Interview with the Author of "Instant Inspiration for Copywriters"

I'm Darwin Adams, joining author, copywriter, and content creator R. Scott Frothingham for a cup of coffee to ask him about his book Instant Inspiration for Copywriters and to pose questions about his writing career, including advice for other writers.

Q: How would you describe yourself?
A: Incredibly fortunate. I found the perfect partner. I have two amazing kids. I get paid well to do something I love.

Q: I thought you would answer "carrotdangler."
A: I see you checked out my LinkedIn profile where I describe myself as a wordwrangler, carrotdangler and storyteller. The carrotdangler comes from the idea of trying to persuade somebody to do something by offering a reward, such as dangling a carrot in front of a mule to get it to walk. In copywriting, I think of it as thoroughly researching the target audience's want or need so I can demonstrate how deeply I understand that want/need so they'll take my advice about how. when, and where to get it satisfied.

Q: What got you into writing?
A: I've always liked to write. I wasn't a great student, but I could write well and that got me through school. The more I relied on my writing to cover up for other deficits, the better my writing became. My first full time job was at a small local radio station. In that and subsequent jobs, I was able to further hone my writing skills and use them to my advantage for advancement.

Q: What is the project that you have worked on that makes you most proud?
A. The answer to that question is typically, "the most recent project." So the project I'm most proud of right now is my new book that I think will be very helpful to writers, especially copywriters. I'm particularly proud of the positive response it has gotten from a number of copywriters I greatly admire, including: David Garfinkel, Steve Slaunwhite, Tom Albrighton, Drayton Bird, and Bob Bly.

Q: Speaking of Instant Inspiration for Copywriters, the opening headline is "Don't read this book." Doesn't your publisher think that sends the wrong message?
A: Headlines are supposed to, among other things, get attention. I think that this headline does just that and, since it's the first line in the book, it encourages the reader to say, "huh?!" It arouses curiosity that results in the reader continuing to read to find out why a book would be started that way.

The next line explains that the purpose of the book is to be used as tool. As a tool it is to be referred to when a writer needs some inspiration or a quick piece of expert advice. Basically, I'm giving the reader advice on how to use the information in the book by suggesting that the book should not be read cover-to-cover like a novel, but accessed page-by-page when needed.

Q: Why isn't Instant Inspiration for Copywriters available in eBook form, such as Kindle?
A: I believe that different types of information are better delivered through specific media. In the case of Instant Inspiration for Copywriters, I am convinced that riffling through a book is a better way to access this type of information than scrolling down a page. Since most writers are working on a keyboard and screen, I figured that a quick change of environment -- visually and tactilely -- would make more of an impact and do a better job of delivering on the promise of instant inspiration. 

Q: What advice to you have for people who want to get into copy and/or content writing?
A: Here are 3 pieces of advice that will serve any copywriter well: Read, write, and listen. The more you read the better writer you will be. The more you write, the stronger your writing chops will become. The more you talk directly with, and listen to, people in the audience you're targeting, the better you get to know their wants and needs, and how best to communicate with them. The better you know the audience, the more effective your writing will be.

One more bit of advice: the biggest mistake you can make as a writer is to be boring ... make sure your writing is clear, concise, interesting, relevant, and engaging. 

And one more. After this, I promise I'll stop. Don't start writing any copy until you know the desired outcome. Understand what the target audience must do to make the copy successful and then, in the copy, ask that target to do it with a clear call to action.

Q: Do you have any regrets that you have experienced over the course of your career?
A: Most of my regrets are minor and specific, such as submitting a piece with a typo I missed. It happens occasionally and it bugs me when sloppy errors sneak by and I beat myself up about 'em even if they are miles away in my rear view mirror. My biggest regret is not focusing on copywriting full time until later in my career. When that regret sneaks to the front of my mind, I remind myself that without the experiences I had prior to full-time copywriting, I might not be as good a writer.

Q: What is your personal advertising campaign? Why?
A: "In either lost revenue or lost time, poor copy will cost you far more than paying me for excellent copy." Why? If you accept payment for a product, the product you deliver should give, at a minimum, equal value to the payment made. Personally, I always shoot to deliver value above and beyond expectations. It bothers me when I see opportunities being missed by weak writing.

