishing company, Communication Unlimited, since 1981. It originally specialized in (and continues to offer) books, reports, and cassettes about writing, empire-building, and niche publishing. In 1995, his company merged with Marsha Freeman's Team Systems and created Dental Communication Unlimited and Medical Communication Unlimited, to begin a series of standard operating procedures manuals (and other, related office operations products) for health care professionals. In 2007, Gordon sold Dental Communication Unlimited to Marsha. (See www.sops.com.) For the past five years its education imprint has published key education books for superintendents, principals, and K-12 teachers, including What Every Superintendent and Principal Needs to Know, Teachers Change Lives 24/7, The Perfect School, and Finding Middle Ground in K-12 Education: Balancing Best Practices and the Law. (See www.superintendents-and-principals.com.)

Burgett earned four academic degrees: B.A., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana (Latin American Studies), M.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison (Luso-Brazilian Studies), M.F.T., Thunderbird Graduate School (Foreign Trade), and an M.A., Northern Illinois University (History). He was twice a university dean, taught Portuguese and history, created a city recreation program in Illinois, directed CARE (and Peace Corps) programs in Colombia and Ecuador (including the Land Directorship of the HOPE ship medical/dental program in Guayaquil), twice studied in Brazil, played professional baseball, and led a gold hunt up the Paushi Yaco (Upper Amazon) River in Ecuador.

He survived to write newsletters, articles, and books. See the newsletter at www.gordonburgett.com/nl.htm. He also has a blog at www.blog.gordonburgett.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TRANSFORMING IDEAS INTO INCOME, December 12, 2000

By 

Anne Lazarus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire-Building by Writing and Speaking: A How to Guide for Communicators, Entrepreneurs, and Other Information Merchants (Paperback)

Because I suspected this book was a bit heavy on hype and lean on practicality, I sampled it from my local library first. Much to my surprise, the material is well organized, timeless, insightful, and pleasantly written. (It's a shame that the sample chapter shown here is on research, and not even the best part of that chapter... Because the books starts out with a strong introduction and then continues to build momentum with each chapter.)

If you are in a business or profession where you have the opportunity to provide information others value, then you should seriously consider becoming a merchant of ideas. This book is an excellent start for discovering and implementing ideas that you can transform into income. Along this line, I would also suggest these books as companions in creating a well balanced game plan. First the undisputed bible of self-publishing, THE SELF-PUBLISHING MANUAL: HOW TO WRITE, PRINT AND SELL YOUR OWN BOOK by Dan Poytner, Then, an outstanding book on creating an integrated vision of your life and business, MAKING A LIVING WITHOUT A JOB: WINNING WAYS FOR CREATING WORK THAT YOU LOVE by Barbara J. Winters.

Why did I give this book only four stars, not five? Because, although the book works in its current form, it would be nice to see a second edition. One would hope the author has new and improved insights to add, and at the very least this book deserves a fresh cover that matches the content.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Tide is Rising on this Castle Made of Sand, January 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Empire-Building by Writing and Speaking: A How to Guide for Communicators, Entrepreneurs, and Other Information Merchants (Paperback)

The book IS all hype. There is an inherent danger in having a business that shows people how to have a business. The danger is getting swallowed up by self-generated hype. Some books manage to escape the danger, but not this one.

This book has very little useful information. If you're interested in this subject, you will need to buy a book on self-publishing, one on public speaking/seminars, and one on PR. How could this little book cover all these topics adequately. It can't.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This books goes nowhere..., January 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Empire-Building by Writing and Speaking: A How to Guide for Communicators, Entrepreneurs, and Other Information Merchants (Paperback)

This book is like so many other money-making books; they get you excited, but fail to deliver any useful information. Gordon Burgett spends the entire book talking about the planning stage. At the very end of the book, he slides over the implementation stage in only a couple dozen pages. In reality, building an 'empire' takes a lot more than planning!

If you have enough enthusiasm to buy this book, Gordon Burgett's book will offer nothing else to you. I feel I have wasted [money].