You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Every week I point you to articles and blog posts that I think will teach you something or spark an idea or two. Some weeks there are more pointers than others.
This week I’m pointing you to pieces on a definition of “author platform,” living longer by reading books, and how writing a book is like having a baby.
From Jane Friedman: A Definition of Author Platform
“Author platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently. But by far the easiest explanation is: an ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.”
From Nicholas Bakalar: Read Books, Live Longer?
“Compared with those who did not read books, those who read for up to three and a half hours a week were 17 percent less likely to die over 12 years of follow-up, and those who read more than that were 23 percent less likely to die. Book readers lived an average of almost two years longer than those who did not read at all.”
From Mike Figliuolo: How Writing a Book is Like Having a Baby
“People ask me what it’s like to write a book. I guess my answer depends upon what stage of the writing process I’m in. To all the moms out there, please forgive this analogy but writing a book is kind of like having a baby.”
Sources I Check Regularly
I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writing Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.