What is it all for, these early mornings and evenings in the park with her notebook? The bruises and the pain? She wonders about it many times, but is quiet, self-conscious. She does not spend too much time trying to answer the question. And whatever answers she comes by are less interesting, anyway, than the quality of the light at dawn, and the crash of bodies, and what she’s recording in the notebook.
The boys don’t wonder—not about her, whom they do not see, or about injuries, which happen all the time. She envies them for their obliviousness. She worships—not too strong a word—their hardening, growing bodies, their virility, their youth. They play footy, Australian-rules football, as if it is their birthright, and, in her view, it is.
She is Helen Garner, one of Australia’s best-known writers, renowned for her unsparing novels and journalism, and for her complex view of intimacy and power relations. Garner hasn’t written a stand-alone book in a decade. She hesitates to tell people she is writing one about watching her grandson playing for the U-16 Flemington Colts. “I keep quiet about this,” she writes in “The Season: A Fan’s Story,” “ because I don’t want people to think I’m romanticising it, or to reproach me for not writing about women’s footy.” But she is romanticizing it, and she is certainly not writing about women’s footy. Later in the book, she notes, “I’m surprised how many people jump to the conclusion that it’s something polemical, a critical study of football culture and its place in society, informative, analytical, statistical.” It is, in fact, specifically uncritical—admiring, even awestruck. What she wants to create, instead, is “a little life-hymn. A poem. A record of a season we are spending together before he turns into a man and I die.”
To do this, “I’m going to have to find a way to efface myself, to become a silent witness,” she writes. Because it is a man’s world, a young man’s world at that, and she is neither a man nor a young person. She is not interested in condemning men and their regimes, not now, at the end of her life. The opposite: before she dies, she wants to feel close to her grandson. She wants to take this chance “to learn about boys and men from a fresh angle, to see their delicacy, their fragility, what they’re obliged to do to themselves in order to live in this world, the codes of behaviour they’ve had to develop in order to discipline and sublimate their drive to violence.” So she watches them shove one another, and embrace one another, and yell. She notes their haircuts, the shape of their shoulders, and records their insults, grievances, their hopes and dreams. She says she does not know much about the nuances of the sport, which is hard to believe; she has been fervently following the local team for more than twenty years. But it is easy to forgive her, at least for a reader from the United States, who is unlikely to know even the basic rules. And it might as well be about American football, or hockey, or basketball, or any other activity in which people collide into one another and call it sport. What is a “torp”? Who cares. What matters is the “crazed, cracked-voiced yelling” when the kick soars enormously into the air: “And ’e’s gorn the TOOOOOORP!”
The rich language around the game makes her feel alive. Her grandson, Amby, makes her feel alive. He is shining with life, and so are his teammates. She basks in their glow. She offers them orange slices like a supplicant: “It’s an honour and a joy to serve them.” At times—at many times, to be honest—it’s all a little too much. An honor? Reading the book, I felt as skeptical as the old lefty atheist who snorts when Garner calls a stadium a “shrine.” But she is sincere, and she has the weight of so much history, and so many cultural legacies, behind her. She may or may not know footy, but she knows Milton and Homer. She sees her grandson and his teammates in epic terms, and writes about them with a bard’s sonorous cadence. “Here again tonight, hanging over the rail, I see the softness in the faces of these boys, the slenderness, still, of their bodies. How lightly they leap towards the approaching ball, present their chests and bellies to it front-on!”
How would this go over if she weren’t a nana? Not very well, I suspect, and maybe not very well anyway. Garner’s an avowed feminist, but her investigations into the ways that people—which is to say, usually, but not exclusively, men—use sex and gender to arrange power relations have, at times, been sympathetic to men, and have not always absolved women of the roles they play. (Her book about a 1991 sexual-assault scandal at a university, “The First Stone,” is subtitled “Some Questions About Sex and Power.”) Even here, women don’t always come out very well, if they’re there at all. She tells Amby the story of Achilles, whose “cold, angry mother” refused to let the name of the exiled Patroclus be written on Achilles’ tombstone. There’s a “woman in black” who mysteriously ignites a brawl. “Girls,” Amby says at one point, “the bane of my existence.” At one point, he tells his nana that he called someone on the field “a cunt” in a match. “Was he offended?” Garner asks. “I don’t think so,” Amby replies. Was she offended? She never says.
iA Writer has dark mode and shortcut integration for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Plus it’s just plain pretty. Given the high price though, you have to be pretty dedicated to the idea of a distraction-free working environment to spring for iA Writer.
