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
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 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...
LIFE
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...
Haters are going to hate
I was 26 the first time I realized that what people thought about me had more to do with them than with who I was/am as a person. Such an epiphany should have freed me; unfortunately, it didn't. When I’d first moved to Iran, I wanted two things more than...
Check out my book
Straight-talking, funny and brutally honest, How To Eat The Elephant will give you–yes, you–the push you need to haul your ass off the sofa and position it in front of your computer long enough to produce a real, live book.
Subscribe to my newsletter
Want to know my deal? Well, these are some of my stories. This is my take on life, writing, and reading.