Blog
WRITING
Book launch FOMO is making authors do dumb things
Last week, I had three different authors ask me variations of the same question: "Should I do a Kickstarter like Sarah Jessica Parker did, or that $1.99 thing like Mike Pence, or maybe try that free shipping deal like Jennifer Lopez?" (OK, they didn’t use those...
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...
The publishing question that’s keeping you from writing (And why you’re asking it backwards)
So here's what happened. A woman named...oh, I'll call her Taylor Swift because Walt is super into her.... reached out with some questions about Summit Press's hybrid publishing model versus going the self-publishing route. These were smart questions, the kind that...
READING
The 15-month Plan That Sold 10 Million Books (And Why Your ‘Wing It’ Strategy Isn’t Working
Here's what I love about James Clear's Atomic Habits success story: it completely destroys the romantic myth that great books just "find their audience." You know, that fairy tale where you write something brilliant in your mountainside cabin, send it to a publisher,...
We accidentally created a bestseller (and now everyone’s having an identity crisis)
Last week, The Wisdom Collection went live on Amazon. Within 48 hours, it blew the top off the platform in ways that surprised even me—and I'm not easily surprised when it comes to book launches. In fact, I'm kind of jaded. First, we hit bestseller in a couple of...
The Wisdom Collection launches today (and why you need to grab your Copy RIGHT NOW)
After months of anticipation, countless late-night editing sessions, and more coffee than any human should consume, The Wisdom Collection is officially LIVE! (Note the enthusiastic all caps and outlawed exclamation point.) And here's the thing—for the next 24-48 hours...
Why I’m revising a book I already wrote (and what it taught me about the writing game)
Eleven years ago, I published How to Eat the Elephant: Build Your Book in Bite-Sized Steps. It was solid advice that helped hundreds of writers complete their manuscripts. But here's the thing about the writing and publishing world: it doesn't stand still while you're...
LIFE
The silliest thing that changed my life
I got to thinking about this bike rack I refused to buy because it looked like way too much bother. Anything that requires me to read a user's manual, well, I I just don't need it badly enough. Yet, if I hadn't been nagged to death to buy the damn thing; if I hadn't...
The best piece of advice I ever received
A long time ago, when I was selling photo copiers for a living, I met an older woman who gave me a piece of advice I'll never forget. “Darling,” she said, smoothing back her hair with steady hands, “there’s a time and a place for everything. You can’t do it all at...
Dead men give great advice
Plato had it right when he said, “Those who tell the stories rule society.” In other words, if you want to get ahead--and ahead does not mean taking over Greenland--you need to open your mouth and share your experiences. A piece of advice I took to heart early on in...
Momento Mori
I was doom scrolling on Instagram when I came across a Ryan Holiday post about his 2022 book, Discipline Is Destiny. In it he writes, “To procrastinate is to be entitled. It is arrogant. It assumes there will be a later. It assumes you’ll have the discipline to get to...
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