I recently wrote about how to negotiate with your publisher. But the publisher-author dance is remarkably subtle, and if you don’t know the steps, you might inadvertently make the relationship awkward. The key for authors is to know when to go first . . . and when to expect the publisher to go first. The…
If you’ve considered writing a book, you have a choice to make. You can get to work on the book, or you can put it off — perhaps forever. Writing a book will potentially establish you as a leading thinker in your space, and get your ideas out in the space of public discussion where…
Special note: All of us are in a very raw state because of the devastating events taking place abroad. Business as usual is anything but usual right now. If reading about business books takes your mind off of things for a moment, I offer these insights for you. If not, I’ll catch you later. Newsletter…
Are you trying to decide which of several book ideas is best for you to spend your time on? If you’re in this position, you need to determine which potential book will best advance your career. In what area do you want to be known as an expert? Are you solving a big problem for…
There are lots of crappy books written by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. Regrettably, there are also plenty of really experienced people who doubt their ability to write a book about their knowledge, which is a shame. Which are you? Start by asking yourself these questions: If the answer to all of…
Technology is redefining work. With the help of Phil Simon, now you have a chance to see around corners. His new book is The Nine: The Tectonic Forces Reshaping the Workplace. Phil produces valuable books at a breakneck pace. After documenting the most influential major tools defining the future of work with Slack for Dummies…
So, yes, my book was just published. If you count the books I ghostwrote, this is my seventh. A box of books arrived a few weeks ago. I wasn’t home at the time, but I told my son, who was at my house, not to open it – because of course authors are supposed to…
What does it mean to read a book? This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. It used to be, you sat down with a book and you read it, one page after another. Now you can experience a book through your earbuds while walking in the woods or sitting on a bus, on look…
You know it’s smart to plan book chapters before writing. So don’t start by writing. Start by crafting a fat outline — you’ll save yourself anguish and improve your work with editors and other collaborators, too. What’s a fat outline? It’s a skeletal layout of what’s going to be in the chapter, laid out in…