AI for skeptics
What does AI really “know?” Skepticism and truth The principles for searching out truth have not changed because of AI: AI plain-English prompts and AI-generated responses are easy to consume. Don’t swallow them whole.
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Use these practical benchmarks to set goals for your business book
Nonfiction authors rarely define success by book sales. Their objectives usually relate to generating influence or boosting their business. That said, books have a cost. That cost includes paying for book promotion, editorial help, design help, and sometimes hybrid publishing fees or ghostwriters. And that doesn’t include the largest actual cost, which is the author’s…
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Own your identity; Jarvis AI book series; why LLMs write so poorly: Newsletter 19 March 2026
Newsletter 143. The three ways to shore up your idea leadership in the age of AI. Plus, LLMs’ fatal flaw as writers, Wiley’s true business, three people to follow, three books to read, and one step to control your persona. Owning your identity in the age of AI Authors and other thought leaders, your identity…
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Epstein’s appeal; weasel words revealed; publishers embrace AI: Newsletter 25 February 2026
Newsletter 140. How a pervert assembled the world’s most consequential network of influence. Plus, legal rules for authors using AI, bestselling book covers, three people to follow, three books to read, and the world’s most versatile (and cost effective) book coach. What attracted all those prominent people to Jeffrey Epstein? Let me get this out…
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Our Lady of Small Sample Sizes, hear my prayer
When we recently fielded the “AI and the Writing Profession” survey, I was delighted to be able to generate well over 1,400 responses. It’s not just bragging rights. Big samples are better in a lot of ways. I’ll explain why. Use caution in interpreting surveys with small and biased samples At Forrester Research, where I…
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Your idea went viral. Did you get credit?
Every thought leader wants to be known for a powerful, breakthrough idea. It’s very hard to create the idea that breaks through. But if your idea is big, new, and persuasive, you have a chance. It also helps if its timely and has a catchy name. But even if you do all that, you may…
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Modern thought leaders; the decline of thinking; search as entertainment: Newsletter 1 October 2025
Newsletter 113. Principles for principled thought leadership. Plus, the value of “time under tension,” endless PR, three people to follow and three books to read. The thought leader’s pledge Nineteen years ago, my soon-to-be coauthor Charlene Li told me that our objective was to become “thought leaders.” That sounded pretty cool. I wasn’t much of…
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The four kinds of experts and why you shouldn’t trust them
Social media is full of experts. They all have opinions. But should you hire them for their expertise, and should you trust them to help you make decisions? The 2×2 shown here is a good way to think about them and their strengths and weaknesses. In the descriptions below, I refer to their “space”: the…
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Beyond boring statistics
I’m digging into the data we’ve collected so far in our survey about AI and the Writing Profession, and I thought you might be interested in how survey analysis professionals like me work to generate insights from such data. (The survey is still open until September 4, if you’d like to add your own perspective.)…
