Honest criticism

If you ask me to work on your book idea and it’s crap, I won’t. And I’ll tell you why, too.

Sure, it takes me time to do more than just say “No.” And it creates unnecessary conflict in my life, but that’s who I am.

If you ask me to work on your idea and it has fatal flaws, I’ll tell you what those flaws are, whether they can be fixed, and whether it’s worth it to fix them.

If you ask me for help and your book is in reasonable shape but has issues, I won’t shy away from pointing out that issues. You may find that tough to take.

I’m a no-bullshit guy. That’s who I am, and it never changes.

It’s going to hurt

I’ll tell you what’s good about what you created. That’s the least I can do.

I’ll tell you what’s bad, too. I’ll also tell you why it’s bad: Why it will get in the way of accomplishing your goals.

I don’t care about how much work that creates for you. I stand in for the reader. If it’s not what’s best for the reader, it’s not going to help you — even if it seemed easy at the time.

I may something like “This is dumb.” Or “I found this confusing.” Or “You’ll really regret choosing to do things this way.” If you’re looking for somebody to make you feel good, you came to wrong place. This is deep tissue massage, not a back-rub, and some pain is inevitable.

Why bother?

I’m sure I could be nicer.

But nice isn’t my brand.

Honest is. That, combined with experience and competence and empathy for your goals — not your prose — is who I am.

I’m sure that’s cost me some clients. But it’s probably gained me more.

Luckily for me, who I am is profitable.

Writing without bullshit. It’s not just a book title.