About the Book
The antidote to ineffective, boring acclaim, this book shows how to draw on the full range of expression available in the English language, offering more than 5,000 alternative terms for describing extraordinary things.
About the Author :
Arthur Plotnik is a versatile author with a distinguished background in editing and publishing. Among his seven previous books (not to mention 22 pseudonymous potboilers early in his career) are The Elements of Editing and The Elements of Expression, both Book-of-the-Month Club selections, and the bestselling Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style. His articles, op-eds, and literary pieces have been published widely, including his columns in The Writer magazine, on whose editorial board he serves.
Plotnik studied under Philip Roth in the Iowa Writers Workshop, was a reporter for the Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union, and after earning a second graduate degree, worked as a Library of Congress staffer in Washington and magazine editor in New York. He received numerous honors and awards as a long-time editor and publisher with the American Library Association in Chicago. He lives in that city with his wife and an avalanchine tumble of jottings for Better than Great.
Review :
"Released last year and written by lexophile Arthur Plotnik, "Better than Great" is a book I have found useful in fixing buzzword bingo. It reads like a funky thesaurus and includes an assortment of over 6000 words and suggestions for describing things--pulling from rare gems, vintage gold, and even phrases influenced by hip hop to present a wide range of fresh superlatives. It is both amusing and vocabulary expanding."
--Crazy Moon Consulting
"I've yet to come across a Plotnik book that fails to offer sagacious advice for us as writers and editors, this one now included."
--Peter P. Jacobi, "Editors Only: The Newsletter of Editorial Achievement"
"It's difficult to describe how a thesaurus is entertaining, but the author has managed it. From the sheer number of quality adjectives, I imagine I would find one in this terrific - scratch that - frabjous compendium."
--Portland Book Review
"This book easily provided the most fun I've ever had in a thesaurus. To make look-up easy and accessible, Plotnik divides the words into fifteen categories: Great, Sublime, Physically Affecting, Mentally or Emotionally Affecting, Beautiful, Joy-Giving, Large, Exceptional, Intense, Delicious, Trendy, Cool, Wicked Cool, Forceful, and Challenging Belief or Expression. He fronts each chapter with a fun intro that explains the chapter to follow and offers insight into his choices and how to utilize the book to full impact."
--Author Culture
"One of today's most distinguished writers on language and writing style -- a freaking genius-god in the writing world." -- Jessica Page Morrell, Powell's Books Blog
"[W]hat could be as fabulous, stupendous, showstopping, socko-boffo and epiphanic as this neatly organized, humorous yet helpful 'acclamatory hoard' of words for praising?"
--Jim Higgins, Book Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Plotnik's "acclamatory hoard" is every bit as entertaining as it is useful. And (to lift one phrase) that a
"I've yet to come across a Plotnik book that fails to offer sagacious advice for us as writers and editors, this one now included."
--Peter P. Jacobi, "Editors Only: The Newsletter of Editorial Achievement"
"It's difficult to describe how a thesaurus is entertaining, but the author has managed it. From the sheer number of quality adjectives, I imagine I would find one in this terrific - scratch that - frabjous compendium."
--Portland Book Review
"This book easily provided the most fun I've ever had in a thesaurus. To make look-up easy and accessible, Plotnik divides the words into fifteen categories: Great, Sublime, Physically Affecting, Mentally or Emotionally Affecting, Beautiful, Joy-Giving, Large, Exceptional, Intense, Delicious, Trendy, Cool, Wicked Cool, Forceful, and Challenging Belief or Expression. He fronts each chapter with a fun intro that explains the chapter to follow and offers insight into his choices and how to utilize the book to full impact."
--Author Culture
"One of today's most distinguished writers on language and writing style -- a freaking genius-god in the writing world." -- Jessica Page Morrell, Powell's Books Blog
"[W]hat could be as fabulous, stupendous, showstopping, socko-boffo and epiphanic as this neatly organized, humorous yet helpful 'acclamatory hoard' of words for praising?"
--Jim Higgins, Book Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Plotnik's "acclamatory hoard" is every bit as entertaining as it is useful. And (to lift one phrase) that ain't exactly chopped herring, considering it gives this critic some 6,000 substitutes for feeble old "amazing" and its ilk." -- Bruce Ingram, film and entertainment critic, Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press
""Better Than Great" is . . . more entertaining and informative than any book of lists has a right to be." -- Richard Nordquist, About.com/Grammar and Composition
." . . a wide range of fresh superlatives in a number of categories, pulling f
"It's difficult to describe how a thesaurus is entertaining, but the author has managed it. From the sheer number of quality adjectives, I imagine I would find one in this terrific - scratch that - frabjous compendium."
