My Upcoming Book
I wanted to get your opinion on what kind of book I should write. I am still working out the details on the format. Here is the first in a series of polls I will make to try to narrow down the format of the book. Your opinions will help. If you want to add additional ideas in the comments, that will be great as well!
Thanks so much!
Marina
muggins on 
I got the book today from Amazon, it’s awesome, only that I have two problems with it: too many different color schemes used, and quality of paper/printing could have been better.
Quote
“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” – Albert Einstein 1879-1955…”Intelligence is sexy” is a slogan… so is “HotForWords”
whichever format marina decides to use, i want a copy
if i come alllllll the way from australia to america, i wonder if marina will sign it for me
Dear Marina, Good luck with your book! I’ve always thought the best books were the ones that taught you how to be a better person. Still, there’s room in my bookshelves for a book to entertain me with the derivations of words!
seesixcm6
Hi seesixcm6, I agree with you about the best books teaching you to be a better person which also goes for teachers and mentors. Since Marina is a teacher, her book is bound to be an inspiration to many of us as she has been an inspiration for creating her wonderful videos. I’m looking forward to it.
Pah! {spits on stuffy ol’ dull book}
… Marina comic book.
… comic strip with live posed Marina .. the perils of a poor .. erm … whatever it is your wordy profession is called … trapped somehow in another dimension full of lusty oafs biting at your legs and gaping down your cleavage. Your only salvation is to spellbind them with dazzling definitions and find your way back to the comfort and safety of … {gag} … Hollywood.
erm .. $3 / issue … every 2 or 3 months.
I bet you could sell dozens.
i’m not sure if the tone comes across properly .. it could seem sarcastic.
but i’m serious.
e.g. .. the Adventures of Marina (or something)
the videos you did with the green background reminded me of comic panels. ..
the big hazards are the effort for story line, design and production, i guess .. that isn’t a problem in the book you have planned. … but i think a comic (assuming it’s done right) would be much more likely to be successful.
all a moot point now, i guess .. the books underway, isn’t it?
I heard on the radio you came to an agreement with guys with this book. Let me get a signed copy!
I think you need a good amount of pictures but they shouldn’t just be random hot-arse pics. They should be illustrations just like in your videos. Like… you and the sisyphean rock. All the way. I’d read that. And keep each section about word information short and simple too. That’s another good thing about the videos. It gives the facts in an easy to read way, very fast. Big text (not too big). Like a dictionary of complex words. An ogilbbalopogy dictionary or whatever that thing is that you have a degree in.
MARINA,
People are interested in YOU! This book should be an autobiography. We see all of the modeling you’ve done. You’ve mentioned living in Venezuela, I believe it was. The huge harlequin Great Dane, etc., …you seem to have seen much of the world! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we want to know MORE about YOU!
A book on a subject you really know and love to write about. I would definitely buy a copy.
Hum, I would say the more pictures the lower will be the learning effect.
Hum, but the amount also depends on the size.
Marina
I wouldn’t write a book until you get much older to write the evolution you went though with commercials and marketing that you’ve done on the internet and elsewhere.
There’s more to glamor and talent and personality with what you’re doing now that won’t be reflected in a book. Don’t get me wrong, books are great but if you want to be a superstar and get the exposure that I think you want, keep moving up in the internet world as well as outside exposure such as radio and TV.
If you really want to do something like this, write an eBook with graphics and origins of works but not paper. I think you’re web site is the book for you at this point.
How could I F that up? Make that “origins of words” not works. Duh??
Marina – I think you should tell your life’s story from a little girl until now, with LOTS of pictures (one pic is worth a 1000 words) — what caused you to be fascinated with WORDS, how you came up with the idea for your present foremat. Maybe 50 word/phrase. Words are great. But you are the greatest! The book should be all about you And most important – What is your DREAM. Oh – I forgot. What is your birthdate. What sign are you.
