The em-dash (—) is getting a lot bad press these days. Writers overuse it, and not coincidentally, so do AI language generators. An em-dash is a perfectly reasonable piece of punctuation, but if you’re going to use it, you might need a little more detail on when and how. So here’s a tutorial on the…
If your book stinks, I can’t make it great. But if your idea is awesome, maybe I can. I get hired as an editor by all sorts of people. They bring me a manuscript — or sometimes, just an idea and a chapter or two — and say “Help me.” I have all sorts of…
These are the rules for working with writers and editors in a way that demonstrates good manners. If you follow these rules, everything will be efficient and run smoothly. If you do not, professional writers and editors will curse you and your descendants. (Yes, I’m writing this today because I’m annoyed at some people.) The…
Newsletter 78: How to be nice to yourself while writing a book, un-weaponizing free speech; book sales creep upward, plus three people to follow and three books to read. When it comes to books, concentration matters from start to finish The best part of writing books, for most people, is the writing. When they’re writing,…
Newsletter 77. The relationship between timing and success, an audio-only imprint for self-publishers, how to license your book for AI, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Thoughts on timing If I’ve learned one thing in 50 years in business, it is that timing matters. Great ideas need good timing to succeed….
A.I. is hotter than hot. If you have a unique point of view, by all means write an article about it. But I don’t care how much you know, this is no time to write a book about it. Five kinds of A.I. books and why you shouldn’t write them There are more than 20,000…
John Taylor “Ike” Williams was my agent and publishing lawyer. He died on December 26, 2024 at the age of 86. Ike was a commanding presence at his literary agency, Kneerim & Williams, and law firm, Sennott & Williams. Six-foot-six and good-looking, he had a unique combination of unshakable Boston Brahmin confidence and good humor….
Newsletter 77. Toxic growth, journal editors resign, business novellas, three people to follow and three books to read. Bigger’s not better, for companies or countries Companies pursue size. If Donald Trump has his way, so will the United States of America. Observe what happens when companies get bigger and there are some relevant lessons. The…
You might be skinny, fat, male, female, old, young, gay, straight, Black, white, Asian, a senior vice president, an entrepreneur, a new college graduate, a person with a Ph.D., somebody who never graduated, a cancer survivor, a person in a wheelchair, or an olympic athlete. When you write, it doesn’t matter. If you can write…