If You’re Explaining, You’re Losing
In politics, an axiom drilled into the head of every candidate for office is that when you’re in a debate or answering questions from the press, “If you’re explaining, you’re losing.” Attributed to President Ronald Reagan, this means that explaining … Continue reading
The Peculiar Freedom of the Ghostwriter
While I write fiction under my own name, I make a living as a ghostwriter. I get paid to write books for my valued clients. All kinds of books: novels and non-fiction topics including self-help, business, healthcare, nutrition, and public … Continue reading
How Long Should Your Book Be?
Many of my valued clients ask me, “How long should my book be?” My answer is, “Your book is like your legs. Your legs should be long enough to reach the ground. Your book is no different.” They think for … Continue reading
What Does It Mean to Be “Happy”? Hedonism vs Eudaimonism
People talk a lot about happiness. It’s even enshrined in the United States Constitution: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among … Continue reading
Lessons from the Extreme Economy of Pop Song Lyrics
Here’s a bit of trivia that may interest you. From 1962 until 1970—a period of eight years—the Beatles collectively composed and released about 200 original songs. Various experts have estimated that the average Beatles song has about 200 words. Some … Continue reading
If Paperback Books Didn’t Exist, We’d Invent Them
On November 19, 2007, Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, personally introduced the Kindle e-reader at a gala event in New York City. Despite its bulky appearance, the device was heralded as a disruptive technology that could wipe … Continue reading
Artificial Intelligence Editing Services: The McDonald’s of Literature
Ah, the modern world! So many new technologies that make our lives easier! Some of the most interesting emerging services provide manuscript editing powered by artificial intelligence. A good example is ProWritingAid, which analyzes your text and not only flags … Continue reading
Self-Help Authors: Take Your Reader by the Hand….
Self-help books are all about solving a problem for the reader. The problem faced by the reader could be anything: how to lose weight, get a better job, be happier, invest their money better. When they buy the book, they … Continue reading
Avoid Repetition in Your Writing!
As an editor, on of the most common problems I see in the writing of my valued clients is needless repetition. This manifests itself in either of two ways: Repeating the same idea more than once, or repeating words that … Continue reading