Thank you for contacting me. I’m always happy to hear from an old friend/colleague/friend of a colleague/colleague of a friend/perfect stranger. I would be pleased to do whatever I can to help you. I am a generous person, that’s just how I roll. To make this efficient, please fill out the following information. Name ____________Email…
I lost an easy chance to make three quarters of a million dollars. I’ll never forget that. But I don’t regret it. Early in my career, I was working for a software startup company. I was the first employee the two founders hired. I was young and inexperienced, but I poured my heart into the…
My post Friday on Donald Trump’s new site and sort-of social network struck some nerves. One commenter said “As a social commentator, you cover for tyranny.” That seemed a little nasty. Two things are true. First, I am anti-Trump. I did a whole series of posts about it before the election. I’m not trying to…
What is the cost of being a pain in the ass? When I started my freelance business six years ago, I took whatever clients I could get. After a year or so, as my reputation grew, there was a steady stream of people asking for my help. I charged them three different rates. Some people…
If you’re fast, I’m fast. If you’re slow, I’m slow. If you’re nice, I do extra work for free. If you’re a pain, I’m expensive. Your project is the most important thing I’m working on right now. Until I start working on something else, that is. If you’re trying to save the world, I’m delighted…
I was featured in an article in The New York Times today. The point was that some people have actually felt more comfortable during the pandemic than with their lives before — a sentiment that applies, at least partially, to me. My ability to control my environment and be close to my immediate family is…
So, I’m lined up to do a consultation with this guy from Silicon Valley. He’s very well connected there, so he tells me. This is a pretty typical session for me — a 30-minute discussion of needs and publishing alternatives with an aspiring author. I typically do three of these a week. And they’re free…
I get complaints about how my advice is insensitive to certain types of humans and living things. I will not turn my advice into mush. I like it crunchy. Most of you do, too. If you don’t like it, read somebody else. Here are my responses to the complaints people have made or may be…
Here is a story that will tell you something about me. I am in my first month at a new job. I am surrounded by a few colleagues who are the smartest people I ever worked with. The conversation turns to people’s history. We come to realize that all of us have felt like a…