A few weeks ago, the coronavirus was just a news story. These days, it’s defining the way we live our lives. If you’re working on a book, it will also define how you do that. You may be sharing writing space that once was private. Or, you may have to find space at home to write. Either way, it’s a » Read More
Category: Writing A Book
Will you be like Bill the Genius or Larry the Cable Guy?
Bill was a genius. His clients said so. They loved the results they got by paying attention to his ideas. He was easily one of the smartest people I’ve ever known. But you probably don’t know much about him, because Bill never got that book done. Friends and coaches told him to write a book. They urged him to use the » Read More
Writing a Book: Preparing to Write Your First Draft
Carl thinks he’s ready to start writing his book. For years, he thought that he should write a book. A few months ago, Carl researched what goes into self-publishing, and he thinks he can do that. Today, he’s getting ready to plan his first draft. The odds are that Carl will begin by trying to outline his book » Read More
Why do you want to write a book?
I was chatting with a friend at a party. I had just said that “Nobody makes money off book sales.” Just then, Charlie asked over my shoulder, “Then, why do people keep writing books?” Let’s start with some statistics. The last time I researched this, the average US nonfiction book sold less than 250 copies per » Read More
Writing a Book: Make Your Book a Conversation, not a Lecture
I don’t have anything against academics. I learned a lot from them. I don’t have anything against academics who are writers, either. Some of them, like Bob Sutton and Adam Grant, are among the best business writers on the planet. I don’t even have anything against academic writing. It’s fine for academics. But if » Read More