Ulysses
The basic layout and feature set of Ulysses isn’t terribly different from iA Writer. There’s a sidebar for navigating and organizing your files, and a large main pane for composing. But it’s definitely more feature-rich, including tools for goal tracking and proofreading. Thanks to its simple but thoughtful organization system, you could probably even use Ulysses as a note-taking app in a pinch.
Like iA Writer it has a typewriter mode with line highlighting and text scrolling. But you have to turn on the various parts of it individually the first time. One of its bigger draws is its styles that allow you to export documents using templates customized for scripts, novels, blog posts, and more.
The knock against Ulysses is that it’s available only as a $40 annual subscription. And it’s strictly for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. If you’re a Windows user, you’re out of luck.
FocusWriter
This is perhaps the most bare-bones of the bunch, but it shouldn’t be overlooked. FocusWriter has all the basics you’d expect from a text editor, including spell check and the ability to have multiple documents open simultaneously. It also has tools for serious writers, like stat tracking and goal setting.
Unlike most of the other apps here, FocusWriter uses rich text (RTF) for formatting instead of Markdown. It probably has the most customizable interface of the bunch, though. You can meticulously choose the interface colors, fonts, and background.
One of the biggest draws will be that it’s free and open source, though right now it’s available for Windows and Linux only. While you can probably get it running on macOS if you know your way around a command line, it will take some legwork, and there’s no mobile client or file syncing.
OmmWriter
The idea of distraction-free writing is, inherently, kind of gimmicky. But OmmWriter is probably the most gimmicky of the bunch. It doesn’t just strip away the extraneous nonsense; it aims to immerse you in an environment conducive to a flow state. That includes gentle soundscapes to help you focus and even various typing sound effects to enhance the vibes.
If you want more audible feedback while typing, but don’t want to invest in a nice mechanical keyboard, this might do the job. Though, the very slight lag between your fingers hitting the keys and the sound coming out of the speakers bugged me.
Otherwise, the UI is pretty bare, with a resizable text box in the center and a few buttons to the right for changing settings. It’s the cheapest of the commercial options here at $9.93 for macOS or Windows. But you can also give it a whirl in your browser by playing with a stripped down version for free.
Scrivener
Scrivener has a dedicated following among long-form writers, and for good reason. While the app does have an excellent distraction-free mode, complete with typewriter-style scrolling, it also sports advanced organizing tools that you’re sure to appreciate if you’re working on a book or a screenplay. It’s made specifically with longer writing projects in mind.
Its project outlines make it simple to collect research or rearrange ideas until you find what clicks. When it comes time to actually write, the full screen composition mode gets rid of everything but the text box. It’s the most minimal of editors.
Candace Bushnell is still showing women a different way to think about themselves. Courtesy Candace Bushnell
More than once, Observer has called Candace Bushnell the ‘real Carrie Bradshaw,’ but by now everyone should know that her Sex and the City alter ego is only a small part of the ‘real Candace Bushnell.’ The fiercely feminist Bushnell is, in no particular order, an international best-selling author, celebrated novelist and successful producer. Her critically acclaimed one-woman stage memoir, “True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City” opens at the Café Carlyle tomorrow (April 23) for a limited run after stints at the Daryl Roth Theater and in theaters around the world.
Bushnell’s “Sex and the City” column, of course, originated in 1994 at this very publication (then the storied New York Observer broadsheet) before quickly morphing into a book, an HBO hit starring Sarah Jessica Parker, the first of two motion pictures and, eventually, an unstoppable cultural phenomenon.
Bushnell in her one-woman show, “True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City.” Photo by Jeremychanphotography/Getty Images
On a warm day in April, I met Bushnell off Madison Avenue for tea at the Carlyle’s Gallery. So much talent and so many stars have moved through its art deco halls, it seemed like the perfect spot to chat with the glamorous and witty OG Carrie Bradshaw. Bushnell, true to fashion form, was sporting a black blouse with elegant shoulder ruffles, black leather pants with silver zippers, yellow heels and a hot pink handbag. Not only was it thrilling to interview one of my feminist heroes, but as a former sex columnist for the Observer myself, I’d always felt I had big stilettos to fill. (Yes, she still wears Manolos.) And just like that…after actually meeting Bushnell, those shoes felt even bigger.
How did you end up with your iconic column in the New York Observer?
When I first came to New York at 19, I wrote a children’s book. I wrote for anybody and everybody I could write for. This is all part of my show, “True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City.” Then I wrote for women’s magazines, which was the precursor to “Sex and the City.” I was already writing about my Samantha, my Miranda, probably back in the eighties, but I always wanted to write a column. I had a column in Mademoiselle for probably a month or two months, and then the editor left or got fired or something, which was always happening. I started writing for the New York Observer and doing profiles for them, and the profiles were really, really popular. Everybody was talking about them. Then the editor-in-chief asked if I wanted to have my own column, which just put a frame around work that I’d already developed. I’d already developed my voice, and I’d already been writing professionally for 15 years when I got the “Sex and the City” column.
