Daphne Gray-Grant
Testimonials
Products
Free Articles
Book Reviews
About Daphne
Free Newsletter
Contact Me
Check out my book!
I think you have one of the most valuable and insightful business writing resources on the web (and, as Im sure you know, there are thousands of them out there). No matter how busy I am, your newsletter is the one email I always open the moment it hits my inbox!
Leslie Talbot
Principal, G2G Sales, Cambridge, MA
I have to stop myself replying to your email each week to tell you how great I think your writing is. I've held off for two months now, so: I think your writing is great. Yours is the only newsletter that I read every time. Inspiring and concise, with humour. Love it.
Andrew Lightheart,
RealSmartNow.net
Singapore
You don't know me, but you've made such a big difference in my writing as I launched and then grew my copywriting business over the past year. Your newsletter is the only one I read right when I get it.
Kelly Parkinson,
Copylicious
Oakland, Calif.
I read your Power Writing tips religiously. I have learned more from them than I did in all my years at Catholic School. Your stuff is valuable to everyone regardless of their business function.
Mary Anne Doggett
Interactive Communications, Inc.
New York, NY
Unlike most newsletters I subscribe to (many of which I delete in frustration or let accumulate in my inbox for "later") I read yours the moment they come in. I love that they’re short, easy to read, and informative.
Nadine Pederson
Black Swan Services
West Vancouver, B.C.
Just had to tell you that, once again, your newsletter has brought enlightenment, enjoyment, and a welcome dose of sanity to my inbox. I love hearing from you each week.
Fran Sammis
Teledyne Storm Products
Woodridge, IL
I just wanted to let you know that I read 100% of your writing. Of the many newsletters that come to my inbox, yours is the only one I read from start to finish every time. TGIT (Thank God it's Tuesday).
Laura Williams
Mississauga, Ont.
Thank you for your recent newsletter. What a powerful concept! I think you've just given me a key to my writer's block. Your newsletter is terrific!
Lisa Ham
Bend, Ore.
I just don’t know how you do it. Every column of yours I read is noteworthy. I’m working on two books (one for Oxford University Press and the other for Prometheus Books) that are each due in a couple of months. I’ve got two major research projects and teaching to boot. I don’t read anything extra.
Except your emails. They’re worth their weight in gold.
Barbara A. Oakley, Ph.D., P.E., FAIMBE
Associate Professor of Engineering
Oakland University
Rochester MI
As a new writer and web owner, I had subscribed to several writing-type newsletters -- yours is the only one I have kept. It's short and sweet; and it offers value.
Julie DeHart
Manila, Philippines
I just wanted to let you know, I look forward to Tuesdays. Because of you. Thanks for the inspiration and insight.
Jennifer Clayton
Sticky Center,
Palm Springs, California
Your newsletter is funny/interesting because you write about stuff I already know, but for some reason need to hear again in small portions. So incredibly useful.
Rachel Lom
Write Image, LLC
Appleton, Wisconsin
HELPING CORPORATE WRITERS WORK BETTER, FASTER
Nov 6/06
Why there's nothing more important than your deadline
Stop the presses! What everybody ought to know about publishing
Have you ever picked up your daily newspaper and found blank pages? Or turned on the 6 p.m. news to be greeted by a perfectly coiffed host intoning, “Nothing actually happened in the world today, so in place of our usual newscast, we’re bringing you this rerun of The Simpsons?” Ummm, my guess is no.
And not because there’s no such thing as a “slow news” day. I used to work as a journalist and let me tell you, we had plenty of days when it seemed like a better idea to just go home and climb into a hot bath. There’s nothing worse than late December when the paper is huge (thanks to all of the extra advertising for the Boxing Day sales) and most of government –- from municipal to federal –- has virtually shut down for the holidays. Ditto for any business that isn’t retail.
No news doesn’t mean no newspaper
But guess what? In the absence of “news”, we still put out a paper. And we filled it with acres of what we called “human interest stories.” You know what I mean. Stories about charitable organizations that needed help, or about students who did good deeds or about odd and unusual hobbies people had. As “serious” journalists, we found these stories slightly distasteful, of course. But we did them anyway. Why?
Simple -- we had subscribers who expected a paper -– every single day, whether there was breaking news or not.
Your word needs to count for something
Just call me an old fashioned gal, but I believe that publishing an e-zine or a newsletter or an employee publication is a lot like producing a regular newspaper. As the writer, editor or publisher, you have made a promise to your readers.
It’s all about delivery
And what could be a more basic promise than the one about when your publication is going to appear? “When I get around to it,” is not an acceptable choice. Whatever frequency you pick –- be it weekly, every two weeks or monthly -- you need to deliver. Whatever happens in your life or your company’s life –- from computer failures to redesigning your website to the dog eating your paperwork –- doesn’t matter. You need to deliver. And, sorry, it also doesn’t matter that your publication is free. You have made a promise -- maybe not a legally enforceable one, but a promise none-the-less.
And that’s a promise
And if you fail to keep it, I can promise you this: Your readers will cease to respect you. That’s a pretty steep price to pay. Isn’t it better just to write and produce the darn thing?
To receive a short email like this one each week, get on the Power Writing email list. It's free.