Every author client I’ve had in the last two years is reading that blog title and thinking, “He’s talking about me, isn’t he?” No, my friends, this isn’t about you, at least not individually. It’s about all of you. Writing a book is a labor of love. So of course it’s emotional. Authors care deeply…
If you’re an author, your publisher is your partner, at least in theory. But publishers have a tendency to assert control over any rights associated with your book, including clauses that give them control over “any and all digital formats” that may arise. Given the potential value of AI-related rights, this is unacceptable. At this…
Newsletter 151. Why we love to give advice, and how to do it fairly. Plus, authenticity through typos, AI publishing contract clauses, three people to follow, three books to read, and one LinkedIn Live about the publishing journey. Solving other people’s problems Yesterday, my wife asked my advice regarding a business challenge she’s having. She’s…
I received this email: I wanted to share [name redacted], an AI writing partner for books. For the business authors you coach, this could be an interesting tool to add to their writing workflow . . . Building [name redacted], I focused on making AI assistance actually useful for book-length projects. It wasn’t the first time I…
I give out a lot of free advice. Somebody thinks they might want to write a book. Or their boss does. So they contact me and we discuss how the book business works, and how it might work for them. What’s your objective? Who is your audience? What is your idea? How does ghostwriting work?…
What’s the best way to promote a nonfiction book? It seems like every expert I talk to has a different take on this. I asked ChatGPT. The list it came up with is, frankly, a reasonably good survey of everything you, as an author, might consider, including 100 different tactics. Platform & audience building Content…
Newsletter 150. Why my list of trusted partners is so small. Plus, an ethically developed AI tool, Tulsi Gabbard’s password, three people to follow, three books to read, and one super-duper AI coach. My exclusive, closed partner network I recently got an unsolicited email. This is what it said: We know that high-caliber ghostwriters like…
If you ask me to work on your book idea and it’s crap, I won’t. And I’ll tell you why, too. Sure, it takes me time to do more than just say “No.” And it creates unnecessary conflict in my life, but that’s who I am. If you ask me to work on your idea…
It’s easier than ever before to publish a book. But not all versions of “published” are equal. So let’s run through the continuum of options available to you, how hard they are to get access to, and how likely they are to accomplish your goals. (In creating this chart, I’ve simplified things enormously — there…