{"id":135931,"date":"2024-11-23T14:17:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T18:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=135931"},"modified":"2024-11-25T14:47:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T18:47:56","slug":"how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What makes certain markets more profitable than others? How can you create a product<\/a> that will actually sell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Boron Letters<\/em>, Gary and Bond Halbert suggest focusing first on finding profitable markets rather than developing product ideas<\/a>. Their unconventional approach provides a practical framework for aspiring entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for the Halberts’s advice on how to choose a product to sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Choose a Product to Sell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the sales classic The Boron Letters<\/em>, the Halberts provide unusual guidance on how to choose a product to sell. They contend that, in order to decide what to sell<\/em>, you need to figure out whom to sell it to<\/em><\/strong>. In other words, you should identify a demographic or list of specific people that you intend to market to directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of first coming up with a \u201cgenius\u201d idea for a product and then doing research to figure out what its target audience should be. The authors maintain that this is a mistake since it\u2019s much easier to invent a profitable product than to find a profitable market<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Purple Cow<\/em><\/a>, Seth Godin disagrees, arguing that, if you have a truly original and exceptional product idea, you\u2019ll have no problem finding it a profitable market. He contends that every market contains a certain number of innovators<\/em> and early adopters<\/em><\/a>: Consumers who are always on the lookout for new and better products. If you come up with a product that\u2019s markedly better than what already exists in a new and exciting way, these innovators and early adopters<\/a> will desperately want it, ensuring that whatever market your product falls into will be profitable. How? Innovators and early adopters<\/a> spend more money than the average consumer, and they\u2019re most likely to turn into advocates of your product, helping it reach more customers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Choose a Profitable Market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the right market<\/a> is more important than the right product, how do you choose a market? The authors contend that you\u2019ll make the most money by tapping into markets that are <\/strong>already <\/em><\/strong>profitable<\/strong>. Come up with products similar to something that customers are already buying, and they\u2019ll buy your products, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objective Indicators of Market Profitability<\/strong>

While the Halberts offer a helpful rule of thumb, Michael Porter in Competitive Strategy<\/em><\/a> offers a more detailed set of criteria<\/a> for determining the profit potential<\/a> of a given market. Understanding these factors may help you find a profitable market that other competitors haven\u2019t yet tapped into.

A market will be more profitable if:

\u2022 Suppliers<\/a> have less influence on the supply chain. For instance, if you own a fast food restaurant and can choose to source your beef from several different suppliers, each of them has to compete to offer you better prices and service. Because of this, the fast food market is more profitable than it would be if you had to rely on a single supplier.

\u2022 Consumers have less bargaining power because they need your product and have few choices. If you\u2019re the only grocery store on an isolated island, that island will be a profitable market for you.

\u2022 There are difficult barriers to entry for new competitors, such as expensive overhead costs.

\u2022 There are few or no other markets that can fill the same consumer needs. For instance, the hotel market would be more profitable in a big city where Airbnb was banned<\/a>.

\u2022 There\u2019s less aggressive competition from other firms\u2014for instance, if competitors aren\u2019t spending very much on advertising or developing new products to give themselves a competitive advantage<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trust Sales Data, Not Customers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When gauging how profitable a particular market is, don\u2019t base your judgments on the information you get from surveys or direct conversations with potential customers. The authors warn that, when you ask people about what products they buy and want to buy, they often lie\u2014knowingly or unknowingly\u2014to make themselves look better. For example, if you interviewed people about their beverage choices and they claimed to buy more health drinks and less soda than they really do, you may falsely conclude that selling kombucha would be very profitable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, trust <\/strong>sales data<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong> If sales reports say that people buy a lot of soda, another soda will be more likely to sell well, even if most people won\u2019t readily admit that they want one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In The Mom Test<\/em><\/a>, Rob Fitzpatrick agrees that surveys and customer conversations<\/a> can be misleading\u2014unless you\u2019re conducting them the right way. If you exclusively seek out objective facts about the past<\/a>, he says, you can get information from casual conversations that\u2019s just as good as sales data. Additionally, in-person conversations are potentially more <\/em>useful than sales data because you can turn research conversations into sales<\/a>. If the customer doesn\u2019t want to buy your product at the end of the conversation, it gives you valuable information: You either need to improve your product further or pick a different target market.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn which markets are available for you to work in, the authors recommend browsing the SRDS Direct Mail List Book: a book created by the company Standard Rate and Data Services that compiles lists of direct sales leads for a wide range of products. This will not only give you specific names and contact information for potential customers, but it\u2019ll also let you know which kinds of products generate the most sales. Gary Halbert bought a physical copy of this book, while Bond Halbert refers the reader to SRDS\u2019s online resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: If they already know what market they\u2019re competing in, many marketers looking for direct sales leads nowadays use lead magnets<\/em><\/a> rather than specific catalogs like SRDS. Lead magnets are free (often digital) products that sellers give out in exchange for contact information. For instance, someone selling make-your-own-kombucha kits may offer a free eBook that explains how to ferment kombucha in exchange for a customer\u2019s email address. Make sure to offer something relevant to the product you\u2019re selling so that both appeal to the same target audience. This way, anyone who claims your freebie will also be interested in further marketing messages<\/a> about your product.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Develop a Winning Product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve identified a profitable market of potential customers, the next step is to decide what to sell them. Although the authors make it clear that their other marketing advice applies to entrepreneurs looking to sell any kind of product, they particularly recommend developing and selling a knowledge product<\/a><\/strong>: valuable information. Gary Halbert wrote and sold how-to \u201creports\u201d through the mail, and Bond Halbert explains that the modern equivalent would be developing and self-publishing an eBook. Such a product has low overhead costs and is relatively straightforward to produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to developing a winning knowledge product is <\/strong>research<\/em><\/strong>.<\/strong> The authors recommend reading a series of books about a topic relevant to your chosen market. Then, study all the advertising materials you can get your hands on that sell the same kind of knowledge product that you want to sell. Take notes on everything you read and compile them into a comprehensive file for review. By condensing and rewriting the best ideas from everything you read and adding ideas of your own that occur to you, you can create a unique, valuable knowledge product.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What makes certain markets more profitable than others? How can you create a product that will actually sell? In The Boron Letters, Gary and Bond Halbert suggest focusing first on finding profitable markets rather than developing product ideas. Their unconventional approach provides a practical framework for aspiring entrepreneurs. Keep reading for the Halberts’s advice on how to choose a product to sell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":136015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,79,103],"tags":[1671],"class_list":["post-135931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-entrepreneurship","category-sales","tag-the-boron-letters","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\"},\"wordCount\":1243,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"The Boron Letters\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"Entrepreneurship\",\"Sales\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\",\"name\":\"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp\",\"width\":1344,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"A man with brown hair, a bear, and a blue suit thinking with his chin in his hand illustrates how to choose a product to sell\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First - Shortform Books","description":"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First","og_description":"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1344,"height":768,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First","datePublished":"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/"},"wordCount":1243,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","keywords":["The Boron Letters"],"articleSection":["Business","Entrepreneurship","Sales"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/","name":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","datePublished":"2024-11-23T18:17:48+00:00","dateModified":"2024-11-25T18:47:56+00:00","description":"In sales, first decide the who, not the what. Get tips from Gary and Bond Halbert (The Boron Letters) on how to choose a product to sell.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","width":1344,"height":768,"caption":"A man with brown hair, a bear, and a blue suit thinking with his chin in his hand illustrates how to choose a product to sell"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-product-to-sell\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Choose a Product to Sell: Identify a Market First"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/man-in-suit-thinking.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135931"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136017,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135931\/revisions\/136017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}