If anyone remembers, I really didn’t like Write, Shorten by Maxim Ilyakhov and Lyudmila Sarycheva, a book on editing texts. Judging by the number of likes my review received on Goodreads, I’m far from alone in this opinion. As a result, I had no intention of reading another book by these authors. However, a colleague first recommended it to me, then another gave it a high rating. So, I decided to give them a second chance—anything’s possible.
From the very first pages, I felt this might have been a mistake, although my opinion shifted slightly later on. As before, there are some practical tips in the book. But let’s break it down step by step.
The authors begin much like they did in their previous book: first, they highlight how poor the world of business correspondence has become, the old ways we were taught for years, and how outdated those norms are. Now, they claim, they’ll teach us how to do things right. At least this time, they spared us a pompous comic about their battle against evil. But the tendency to exaggerate and sometimes paint a bleak picture without much basis is still present right from the start.
The examples often feel exaggerated, even absurdly hyperbolic. And yet, the authors “see” aggression in some harmless phrases, drawing the conclusion that such phrases should never be used in business correspondence—like “Thanks in advance for your prompt response” or “Have a nice weekend.” Of course, I agree that in certain situations, these phrases might be inappropriate. But sometimes, people are simply wishing a good weekend. As the joke goes, “Sometimes, a dream is just a dream.”
It’s also unclear if the authors consider Western cultural norms, where many “optional” phrases for us are quite standard and even expected.
However, as I mentioned earlier, amid the self-indulgence, there are genuinely useful tips. Some of them are quite obvious, such as the rule not to send emails when emotions are high. This isn’t even about business correspondence—it’s basic psychology. If emotions overwhelm you, they’ll spill onto the page, and constructive communication will suffer. The rule “write what you want, but don’t send it” can work wonders. When you’ve calmed down, you can reread and edit as needed, or even decide not to send the message at all.
Many of the book’s tips are lessons learned from experience, but it’s better to avoid mistakes and aim for effective communication right from the start. Here, the distillation of good rules can be helpful.
The ability to structure an email well—respecting the reader’s time and attention, breaking down questions clearly, and attaching supporting documents separately—is one of the most helpful chapters in the book.
Another solid chapter addresses respecting the recipient’s boundaries and making an effort to see issues from the other person’s perspective.
I found the remaining sections less engaging.
The book’s final quarter consists of practical examples. But rather than providing universally useful advice, these are more like “how I’d write based on my own assumptions.” That’s exactly it. The initial email example is made maximally incorrect, and the revision is based on the authors’ personal preferences, which don’t always hold up as universal truths.
For example, the authors advise against “buttering up” in emails, yet also recommend making messages feel non-generic and personal. To me, their “personalization” often read as overly obvious attempts at flattery, making me think, “Did they just read somewhere that you should compliment your respondent?” To me, these examples felt closer to creative spam than genuine efforts to show respect.
Overall, the example analysis is fine, but the tone feels stretched, and this section was a slog to get through. It would have been much more interesting to see how good texts could be improved with small tweaks.
In the end, I rated this book slightly higher than the previous one, but this style of presentation really doesn’t resonate with me—it irritates me. It’s too didactic, and I don’t appreciate those who are “always right about everything.” But I did write down a few tips, and I’ll be recommending these couple of pages to friends as good rules to follow.
My rating: 3/5