What was it like working with Peter Kaplan, the legendary editor-in-chief of the New York Observer?
It was a very male-oriented, Ivy-League-mentality kind of place. There was a lot of hazing and people were tough—they threw phones. Kaplan didn’t do that, but other people did. Publishing was a slightly violent business. But Peter was brilliant, and he would just say these things that you just realize, “Wow, that’s really it.” In those days, being an editor was a creative job. He felt like it was his job to somehow get the story out of the writer. It was a different mentality.
It wasn’t long before Bushnell’s New York Observer column became a book. Fadil Berisha
How quickly did your column “Sex and the City” take off? You became a star.
It happened right away. Again, I talk about that in the show. I think after I’d written five columns, I sold it to Morgan Entrekin [publisher of Grove Atlantic] as a book. Then the column was really like a serial book, which was obviously what I’d been wanting to write my whole life—a book. People faxed [the columns] to their friends in LA, so from the beginning I had Hollywood calling. ABC wanted it, HBO wanted it, Fine Line, New Line, some other probably movie company that doesn’t exist, and I flew out to LA. It was exciting.
What was it like navigating that?
I didn’t know anything about that business at all. It took me a while to sell it to Darren Star. They say publishing is or used to be a little bit of a gentleman’s business. There’s not that much money to be made. But in TV and entertainment, there’s a lot of money. When there’s a lot of money to be made, people are not, in general, equitable. Nobody gives you a good deal out of the kindness of their heart. The goal is to give as bad a deal as you can get away with, and that’s business. If you’re in it, you understand it, you know how to negotiate it, and you have power. Otherwise, if you’re an outsider, you don’t have that kind of insider access.
And it was sexist.
Back in 1995, women did not have the same kind of power that they have now in Hollywood. It was very different, and there’s a bit of an attitude of—I mean, the whole world was like that, right?
I read that you consulted on the HBO series “Sex and the City” up until Mr. Big got married, and then you felt you no longer related to Carrie. Why is that?
I tell that story in the show, too. At the end of the second season, Carrie and Mr. Big have a bumpy relationship. They break up, they get back together again, and then Mr. Big dumps Carrie and marries somebody else. Somebody he thinks is marriage material—meaning more conventional and less trouble, which is exactly the same thing that happened in my real life. I thought that that was maybe the end of the series, and it fit with my thesis that guys like Big come and go, but your girlfriends are always there for you. But then it’s not over, and they want to make another season, so they have Carrie have an affair with her now-married ex-boyfriend, Mr. Big. And as I say, that’s when a part of me “un” became Carrie Bradshaw because to me it wasn’t feminist. I’m sort of the opposite of that.
Let’s talk about “True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City.” How did the show come about?
I met David Foster and his manager, Mark Johnson, and then we had a meeting. Mark said, “Why don’t you try to do a one-woman show?” I was like, “Why not? What do I have to lose?” I wrote it at the beginning of 2020, and then I started working with [director and choreographer] Lorin Latarro. He found there were Broadway people who were interested, they raised money, and we ended up workshopping it at Bucks County Playhouse. And then we brought it Off-Broadway to the Daryl Roth Theatre, which seems crazy to me. Like what?! Then it closed because of Covid.
Have you always had an interest in acting?
I had some interest in it, but it was kind of brief, and it was a long time ago. When I first started doing [the show], it was more like doing a dressage test than writing a book or an article. It’s performative. It’s choreographed, you say this here and say that there, but then there’s another aspect of being creative within that medium, which is an interesting thing to explore and figure out. There are timing aspects, certain ways that you say certain lines, and it’s very physical. It’s not just me standing up with a microphone. There’s a set. There are little props. There are little tiny skits. I fall off the couch, and it’s fun to do. I actually love doing it.
Sex and the City just came out on Netflix. How do you think it resonates with today’s 20-something audience?
I can only speak from my experience, which is that I have so many young women come up to me as they have been doing for the last twenty-five years saying that Sex and the City saved them, inspired them and changed them, but mostly gave them a different way to look at their lives. And I’ve had women from all over the world say this to me. For a lot of young women, it’s like a rite of passage to watch it when they go to college. These 20-somethings are watching it on Netflix, but there was a whole generation before them of 20-somethings that watched the DVDs with their new friends in college.
Fans tell Bushnell SATC saved them, inspired them and changed them, but mostly gave them a different way to look at their lives. Courtesy Candace Bushnell
I feel like Sex and the City made talking and writing about sex less taboo and more mainstream.
