Public Relations Writing: Form & Style (with Errata Sheet) [Paperback]

Doug Newsom (Author), Jim Haynes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0495566764 | ISBN-13: 978-0495566762 | Publication Date: September 4, 2007 | Edition: 8

PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING: FORM AND STYLE combines the practical approach of a trade book with the fundamental principles and theories of Public Relations to provide you with the essential techniques and methods needed to write with understanding and purpose. This text guides you through a logical progression of PR writing, starting with an explanation of how this kind of writing is unique and by exploring the legal and ethical obligations. The writing principles section, which covers both style and techniques, is followed by Public Relations writing assignments that you'll likely have to do in your early jobs: emails, memos, letters, reports and proposals, backgrounders and position papers. Writing for mass media and the more complex public relations writing functions, including media kits, media pitches, print and online newsletters, brochures, magazines, including those online, and annual reports are also covered in this comprehensive guide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I adopted PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING because it is comprehensive. No textbook is perfect, but this one does a good job of covering the fundamentals of public relations writing, as well as media relations. It covers aspects of design, grammar and syntax. Despite covering the previously mentioned areas, it also covers communication theory. This comprehensiveness is its strength."

"I have always used Doug Newsom's PR Writing texts, in its various editions, as the foundation for my PR Writing classes because, in reviewing all the texts available to me, I feel this book is the best at teaching writing forms, helping students to understand why things should be done a certain way, and providing valuable exercises and tools for them to practice and ultimately be successful."

About the Author

Doug Newsom, a professor of journalism at Texas Christian University, is the senior coauthor of THIS IS PR AND PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING, 8E. She also is the coauthor of three other books and the author of two more. She serves as a member of the Commission on Public Relations Education, is a former chair of PRSA's College of Fellows, and is a past chair of the Accrediting Committee for the Accrediting Council on Education for Journalism and Mass Communications. She has been president of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication, Texas Public Relations Association, and the Dallas and Fort Worth chapters of PRSA. Dr. Newsom has been national faculty advisor to PRSSA. She has been head of the PR Division of AEJMC and served as chair of its former PR division heads. Awards include the Institute for Public Relations' Pathfinder, PRSA Outstanding Educator, Public Relations Foundation of Texas's Educator of the Year Award, Texas Public Relations Association's Golden Spur, and Association of Women in Communications Headliner. She has served Fulbrights in India and Singapore; presented workshops in South Africa, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, and Vanuatu; and taught in Latvia and England. She has been chair of the Fulbright discipline committee, served 18 years on a gas research institute's advisory council, and was one of the first women elected to the board of a publicly held company where she served 24 years until reaching mandatory retirement age.

Jim Haynes is Director of Research, Senior Consultant and a member of the Board of Directors of QuickSilver Interactive Group, Inc. of Dallas, Texas. Accredited in Public Relations (APR) he is a member of Public Relations Society of America's College of Fellows and is a Certified Records Manager. He served on the Universal Accreditation Board, which is responsible for accreditation for PRSA and eight participating organizations. Former Assistant Dean in the College of Communication at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) he taught public relations at Texas State University-San Marcos, UT, Southern Methodist University and Texas Christian University. He also has spoken at professional conferences and led seminars and workshops throughout the USA, Canada, England and Norway. Co-founder of the Public Relations Foundation of Texas, he served as chairman of that organization as well as president of Texas Public Relations Association (TPRA) and the North Texas (now Dallas) Chapter of PRSA. He has received numerous national, state and local awards from public relations organizations, including lifetime membership in TPRA. Through his consultancy, Jim Haynes Consulting, he provides consulting services to clients that have included major corporations throughout the United States, as well as associations, municipalities, state agencies and non-profit organizations in the USA, Canada, Norway and Sweden. He worked with the Norwegian Institute of Journalism for 20 years, coordinating a two-week short course for Norwegian newspaper editors at The University of Texas at Austin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 458 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 8 edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0495566764
• ISBN-13: 978-0495566762
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good book, August 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Public Relations Writing: Form and Style (Wadsworth Series in Mass Communication and Journalism) (Paperback)

As a Public Relations student, I found this book to be extremely helpful. It demonstrates the proper way to write so that you can lear effective style and techinque. I have found that this book, along with Guerilla PR Wired by Michael Levine, create the foundation for my studies.

3.0 out of 5 stars No Page Numbers, October 26, 2011

By 

R. L. Vaughn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Public Relations Writing: Form & Style, 9th Edition (Kindle Edition)

The book itself is fine - it's a textbook, what else do you really need? The significant issue is that there are ZERO page numbers in this book. I understand formatting can change due to text size and whatnot - but that shouldn't prevent the assignment of page numbers that correspond with the actual, paper-based textbook. Precisely how is anyone supposed to provide in-text citations without a page number? What if the instructor only assigns specific page numbers to read, not an entire chapter (the frustration I'm currently dealing with). There is no way to tell what page number you're on and it's infuriating.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, February 14, 2011

By 

susieb "susieb" (harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Public Relations Writing: Form & Style (with Errata Sheet) (Paperback)

My daughter used this textbook for her public relations class while pursuing her Communications Degree. She was very pleased with the way the book was written and said that it was one of her most helpful textbooks. She (and I) recommend this textbook for anyone wanting to study the art of Public Relations.