Kobe was a little lamb
his fleece is white as snow
On every couch Marina sat
He’ll lift his lag and go
Anything that gets the book
out there is fine with me.
5 stars
sorry – mixed my tenses there…
Marina, You should do more than a repeat of the Youtube lessons. If you do something like “101 famous sports quotations” (as a friend has done) you get pigeon-holed to that and can’t break out farther (like he wanted to do).
The story of Hoforwords is more interesting than the lessons in etymology. If the autobiography fails, you can always go back to the etymology quotes or coffee table picture book , but I don’t think the reverse is true. The lessons are great, but you are popular on utube because you are also a personality: we want to know not only the word origins, but also about you. A story about hotforwords could potentially be a much more successful book than a repeat of your lesson plans on youtube.
New here! Enjoying your site if you’ve seen any of the comments that
are here or actually on the YOUTUBE portion. Since I’m trying to put
together a story (maybe even a sequel) also, I bet that to sell very well
-it should have parts easy on the thoughts until you get to the
specifics you wish to convey. This might fly in the face of being wordy,
a philologist, enjoying semantics. But you’re smart and you know when
to turn it on at just the right time.
!!! I hope that there is some way that you, being from Moscow, might
tell me small details about the area. I’m interested in Yaroslavl Railway
station. I have characters pass through the area. Also Khodinka
airport (but nothing revealing since it has military planes-it is partly
civilian, correct?)
I blather on & on. Let you answer, Marina.
Thanks so much !! – DAVEMARKWZ
A book with lots of photos of you Marina, as a large part of your appeal is visual. Make the most out of it and have fun with it! You’re only young once! Let me know if you need a good photographer. Best of luck!
What a depressing thought……
The “You’re only young once” thought
I vote , Stay Mysterious, Tell Them Nothing, An Enigma. A Dream.
I would like to see an autobiography with lots of pictures, the kind where you are wearing almost nothing at all.
73 and 88
N8ZU
Hello Marina,
I voted for a text book, however if you theme some of the words by creative art or the country they originated from (With the word explanation in text as well!) and indeed if it is for adults only, then creative pictures of yourself would go down a treat for the lads.
As for enlightening women (?), a theme book would probably be good for them as with children and hey that will be three books then!
Do you want me as your creative manager yet?
Jcnick.
Marina,
I absolutely agree with erasmussimo. Why bother? Why risk relative success for potential failure? There’s enough information already out there about you to satisfy most folks curiosity. If your intent is to share some shockingly mysterious past that no one could ever have imagined, then go for it. On the other hand, if you intend to author a book about an average girl’s upbringing in the Ukraine, which by the way was relatively privileged, then there’s no real sales potential there. Once people know everything there is to know about you, then there’s nothing else to sell.
I vote that you increase your advertising and strengthen your internet presence.
bibligraphy
or biogarphy
I just suggest keep it fun and playful. Note the success of books that take common phrases and put them in Latin (at least I think they are successful). There is something about seeing a “common” phrase in a new light, and with a little theatrics. Thanks
I think people would be more interested in reading about you, bio and historical photos of you, and how you make your show, and on what you think about and how you work. They should be interesting photos instead of glamour shots. If one is pretty, then any photo will be pretty. I don’t see the word origins as being material to the success of such a book. The internet is an interesting aspect, how it works as a business, and how that relates to more traditional avenues of being a celebrity.
I agree 100%……much as the origins of English words is interesting, her sophisticated pulchritudinous partly depilated self has become far more captivating than the original hook the sex angle..
This is the softest porn available on the internet, SO PURE that it is Imagination Porn. The guys see the fully clothed subtly flirtatious beauty put their imagination into overload and actually enjoy being educated in the process.
MARINA IS LIKE A ONE GIRL CRUSADE FOR EDUCATION.
Ugly teacher stupid students. So 45 million views sees the opposite result. to prove the same point.
WE WANT MARINA’s BIOGRAPHY
What was her life in Russia like ?