I didn’t write about very much sex at all. There were some things in there like threesomes, but it wasn’t graphic in any way. I always felt like I was writing about power structures between men and women and heterosexual relationships. I thought I was really being much more of a social anthropologist.
On a panel, you said that Sex and the City is feminist because it’s like, “Hey, you know what society? We are single women in our thirties and guess what, we’re getting on with it, we’ve got our friends, we made a different kind of family… there isn’t something wrong with us because we don’t want to follow the narrow prescriptive life of what society tells women they can and should do.”
The women were pretty courageous [back then], I have to say. I knew a lot of single women, and there was a real camaraderie. We had to look out for each other. It was a man’s world, but also New York City was a place where—and here’s why I wrote Lipstick Jungle which I always thought was the next step after Sex and the City—ambitious women make it. There are a lot of really successful women here, and that to me is the most interesting thing. That was what was edgy. Now that there are more successful women, there’s a freedom and you’re allowed to be ambitious. Whereas before you couldn’t. It was like Martha Stewart and Anna Wintour and Tina Brown, but people wrote horrible things about them all the time. If you were a woman and you were successful, you were also going to be punished.
Why do you and SO MANY people today still love talking about Sex and the City?
I don’t talk about it, but a lot of other people want to talk about it, and that’s great. I talk about my new work, the show that I’m doing, feminism, being your own Mr. Big and all the things that drive me as a writer, performer and a creative person in the world to do what I set out to do from the beginning, which was to try to show women a different way to think about themselves and their lives outside of the patriarchy. That’s been my mission since I was a kid. It still is.
I think that we’ve all been sold the fairytale of the knight in shining armor, and that’s problematic.
It’s problematic because being with a man can be physically dangerous for women. There are some really unpleasant truths about heterosexual relationships that we don’t acknowledge. And I think going for the guy who’s going to take care of you or the rich guy—this guy who’s going to be in love with you—can happen if you have the right circumstances, but if you don’t have a lot of the right circumstances, it’s maybe not going to happen. And so instead of spending your time investing in something that ultimately you can’t control because you can’t control how somebody feels about you or what they’re going to do for you, but you can control, hopefully, who you are in the world and, hopefully, the ability to make money and look after yourself. There’s a lot of pride in that.
But then there’s also the pay gap. The system is rigged against women.
If you look numerically at the 1%, only 3.5% of the 1% are women who made their own money. And to be in the 1%, you need to have a net worth of $11 million. Think about how many billions [that is]—think about all of the men who have more than $11 billion. Okay, so 96.5% of the women in the 1% are married to a rich man or inherited the money. That is wrong to me.
The writer and producer considers herself a social anthropologist. Harold Mindel, courtesy Candace Bushnell
You’ve chronicled NYC’s rich and powerful. I get the sense that you have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the rich. I certainly do.
New York is filled with rich people. There’s huge income disparity. I feel like it’s a problem. And it’s certain business practices that have been allowed in the last thirty years. I mean, there have been legal changes to how you can do business, and I think as a journalist you’re supposed to turn a little bit of a questioning eye towards the rich. You’re not really supposed to be one of them.
Like Truman Capote.
Truman Capote, Dominick Dunne, Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities. These are classic topics for journalists. Of course, now we live in a different time. That was a time when people kind of revered the written word. There was a real status to that. Now there’s a real status to being an influencer. Our value system has changed. We live in an attention economy where it’s really all about getting attention. I mean, Carrie Bradshaw today would be Emily in Paris.
It’s not easy being an artist in the City.
It really isn’t. I mean, that’s sort of the tricky thing about New York. It needs to be a place where if you have a lot of creativity and artistic ability, you can still live here and you don’t need a zillion dollars. When I moved here in the late seventies, it felt really expensive, but somehow you believed you could inch up the ladder and kind of get there. Now it feels like a lot of these places are way out of reach. It’s a big difference if something is $2 million and something is $20 million. So many people came to New York in the late seventies and early eighties—like Cynthia Rowley. She was like, “I just made clothes out of my tiny studio apartment downtown.” She sewed clothes, and then a store said they wanted them. When I first moved here, you had to be creative and interesting, but you didn’t feel like, “Oh, I need to live in the best place” because everybody lived in a crappy place.
Finally, tell me about performing at the iconic Café Carlyle.
So many legendary people have done shows here; it’s incredible. Also, it’s just a very, very New York thing to do. I’ve been on stage and also in the audience, and it’s a super intimate experience—one that you really can’t get anywhere else. It’s just a really special room, and it has the original wallpaper. It has a really, really small stage, and people are right here. You feel like you’re in somebody’s living room. That’s kind of what New York is all about, isn’t it? These one-of-a-kind, one-time experiences.
