When the U.S. goes to war, it takes extraordinary actions. Those actions may come into conflict with the rights of citizens and other residents, but there is an argument that they’re still necessary. Do you feel like we are at war? If so, with whom, and what’s the evidence? And does that war justify whatever…
Today, I’m sharing something a little different and special — a video interview. We learned last week that BlackBern Partners, a private equity company, had acquired two of the most prominent companies in the hybrid publishing space: Greenleaf Book Group and Amplify Publishing. I’m familiar with both companies, having in the past published books with…
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…
According to an article in Washington Monthly, many schools are now requesting video essays in addition to — and perhaps in place of — the traditional essay on college admission applications. In response, a growing number of colleges and universities are inviting applicants to submit a “video introduction” of themselves, in addition to the usual gauntlet of…
Call it Claude’s paradox. The best writers write better with AI help. The rest write worse. It’s not that mysterious, actually. If you give me some quality lumber, a power saw, a nail gun, and sandpaper and ask me to make a piece of furniture, I’ll produce something crappy, rickety, and ugly. I have no…
I was surprised to get this email yesterday: Turning expertise into influence – a thought for Wobs LLC from: rob@brandingbybooksnext.com Hi there, I was reviewing Wobs LLC and couldn’t help but think how powerful it would be to transform your insights and methodologies into a professionally crafted book. Consultants like you already have the expertise,…
I analyzed the media industry for 20 years. Like any large industry, it’s complicated. Despite how it feels, media companies are not run on an emotional basis. Like any big business, they’re managed for profit. How media executives think What you will read below is based my experience meeting with senior executives at CBS, CNN,…
Newsletter 112. Finding your “thing” — the part of your job that you can happily and profitably do for decades. Plus, big news for hybrid publishing, new AI surveys, three people to follow, and three books to read. My thing is writing. Do you know yours? I first got hired as a professional writer in…
Many of us were astounded to see Trump’s FCC chairman Brendan Carr threaten the broadcaster ABC over comments by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. As I explained Friday, The FCC charter explicitly prohibits enforcement actions based on the political content of broadcasts. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was crafted specifically to prevent the government…