Been many times it is like another planet outside Moscow and StPetes
Tell us all about it.
Tell us why you moved to the States to learn English when they all speak American there, what you love about the States and miss in Russia, your plans for the future, what places do you want to visit etc etc
Tell us why you love Philology, what made you do this etc etc
“artlover” and “2hotforwordsfanclub”, both of you took the words right out of my mouth.
Dear ♥ Marina ♥, maybe you could add another choice to the voting selector up above, “Biographical book with lots of pictures and a short appendix of interesting word origins.”
Why?
Because intelligence is sexy as you say and we want to know what you think. I am always interested in new talent and how they creatively make a dent in this world. I have followed your blog comments and I like the way you think.
I love biographies that talk about passion, dreams, successes, failures and just plain life. I’m not interested in the “tell-all” types
of books. Do include the types of pictures that you have been showing us in your videos as well as glamor shots.
Then, when you publish your book, I would love to see you on the Charlie Rose show.
Of course, I can see “roadrunrnch’s” point above; “Stay mysterious”;
This will all drive us nuts until you write your biography when
you’re 80? Perish that thought.
♥♥♥
I voted for the second option. But then I didn’t have a key piece of information. What is your purpose in publishing your book? Are you trying to leave behind something that will be read by future generations? Are you trying to make a quick financial gain without much effort? The answer to these question (and perhaps others) will provide you with the path you seek.
Senior
My thought Marina, your first book should be autobiografical, you could write about you up bringing your homeland your educational backround your plans for your future. Include many, many photos and explain how you became interested in your chosen profession. How ever you do it I’m sure it will be very successful.You have charisma and the camrera absolutely loves you. Good luck!
Why bother writing a book? You have developed an excellent video technique that is very effective. Changing to a different medium would only weaken your effectiveness. Always, always, stay with your strength!
Perhaps you are thinking of the book as a source of income. If so, do some research first — it’s difficult to make more than $10K – $20K on a nonfiction book. Yes, the big hits do make a lot of money. But the great majority of nonfiction books don’t generate much income. All the buzz you have created with your videos may not translate into book sales.
My advice is to stay close to the medium in which you excel and derive income directly from that medium. Expand the amount of advertising on your website.
Another suggestion: alternate between “backwards etymology” and “forwards etymology”. The former traces a current word backwards in time. The latter traces an old word forward in time. The best example of this is Shipley’s magnificent book, The Origins of English Words. A particularly fun example would be a demonstration of how words can get smooshed down with the passage of time. Sometimes a smooshed word gets something added on to it to restore the meaning. I recall somewhere an example of a French word that went through three cycles of smooshing and addition, all the while retaining the same meaning!
When you release your book, will you use your pseudonym “Hot For Word”, just plain “Marina”, or “Marina” plus your clandestine surname?
I wonder if the third option is a good idea or not. It’s kind of fun not knowing, but there might be some marketing advantage to revealing what comes after “Marina”.
You could do the smaller series books with lots of photos for as long as you’re hot enough to take photos. The fact is if people are really into etymology they buy dictionaries and such.
If you wanted to get back to your scholastic roots and write a scholarly work, well… that would be cool and some of your online fans would indeed probably buy it, but the intended market for it is probably not watching you on YouTube.
OK…..I had meant for the second post to be a separate idea apart from grammar. I had meant morphemes…..not grammatical use or rules….
Oops….I accidentally stepped outside of the box….
How about a series of posters on grammar rules superimposed over one of your fabulous photographs…….
I can almost guarantee it would be a success on college campuses……and it would help those rules to be remembered in those brains……
Great idea
but wouldn’t that give mostly the guy’s an advantage, not, I understand, politicaly correct on american campuses. Or is that campie? There has to be some ideas for HFW posters the girls would pin up? I’ve got a 27 year old girl who works for me watching the videos now 
She also runs a small Towing company on the side, so everybody can take a few minutes for a better education eh! Cheers
I agree! Another poster could be done on prefixes and suffixes and their meanings…….
