Steel Wool on a Stick, my hobby on steroids

The autobiographcial, the self-help mantras, the fun, the light style, the quotes, the philosophy. I think this has a lot going for it in today's market. Five stars

This is such an American enterprise, the motivating sales force story. You had my attention in the first chapter. SHELVED!

I can use your comments on my book when you get a chance. Cheers!

JC
The Obergemau Key

This is one of those books that works well for self publishing and promoting off a website. You write convincingly and well, but it was a little slow for me reading about your near perfect childhood. Such positive stuff is not very gripping, I'm afraid.

I could do wit a bit of wisdom right now. "We show up"..you are right, the bar ISN'T very high.

Except, in writing fiction, it is. Very high. Not that I'm about to give up. Oh and I like your book.

Nick
"Mirror In The Sky"

Jeff, I've looked at your Intro and Chapter One. Good job. I know several people who'd buy your book for the inspiration. Nothing to nitpick in there.

Shelved!

Joffrey (The Silver Spoon Effect)

Dear Jeff Block,

Thank you for sharing your story with us. I did laugh at the line “You get one chance to be born wealthy….”. I’m glad to hear that a bit of serendipity landed you in a job you enjoyed that has brought you happiness and success. I’m glad you start out talking about sleeping in your car and using the pool shower, as that builds sympathy. I skipped to chapter seven to cover less-traveled ground and was rewarded by the mouse-in-the-ear quote. You have another chance encounter with a woman at the restaurant, and fortune smiled on you again. Here I have the privilege of seeing you design your first heart fold-out card, designed from true passion. Your angels have delivered the pieces of your future, and you make the reader eager to see you put them together.

I enjoyed your story. Bravo! Backed.

Best wishes,
Alan Marling

I've done DWIT most of my life, but I haven't been able to make it work for me as well as it appears to work for you. This is a very intriguing and entertaining read. I like how you add the Bob Dylan, Lao Tzu, et al. quotes throughout. They add a lot to your writing and give each chapter a little more focus. When I get a little more time, I want to read the whole book. I'm sure I'll learn a lot about how to be a lot more successful and confident in my life. Hell, I might even be willing to buy some steel wool on a stick. On my shelf for a spin.

Steel Wool on a Stick is a unique book and an enjoyable read that I'm happy to back. My only concern is that you don't have a strong narrative thread that ties all the scenes together, so you lost me in a few places when you seemed to be meandering. Perhaps it's just the thriller writer in me that wants a 'plot' with hooks and signposts to keep me going in the right direction, but you are telling a story filled with action and drama, even if it happens to be true! Give it a bit of thought, anyway, even if you decide it's not relevant to this genre in the end. Good luck.

This is a good book for those suffering a failure of confidence. It is well written. I enjoyed reading it and of course, I am most confident. Thanks for wrting this.

I agree with some of what Hutch says. You have enthusiasm and the can-do message, but it reads as if you're not entirely sure what it is you're trying to write. Is it a self-help book? An autobiography? Or an extended advert for your company? Self-help titles are usually more structured, so that people can get to the information/advice they seek with minimum effort. That said, I like your title and the whole 'selling coal to Newcastle' promise it holds out. I can't see where this would fit in the current market, but I'll back for your enthusiasm and positive message.

Hi Jeff -

I promised I'd read it and I'm finally done :) I'm inclined to agree with Verse Artiste below... it is unusual. I've not read any self-help books, so I don't know if this is just how the genre works, but it's certainly different to my normal reading :) I like the extensive use of examples, from both your own life and other businesses (e.g. Burger King in Chapter 13), which gives it authenticity. I quite like your open and enthusiastic style too.

My wedding anniversary's in a few months - I'll be logging on to JustPaperRoses.com... :)

All the best,

S.

(CROW)

Hi Jeff. I should say from the outset that I hate self-help books, particularly American ones - all that 'you can have the life you want' life coach nonsense has me reaching for my submachine gun. Maybe it's a cultural thing. Anyhow, I'll do my best to put my prejudices to one side and focus on what's going on in your book. It's an autobiographical 'how I got where I am today' story, but I think there's a danger that you'll lose the reader early on because it's not clear what obstacles stood in your way. We read that you're from a normal, loving, fairly prosperous family, so it's clearly not a rags to riches story. There's the hint of your 'dark walk in the forest' beginning at age 25, but we seem to have to trudge through a lot of mundane information before we get there, and I must admit, I started skipping chapters to try to find out when the trouble started. I'm assuming that the problems were greater than just having to sleep in your car for a couple of nights, because that's really not major enough to make for a dramatic dark night of the soul. I think to really hook readers in you need to hit them with whatever your lowest point was really early on in the book. However, it may be that you've really got three ideas competing with each other here: 1) your self help book (argh!), 2) your fall and rise book (personal journey, wrestling with demons and all that) and 3) the story of your current business. I think maybe you need to take a cold hard look at these, and actually think about how big a 'story' there is in any of them. Whichever one has the most drama and interest would be the one to go for. I think the difficulty is that the bar is very high for these kind of books - they need to be big on the 'against all odds' factor, from dirt poor to filthy rich, in order to grab the attention of readers. Maybe you have all these things, but if so you need to flag them up at the outset - I wasn't able to spot them in the opening five chapters. Hope this is some help. All the best, Heather

