Press releases are an enormous hoax. They're written by people who pretend to be excited and received by people who pretend to be interested. It's time for a change.

In the bizarre love triangle between companies, PR firms and the media, nobody wins except the PR firms who get paid whether the press releases are read or not.

In my former life as full-time journalist I received (and ignored) thousands. I've seen editors scan through a hundred email press releases in five minutes and delete the lot. Before that, as a CEO, I paid tens of thousands of pounds for shiny press releases that got us no coverage whatsoever.

Expectations are low and cynicism is high. I think it's time to re-evaluate the whole concept and go back to basics.

The New York Times Book Review asked leading literary types to choose the best work of American fiction in the last quarter century. Here are the results. (the article )

The Winner:

Beloved by Tony Morrison

The Runners-Up:

Underworld by Don DeLillo

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels by John Updike

Remember "Jenny 867-5309" from way back? Well, I was a kid when the song came out, and at that point in my life everyone called me Jenny. All I remember was everyone wondering who Jenny was, calling the number to ask for Jenny, and hearing stories that the people with that phone number had to have their phone disconnected because it wouldn't stop ringing (although that's probably an urban myth from the time, much like the rumor that Mikey from the LIFE cereal commercials died while drinking Coke and eating Pop Rocks). In any case, the idea always stuck with me, and every time I hear a song I wonder what inspired the writer and whether the content of the lyrics are real or mere creative license.

I came across this terrific post on a blog "devoted to all things geek" called Gadgetopia. While this entry's aimed at computer types, if you substitute the word "programming" with "writing," "marketing," "presenting," or any other kind of creative project, I think you'll find it extremely useful. I certainly did. It appeared on 05/14/06. [Editor]

Here's something I've learned: when faced with a programming project, the worst thing you can do is start coding right away.

Dan Koeppel travels the world to write stories for National Geographic Adventure, Men's Journal, Backpacker, Popular Science and other major magazines. He's visited more than 40 countries, biked along the Silk Road in far-western China, birdwatched deep in the Amazon jungle and explored Paris to find the best croissants -- on rollerblades. But Dan says, "travel is just part of the stuff I'm doing."

Creating Passionate Users focuses on "how the brain works and exploiting it for better learning and memory."

Signum sine tinnitus is written by visionary, venture capitalist and Forbes columnist Guy Kawasaki.

Slow Leadership's mantra is "real leadership isn't an instant activity."

Presentation Zen, is about "professional presentation design."

A List Apart is "for people who make websites."

Don't forget: Send us your favorite blogs -- and tell us why you like 'em. Email us.

In this installment of Bagel & Schmear -- my ongoing conversation about writing with playwright and ad creative exec Clark Morgan -- we discuss what the "controlling idea" means to your non-fiction writing. Whether putting together a business brief or best-seller, Clark says, "the controlling idea is your friend." [Editor]

VT: What is the controlling idea?

Clark: Everything you write needs to express one main thought, not twenty. When people finish reading what you've written, you want them to be able to easily say what it was about. You don't want, "Well, you got to read it." That's a bad answer.

VT: I just read this book called "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell.

Clark: Really? What's it about?

VT: Thinking. The kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye. Different facets of rapid cognition -- what goes on in our heads in two seconds, when are snap judgments good, when are they not. Is that what you mean?