The other day, I mentioned that in order to greatly increase your chances of getting a book published and have it become an immediate and longstanding success, you have to have a prepositional phrase in your title. All my stories (The Change, The Complex, The Guardian…) don’t have them, so naturally, that’s the (only) reason that I’m not a world-famous author by now.

Seriously, though, think about it. There are a ton of books, plays, and songs out there (with real merit) that have great titles that include prepositional phrases. And they’re much better titles for it, too. Would you read/listen to the following works?

Read more

When Adam Goldstein approached ERA404 about designing labels for his new wine company, Brooklyn Wine Company, I have to admit I was pretty excited. If given a chance, I’d drink a beer over wine anyday, but I do really enjoy red wine. I, as with most uncultured palates, nearly always select a wine for its label rather than what I should’ve read in a Wine Connoisseur periodical. Even after having gone on a tour of Taittinger’s operation in Reims, France, a few years back, I just haven’t learned (or cared to learn) how to select a wine based on varietal, region or manufacturer. I think my stubbornness comes from the misconception that a cultured palate comes with an expensive taste…and I’m just not willing to part with money that easily.

Adam, as with all great thinkers, has a pretty great view of how a wine label should be designed. When we started putting together his wine shop (Red White and Bubbly) site, we gave him the design for a wine shop. He absolutely loved and hated it. “What you’ve given me is a wine shop site,” he said. “And while it’s perfect, it’s not what I’m looking for.” “But it is a wine shop,” I replied. “Yes and no. I’m not selling wine, exclusively,” he said. “I’m promoting the idea, the spirit and vibe of Brooklyn.”

Read more

So I’m 29-years-old, now, and even though I’ll perpetually refer to myself as a kid, I’ve decided that I’ve lived roughly one-third of my life. Sandy Ford, my guidance counselor in high school, taught me about the value of 5-year plans and setting up processes for achieving my goals in life.

My five-year plan after I graduated came to fruition three years earlier than I’d expected. My list was quite short back then. I simply wanted to run my own business, be successful at what I did, and love every second of it. In 2002, two years after graduation, it happened. The network that I’d built while dodging bullets through the dot-com boom had paid off and before I knew it, I had more work moonlighting than I did at my deskjob. I’d survived the collapse of two companies and risked it all to accomplish this dream.

Read more

I just finished a new original crossword puzzle called “Artistic License” (PDF). It’s about a “Friday” in terms of the New York Times Difficulty Rating System (read: medium). I hope you like it. Comments are always welcome.

>> All My Puzzles
>> Artistic License (PDF)