Marketing Short Stories

Was there any particular reason that, near the end of your lives, you suddenly stopped buying Bounty paper towels? So begins the first question from Bounty’s market research representative to Paul and Maggie. In this unique short story, a couple who died suddenly in their 50s recounts their use of Bounty paper towels and their sudden switch to a bargain brand near the end of their lives. What appears to be a run-of-the-mill spat between spouses at the Stop & Shop is revealed to be a defining moment of a marriage years in decline.

Caroline’s mattress had nothing to do with her untimely death at the age of 28—this, she wants Tempur-Pedic’s market research representative to know. But as she reflects on her first ever mattress purchase and their interview progresses, Caroline dives into the circumstances and decisions that led her and Nicholas—her boyfriend, 10 years her senior and prone to sleeping on the floor—to that particular bed in that particular shopping plaza.

Acclaimed author of The Adults Alison Espach’s short story "In-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People" is an at-once hilarious and heart-breaking portrait of a dead woman’s marriage and the Volvo that stood in the middle of it all.

Now, learn the master key for writing great short stories, and the strategies for using them to advance your writing career As most writers will tell you, the hardest fiction form to master is the short story. To be successful, a short story needs to have "emotional wallop," and in under 7,000 words. Not easy to do. In this book, #1 bestselling writing teacher James Scott Bell explains the essential ingredient for a successful short story, no matter the genre. He shows how any writer—whether planner or "pantser"—can use this key to unlock infinite story possibilities. And turn readers ...

The Night Market: Where Darkness Beckons. Delve into eight chilling tales woven within the vibrant tapestry of a Thai night market. The Night Market: Two friends seeking thrills find a darkness far greater than their wildest desires. Never Walk Alone: A daring trek into the jungle takes a terrifying turn when the line between friend and foe blurs. A Sign of Refrain: A heartbroken man searches for solace in the heart of Thailand, only to discover a haunting melody with a deadly cost. Not Long Now: A seemingly perfect marriage crumbles as cultural clashes ignite a dangerous game of control. ...

The Shadow Market is a meeting point for faeries, werewolves, warlocks, and vampires. There, the Downworlders buy and sell magical objects, make dark bargains, and whisper secrets they do not want the Nephilim to know. As a Silent Brother, Brother Zachariah is a sworn keeper of the laws and lore of the Nephilim. But once he was a Shadowhunter called Jem Carstairs, and his love, then and always, is the warlock Tessa Gray. And Jem is searching through the Shadow Markets, in many different cities over long years, for a relic from his past.

For Sage, fitting in with her new classmates is a matter of life or death. Literally. Dragged out of hiding after her parents are killed, Sage is forced to enroll in the Institution. There, she’ll learn to be a model citizen of Eprah. But model citizens are murderers. And when everyone is granted autonomy to be judge, jury, and executioner, it’s far too easy to wind up dead. To stay alive, Sage will have to convince everyone of her unwavering loyalty to Eprah — which means turning her back on everything she’s ever believed. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games and Divergent, you will ...

Sheriff Jones Fontana loves his city more than anything… But with a looming empire on the border, promising complete subjugation, Estegrad’s freedom may not last long. Jones faces an impossible choice. Risk the survival of his city. Or its freedom. Will Estegrad survive? And will it ever be the same? The City at the Edge of Progress is a dystopian short story where freedom must be fought for, where underdogs rise against their oppressors, and honour and loyalty work hand in hand with a desire for liberty. A must-read for fans of dystopian speculative fiction and stories of resistance.

Jolene Hartgrave, here! I went from being a top dog lawyer to a hangdog pet psychic in the ruff part of town, all thanks to a pesky curse that gave me the gift of gabbing with animals. But my luck is finally looking up. I’ve teamed up with a hottie police officer and his snarky, overprotective German shepherd to catch criminals. From a murdered fashion icon spinning a web of lies to the killed curator of an occult museum, I’m doggedly helping the police bring the bad guys to justice.

