We, Me, Them & It (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] rarity in the world of business books: something readable, stimulating and full of good sense. -- Marketing Magazine

Product Description

This book is about recognizing that words are living beings. Because we are human we know that we should care about living beings. Most of the time we do not. We let them starve through neglect. We step over them when we see them on the street trying to attract our attention. We pull the curtains so we don't have to look at them. We even lock the doors on them if we feel they threaten us.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Texere; 1 edition (May 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587991365
• ISBN-13: 978-1587991363
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,624,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, June 27, 2006

By	Richard Pelletier "Bravo" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: We, Me, Them & It: How to Write Powerfully for Business (Paperback)

This is not a 'how to' book. This is about the beauty and power of language. Simmons has done the world of business (and those of us who write for business) a favor by shedding some light on an area that many organizations are nervous about - content.

The premise is basic. Lot's of competition out there. If you are trying to find a way to separate your company from the pack, take another look at how you use language. The extraordinary power of words - you only have to think of the "I have a dream" speech to know this - is part of what John Simmons is talking about.

Language, and more specifically, tone of voice, is a way for organizations to forge an identity that is all their own.

The man is head over heels in love with language and good writing and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Too much business writing is limp and risk averse. As a result, customers turn away, business is lost and the marketing people scramble...

The message in John Simmons book is pretty clear:
If your business writes as if the writing really matters, if it comes from the heart and soul of your organization - it will matter.

Buy the book.
See a more complete review at richpelletier.com

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Me, Him, It and Those, February 23, 2006

By	SARAH MCCARTNEY (London, England, UK.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'd never read a book like this before. I was expecting a text book with clear recommendations about 'how to', rules about good and bad writing and a nice, safe, unemotional set of guidelines about how to get through my day as a writer for business. What I got was permission to bring myself to work, so to speak, and put some of my own experience into the words I write. I was like a kid in a candy shop! This was the invitation I was waiting for, without ever knowing.
I can understand that some stiff-laced, corporate types might find themselves feeling a little insecure reading We, Me, Them and It, particularly if they come from a culture where work and real life must forever remain separate. But among the new kinds of business where we know as much about the people who run them as the products, then John Simmons' advice to writers is going to give them the key to a magic doorway, opening into a room full of new experience. Don't be afraid!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn't I know about this book?, July 4, 2006

By	Chris MacAskill (Silicon Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: We, Me, Them & It: How to Write Powerfully for Business (Paperback)

The magic of serendipity in a London airport bookstore brought this little jewel into my life. I read it twice on my flight, then bought several copies for friends at work.

It's intended for a British audience. Even though I'm American I understood the language and examples and felt they applied to our company.

The main point is that all writing, from the help desk to marketing materials, work to form the brand. Customers love the tone of informal letters -- filled with emotion and individuality, free of the language of bureaucracy. So many people like me get drawn into sterile corporate writing because it sounds professional as we write, but to the customer it ends up sounding haughty and boring.

There are lots of compelling case studies of British companies, some funny stuff, and even great poetry.

One funny:

"The problem with words is you never know whose mouth they've been in."