An honest review of 2023, featuring stand-out articles, practical worksheets, and a preview of the near future at The Emotion Machine.
Another year is coming to an end. It’s time for my annual recap and roundup of best articles.
To start, I’ll say this year was a good year for me overall. Not excellent, not bad – but “good.” It was more turbulent than past years and I certainly had low moments, but I adapted quickly and made a couple major habit changes that are going to payoff big in the future.
Despite the chaos, I was remarkably consistent in my output this year. After a decade working on this site, creating new content is almost automatic for me. There’s no reason to assume I’ll be slowing down anytime soon, as new ideas and new projects are constantly coming to mind.
Last year I pledged to make one new worksheet per month, so we already have a nice collection of 12 available going into the new year. These have received a lot of positive feedback so far and I’ll keep making new ones in 2024 (already have a long list of ideas).
I’ll share more on my goals for 2024 soon, but let’s first take a look at the best self-improvement content that was published at The Emotion Machine in 2023…
Best Articles/Worksheets of 2023
Here’s a list of my best articles and worksheets from 2023 by category.
I haven’t yet worked on my goals timeline, an annual tradition I do at the beginning of every year, but I’ll give you a quick peak at my main work goals in the near future:
Worksheets – As mentioned, I will definitely continue making one new worksheet each month. They are easy evergreen content and I’ve received compliments on them. The “Daily Routine” PDF will be coming out mid-January 2024.
Coaching – I’m bringing this back. Took most of the year off to focus on website but I think coaching is one of my better and more rewarding strengths. I already set up a calendar for easy scheduling and updated my coaching page.
Podcasting – I have too many thoughts per day that could be turned into valuable content but never materialize anywhere. “Everyone has great ideas, but not everyone acts on them.” Just pressing the record button and letting my mind riff is easy content that I think people will find interesting. I just need to suck it up and do it. I already have a Soundcloud (with a lot of old content) that I just need to reactivate.
Literary Agent – This is new territory for me. I’ve been working closely with an upcoming author friend and we’ve been making plans on finishing her first manuscript and sending pitches to publishers. She just finished the rough draft last week, but I’m going to be working with her more closely on editing, feedback, and reaching out to publishers once we have things tidied up. I still need to do more research but it could be a good avenue for me. It plays on multiple strengths: 1) Understanding the creative process, 2) Motivating people to actually finish their projects, 3) Finding people who have talent and potential, 4) Rooting for other people’s success. It feels like a natural outgrowth of a lot of my past work with creative people (at music venues, art galleries, and coaching various writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers).
Articles – This isn’t changing. I’ll still be publishing at least one new or updated article every week. These make up the backbone of the website and I have no shortage of ideas and no reason to stop writing them anytime soon. If you want me to write about a specific topic, just use the contact page and let me know. I have many interests but it’s easier for me to cater to what you guys want. Feedback makes the site better.
All in all I’m excited about 2024, and the ideas above feel like a perfect balance between “sticking with what works” vs. “trying new things.”
Join Me In 2024
If you find this work valuable to your life and want more, join me and support me going into the new year.
My entire archive currently has over 850 articles covering a wide-range of subjects in psychology and self-improvement; and there’s plenty more to come in the future. I’m just getting started.
To be honest with you, some of my earlier articles may not have aged as well as others. When you consistently produce content over 14 years, you inevitably release some less-than-stellar pieces. It’s a part of the process – having both “winning streaks” and “losing streaks” is a universal theme in life.
Over the years, my beliefs, values, and interests have also shifted since I first started this site. There are things I wrote in the past that I don’t wholly agree with today. However, I choose to keep these old posts accessible because people often need different advice at various stages of their lives.
I bet that’s not the hottest sales pitch you’ve ever heard. At heart, I consider myself a teacher more than a salesman, and that means being sincere, honest, and truthful before everything else. If you’re looking for “one trick” to magically fix your life, you’re in the wrong place. I don’t have those – never found them.
All I can do is offer an array of tools, advice, and guidelines. You ultimately have to figure out what applies (or doesn’t) to your life. In truth, 80% of the content on this site may not interest you at all, but there’s that 20% that could be just what you need at this exact moment in your life.
What I can promise you is that I’m one of the most dedicated writers on self-improvement currently going. I’ve seen thousands of other “self help” sites rise and fall over the years, but I keep chugging away no matter what.
If you want to align with my commitment to happiness and well-being, then your first step is to join me.
Better yet, get a Yearly subscription, for two simple reasons: 1) You’re committing yourself to a year of self-improvement, and 2) It’s cheaper. I’m honestly saying this from a self-improvement perspective and not a sales one.
