by AnnSheybani | Sep 18, 2025 | Life, Writing
I was on a blind date, sitting across from some guy I’d met on Match.com, when he asked what I did for a living. You would have thought I was a street walker, the way I started hemming and hawing. I was so mortified to tell him I was a chemical...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 15, 2025 | Writing
Let’s pretend you’re ready to start writing your book. That you’re a real eager beaver. Now, word of advice: Before you stare at a blank document for the next three months wondering why writing feels impossible, let’s talk about the content... by AnnSheybani | Sep 8, 2025 | Writing
We’ve all taken those inane quizzes, haven’t we? “Which Disney character are you?” “What’s your spirit animal?” “Which Friends character matches your personality?” I always end up as Cinderella—probably because she...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 31, 2025 | Writing
Years ago, I joined a group program designed to teach me about marketing because I was tired of banking on sheer luck to bring in clients. You know, that magical thinking where people would somehow discover what I do—and how I could make their writing 1000 times...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 10, 2025 | promotion, Writing
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... by AnnSheybani | Aug 2, 2025 | Reading, Writing
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...
