Volkswagen posted, then withdrew, a press release about renaming the company as “Voltswagen” to reflect a commitment to electric cars. Apparently it was an April Fools joke — and very poorly executed at that. Here’s the timeline of how it went down: Monday, 29 March: Press release about the rebranding “accidentally” posted on VW Website,…
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Wayne Gretzky “Do you really think we haven’t heard this a thousand times? Uggh.” Weary readers For the second time in the last year, I was editing a business book that cited this overused, stale, moth-eaten, clichéd Gretzky quote. In…
So, I’m lined up to do a consultation with this guy from Silicon Valley. He’s very well connected there, so he tells me. This is a pretty typical session for me — a 30-minute discussion of needs and publishing alternatives with an aspiring author. I typically do three of these a week. And they’re free…
Each of us builds up a valuable network of acquaintances over the years — former coworkers, people at clients, and people we met at corporate social occasions and events, for example. These folks can help you with a little free publicity, provided you don’t approach them as a selfish ass. Asking isn’t a problem if…
It’s already been a busy year already for me. To make a point about where freelance people like me spend their energy, here’s a look at my current project list, sorted by status of work: I’ve never had this many projects in process at the same time. I’m just one guy, so it makes me…
My prospects become clients quickly. They rarely choose a competing editor. This post is about how I do that . . . and what that might mean for you, if you freelance. This is typically what happens when an author is considering hiring me: They hear about me, from my blog or from another author….
Even if you feel a need to make your favorite magic words more important, don’t capitalize them in running text. It makes prose look uneven — and makes you look like an eighteenth-century pamphleteer. Do you write to impress? I edit a lot of prose intended for that purpose — including “thought leadership” blogs, business…
There are a million editors out there. If you aspire to make a living as one, you can’t just be “an editor” — because only those who specialize will be paid what they’re worth. (Author’s note — I’ll now resume posting mostly about writing, editing, and books. Thanks for your tolerance of my political posts…
I get one or two emails a day from Trump or one of his friends. They are clearly designed for people who don’t use their brains on a regular basis. Take a look at the example below. I got on this list because I answered a “survey,” and I stayed on it because I’m curious…