Model journalists; book theft; promotion tips: Newsletter 23 April 2025
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Model journalists; book theft; promotion tips: Newsletter 23 April 2025

Newsletter 91: Why all writers should think like reporters, a clever writer’s AI hacks, scientific proof that ChatGPT steals books, plus three people to follow and three very timely books to read. Think like a journalist I didn’t go to journalism school. I wish I had, though, because so many of the lessons I’ve learned…

6 tips for academics planning books for a broader market
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6 tips for academics planning books for a broader market

Academics and researchers have the luxury of working deeply for years on a topic. Often, in their work, they discover truths that have the potential to excite a more general audience, breaking out of their tight academic circles. But to succeed with a book on these topics, they need a very different approach than has…

The best authors write on diverse topics. You shouldn’t.

The best authors write on diverse topics. You shouldn’t.

Nonfiction authors tell me, “I want to be like Malcolm Gladwell.” So they look at Gladwell’s output and draw lessons from it. Here are are Gladwell’s books and their topics: The Tipping Point (2000) — the spread of ideasBlink (2005) — perceptionOutliers (2008) — what leads to successWhat the Dog Saw (2009) — essaysDavid and…

Author therapy

Author therapy

Authors worry. A lot. Will I get a publisher? How big an advance? What if I don’t get a publisher? Is this the right title? No really, is this the right title? Does my writing suck? Is my idea commonplace? Am I the right person to write this? Do I need a coauthor? Do I…

Your publisher doesn’t care

Your publisher doesn’t care

Face it. Your publisher doesn’t care about you. You have an incredible idea that will change the world. Your publisher doesn’t care. You can write with such deftness and skill that readers will be captivated. Your publisher doesn’t care. You’ve conducted three years of painstaking research. They don’t care. You have incredible ideas on how…

Charming clients; untariffed books; avoiding backsplash: Newsletter 9 April 2025
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Charming clients; untariffed books; avoiding backsplash: Newsletter 9 April 2025

Newsletter 89: Why charm, competence, and respect aren’t just good for business, but are a way of life. Plus Shopify won’t hire for what AI can do better; suing Trump to preserve libraries, Amazon recaps books with AI, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Charm, Competence, Respect How in heck was…