American Rag’s CEO Mark Werts launched his new book America’s Simple Solutions: A Visionary’s Blueprint for a Better Tomorrow at the La Brea store on August 10, 2016. It was an exciting evening with distinguished guests and many opportunities that evening to meet the author. This literary work exhibits the incredible insight into the unchanging issues that many countries face around the world; Mark hopes with America’s Simple Solutions to bring back to America those “simple” solutions he has learned from various countries.
At the celebration that evening were DJ Minh Pham, who set the mood with an eclectic mix of music; while Cafe Midi served cocktails and finger food for the guests. Those in attendance, along with Agenda magazine, were attorney Tom Girardi (husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Erika Girardi); Ambassador David Huebner, model Tim Bryan; bloggers Anna Vo and Parker York Smith; fashionistas Amy Pham, Ruby Park, and Marissa Joy; and The Talk TV host Chai-Lan Lieu, along with “YouTuber” Louis Giordano.
I had the distinct pleasure of conversing with Mark and I gained a bit more insight into his book.
Interview Questions by Kaylene Peoples
Responses by Mark Werts
Tell me about the book, America’s Simple Solutions.
The book is a book about something there’s very little of . . . common sense. Seek pleasure, avoid pain.
What was the process in writing the book?
It ruminated in my gut for about 40 years and one day I looked at my 4-year-old twins and I’ve been seeing America slowly declining, and it has become very obvious to me why. It doesn’t need to. I didn’t want my twins coming to me asking, “Why didn’t you say anything?” So I wrote this book.
Is that in stores? How does one get it?
It’s online now in Barnes and Noble and Amazon There are all these online sellers because it has been very successful fortunately. It’s been as high as #2 in Amazon top releases in politics and economy in this very political year. And also personal freedom, it’s as high as #2 also.
Obviously you’re traveling speaking about the book as well.
Yes, I’ve spoken around the country. It just came out July 19th. I did in the spring. Books at the end of the day are a business and you have to promote them.
What would be your elevator pitch to your average reader and the message you are trying to convey in the book?
I’ve traveled the whole world. I do business internationally, and I see things that work and I see things that don’t work; and when I see things in different parts of the world that are continually working, I came to the conclusion that these things work! (And those things don’t work.) And one thing that’s [common], every wealthy, educated, advanced society is personal freedom. And the more you restrict personal freedom, the more you cut into the richness culturally, the richness monetarily, the richness of relationships with family, etc. The more you cut into personal freedom, the more you put a country into decline. And that’s what we’re doing in America today.
That’s very profound and very timely. Tell me how the retail business relates to the book, if at all.
Very fortunately, we have 1000 suppliers all throughout the whole world. And I’ve been involved in buying and traveling to do business with all these various suppliers to American Rag. But when you travel, you’re not just traveling. You’re watching. You’re talking to people. I’ve been fortunate enough to learn a number of languages so I can communicate with people as I travel. So I listen and I learn as I go, and this book is sort of a combination of a 30-year learning process.
Final last words . . .
Don’t ever work, because if you work, you won’t make money. But if you do your hobby and do what you love, you always make money.
I retired years ago. I never work. – Mark Werts, Author and Co-CEO of American Rag
