Amazon.com
The modern conundrum: while the art of letter writing is fast extinguishing, the need for expressive, impressive, appropriate letters is as great as ever. The result? A mortifying amount of miserable missives that sadly miss the mark. E-mail informality is all very well for one's sister in Toledo or one's colleague three cubicles down, but when one needs to promote a product or raise funds, seek a job or request a favor, effectively complain, apologize, or reprimand, or send a letter of condolence, the typically confident and competent achiever gets noodly in the knees. Write a thank-you letter? The prospective correspondent is suddenly busy cleaning his or her desk and organizing the office files.
All you really need is a template to show you the way, and that's where Harold Meyer's Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters excels. There are 981 letters covering most every business or personal occasion, organized in 600 categories, and followed by a comprehensive index. From Declining Requests (subdivided into "Invitations," "Applications for Credit," and "Donations," among others) and Requesting Favors to Sympathy, Apology, and Thank-You notes, Meyer shows an array of approaches, discusses effective techniques for various intended results, and instructs you on which tone to pursue, depending on whom the letter is going to and what you're trying to achieve. The encyclopedia won't actually write the letter for you or affix the stamp, but it provides proven formats to help structure your thoughts, and smooth starter and closer sentences--typically the hardest to write--to jump-start your communication and end with style. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
With over 1 million copies sold, this classic letter writing resource is now available with CD-ROM, making composing the perfect letter quicker and easier than ever. Covering 625 distinct categories, this hands-on guide provides nearly a thousand ready-to-use letters for every conceivable situation--from seeking out new business to collecting debts to extending congratulations. To compose the perfect letter in a snap, all a stymied writer needs to do is find the appropriate topic in the index, read the brief lead-in comments, and follow the blueprint. Now including a CD-ROM for the first time in this third edition, adapting model missives are even quicker, freeing writers from the tedious task of re-keying. This targeted, user-friendly collection includes expertly crafted letters for: •Requesting favors, from a deadline extension to an extended stay with a relative. •Saying "no," politely but firmly, to sundry pleas, demands, and invitations. •Selling and fund-raising to get bottom-line results. •Seeking employment, and reprimanding and terminating employees. •Making and responding to complaints with impact. For writers determined to draft from scratch, author Harold Meyer offers crash courses in "How to Do It," with step-by-step outlines, interest-arousing openers, and clincher closers for each letter group. Sweeping in scope and eminently useful, Lifetime Encyclopedia of Letters is the ultimate reference for writing it right, whatever the occasion.
Book Info
A complete encyclopedia of helpful guidelines for writing every type of letter imaginable. Covers 625 categories of letters, including thanking letters, letters of congratulation, sales letters, letters requesting help, information or favors, letters providing information, and more. Includes a CD-ROM. Previous edition not cited. Softcover. DLC: Letter writing.
About the Author
Harold E. Meyer has analyzed, edited, and collected scores of letters, memos, and directives that have crossed his desk for the past thirty years. He lives in Sun City West, Arizona.
Home