Q: What's next for you?
A: I have a number of assignments I'm working on for clients, but there's an idea for another book that's been bouncing around in my head. Once I get a better focus on that project, that's what my spare time will be devoted to.

Q: If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing?
A: But I am a writer and I ain't quittin'. If I was somehow barred from writing, I'd have to find something else that had to do with words and storytelling. 

Off the top of my head, maybe I could read to people for a living. I'm a big Dr. Seuss fan, maybe I could find folks who would pay me to read to kids and help 'em learn to love reading. Now that I've said that aloud, it doesn't sound like a job that could pay the mortgage.

Thinking about it, I might try being a professional demonstrator. Working a crowd to sell a blender or set of knives or something ... having to get their attention, hold their interest, build their desire, and get them to buy while keeping them entertained and involved. Nah, I'm too much of an introvert. Maybe graphic design of some sort that would allow me to continue to tell stories even though I couldn't use words.

 Instant Inspiration for Copywriters is available  in paperback on Amazon. 

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Darwin Adams is an author of fun and educational children's books focused on nature. He also vlogs on a wide variety of subjects. Check out his books on Amazon including: Toxic, Alpha Animals, Weird Animals (books 1-5), Weird Birds, and I Can Draw Animals (volumes 1 and 2).

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Interview transcribed from FastForwardPublishing.com Author Interview Podcast 6/10/2020

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A Most Unlikely Book

I wrote it.

I'm proud of it.

You've never heard of it.

A few years back I wrote a book. It was not a big seller, but it was definitely unique.

It got some high profile mentions on the Food Channel. It got a lot of positive reviews.

This 35-second video tells the story:

The book even includes a recipe from celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern (you probably know him from his TV shows Bizarre Foods and What’s Eating America?)

So why am I bringing this up now?

They’re back.

Millions of cicadas are expected this year. In parts of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina, cicadas will emerge from the ground for their once-every-17-year mating cycle. 

What now?

Buy a copy.

It’s a fun gift … and … if you’re heading to a friend’s home for dinner, at $5 you’ll get a better reaction with this than with a $5 bottle of wine. Or the next time you have a party, leave it out and see how it becomes a conversation starter.


Also, the recipes are legit. 


No kidding. I played it straight. 

Many fit the description gourmet, including:

• Cicada Frittata

• Pasta a la Cicada

• Cicada Curry

• Cicada Tacos

• Cicada Pad Thai

• Caramel Cicada Crunch

This book has it all from snacks to meals to desserts, many with an international flair with taste profiles, such as Italian, Moroccan, Asian, and Mexican.

One of the reviews contained a great line: “I hope the author has something else to write about for the next 16 years.” Yes, I found other things to write about … but ... since the cicadas are coming back, I can now go back to writing about them (or at least writing about my book about them).

Like the cicadas, after a period of dormancy, it's still available: 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148497638X

50 Father's Day Quotes

DAD - FATHER - PADRE - POP - PA - DADDY

As well as being important to the fathers in your life, Father’s Day is traditionally a big day for retail and restaurants.

Here are 50 Father’s Day quotes that might be useful for prompting Father’s Day writing, such as:

• social media posts
• promotional/sales copy
• fact or fiction about fathers (including those in your life)
• about your feelings for dads that are important to you 

PS I identify most with number 16 from Jim Valvano.

“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” —Charles Wadworth

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” —Unknown

“To her, the name of father was another name for love.” —Fanny Fern

"I only hope when I have my own family that every day I see a little more of my father in me." — Keith Urban

“A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.” —Unknown

“A man’s worth is measured by how he parents his children. What he gives them, what he keeps away from them, the lessons he teaches and the lessons he allows them to learn on their own.” —Lisa Rogers

“I talk and talk and talk, and I haven’t taught people in 50 years what my father taught by example in one week.” —Mario Cuomo

“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow.” —Reed Markham

“Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.” —Unknown

“Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” —Anne Geddes

“No man I ever met was my father’s equal, and I never loved any other man as much.” —Hedy Lamarr

“My father didn’t do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there.” —Max Lucado

