I love to get in up to my elbows with ideas. I will help you (or your staff) to develop powerful ideas, express them clearly, and cut the crap.
I give you the courage — and the skills — to say what you mean.
You can hire me to give a speech, develop your book idea, improve your reports, or train your staff to write powerfully.
Speeches
- Writing Without Bullshit: Why It Matters
- Practical Advice for Business Writers
- Writing Without Bullshit for Social Media Professionals
- Writing Without Bullshit: A Manager’s View
- Thinking Without Bullshit
Writing Without Bullshit Workshops
Your department needs to learn to communicate powerfully and directly. I can make a dramatic difference in one day — or less. My clients have included large financial and educational institutions.
Give me part of a day with your people. I’ll show them how to write clear, bold, powerful prose at work — in emails, reports, and everywhere else. I’ll raise their awareness of time-wasting bullshit like passive voice, jargon, and weasel words. And I’ll teach them the systematic preparation, research, writing, and rewriting habits.
Result: the writing at your organization will get dramatically clearer. Half-day or full-day Optional focus on specific writing types (reports, press releases, email) Critiques with writing from your own organization
"Josh explained the psychology that tempts people to write badly; he discussed the impact of bullshit in writing; and he managed to establish agreement among the group that we were all going to strive and improve."
Director of Learning Solutions
Johns Hopkins University
Editing Without Bullshit
I don’t just edit. I help you to find the truth.
I develop your ideas. I fix your structure. I edit your words. I help you learn.
The result is not just better writing, but a new set of skills for you.
I’ve edited several hundred reports for Forrester Research. I’ve edited reports and marketing materials for large and small technology companies, non-profits, and clients in the Fortune 500. I edit books, proposals, blog posts, reports, articles.
"Plenty of people can edit words, but Josh is one of the few that can 'edit' thinking as well ... The finished product was immeasurably better thanks to his guidance."
VP Marketing,
InsightSquared
Book Whisperer
If you want to write a nonfiction book but aren’t sure exactly what you want to say or how to say it, I can help.
I will help you to take your unformed idea and refine it, make it powerful, and collaborate with you to find a great title and subtitle. These are essential steps before you write a proposal, let alone a book.
Once we’ve developed the idea, I’ll help you write a proposal that will sell. My proposals consistently deliver big advances.
I offer two services:
1. Idea development: 90-minute idea jam. Deliverable: title, subtitle, and 2-page “treatment” that becomes the foundation of your book proposal.
2. Proposal development: Multi-week collaboration to generate a 30-60 page proposal ready to pitch to agents or publishers. Proposals include overview, contents/fat outline, competing books, bio, and promotional platform. Samples available.
"Josh is the ultimate professional, smart as a whip, with complete dedication in all aspects of his work. You grow as an author working with him."
Founder,
Expert Performance and Flow