Let’s Go…
You can cancel your membership at anytime. Please use the Contact form if you have any questions or comments.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Think you have a good book idea in you? You’re not alone. In fact, it’s estimated that in 2022, between traditional publishing and self-publishing, over four million new books were released. That’s a lot more books than even the most avid reader could ever find time for.
It also means that if you want to publish your own book to strengthen your platform and your business, you can’t just release it on Amazon and hope for the best. You need to take actionable steps to help it stand out.
1. Give your writing the attention it deserves
No matter what you want to write about or how you hope to market your book, you have to put a lot of time and focus on the actual writing itself. This means ensuring that your book is well organized and that chapter ideas flow smoothly. It also means that you take the time to proofread your writing for grammar and spelling mistakes.
This may seem self-explanatory, but ensuring quality writing allows your ideas to shine through. Bad writing will stick out to readers, but not in the way you want. Consider working with a professional editor or using beta readers (or test readers) to get feedback on what is or isn’t working before you publish.
Depending on the connections you have in your industry, working with a co-author can become a powerful strategy for getting your book to stand out. The right co-author can strengthen your own insights with their personal expertise, making it easier to develop high-quality content for your book.
However, a co-author can be even more powerful after publication. The right co-author can lend your book instant credibility with their audience. It also provides someone else who can assist with marketing efforts. Especially in business writing, a co-author can help you achieve far greater reach and more potential sales than you would on your own.
3. Make sure you have an eye-catching cover
The cliche “a picture is worth a thousand words” is surprisingly accurate when it comes to books — much more so than “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In fact, a survey found that 52% of readers choose which book to buy based on its cover art.
While business books often opt for relatively simple designs, it’s worth paying a little extra to have this done by a professional who understands the nuances of typography, colors and imagery. An attractive, professional cover will help your book make a positive first impression and entice people to click to learn more.
A word of warning: Beware trying to go the cheap and easy route of AI cover generation. The use of AI is quite controversial in publishing and could get your book the wrong type of attention.
4. Work with a book marketing agency
Book marketing can be surprisingly challenging. Email lists, e-reader advertisements and getting advance reviews for your book before it launches can all play a critical role in achieving sales success — but getting relevant placements and reviews can be challenging for a first-time author.
Book marketing agencies can be incredibly useful in this regard. With resources like curated email lists that can be filtered for different book categories and connections with advanced readers, they can help build strong word of mouth for your launch.
Book pricing can vary significantly based on its length, whether the book is being published as a hardcover, paperback or ebook and other factors. Many self-publishing business non-fiction writers see the bulk of their sales come through ebooks, which they can use to their advantage with more flexible pricing arrangements.
For example, a common strategy is to price the ebook at a significantly discounted price (even as little as 99 cents) during its launch week to increase sales. This helps propel the book up the bestseller list right away, which in turn can generate more reader reviews, word of mouth and exposure through bestseller lists. Look at other successful books in your niche to determine the average pricing, as this will give you a good idea of market expectations.
Write your way to success
Getting a finished book out into the world is a big accomplishment. Sharing your unique knowledge and insights can be a powerful way to build your personal brand and even attract new clients to your business. But if you want those kinds of results, you need to make sure your book will stand out in its niche.
With strong writing and solid marketing to back it up, you can ensure a successful launch for your book that helps it achieve the kind of results you hope for.
There’s nobody better to ask what gifts writers might want to have than other writers. Consider this my personal wishlist, though you’re certain to find something the writer in your life will thank you for.
Pens, notebooks, and planners are great, but there is a lot more that you could give to your scribbling loved ones beyond those three options. Things that make our lives easier while we work are always appreciated. We just want to feel comfortable and cozy while we figure out how to compose sentences in a neverending sea of words.
Custom Fountain Pen by Tailored Pen Company
I know pens sound overrated, but what if those pens were customized to your loved one’s style? Tailored Pen Company crafts beautiful fountain pens that many pen collectors would love to have. These pens come with multiple themes. Some designs feature glow-in-the-dark mermaid scales, and other fountain pens are made of resin and dried flowers.
Your calligraphy writer friends will appreciate these pens for their aesthetics but also because these pens are made just for them. They’re not just pens with pretty casings that you’ll use for signatures—they also write very well.
Kuru Toga Mechanical Pencil by Uni
This is the nth time I’m recommending this mechanical pencil to people, and it’s not because I have a mechanical pencil agenda. The problem with normal pencils is that they tend to go dull after using one side for too long, and it makes your writing look uneven. Kuru Toga will make sure you never get this problem because the pencil’s tip rotates so that your letters never look uneven.
