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…
A veteran author knows the 12 stages. Rookies often don’t. But if you’re an author, you’ll inevitably experience them, regardless of whether you’re ready. So get ready. 1 Idle flirtation “That’s a cool idea.” “That could be a book.” “I think I could write about that.” Like all flirtations, this one is titillating and intriguing…
Summer is slower for many businesses. If you’re considering writing a book, this is a good time to start planning it. And I’m about to give you a good reason to start now. Summer is slower for me, too. That means I have excess capacity. And that means I can help you. And to get…
Without Bullshit here, analyzing why so many book titles now have obscene words in them. Get your hypocrisy giggles out of the way, first. This is a serious analysis. If curse words offend you, don’t read on. (If that really is you, how did you even get here?) Take a look at any bestseller list….
Business books include case studies and perspectives from executives. Executives live in impenetrable corporate fortresses. How can you get them to go on the record? I’ve already written about how to find the stories — through your own experience, existing vendor case studies, and news articles. So my starting point for this post is that…
A fellow nonfiction author recently shared that he’d written 18 drafts of his book. That’s probably too many. But how many is the right number? I’ll answer that question, but first, let’s talk about what a draft is. You have a chapter written. You go through and make a change. You save it under a…
Face it: if you’re prospective non-fiction author, you may as well have “sucker” written on your forehead. Everyone knows you yearn to be a bestseller and they’re quite happy to take your money to feed that need. Much of what they’re offering is waste. A lot of it is worthwhile. But it could cost you…