So, you wrote a book proposal — maybe just a quick little query. You sent it to an editor at a traditional publishing house that somebody introduced you to. And they like it! Time to celebrate, right? Umm, no. You need to check your publisher-to-English dictionary first. The publisher-to-English dictionary Here are all the possible…
Some people are awesome at what they do. Other people are just as excellent, but they can write a book about it. Let’s take a close look at what makes the difference. To start, I want you to think about the thing you know that nobody else seems to know, the thing you are passionate…
I write books. I also ghostwrite books for others. People who’ve never hired a ghostwriter before seem to be confused about how it works, so let’s clear things up. Here’s the first thing you need to know: you’re going to have to pay me before the book is published. Why you pay me first “Hey,…
A business book is an extension of you. It makes an impression — both good and bad. There’s an idea going around that a book is just a big (and expensive) business card. If that were true, it wouldn’t matter much what was in it. In truth, it matters an awful lot. Because if a…
It doesn’t matter if you have a six-figure advance or only got $3,000. It doesn’t matter if you have a big-five publisher or a small indie press or a hybrid publisher. If you’re a first-time author, you’ll soon be whining, “I can’t believe my publisher doesn’t . . . “, followed by some task that…
Scribe Media — formerly known as Book-In-A-Box — has put videos from all its courses online and on YouTube for free. It’s got lots of free resources. That’s a bid to get writers to turn there first. Scribe has a decent chance to succeed at that — if it opens up its content offerings. As…
I admit it. I’m an egotistical know-it-all when it comes to writing. But I need an editor, too. (I’m not talking about a copy editor, whose job is to identify typos and grammatical errors. Of course I need one of those, as anyone who has spotted the typos in this blog realizes. So do you.)…
Why should older white men get all the respect? I’ve been talking to a diverse collection of executives, thinkers, and authors: men and women; old and young; white, black, Hispanic, and Asian; North American, European, Asian, and Australian. Here’s a shocker: if you’re seeking attention for your ideas, it’s easier if you’re an older, white,…
Lord help you if you are planning a nonfiction book launch in the fall of 2020. Normally, agents would be pitching such books to publishers around now. I’m betting those are some bizarre conversations. A successful book launch depends on media and word of mouth. You find writers, bloggers, and podcasters who would be interested…