Someone you know is transgender. They deserve to be treated like a human. Look. My job here is normally to pick apart public statements by people, to show you how things can be written better. I try not to get into taking political positions. But I am making an exception today. If this bothers you,…
I am one of the most egocentric people you ever met, because I am so talented. (Modest, not so much.) It’s always been this way. So how did it feel to participate in a somebody else’s party for a book I helped write? More than a year ago, Dave Frankland and Nick Worth asked for…
Today I attempt to answer the question, “Is it ever appropriate to berate someone in your workplace?” with an example from my own experience. Note to readers: there is more profanity in today’s post than usual. Let’s start with a bit of background about me. I’m not the model get-along-with-everyone employee. Among the things I…
I never compromise on price. Among editors or writers for hire, I am among the most costly. The number of leads I receive is low. The number who go forward with me is even lower. Still, I am busy doing work I love, and I get paid well for it. Much more important to me…
Someone I love dearly is having surgery today. You were probably starting your day by thinking about what happened 17 years ago. I will be starting my day thinking about what will happen this afternoon. I am a very public person in my professional life, and a very private person in my family life. So…
This is a busy week of speaking for me, with two speeches about Truth and Influence. I’ll show you how to think clearly and promote your ideas without losing your integrity. If you’re in Cleveland at Content Marketing World, see me at 10:15 am tomorrow, Wednesday 5 September. The topic is “How to Think Like…
I’m working today. A lot of you have today off. But I’d never trade my independent life for a job again. Here’s what it means to be an independent freelancer. It means I get to savor the joy of concentrating on work for a whole day today while the rest of you are at the…
There’s a graphic making the rounds; I first saw it posted by Jeremiah Owyang. It’s about the “Japanese concept” of Ikigai, or “a reason for being.” This graphic attracts us because the circles — what you’re good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can make money at — are…
In the last decade I’ve been intimately involved with 11 nonfiction book projects. I wrote or cowrote four, edited five, and ghostwrote one-and-a-half (one is not yet complete). These were the most rewarding experiences in my career. Here’s what I learned: the keys to success in a book project are planning, passion, trust, perseverance, and…