I know if you come up with enough different posters, that dorms, apartments, and frat houses around the world will be wallpapered with language rules…… 
prefixes, suffixes etc. do not have a meaning. i.e. not a semantic one.
If they don’t have a meaning, then what purpose do they serve? Granted, they don’t provide the original word meaning, but they do affix a connotation to that word. In order to be able to derive the word’s meaning a knowledge of prefixes an suffixes is crucial.
grammatical meaning.
their purpose: word formation. derivation. as opposed to composition.
What kind of book would I want to buy the most? Or what kind of book would the average public buy?
I think I speak for most of the people here when I say that we would most like to see, and buy, books full of pictures of Marina! Not many words would be required
. Those types of books could be published frequently (even monthly), and people would buy them, although no one would be keeping them on their bookshelves as references.
A series of books probably would not do well, at least after the first couple of installments. Perhaps that is the reason why Webster’s does not publish a magazine.
A regular book would do well, but I would suggest that Marina publish books for different INDUSTRIES instead of just one or two books. For example, Marina could publish books for niche industry fields such as engineering, the computer industry, government workers, retail, etc. This way, Marina could publish a new book every few months, with new books coming out for each industry every couple of years. People could justify buying new ones ever couple of years so long as they have good, educational content catered to each industry and as long as they have nice pictures of Marina!
I can easily imagine a group of Dilbert-like engineers annually submitting purchase requests for a subtly titled book by Marina called “Engineering Philology, 2008 Edition.” The same goes for other industries.
Best wishes for the success Marina’s new book.
Lots of pictures and about 50 word/phrase origins and a series of these books over the next couple years (39%, 98 Votes)
A regular text book with about 200-300 word/phrase origins (13%, 34 Votes)
I think a spicy yet witty book would do. Something small enough so as not to be overwhelming and still interestingly pictorialized. Lots of good ideas already mentioned. I have old leather bound books of wit and wisdom and they are always fun to grab. I’m sure you will do just fine as always.
I recommend a book about me.
Marina, I think for a first book you should think very seriously about self-publishing a downloadable PDF ebook and marketing it on Clickbank.
I understand that the costs to you would be minimal, and therefore the profit potential vastly more attractive than doing a conventional hard copy book.
Also, with an ebook format you have the possibility of including hyperlinks to your Youtube, and iTunes channels and to members only pages on your web site for delivering enriched content.
Given that most, if not all, of your fans are accessing you on-line at the moment, you would be able to give something back to your loyal subscribers which they would appreciate and at the same time you would avoid the risk of publishing a conventional book and build some capital for such a venture in the future.
Hope this gives you food for thought,
LoL (Lots of Love)
Bob
Hey Maina, are you?
Me, myself and I have given some thought to your book…some off the wall suggestions below for you! So much carte blanche! Happy Easter too.
a) Kinda thinking a 250-500 page word & phrases book, 3/4 words to 1/4 photos, or 2/3 words & 1/3 photos would be great.
or
b) a two part book, A-N followed by the second O-Z of words & phrases, with photos..
or
c) a 26 booklet mini series, 10-20 words & phrases under each given letter, with some photos……( this idea could get a little too complicated….)
or
d) The Four Seasons (Spring, summer….) or Term seasons, are there three of them?
Could inclued various themes or classes! Possably such as, Nortical terms, Historical events, Medical, Space, Place Names, Latin & Greek…..sport PE…….
also thinking… various lessons on:-
Double meaning words, Names & Places, Countries and continents, a Proverbe section, zee Germans part, a detention section (after school!), Geek freak section, scary chapter (eveil twin could run this bit!) and a naughty but nice section! To inclued maybe quizes, crosswords more fun and games, even on the quip side of things..
