People needed her perspective, she gave it, then they bought all her other offers. π°
Bushra's entire business model is the application of Robert Cialdini.
You know, the Influence guy.
His books are THE textbooks on the psychology of persuasion.
They leave you knowing you need to apply persuasion, but they don't tell you how.
Enter Mass Persuasion Method.
Bushra's book answers the tactical questions that business owners want to know:
How do I persuade people?
How do I style in my email subject lines?
How do I structure video scripts?
How do I talk about myself online consistently?
How do I make people see me as an authority?
Mass Persuasion Method tells you exactly how to do these things where most business books just rehash Cialdini without giving any specifics and call it a day.
Yes, that Michael Crichton, the Jurassic Park guy.
Congo is a book that purports to be non-fiction.
If you wrote your non-fiction book like Michael Crichton in Congo, you would sell a lot more copies.
Congo reads like a novel.
Consider Dr. Ross.
A typical non-fiction writer would describe the real person Dr. Ross like so:
Her personality was cold.
She was distant.
She was aloof.
She often seemed far away from people.
Michael Crichton names her after a glacier.
π
He used one metaphor and what do you already know about Dr. Ross?
She's distant.
She's icy.
She carries a lot of secrets.
π₯Ά
Crichton also writes in the present tense.
It's a play by play of all the interesting things happening as they happen.
Not only is it fun read, it's an excellent lesson on how to write non fiction so your reader cannot put it down.
Gem #3: More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory
You are thinking Joshua, what the hell, why are you recommending this book?
Because this book is an excellent primer on all of the communication skills and relationship building tools we don't have.
The book teaches you how to be honest.
We're not taught how to be honest in relationships.
We realize that in a monogamous situation we are lying to our partner all the time.
We can do better and this book shows us how.
I recommend this book to people in any relationship or structure, particularly straight people in monogamous relationships, because what this book teaches and presents helps everybody.
The great irony is it will probably help monogamous people the most!
Thank you to @AlexandriaHatch who first introduced this book to me.
Now with the polyamory book out of the way, let's step away from business for a moment for this one personal book recommendation.
Gem #4: The Beginning of Infinity by by David Deutsch
Naval described this as his favorite book, the most important book he's ever read, and the book everyone needs to read.
All of those are true.
From my perspective, your mind will be expanded.
It's like listening to synthwave, except the synthwave is a book.
The synthwave you're listening to is the soundtrack of the entire observable universe.
That's what reading this book is like.
I will not say anything else about The Beginning of Infinity besides that.
Gem #5: Obvious Adams by Robert Updegraff
For this last one we will return to business.
It's a business fable called Obvious Adams.
It's like Who Moved My Cheese, The Go Giver, and The Richest Man in Babylon.
It's a fun book to read, regardless of where you're at in your business journey.
It's fun for the aspiring entrepreneur grinding away at your 8 to 5.
It's fun for the current entrepreneur busting his butt.
It's fun for everybody!
This book will also teach you that maybe you don't want to write a non-fiction book.
You might need to write a fable instead, like Obvious Adams (or Congo).
Now you know my 5 Gems and why I think they are good books.
Why is reading good books critical to good writing?
π You write (and think) what you read. π
Read normie books that are recycled repurposed content from decades ago, and you'll find yourself thinking the same thoughts and feeling the same feelings as everyone else reading that tripe.
You're actually not learning anything new.
Boring!
Read books outside the mainstream, read books that are a little uncomfortable, and you have a chance at learning something new.
I've given you uncomfortable books with all of these Gems, some more uncomfortable than others.
You can't learn to be a great chef by eating at Subway.
You can't learn to be a great writer by reading normie books.
@Evie_Magazine just dropped a hot new dress and π is melting down.
We say βhotβ on purpose because, well, look at it.
Come with me as we analyze this brilliant viral marketing masterclass:
@Evie_Magazine First of all, βraw milkβ has gone from internet meme to real-world beverage preference thanks in part to Rep. Thomas Massie, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Ballerina Farms, whose founder Hannah Neeleman is Evieβs latest cover girl. The farm is known for raw milk.
@Evie_Magazine So, βraw milkmaid.β Get it? Also, βgot raw milk?β The ads write themselves.
Evie is going hard in the paint, so to speak, for TRADITIONAL FEMININE BEAUTY.