What’s hiding in your Microsoft Word manuscript file? It may look fine — but then, when you submit it to the publisher, the results are poor. If you’re used to using Word to create finished-looking documents, you need to adjust your perspective. You’re now using Word to tell the publisher’s page designers and page layout … Continued
What does it mean to read a book? This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer. It used to be, you sat down with a book and you read it, one page after another. Now you can experience a book through your earbuds while walking in the woods or sitting on a bus, on look … Continued
You know it’s smart to plan book chapters before writing. So don’t start by writing. Start by crafting a fat outline — you’ll save yourself anguish and improve your work with editors and other collaborators, too. What’s a fat outline? It’s a skeletal layout of what’s going to be in the chapter, laid out in … Continued
If you are an author, you really should stop writing about yourself in the plural. Unless you are royalty or have a multiple personality disorder, it’s fine to say “I.” For example, “Next, I’ll explain three steps you need to follow to begin investing in bonds,” or “I’m sure you’re wondering why publishers aren’t more … Continued
Ghostwriting is a misnomer. Because most ghostwriters do more than write. If you hire a ghostwriter, which of the following do you want them to do? Ghostwriting jobs that are just writing are easier If you bring an idea, and organization, and proof points to your ghostwriter, all they have to do is write. That … Continued
You have a conscience. You know what the right thing to do is. But the right thing is going to cost you. Do you still do the right thing? Today I’m going to tell you how doing the right thing paid off for me in unexpected ways. Because it turns out that people notice integrity, … Continued
When you spot a book online or in a bookstore, is it actually popular? That’s a much harder question to answer than you might imagine. And if the author is writing in your topic area, you need to know how much influence they have. Here’s a list of ways that you can evaluate if a … Continued
Yesterday I published ChatGPT’s version of my bio. It is highly plausible but full of falsehoods. Today, I reveal what was false and attempt to figure out the source of the lies. In what follows, quoted material is from ChatGPT’s response to “Who is Josh Bernoff?” The numbers count the lies. There are 14 lies … Continued