Blog
WRITING
This is why people cry at art exhibits (and read your book)
In 2010, Marina Abramović did something insane.For seventy-five days straight, she sat in the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Six days a week. Nearly eight hours a day. No breaks. No food. No water. She didn't speak. Didn't move. She just sat at a...
Why I finally created book templates (After years of hating them)
As a chemistry major who really shouldn't have been a chemistry major for a whole host of reasons, I nearly lost my mind with physical chemistry. One exercise that I found particularly punishing was proving "proofs" for quantum theorems. I mean, how was I supposed to...
I never finished my book
I was sitting in a workshop at Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, watching Scott Russell Sanders field questions about his career. If you don't know Scott's work, he's written a bunch of books and made his living that way, with a side of teaching thrown in. He's the kind...
These two turned 60 authors into bestsellers (And I’m still not over it)
I'm not one to brag on clients (okay, that's a lie—I totally am), but Cecilia and Jason Hilkey are the real deal, and I want you to know about them. Here's what happened: These two came to me at the end of 2024 wanting to publish a parenting anthology. Not a solo...
READING
What I learned about acceptance from a dying man and two hospice nurses
Decades have passed, but the two and a half years of illness are still fresh in my mind. I can still hear his voice calling me from the hospital after exploratory surgery. From his tone, I know something is terribly wrong even before he tells me. He’s supposed to be...
The gym guy who made me question everything
Every day, I talk to people who are looking to up their game by writing a book. They've done amazing things in their life and in their business and they want to share the wisdom they've gained. For many, writing a book is a brand new circus trick. It requires them to...
Skip the backstory: let your objects tell the story instead
I was browsing through a little bookstore in D.C. when I ran into an interesting book. It was called China in Ten Words. The Table of Contents had me at hello. Here’s what it looked like in all of its glorious simplicity: People Leader Reading Writing LuXun (Must have...
The ugly truth about why everyone quits their book (except this one badass)
Each week, I have conversations with people who claim to want to write a book. I listen carefully, not just to establish if I like an individual, which is necessary if I'm to take them on as a client; if I think the project would be interesting and teach me a thing or...
LIFE
The gym guy who made me question everything
Every day, I talk to people who are looking to up their game by writing a book. They've done amazing things in their life and in their business and they want to share the wisdom they've gained. For many, writing a book is a brand new circus trick. It requires them to...
In defense of the mundane
I recently put together an anthology about single pieces of advice that changed people's lives—real stories from real people about those small inflection points that shift everything. When it came time to promote the book, I asked the contributing authors to share the...
If you don’t know me, this will sum me up
Several years back, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Denise Brown for a column she writes in the North Star Monthly, a New Hampshire publication. I thought I might share an excerpt of it with you here. It’ll give you some of my philosophy and background,...
Let’s discuss my feet
I'm guessing you're here because you're interested in writing and/or publishing books. Bear with me for a moment while I seemingly deviate from the topic... Every once in a while, Walt gets it in his head that we need to climb another mountain. So, one week not so...
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