Browsing Category

So you think you’re a writer?

Random Thoughts, So you think you're a writer?,

Celebrity Philanthropy Gone Wild

It’s tempting to blast celebrities (or political candidates, though there isn’t much difference) for their public philanthropy.

Like the big name Hollywood actor who earned millions for doing a commercial, then let his publicist promote the story about him donating $10,000 to a local homeless shelter. I remember cynically thinking at the time, “Wow, so generous, you gave almost .1% of the income you earned doing a one day photo shoot.”

But the truth is we all do it. Maybe we don’t have a publicist (I don’t, but if you want to volunteer give me a call). Maybe we give …

So you think you're a writer?,

Editing Angst

I had editing angst. Writing a book involves a lot of steps, some more complex than others. The one process I was dreading was turning the manuscript over to an editor and letting somebody else rip it apart.

I don’t mind somebody ~~correctly~~, um, correcting my spelling or grammar. That’s all welcome. But having somebody reshape the flow of the book, question the assumptions, or challenge the ideas … that’s intimidating.

Nobody would ever define me as having thin skin. I’m a landlord, so I’ve heard it all. But writing is an artistic process and finding your voice takes …

Random Thoughts, So you think you're a writer?,

“Nobody Wants To Be Around Poor People” – Steve Wynn

Casino mogul Steve Wynn is a billionaire. He has amassed a fortune with casinos across the globe. High profile and high energy, at 74 he is still pushing forward.

At a recent investors meeting he was talking about the proposed Wynn casino outside of Boston. In a lame attempt to explain the high end branding his company seeks to achieve, he said, “…rich people only like being around rich people, nobody likes being around poor people — especially poor people…”

At first we might dismiss this comment as just another poorly stated, class war comment from a tone deaf billionaire. …

So you think you're a writer?,

Book Cover!

Here’s the book cover for the upcoming Junkyard Wisdom. Let me know what you think!

Junkyard Wisdom 1ƒ CL …

So you think you're a writer?,

Thankful for Book Endorsements

I’m in the midst of collecting endorsements for my book and one word keeps coming to mind.

Thankful.

I’m truly thankful for the people who have taken the time to read the draft, reflect on the content, and write a few words of support. I’m thankful my life is filled with such generous people. People who enrich my life with their ideas, their energy, their love. I am blessed, and I am thankful.

The first official endorsement came from Tony Campolo, who has always been there to support me. Then one from Bob Goff, a friend since elementary school. And …

So you think you're a writer?,

We Have a Book Title!

The dream of a book was formed, ideas were developed, pages were written, a publisher was found, the manuscript was submitted … and now we have a book title!

Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Seems like a book title should be finalized a lot earlier than this. But writing the book really was a process with twists and turns, so the title wasn’t always clear.

When the book was done and the publishers had a chance to review it, the title itself was fairly easy to figure out. But then the subtitle took dozens of emails and a lot of feedback …

So you think you're a writer?,

Manuscript Submitted!

You know what I did about two weeks ago? I hit “send” on an email to my publisher that contained my book. Manuscript submitted!

Yep, I really did it. I wrote a book. Wow!

Of course there is still a lot of work to do. Editing starts now, which I know is going to be painful. And then work on cover designs and layout and gathering endorsements and all that.

But hey, I wrote a book! That’s pretty cool.

And it came out far better than I expected. In part because I asked a lot of people for help. David …

So you think you're a writer?,

I Have a Publisher!

Last week I did something that I thought would never happen: I signed a book contract with a publisher!

I never thought it would happen because the publishing industry is changing rapidly, and no-name authors like me usually have to go the self-publishing route. Throughout this book journey it seemed unlikely I’d find a traditional publisher.

But then a contact in the publishing industry suggested Deep River Books in Oregon. I emailed Bill Carmichael, their principal, and for the last couple of months we’ve had some great conversations.

The most important thing to me was control over the final product.

…