Kuru Toga mechanical pencils are great gifts for writers who love pencils but hate the uneven writing caused by most pencils. This is also a good gift for any artist friends.
Recycled Notebooks – Decomposition by Michael Rogers
This is giving Cath Kidston because of its whimsical floral design, but it’s sustainable! Decomposition notebooks aren’t just pretty, but they’re made of recycled material. These USA-made notebooks will free you from the guilt of using paper since all the products disclose what their notebooks are made of and what percentage of it is made from recycled goods.
You can find notebooks of all sizes that will be most suitable for your writer friends. The notebook above might look like a floral fantasy, but they have many other designs that you can choose from.
Rohto Digi Eyes – Digital Eyestrain Eyedrops
Most writers stay in front of their screens these days, but even with anti-UV and blue light filtering glasses, it’s inevitable for eyes to get dried out during a long shift of just typing non-stop. The Rohto Digi-Eye will save your writer friend’s eyes, or even yours if you’re also in front of a screen for hours on end. The best way to describe the experience of using these eyedrops is having pure and clean water cleanse your eyeballs.
It sounds like an exaggeration, but these are really good eyedrops that will keep your eyes moist for the next eight hours.
Akko Mechanical Keyboard
Some writers love typewriters for their tactile feeling, but many more writers in this day and age love tactile keyboards. Akko has a vast selection of keyboards that come in different sizes and a variety of switches, but these Akko 3087 keyboards are affordable and great. There are many designs for it, and it’s not just Sailor Moon-themed.
The Akko World Tour Tokyo 3087, with orange keys, starts at $55. These keyboards are also good for gaming, so if you have writer friends who game on the side, the Akko 3087 would be a heaven-sent gift for them.
Custom Resin Wrist Rest by HiJenney
People underestimate the power of a good wrist rest. Many writers strain their hands and wrists after typing for hours on end because of their setup, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you use a wrist rest. The best part about these wrist rests by HiJenney is that they have diverse designs that are custom-made just for you.
The length and the color of these wrist are also modifiable, which is great for keyboard owners of all sizes. HiJenney also has a bunch of resin keycaps that could spice up any old keyboard.
Custom Mugs by Lace And Twig Inc.
Mugs sound like the worst kind of holiday gift because people give them as presents all the time. But for writers who love caffeine and need constant hydration, mugs aren’t bad gifts at all. It’s all about ensuring that the mug you’re gifting is suitable for the person who will use it.
Most mugs from Lace and Twig Inc. have expletives attached to them, but they’re just funny and spot on. Nothing can be more annoying than being distracted while you’re editing your latest article. They have other witty messages on their mugs that might make your verbose friends chuckle.
JBL Quantum 800
Nothing’s better than being able to block the world out as you write the angstiest scene in your short fic. But a noise-free environment isn’t always accessible, and headphones will have to do. JBL Quantum 800 is great for those who need to work outside but want the convenience of wireless, noise-canceling headphones.
Gamers also love this headphone for its Discord-certified game-chat balance, but writers who want to stay focused while working on their next draft would love these headphones. You’ll find them priced at around $80-$199, so you’ll just have to scour the internet for the best deal possible—trust us, it’ll be worth it.
Hoodie by hours
It’s the holidays, so of course it gets really cold. Ugly sweaters are great classics, but they’re not always going to be practical for everyday wear. These sturdy hoodies by local brand Hours are a good year-round gift to give to anybody who loves oversized fits.
Your novelist friend might be thinking about lavish parties during the Roaring 20s or grand balls during the Victorian Era, but they’ll probably be happier wearing a hoodie while they type up a storm.
Embroidered Back/Lumbar Pillow by Little Design Co.
Please support us (literally). Our backs have been destroyed by sitting too much, and only pillows can help us now. Little Design Co. from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is probably the best place to find us some lumbar support since they specialize in all sorts of pillows. They also have custom-made products, so that’s another option you can look into.
They have an online shop where you can get pillows of all varieties starting from $5, and you can even customize the fabric it comes in. It’s an affordable gift for any author that will keep their posture great for years to come.
Actor Drew Barrymore is resuming her talk show and plans to begin filming its new season on Monday, even though her show’s writers are on strike and she initially expressed solidarity with Hollywood writers when their work stoppage began in May.
In a lengthy Instagram post Sunday, Barrymore claimed she made the decision to resume the show “in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind,” referring to a different but related strike by Hollywood actors with SAG-AFTRA. Under that strike’s rules, in most cases, actors who are members of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists cannot promote their upcoming films and TV shows, such as during talk show appearances.
