Where do you go to find the answer to a question? Who do you trust? Before the Web, you went to the network news or the local newspaper. If you needed a practical answer, you might take a book out of the library or ask somebody who you thought was likely to know the answer…
Meetings and travel impair productivity. Writing, editing, revising, and research are all activities better conducted solo. The presence of others is a detriment. Tools like Google Sheets, Google Docs, and Microsoft Word Track Changes make it possible to collaborate virtually and asynchronously. It’s a good idea to meet regularly with clients to discuss your work,…
Books are higher quality writing than random crap on the Internet. So it’s not surprising that AI developers find books to be an attractive resource for training tools like ChatGPT and Meta’s LLaMa. Of course, the problem is that most recent books are copyrighted, and therefore it’s not easy to find their text online, at…
Week 11: publishers vs. authors on marketing; book advance gender differences; Scribe rises from the dead; plus 3 people to follow, 3 books to read, and the bullplug. Your publisher focuses on bookstore marketing. That’s not what you need. I’ve worked with dozens of traditionally published authors. Nearly all were disappointed in the work of…
You wrote something awesome. Then it comes back from reviewers with markup all over it. Inevitably, the sad trombone plays in your mind’s ear — you might feel angry, resentful, upset, or depressed. Go ahead, own that reaction for a moment or two. But now you have to revise the draft. And it’s time to…
Authors covet the designation “bestseller.” They often make questionable claims, like authors who claim to be an “Amazon bestseller” (no, leading in one category for one hour doesn’t make you a bestseller) or paying loads of money to manipulate your way onto a list. But as a reader, should you buy and believe a book…
An author contacted me recently regarding his book proposal. His agent had accepted it and shopped it to some publishers; there were some nibbles, but no bites. This guy was well positioned: good speaking career, solid book idea, well-written sample chapter. Now he wanted to know if I could help him to improve the proposal….
To prepare for two recent presentations to groups of women authors, I revisited my survey of over 200 nonfiction authors, examining whether their answers varied by gender. For the most part, women and men authors in my survey had the same experiences and used many of the same tactics. But one dramatic difference emerged: the…
Week 10: writers, authors, and credit; top AI tool tips; poorly written book ban undone, plus 3 people to follow, 3 books to read, and plugcasting. Let’s stop pretending that writing books is a solitary activity The actress Millie Bobby Brown has written a book, Nineteen Steps, based on her family’s experience during World War II. She…