We writers have the well-earned reputation for not being the best at people skills, which is unfortunate because it’s certainly not always true. Writing is a people-centered business even though we spend a good amount of time sitting in front of a screen typing. Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement. Even if you’re an … Read more
Have you ever heard someone refer to your “six”? It refers to the six people who will carry your casket at your funeral. Kind of morbid, isn’t it? But it’s important because it reminds us that we will all die someday. We all have an expiration date on our lives. I want you to think … Read more
A big challenge that we face in our creative work is simply the fact that we work alone much of the time. Even if you work with a team on projects that include editors, graphic designers, beta readers, maybe co-authors or collaborators, or marketing people, you are still spending a large percentage of your time … Read more
Most people don’t like the idea of being put in a box. We want to keep our options open and avoid labels. But if you want to be successful in your writing, you have to put yourself in the box of being a writer. You have to talk about it on social media. You have … Read more
Picture this: You are the co-author of an enormously successful business book series. You want to write another book in the series, but it’s on a very different topic than the others. You also want to write it with your wife, instead of your original co-author. And, by the way, you’re also going to use … Read more
Let’s talk about one of the hardest truths to swallow. Here it is: the circle of relationships that brought you to where you are is not the circle of relationships that will take you to where you want to be. Most of us don’t like conflict. We don’t want to feel like we’re leaving others … Read more
If you really want to grow your network and reach a higher level of success in your life as a writer, you must invest in yourself. There is a lot you can learn from books, conferences, videos, and podcasts. But those can only take you so far. The true test of how badly you want … Read more
Let’s talk about one of the more uncomfortable truths of the author life. It has nothing to do with books, but it has everything to do with how others perceive you. And therefore, that means it has everything to do with your social standing and how much others want to be around you. Here’s the … Read more
In yesterday’s episode, we talked about the power of being a guest on other people’s podcasts. Today, we will turn the tables and talk about the importance of starting your own podcast. Podcasting is a powerful and inexpensive way to build an audience and share your ideas. One of the big advantages of podcasting over … Read more
In the musical “Hamilton,” Aaron Burr sings a number called “The Room Where It Happens.” He is upset that his rival, Hamilton, has been invited into the inner circle of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson to help make decisions that will impact the future of the country. All the while, Burr is left out in … Read more