Annoyance, interruptions, frustration, and other idea development tools

Annoyance, interruptions, frustration, and other idea development tools

In the past month, I helped four diverse authors to develop ideas and titles for their books. They varied in age, gender, topic, and type of book. But they had one thing in common: I had to annoy and frustrate them to get to the core of their book ideas. How idea development works When…

Therapy questions for prospective nonfiction authors

Therapy questions for prospective nonfiction authors

I help authors. They’re all over the map. Some are experiencing the earliest glimmerings of author ambitions, while others have written hundreds of pages (possibly in a productive way, possibly not). By the time they get to me, I become their therapist. It’s my job to figure out their problems and recommend the best course…

Get off your duff and start working on a book this summer. I’ll help.
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Get off your duff and start working on a book this summer. I’ll help.

Summer is slower for many businesses. If you’re considering writing a book, this is a good time to start planning it. And I’m about to give you a good reason to start now. Summer is slower for me, too. That means I have excess capacity. And that means I can help you. And to get…

Is your idea book-worthy? Ask these 11 questions to make sure.

Is your idea book-worthy? Ask these 11 questions to make sure.

It’s easy to tell people “I have a book idea.” But before you invest your time in writing, you need to make sure that idea is powerful enough to build a book on. Here are 11 questions to ask yourself before you exert significant effort towards becoming a nonfiction author. If you can’t answer these…

How to balance the 5 key elements of a business book
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How to balance the 5 key elements of a business book

Business books are made out of case studies, idea frameworks, proof points, argumentation, and advice. The key is to balance the amount of each element that you include. Here’s a short description of what each piece is, why it’s important to use the right amount, and how to adjust it. If you write business books,…

Newsjacking and other fruitful sources of content marketing ideas
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Newsjacking and other fruitful sources of content marketing ideas

“What am I going to write about?” That’s the content marketer’s constant challenge. In fact, the number of sources is endless. You just have to have the right mindset. Let’s remember what content marketing is. While there are any number of definitions out there, I think of it very simply: Content marketing is sharing something…