How guardians of history are funding my history of Alaska
Today, the vast majority of books are paid for by those who want a book to exist, not by readers’ …
Why paper is here to stay
As I mailed my last Christmas card of the season, I basked in a treasured emotion: feeling virtuous …
Can democracy survive the cacophony of the internet?
The chaos and fakery of social media are stress-testing democracy and its most important component, …
Why AI is faking fan mail, and everything else
A reader reached out with a perceptive appreciation of one of my books, the kind of message any …
Confessions of a would-be promiscuous blurber
Readers think of the blurbs on books jackets as recommendations from influential people about the …
My new book and its long path to existence
It’s a uniquely satisfying feeling, opening a box that delivers a new book you have written. I had …
Here’s the path out of editing hell
Bad editing is torment. Office workers know what I am saying. After unclear initial direction, a …
Almost everyone lies to aspiring writers
Some writers I coach need me to be a teacher, mentor, or therapist. Others are just looking for …
My dad’s big gamble and how he told of it
As Charles's father demonstrated, quality matters even for a self-published memoir
How thoughtful stories knit our minds
The decline of literary fiction and serious film has contributed, in part, to America’s current …
Why some good books should remain unpublished
George Fischer wrote 19 autobiographies without ever planning to publish them. And he could have. …
Social media will not make you an author
Beginning authors often receive the advice that to publish a book they need to develop a large …
How non-fiction books get published
Publishing a book is easy, but selling books is hard. For the most part, only books from mainstream, …
Is ghost-writing dishonest?
Eyes widen at parties when I tell people I am a ghostwriter, as if I’ve admitted I do something …