--Portland Book Review
"This book easily provided the most fun I've ever had in a thesaurus. To make look-up easy and accessible, Plotnik divides the words into fifteen categories: Great, Sublime, Physically Affecting, Mentally or Emotionally Affecting, Beautiful, Joy-Giving, Large, Exceptional, Intense, Delicious, Trendy, Cool, Wicked Cool, Forceful, and Challenging Belief or Expression. He fronts each chapter with a fun intro that explains the chapter to follow and offers insight into his choices and how to utilize the book to full impact."
--Author Culture
"One of today's most distinguished writers on language and writing style -- a freaking genius-god in the writing world." -- Jessica Page Morrell, Powell's Books Blog
"[W]hat could be as fabulous, stupendous, showstopping, socko-boffo and epiphanic as this neatly organized, humorous yet helpful 'acclamatory hoard' of words for praising?"
--Jim Higgins, Book Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Plotnik's "acclamatory hoard" is every bit as entertaining as it is useful. And (to lift one phrase) that ain't exactly chopped herring, considering it gives this critic some 6,000 substitutes for feeble old "amazing" and its ilk." -- Bruce Ingram, film and entertainment critic, Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press
""Better Than Great" is . . . more entertaining and informative than any book of lists has a right to be." -- Richard Nordquist, About.com/Grammar and Composition
." . . a wide range of fresh superlatives in a number of categories, pulling from rare gems and vintage gold all the way through current phrases influenced by hip-hop. . . . [T]here are plenty of forms of marketing communications that could use of an injection of less-worn adjectives . . . So f
"This book easily provided the most fun I've ever had in a thesaurus. To make look-up easy and accessible, Plotnik divides the words into fifteen categories: Great, Sublime, Physically Affecting, Mentally or Emotionally Affecting, Beautiful, Joy-Giving, Large, Exceptional, Intense, Delicious, Trendy, Cool, Wicked Cool, Forceful, and Challenging Belief or Expression. He fronts each chapter with a fun intro that explains the chapter to follow and offers insight into his choices and how to utilize the book to full impact."
--Author Culture
"One of today's most distinguished writers on language and writing style -- a freaking genius-god in the writing world." -- Jessica Page Morrell, Powell's Books Blog
"[W]hat could be as fabulous, stupendous, showstopping, socko-boffo and epiphanic as this neatly organized, humorous yet helpful 'acclamatory hoard' of words for praising?"
--Jim Higgins, Book Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Plotnik's "acclamatory hoard" is every bit as entertaining as it is useful. And (to lift one phrase) that ain't exactly chopped herring, considering it gives this critic some 6,000 substitutes for feeble old "amazing" and its ilk." -- Bruce Ingram, film and entertainment critic, Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press
""Better Than Great" is . . . more entertaining and informative than any book of lists has a right to be." -- Richard Nordquist, About.com/Grammar and Composition
." . . a wide range of fresh superlatives in a number of categories, pulling from rare gems and vintage gold all the way through current phrases influenced by hip-hop. . . . [T]here are plenty of forms of marketing communications that could use of an injection of less-worn adjectives . . . So for writers of all shapes and sizes" Better than Great" is indeed just that." -- Adam Sherk, adamsherk.com, News Media, SEO, PR and social media marketing blog
"Do you feel ... sometimes that you're stuck on a couple of words, unable to move beyon
"One of today's most distinguished writers on language and writing style -- a freaking genius-god in the writing world." -- Jessica Page Morrell, Powell's Books Blog
"[W]hat could be as fabulous, stupendous, showstopping, socko-boffo and epiphanic as this neatly organized, humorous yet helpful 'acclamatory hoard' of words for praising?"
--Jim Higgins, Book Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Plotnik's "acclamatory hoard" is every bit as entertaining as it is useful. And (to lift one phrase) that ain't exactly chopped herring, considering it gives this critic some 6,000 substitutes for feeble old "amazing" and its ilk." -- Bruce Ingram, film and entertainment critic, Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press
""Better Than Great" is . . . more entertaining and informative than any book of lists has a right to be." -- Richard Nordquist, About.com/Grammar and Composition
." . . a wide range of fresh superlatives in a number of categories, pulling from rare gems and vinta
