The muscular middle; princess photo foulup; uncanny cerebral valley: Newsletter 13 March 2024
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The muscular middle; princess photo foulup; uncanny cerebral valley: Newsletter 13 March 2024

A new politics arises from the ashes of the American disaster, AI proponents and doomsayers wrestle, books as chatbots, plus three people to follow, three books to read, and a chance to see me debate at Berkeley. The inspirational rise of the muscular middle I’ve freakin’ had it with the American political system. It’s time…

If you can’t write, plan. If you can’t plan, write.

If you can’t write, plan. If you can’t plan, write.

I frequently advise nonfiction authors to be planners, not pantsers (that is, seat-of-the-pants writers). Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work. True, some people have a conception of the whole book in their heads. This allows them to set down a table of contents and, after doing research, create a fat outline before writing each chapter. But…

The novelty trap; Amazon counterfeits; OpenAI calls foul: Newsletter 28 February 2024
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The novelty trap; Amazon counterfeits; OpenAI calls foul: Newsletter 28 February 2024

Newsletter 33: How to be suspicious of shiny objects, self-publishing bestseller pirated, China skews the Hugos, plus three people to follow and three brand-new books to read. The curse of the new We live in a world where newness generates attention. I learned this emphatically and repeatedly in two decades as a technology analyst. Every…

Pyramidal ideas; ASSes and PEONs, book bans; AI crushes everything: Newsletter 21 February 2024
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Pyramidal ideas; ASSes and PEONs, book bans; AI crushes everything: Newsletter 21 February 2024

Newsletter week 32. How to think about ideas, book bans, AI killing everything, plus three people to follow and three books to read. Full-stack idea development: don’t be an ASS or a PEON Authors have ideas. Authors have expertise. But unless those ideas and expertise reinforce each other properly, you can’t build a good book…

Why you should love your tough developmental editor

Why you should love your tough developmental editor

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, editorial director of the publisher Berrett-Koehler, recently wrote that if you love your editor, they’re probably not doing a good job. This contradicts my experience. Great writers love great editors — and hate them at the same time. It’s a strange relationship. An analogy Imagine that you are working with a personal trainer…

Ghostwriters, confidentiality, and desire for vindication

Ghostwriters, confidentiality, and desire for vindication

A clash between two rights characterizes every story you read in a nonfiction book. You, the reader, have a right to the truth. And the people you’re reading about have a right to privacy. The author walks the narrow path between those rights. But it becomes even more challenging if the right to privacy is…

An emotional résumé; model of influence; in the writing huddle: Newsletter 14 February 2024
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An emotional résumé; model of influence; in the writing huddle: Newsletter 14 February 2024

Newsletter 31. Looking back on your career, in praise of college writing centers, the disruption of a Canadian bookseller, plus three people to follow, three brand new books to read, and a plug for the imperfect manuscript. My emotional résumé I’ve been helping a friend with her résumé. The hard part is shoehorning valuable experiences…