Thinking to play more on the Evil Twin who could deceive students with lies or red herrings to possable given answers to your questions(hey, how did red herring come about??) –
Students who bought your book can have a individual ‘code or PIN number’ so can log in to a ’students who bought my book’ on your web site section, and provide a more interactive forum with score cards and best of. tables.
oh, also less is more!!! stay mysterious Marina, give out little about your self, keep us all guessing
Hope any of the above is of any use to you. Great to see you progress with HFW
Your loqacious student,
Matt
Be well.
HI Marina!
I would do a text book with a “pop up” at the end of our “Hot for words” teacher…that would be inspiring i think….RIRob608
Marina,
If you want to publish a book of pictures like the ones you use in your videos, do that. You will sell tens if not hundreds of thousands of that kind of book. If you want to publish a book on word origins and philology, publish a book of pictures. While you are a wonderful You Tube phenomenon, and I can’t wait to see your next video, you are not the source I use for word origins. For the most part, I already know the stuff you talk about in your videos (I’m an old geezer Ph.D.) but I watch them to watch you and listen to you speak with your charming, and yes sexy, accent.
Intelligence is definitely sexy and you are definitely both, but not all intelligent women are as strikingly beautiful as you. There are better ways to expand your income generting potential than a book. Why not leverage your status as emperess of You Tube and publish a DVD rather than a book? We want to get as much of your different looks as we can into our computers.
In terms of marketing, you have a conundrum (Hey, do that word): your brand, so to speak, is that intelligence is sexy. To test that, really test that, the intelligent woman should not be so damn gorgeous as you. So you face the age old problem of being beautiful, wanting to market that beauty, and then wanting to be seen as a human being who is more than her beauty. Man, do you have that problem, because you are both really interesting to listen to and really good to look at.
Good Luck. I, for one, think a book will not be able to portray your qualities that so captivate your subscribers. Your obvious beauty, your accent, and your charm that comes accross in your videos, even as they become more and more technically sophisticated. You need to do a DVD. But remember as you evaluate this advice, I’m a guy. We’re visual and auditory, and as long as the words aren’t too many syllables and have a few moans and gurgles of pleasure thrown in between them we are also hot for words. But mostly, we’re hot for Marina.
who’s “we”?
we’d be us’uns.
Is this one of the we’s you referred to?
yes, buzzword.
As I looked over the survey, it occurred to me that choice one and two are essentially the same book, the only difference being the number of words. I think ultimately, you have to consider what is manageable given your own time constraints.
I have stronger opinions about the need to spend time thinking about how to “theme” a series of books so that you’re not publishing the same book over and over again, just with different word origins. For instance, you could “theme” one book for college students, tapping into issues that are important to them. You could theme another book for high school years etc. Alternatively, you could do an “Intelligence Is Sexy” series – one for men and one for women – or perhaps focus on demographics and psychographics. You could do a “jargon” series dealing with “politics”, “sports” etc… You could do a book on humorous words, slang words, bad words etc…You could do a literary series dealing with topics like Shakespeare and other literary themes. You could deal with “seasonal” topics.
I think any of these would be successful, assuming they inspire you and you apply the same passion to writing them that you do in your YouTube videos.
Other ideas: Package it with an interactive DVD that includes quizes, prizes, vids and links to more detailed information on your web site.
Looking forward to your first one!
I like that Idea. That way she won’t go bust hypotheticly speaking and run out of things to write about. It will also peak peoples interest over a long term.
True… and remember there are always new audiences – so older content can be recycled too.
I got a gift book from my inlaws a couple of years ago, “Mrs Byrne’s Dictionary….” by Josefa Heifetz Byrne, you probably have it. Otherwise you can look it up online. It’s all unusual, obscure & preposterous words, it’s just words & entertaining definitions. Fun at least for some on its own & a good resource for writers who want to spice up their vocab.
I talked to my sister in law about what it takes to get published & found out the process is morphing quicklly in this internet age. She wasn’t sure about the american process. Questions such as, self publish? hire agent? Shop out a sample chapter to a publishing house? etc. all to consider. Good luck, need help? I quess just being wise as to who you work with is best.
