The four simple questions every potential author should answer first

The four simple questions every potential author should answer first

The call came in to my mobile phone. An author wanted my help. But after 15 minutes, I still couldn’t figure out what her book idea was about. If you want anyone to take your potential nonfiction book idea seriously, you have to be able to answer four simple questions — hopefully without thinking very…

8 ways writers can differentiate in a world that includes ChatGPT. Number 1: have a sense of humor.

8 ways writers can differentiate in a world that includes ChatGPT. Number 1: have a sense of humor.

If you are a writer, your job is now in danger. ChatGPT can do a decent job of doing what you do. Oh sure, it has shortcomings — it doesn’t know the difference between truth and fakery, and it’s got no soul. But if you write generic content, AI can now do your job nearly…

All self-help books are basically the same. Here’s how yours can be different.

All self-help books are basically the same. Here’s how yours can be different.

I’m grateful to Chris Taylor, who wrote a piece on Mashable that breaks down everything you learn from self-help books — and why they’re all the same. If you’re an author, you may find it depressing. Especially if your ideas are ordinary. The piece is called “Every self-help book ever, boiled down to 11 simple…