Desire has a price. And this market always collects. Hidden behind fog and alleys that shouldn’t exist, the Market of Monsters is open—just for her. Celeste didn’t mean to find it. But once inside, she’s drawn to a stall glowing with violet light and watched over by a man with golden eyes and antlers. Thorne offers her a potion called No. 69 — a shimmering vial said to unlock true craving. What follows is a night of impossible pleasure, tangled realities, and magic that tastes like sin. Time folds, lust deepens, and every touch burns hotter than the last. But the Market doesn’t ...

Landon Connor is a man of many talents - all business magazines agree on that. My family calls me a workaholic, but being driven and career-focused is what turned me into a hotshot CEO. I have good reasons for keeping my personal life on hold. Then Maddie Jennings walks into my life and makes me question all my choices. Maddie says she hasn't met anyone like me before, and hopes she never will again. Good. I can't stand the thought of anyone else getting the reactions I do out of her when I boss her around, when I stand just a little too close.

As globalization creates increasing challenges to established marketing practices, marketing efforts need to reposition and adapt continuously to maintain an organization's ability to reach potential customers. This Very Short Introduction provides a general overview of the function and importance of marketing to modern organizations. Kenneth Le Meunier-FitzHugh discusses how marketing remains central to creating competitive advantage, and why it needs to be forward looking and constantly reinventing itself in line with new developments in the marketplace.

All the color and variety of a quaint Amish shop in a charming collection of novellas by four of your favorite authors. Feel free to come in and browse!

I am wildly successful in my career. Everyone knows Graham Frazier, soccer club owner, is a winner. In my love life? Decidedly less so. But just because I'm divorced doesn't mean I can't throw my best friend the wedding party of the year. Even if marriage is a mistake. I hadn't expected the long hours with Lori to make me wonder. Wedding planning is Lori Connor's favorite thing, a vicarious escape from her life as a single mom. I doubt she's ever had a client fluster her like I seem to.

Jem Carstairs and Tessa Gray are finally united after waiting over a century to be together, but they become aware a dark threat is looming over a child of the Shadow Market: a lost Herondale, from a line of Herondales who have used the Market to hide from their fellow Nephilim. Now is the time for the lost Herondale to be discovered. Jem and Tessa have to find him before his enemies can.

I believe in rules to live by. It's how I built my reputation as Will Connor-the tough cop, and how I've survived being one. I give a hundred percent to the job, I care for my family, and I never, ever ignore my instincts. So when Paige turns my head, all my senses go on high alert. As the developmental director of a non-profit, Paige Lamonica meets a lot of people. That's how she got so good at reading them. But I enjoy surprising her at every turn. She keeps expecting a jerk. Maybe it's my confidence. Maybe it's my looks.

Evan Hundhausen is an author and has won awards in fiction, journalism, poetry, screenplay and playwriting. Whether writing about an allergy to a letter in the alphabet, an usher who can’t stand ‘fuglies,’ an actor who clones himself for a part, Evan Hundhausen’s short stories “will surely touch your heart and mind” (see Review below). His off-beat, noir and comedic stories have been said to remind readers of Fitzgerald and Hemingway (see Review below). Reviews: "I'm very happy they let Evan out of the home on occasion in order to wander among normal people and ply his trade, ...

"The Spinoza of Market Street" is yet another masterful short story from literary great Isaac Bashevis Singer. The story is set in Warsaw in the days leading up to World War I. There Dr. Nahum Fischelson lives alone in an attic room overlooking Market Street. From on high he observes the crowd below, showing equal disdain for merchants and thieves alike. Rather than mingle with the people, he devotes his time and energy to explicating the philosophical works of Benedict de Spinoza.

The Lightwoods, the Shadowhunters who run the New York Institute, are expecting a new addition to their family: the orphaned son of their father’s friend, Jace Wayland. Alec and Isabelle aren’t too sure they want a new brother, and their parents are not assuaging their fears, too occupied with the dark news that Raphael Santiago, second-in-command of the New York vampire clan, has brought from the Shadow Market.

A team of Nazi scientists has made an amazing discovery. But experiments have gone terribly wrong. The situation gets out of hand, and before long the expedition members find themselves peering into the deepest recesses of the human soul. Purdue, Nina and Sam realize that their only hope for survival is to unlock the secrets of the Order of the Black Sun. The Order of the Black Sun series leads the listener on a roller-coaster ride in search of a legend.