Jeff, you have a lot of potential. You lost me about five paragraphs into this chapter. Perhaps I am just too distracted to read a "How to make 'it' happen for you" book at this juncture. I see that you do use your words economically and that is important. The formatting in this work is distractingly off, yet I want to encourage you because you really DO have talent. I also want to be able to get thru this book one day because I want "it" to happen for me too. So, you have a great idea here, you just need to eliminate the distractions that allow your reader's mind to wander. My own mind wandered with the onset of your one inspirational story. Perhaps you just painted your life as a child in tones too quiescent for me to find you a credible "make it happen for you" guru. Can't be sure. But I like your writing voice very much so it MUST be a content issue. Keep reading and rewriting and let me know when you are ready for another read and I will happily read and crit for you again. Loving regards! Callaghan

Okay! Nice work! Odd approach -- novel, but you have my attention and that is NOT easy to get. Onward! Callaghan

You have an easy writing style and anyone who likes Zig Ziglar (and his Reahead) gets my attention. I enjoyed the facts about Rhode Island– very disarming. You have a great family life and sense of values. Backed!

Steel wool on a stick
Intriguing title that would catch the attention of book browsers.
Self-help books are in constant demand, especially if you have the right credentials. But you are going to be competing with the likes of Tony Robbins, Dr Phil and Rich Dad, Poor Dad, so your book will have to have something ‘different’ to interest a publisher.
You have an easy chatty style of writing, but I feel that your intro would benefit from tightening. People reading self-help books want to get to the nitty gritty – just tell me what to do!
Chapter one begins with an autobiographical account of your childhood. While anecdotes can be used to illustrate the self-help nature of the book, a full account of your childhood is not necessary. Sentences such as: “I don’t have any unusual childhood growing up experiences to relate to you” can be omitted as they don’t add anything to the self-help nature of the book. (or it could be shortened to: I had an ordinary/uneventful childhood).
There is much valuable information in your book, but I feel it requires a better focus. In its present form it is a cross between an autobiography (difficult to sell if you are not famous) and a self-help manual.
I wish you luck – if you can sell steel wool on a stick you can persevere with your book.
Regards
Just4kix

I had to read this
At the age of 39, I suddenly found the drive to get off my ass
Now just turned 40, I am studying and writing my book
I have bought many 'How to' books, so I am looking forward to reading this one..

JanB
Table for One

You've had several comments on your opening, so I decided to read your chapter 11 at random. The narrative style made it easy to understand. 1999/2000 - ah the dot.com memories. I live in silicon valley so I could easily believe the concept and dollars.

There are some formatting issues, but notthing that looked like there were missing words. My only suggestiong might be to keep the quotes for dialogue. For example "logo" - not sure things like that really need the quotes to draw them out. I found it a little distracting. But overall the chapter was easy to read. Good luck to you.

I like this and I reckon there is something in it but I'm feeling you have glossed over some detail in an attempt to produce a fast paced book. Limo drivers have stories...relax and make us FEEL what it is like to have those stories. Don't rush it.

I read this purely based on your presence in the forums! Glad I did. Self help is usually a section of the book shop I avoid but this is inspirational, more like a motivational guide. :)

I think this is a great book and gives us all a view of how it is possible to succeed. It seems you had a good background with your grandfather and the business. I am sure this would do well in the bookstore so I will back it and wish you luck.

Tony
Life Bringer

Ok... i didn't back it...
but now i will ....
why?

I want a dealll... i need to sell my soul...

please, oh please, oh pretty please Back Mine... i need your support old friend...

BACKED

Not a book I'd -ever- read but, gotta say, the cover and title /would/ get my attention. For my taste, you have way too many capitals in the first chapter. Energetic, upbeat. Backed.

Self-help on Steroids! I like it.

Hi Jeff
Delighted to shelf this self help Gem.

