Drive Yourself Sane by Susan and Bruce Kodish has essentially the exact same principles that were mentioned by Hayakawa in Language in Thought and Action. The set up was the same, the way of presenting the principles was the same, and even some of the drawings were the same. However, there was one major difference: the way the book was portrayed (or advertised) to the public, potential readers.
Drive Yourself Sane was portrayed as a self-help book (which I was not aware of when I chose the book for the project). It is much more "user friendly" than Language in Thought and Action. The authors' intention was to change the way the readers speak, write, think, and live. The heading on the back cover says, "Are You Making the Most of the Life You Have?" and goes on to tell the reader what they will learn in the book, for example, how to "enjoy life in the moment, create better relationships, avoid future shock." Not once in the book itself does it mention any of these specifically, but implies that it is the reader's responsibility to apply the concepts to achieve these goals. Language in Thought and Action, on the other hand, is portrayed as an "informational" book. It appeals to a supposedly more "knowledgeable" population, while Drive Yourself Sane appeals to the common person.
The titles are great examples of the difference in these essentially alike books. "Drive Yourself Sane" is a catchy title that will make people be drawn to the book. "Language in Thought and Action" tells people better what is in the book, but doesn't necessarily draw their attention.
I believe that the way a book is advertised makes the difference in who reads it, how many people read it, and what type of people read it. These two books are basically the same, but the way they are advertised determines how people view them.
-Audrey
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I think thats true for almost everything. Two products that are exactly the same, but marketed differently, will sell differently. You have to think about who you want to sell to and market accordingly. "Driving Yourself Sane" appeals to a more general audience, while "Language in Thought and Action" appeals to more academically minded people.
ReplyDelete~Elizabeth
My book partially dealt with how things are packaged, and I completely agree that advertising makes up a large part of the interest in the product. Whether or not the advertisements are factual matters less than the amount of people that they are able to draw in. We've all been in the position where we buy something that we later regret investing in because "it wasn't what we expected." Essentially ads are used to cleverly draw in people who may have little or no interest in the subject, as was the case with your book.
ReplyDelete-Tara