I know your fanbase is growing fast and its probably because of, well you know better than the rest of us, but it seems you’ve made the right moves so far. You’re fun to watch Marina and you know how to leave people wanting more, classy & mysterious. Translate that into Book form and I’m sure you got a winner.
More words & phrases for me, My wife might get upset if I buy just a picture book to put on the bedside table. Ha, not how I voted.
Also noticed that women are quite interested as well, so I’m sure there is a market. Cheers
I have to go with the pictures. otherwise it would be too much like learning. We have to suffer through too much of that during the daily grind.
Before I vote, could you please expand on what these “lots of pictures” would be of?
I’ve read a lot of books on etymology, and they tend not to need that many images…
just guessing …
one.
two.
For your book, I’d like to write an introductory biographical chapter on your reactions to becoming such an international phenomenom, including the genesis of your format, your ambitions for your next decade, your background, your fashion consultants, how you buy your clothes, your theatrical training, and other aspects you’d like to share with your public. .This will make you an accessible icon that would give breath to your image.
Yea, give as much personal information about yourself as possible. Stalkers just love that.
… poll … sometimes I fucking hate democracy.
Ease up, alx. I believe she’s just looking for the thoughts of those, like you, who have been paying attention. In all likelihood, the final product may not fall into any of these choices. Marina’s creativity and the input of an editor will have their effects.
Well, now there are two people who fucking hate polls. I don’t know about the democracy thing, I kinda like that, maybe we should vote?
yeah, basically, democracy is a great thing. I even might consider anarcho-syndicalism (see chomsky on that.), I’ll go with democratic socialism for now, though.
I did vote. for the regular text book. actually, I’m kinda surprised that I’m not the only one voting for it.
I lean toward democratic socialism as well. I like Chomsky, but a lot of his general statements are based on ideal models and/or research upon very narrowly defined populations.
I believe that human settlement sizes produce various forms of government. Of course environmental factors and other social variables are responsible as well. I would argue that there is a settlement size that offers optimal conditions for human health and environmental balance. This type has been a very egalitarian society with many of the features of anarcho-syndicalism.
Since culture allows people to manage the environment around them many natural forces that limit the size of human settlements are absent. Increase in populations and impact of social events occur faster than self regulation can be managed. The process of human social regulation may be a process that functions slower than cultural innovation.
The science of emergence has shown that groups of various sizes may exhibit very different systems of self regulation. If these are not successful then group population decreases and returns to a manageable level. This process however may not be peaceful or satisfying. Nor may it leave the environment in a state that can support a human species.
I voted for the regular text book as well. You must consider the contrary nature of people. Also, if one wants to stand out or gain attention it is best to occupy a smaller group.
Hi Marina.I voted for the book format.I hope it does well for you.
Suggestion—Which ever book you deside on is fine with me, as long as you put a large center fold of yourself in it would be great,Ya?
bye bye
Marina, I think that a DVD with some lessons as a package deal with the book would’t be a bad idea.
In any case, good luck with the project!
I have a question about the book will be available in East Europe?
that shouldn’t be a problem. over here, you can just go to a local bookstore and they’ll order it for you. or, you can order from amazon or something. well, as long as it has an isbn number.
Yes, but there will be only one and you will have to share.
I have no problem to share it with other Russian.
But, isn’t a bad idea that the book should be available (a big amoun)to sell more (the real target of this book)
hitman,
have you read the Novaya Gazeta? are you a Russian hitman?
I don’t kill journalists, (I think you are talking about that)
seriously “Hitman” is just a nick-name nothing else
You are always so informative, and increase my knowledge of word origins (always been an interesting topic for me) with comedy and sexuality. I would so get a hot for words poster, as long as you stick some nifty words and origins in the background??? I think that would be just…..aww whats a better word than awesome?
Awful! Awful was ROBBED, ROBBED I tell you!!