Even though I have never had a wish to be an entrepreneur, I enjoyed following your life and the amusing way you juxtapose things. Reminded me a little of Scott Adams.

All the best with this

John

Jeff,
as a fellow engineer (mechanical and aerospace one at that) I find this book quite riveting. It's written in a very smooth, easy going style that I think will appeal to a lot of people. The title too is quite catchy- I certainly added it to my WL because I thought it looked like an interesting book. For a self-help I find it very unself-help-book-like, which is refreshing. This is great work. I wish you the best of luck with it.
best regards
Kiran
(Squash Diary)
BTW A few corrections I found:
[] = delete, () = include
highly mathematica(l) not highly mathematical[ly]
emerging technological (need)

The Can Do message, upbeat language, coupled with the tale of someone who has tried, and succeeded, will ensure this will be a popular book for those looking for inspiration. Shelved. Jacqui Christensen

It is I'm afraid, the lucky few who find a way to get paid to do the thing they love.
So god for you on that respect.
I enjoyed this read through the end of ch3.
My biggest criticism would be the perceived fortunate one telling the unfortunate ones, "If I can do it so can you."
I know you mention your success isn't dependant on ivy league schools, and a host of business contacts, but can you sell that to the public. If you can sell steel wool on a stick as a dinner table decoration you probably can.
Anyway, good luck, and I'll spin this on my shelf,
MickR - The Nightcrawler

This is raw and engaging, learning while entertaining. Easy flow of words and nice details. -backed.

This is interesting and different. The writing style matters most in these type of books, you have a catchy very readable style that keeps interest in the reader. I read to chapter three very quickly and enjoyed it. Backed
Charlie

Jeff,
I read the first five chapters and I love this. I want to buy a copy.
Frank

Jeff,

I'm returning your read of Appetites. Thank you for your comments on and support of my work.

Works like these are difficult for me to crit: it's not fiction so the usual rules don't apply; and it's not something I'd usually read so I can't even give good reader feedback.

Still the first chapter is uplifting and well paced (a few too many caps for my liking, but I guess that's a matter of taste). In chapter two there are some odd paragraph breaks, which may be a result of Authonomy formatting but would be worth a look.

The voice continues to be strong and it's readable. There's not a lot more than I can say--this really isn't the sort of work I'd ever consider reading--so I shall give this a spin on my shelf and move on.

Jeff: great title. And the first sentence of your pitch really drew me in - I SO failed being born wealthy! I was a little, umm, unconvinced by you having a 2009 Corvette - is that really a big deal? (I don't know: I don't relate to cars - if I did, I guess a brand-new Rolls-Royce or some exotic Lamborghini might give me the message). Only one crit of the text - given this is a wham-bam-YOU CAN DO IT kinda book, most normal rules don't apply - but you don't need to capitalize words like Son, Uncle, Dad, etc. That's all. Shelved.

Ha ! I couldnt leave it alone...All TRUE
especially about LIFE and the TOILET PAPER.
shelved.
Seems you got the balance just about right...........
between being bright and interesting and being
spammy and irritating.....congratulations
Hope you have another winner...........mikey The Free

Sage advice indeed.

I like the quotes sprinkled in... a little inspirational word.

Your whole story is inspiring and I love a good tale about someone's life and their success story.

Not much else to say...

Backed

Jo xx

Spoilt

This is absolutely the best quote...and the very same message we hope to instill in the teens we work with.
"Now I am living my life based on my own creativity and persistence, living a genuine life, just being me."

The next best line. "You do not have to reinvent the wheel in order to be successful."
I know it's easy to spend so much energy trying to create something fresh and new...or to do things
in a fresh and new way...when all we have to do is learn from those that came before us...and put our own twist on it. (Yes, I learned this the hard way, too - in running a business)

I really think you've done a fabulous job on this book. You have a style that allows the story to shine through but never feels heavy. The humor is a real bonus. People are fascinated with people, and if there is one thing we have is our own unique story. I don't think these stories ever get old, nor are there too many of them. Yes, the message may be very similar, but the story itself is it's own story.

Having learned the important lesson that you really cannot help others, nor can anyone really help you...you have to make the choices...the only thing left is inspiration...which you have delivered. I personally cannot emphasize enough to my own children or the teens I work with, that creativity (not just the pretty kind...but the creative thinking kind) and persistence is critical to success...and the absolute necessity of being true to oneself. I wish you all the best with this. I will never get tired of success stories!!

