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How Writing a Book Too Fast Can Hurt You
Making the shift from unpublished expert to published author lifts your status. It gives you a certain gravitas that signals to others that you are a true authority. Generally, authors outpace unpublished experts in invitations–to speak, to appear in the media, and to partner with high-level people and organizations. Most people understand this. But what…
Read MoreDon’t Lose Steam: The 2 Big Keys to Finishing Your Book
Eighty-one percent of Americans say that they plan to write a book “someday.” Yet, less than 1% actually do so. I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times. A wannabe author starts a book project, has a lot of good energy around it, then it drags on, and they never finish. They lose momentum, and their…
Read MoreMy Rebuttal: Why DEI Is Good For Publishing
I received an email from a subscriber regarding my podcast interview with Carrie Bloxson, the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at Hachette Book Group. Their opinion: stop this DEI nonsense. We should “let writers succeed or fail based on their merits.” I agree. That’s exactly what we should do. The question remains: what…
Read MoreThe Life-Changing Magic of Showing Up
A woman I had known for a matter of hours invited me to stay at her house in LA for a week. She wanted to throw a dual birthday party for her and me. Sounds like an odd situation, right? I mean, she was friendly enough, but I wouldn’t exactly call us close. Especially not…
Read MoreDevelop a Strong Bond with Your Reader
If you’ve ever had an all-consuming, obsessive feeling while reading a great novel, you probably didn’t ask yourself why. You just had that experience where you kept thinking, “just one more chapter,” until one became two, two became three, three became four, and next thing you knew the sun was rising, and you were still…
Read MoreHow to Write a Book that’s Current, Yet Timeless
One of the biggest challenges in writing a book is to figure out how to write a book that is current and in-step with the times, yet has a long shelf life. At first glance, this may seem impossible. “Current” means in the here and now. “Timeless” means everlasting. So, how do you write a…
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