“The older I get, the smarter my father seems to get.” —Tim Russert

“You gotta love dads. At my wedding, when I tripped on my wedding dress and fell flat on my face, Dad said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll do better next time.’” —Melanie White

"There should be a children's song 'If you're happy and you know it, keep it to yourself and let your Dad sleep.'" —Jim Gaffigan

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me.” —Jim Valvano

“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.” —Harper Lee

“Dad taught me everything I know. Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me everything he knows.” —Al Unser

“It doesn’t matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.” —Anne Sexton

“When my father didn’t have my hand, he had my back.” —Linda Poindexter

“Great fathers don’t find fault. Great fathers find solutions.” —Reed Markham

“Dads are like chocolate chip cookies; they may have chips or be totally nutty, but they are sweet and make the world a better place, especially for their children.” —Hillary Lytle

“When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up, and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape.” —Dave Attell

“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, storytellers and singers of song.” —Unknown

“A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” —Frank A. Clark

“It is a wise father that knows his own child.” —William Shakespeare

"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." —Mark Twain

"A daughter needs a dad to be the standard against which she will judge all men." — Gregory E. Lang

“My father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future.” —Liza Minnelli

“The power of a dad in a child’s life is unmatched.” —Justin Ricklefs

“A father carries pictures where his money used to be.” —Steve Martin

“Every son quotes his father, in words and in deeds.” —Terri Guillemets

“[My father] has always provided me a safe place to land and a hard place from which to launch.” —Chelsea Clinton

“My father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic.” —Spike Milligan

“Fatherhood is a marathon, not a sprint.” —Paul L. Lewis

“What a father says to his children is not heard by the world, but it will be heard by posterity.” —Jean Paul

“There will always be a few people who have the courage to love what is untamed inside us. One of those men is my father.” —Alison Lohman

“A father’s words are like a thermostat that sets the temperature in the house.” —Paul Lewis

"Being a dad isn't just about eating a huge bag of gummy bears as your wife gives birth. It means being comfortable with the word 'hero.'" — Ryan Reynolds

“A dad is someone who wants to catch you when you fall. Instead he picks you up, brushes you off and lets you try again.” —Unknown

“A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.” —Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“A father is a banker provided by nature.” —French proverb

“A good father is one whose only reason for putting down a laughing baby is to pick up a crying one.” —Linda Poindexter

"My father is my rock. It's where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what." — Hugh Jackman

“Dad: A son’s first hero, a daughter’s first love.” —Unknown

“You can tell what was the best year of your father’s life, because they seem to freeze that clothing style and ride it out.” —Jerry Seinfeld

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” —Sigmund Freud

“My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do." — Michel Jordan

“One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.” —George Herbert

“A father is the one friend upon whom we can always rely. In the hour of need, when all else fails, we remember him upon whose knees we sat when children, and who soothed our sorrows; and even though he may be unable to assist us, his mere presence serves to comfort and strengthen us.” —Émile Gaboriau

"Dads regard themselves as a giant shock absorber, there to protect the family from the ruts and bumps on the road of life." —W. Bruce Cameron

“My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.” —Clarence Budington Kelland

Video Conference Backgrounds to Create a Good Impression

Video conference call coming up and your location is a disaster area?

No problem.

Here are some stylish Zoom backgrounds so you can present yourself in an environment that positions you as a pro

1. Right click on the image, select "save image as ..." and indicate your preferred destination on your computer.
2. When you join a meeting, tap the 3 dots at the bottom right of your screen to open the More menu ... tap virtual background ... upload the image you saved from this post

As you look at each photo, imagine them as the background to your face in the center of the screen. For example, in your library:

Here are 8 "working from home" Zoom backgrounds that present you in the best possible way:

Working from your den:

Working from your living room:

Working from your back deck/porch/patio:

Working from your study:

Working from your library:

Working from your kitchen:

Working from your family room:

Working from your backyard:

If you are looking to spice things up with something more lighthearted, checkout: 12 Fun Zoom Backgrounds where you can get backgrounds ranging from the Simpsons to Seinfeld and Game of Thrones to Pee Wee's Playhouse.