If this book were fiction, it would be winning awards. As non-fiction, it's a fun read. Backed.

truth is stranger than fiction! This weekend I read a court-case and thought I was reading fiction on Authonomy!

If this book were fiction, it would be winning awards. As non-fiction, it's a fun read. Backed.

Ah, school of Tony Robbins? At least you're not making me walk over coals (at least not as far as I've read so far!). I think you need to decide if this is autobiography first and foremost or self-help/business book. If the latter then I think you need to cut down on the early chapters and get into the meat of the DIY aspects of this.
Tell people upfront that they can turn their lives round, you will show them how and this is what you will show them..... It's a tried and tested formula that seems to shift a lot of books!
I'm happy to back you.
Jane
WALKER

Would love if you could spare a moment to glance at mine.

I had a look at the site, and to be honest, I'm impressed. There's hard work gone into that. And so too with this book. From the first chapter, the mix of self help, inspiration and up beat can-do attitude just had me bounding through the writing with a spring in my step. It makes me realise that there is noone else gonna make me successful but me, and I think, 'You're right!' and that is exactly what you set you to achieve. And that is only at the end of the first chapter. Combining this encouraging motivational stuff with a true life story is always going to work because it adds an element of interest to the message. As Jesus told parables, you too tell your message through story. And I hope it sees you well.

Andrew

I blew my one chance at being born wealthy too
Eff.
I like this. Okay okay, I love this.
True fiction is one genre that I simply cannot pass up.
And this does not disappoint.
Threre is something golden in this. Your humor shines through. This is witty and clever and a ton of other words meaning great. You can insert them here...and rest assured that I liked it. I would buy it.
It reminds me of the way Chuck Klosterman writes. A simple to the point brazen way that is endearing and captivating. And *so* much more.
Well I would continue to gush, but you have probably has enough of me.
Backed
T.L Tyson-Seeking Eleanor

Oohhh you big meanie, preying on all the unpublished want-to-be successful writers. We dont look in our garages hoping to see fancy cars...... no. We look at book shelves in every shop and bookstore wishing we could see our book tucked neatly in with the others, if I close my eyes now while i'm writing this I can just about see it. If I read the rest of this will I be suitably psyched up for world domination?
This reads well, I wanted to continue. I believed you. I'm a sucker for the 'we can help' thing. If it does exactly what it says on the tin..... then this will do exceptionally well.
Backed.
The very best of luck with this.
Leigh Fallon
The Carrier of the Mark

Your bio page says this is 'biographical'. Do you mean 'autobiographical'? I think to launch a self-help book you need to state your credentials in the pitch. No one is going to buy a book on how to succeed etc from a writer who is a 'nobody'. So state clearly what your suggested approach did for you, and why you think it will help others, even if you are being tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing. It's great to be funny, but people won't buy this to be amused, they want to be helped. Despite that reservation, you write well, in a quirky and engaging style, so I'm happy to back you. Best wishes, Tony.

Well written, thoroughly descriptive, motivating, and direct, this book should be required reading in everything from starting a career to living life in general. On my shelf and Today's Pick I Like for 12/1/09: http://newandgoodreading.blogspot.com/2009/12/todays-pick-i-like-12109.html

L. Anne Carrington, "The Cruiserweight"

Going for the self help money crowd... great...
not my bag... i am happy being a down and out author who lives in a caravan who cares for his ferrets, but not the cruel business world that consumes our planet.

The truth is, people read this and hopefully you make a succes out of it.

But I won't back this.

Unusual and interesting and very much the kind of book that i would sit down and read on Jan1st to get some inspiration for my New Year. Well done, backed with pleasure.
Chris (inside out)

Jeff

Way to Go Jeff !!!! And if your book becomes a bestseller,,,, then you aint finished by a long way !!! I read to the end of your loaded chapter 3.....this is a powerful speedy read......I like your 'writing voice'

I'd use your dad's quote in your pitch,,,,,it's a fabulous literary magnet.....

Best of luck, shelved...(would love your view on mine)

Insperational read.

Backed

Melxx
Impeding Justice

Steel Wool on a Stick, My Hobby on Steroids

Hi Jeff,

You have written a clear and inspiring account of how one should ruthlessly go about pursuing one's dreams. You write fluidly and engagingly about it and you have transferred that confidence and art for careful self-promotion straight onto authonomy. This is a timely book, a get up and get on with your life book, but also honest, open, clear. My only suggestion is regarding the title where I think the second part of it is both confusing and redundant, Steel Wool on A Stick sums everything up nicely.

I have already supported your book and will continue to do so, best wishes and good luck
Andrew W
(Sanctuary's Loss)