However, the writers on Barrymore’s show are members of Writers Guild of America East and West, who are also currently on strike. According to the union, any writing on the show, like introductions, monologues, sketches and questions for the show’s guests, would violate the WGA’s strike rules because it would replace the work of union members. (HuffPost’s unionized staff are also members of the WGA East, though they are not part of the film and TV strike.)
“‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is a WGA-covered, struck show that is planning to return without its writers,” the WGA East said in a statement Sunday. “The Guild has, and will continue to, picket struck shows that are in production during the strike. Any writing on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ is in violation of WGA strike rules.”
When asked Monday who is now writing for the show, and whether the show is now using nonunion, or “scab,” writers, a spokesperson for CBS, which distributes the show, told HuffPost: “‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike.”
At the time, Barrymore said: “I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike. Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation.”
But on Sunday, she said the decision to resume her show was different.
“I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television. It was also in the first week of the strike and so I did what I thought was the appropriate thing at the time to stand in solidarity with the writers. And to be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show. However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me.”
She added that she was approaching the new season, which premieres Sept. 18, “with an astute humility” — despite the optics of resuming her show during two strikes, which have called attention toinequitable working conditions in film and television.
“I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind. We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time,” Barrymore continued. “I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience. I hope for a resolve for everyone as soon as possible. We have navigated difficult times since we first came on air. And so I take a step forward to start season 4 once again with an astute humility.”
WGA members are picketing in front of the show’s Monday-morning taping in New York. Many also criticized Barrymore on social media, saying her decision to bring back her show without its writers was disappointing and called on her to reconsider. Several pointed out that Barrymore, who has been among Hollywood’shighest-paid actors, could likely afford to pay her show’s staff while they are out of work because of the strikes, instead of putting them in the position of crossing a picket line.
This is incredibly disappointing. @DrewBarrymore‘s show employs WGA writers who are currently on strike. She is choosing to go back on the air without them, and forcing her guests to cross a picket line. Drew: This harms your writers and all union workers. Please reconsider. https://t.co/qUfWdTiu8c
Drew Barrymore has always been someone who recognized her privilege and aimed to evolve, so I hope she will reconsider this hasty decision intended to pay her crew because it weakens both unions to openly endorse scabbing. She could personally fund their salaries for eternity. https://t.co/YcGHsXz6i7
Let’s be real here: Drew Barrymore is from a wealthy legacy acting family. If she wanted to pay the salaries of her crew and NOT go against the strike, she could, and she should. We should all picket the hell out of this show. https://t.co/RFFOiHJpf4
It is not too late for @DrewBarrymore to stop this and do the right thing.
If her concern is paying the crew, it seems like someone who was born rich and has starred in hit movies since childhood might be able to find a better solution than working with scab writers. #WGAStronghttps://t.co/nx95D1UBvJ
“The Drew Barrymore Show” is the latest, but perhaps the most prominent show, to land itself in hot water for returning despite the strikes. ABC’s “The View” has continued to air new episodes while its writers are on strike. Members of the WGA have picketed in front of the show’s New York studio, and are planning to do so again this week.
Some shows have resorted to hiring scab writers, such as the long-running daytime soap “General Hospital.” The show began using scab writers in July, according to one of the show’s WGA writers on strike.
If you’re missing rehearsed celebrity interviews, satirical news commentary or a delightfully awkward sidekick named Guillermo — an upcoming podcast may scratch that itch.
“When the WGA strike started in May of this year, this elite group of suddenly unemployed talk show hosts gathered via the miracle of Zoom,” the press release says of the podcast’s origin story. “Their idea was to meet every week to discuss the serious issues a work stoppage creates. What happened instead was a series of hilarious and compelling conversations.”
Even if discussions of the WGA strike may seem more niche than constant knocks on Donald Trump and his ilk, a simple listen could help each show’s staff out a whole lot. Proceeds from the podcast will go to staffers on each of the host’s respective shows, who are currently out of work.
Of course, there are other ways you could support the thousands of out-of-work writers and their colleagues, like joining a picket line or contributing to strike funds (believe it or not, canceling Netflix is not a recommended option). But now you can also listen to a podcast!
The podcast launches Wednesday — and if you’re interested in a little taste of what the podcast will be like, Kimmel shared an excerpt on X, formerly Twitter, below. Unfortunately, no Guillermo is included.
Sean Gunn wants Netflix executives to share the wealth with the actors they rely on.
The “Gilmore Girls” star, who joined his fellow Hollywood workers on the picket line this week, told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday about his anger over the low residuals he receives as the multibillion-dollar company streams his former show.
“I was on a television show called Gilmore Girls for a long time that has brought in massive profits for Netflix,” he said. “It has been one of their most popular shows for a very long time, over a decade. It gets streamed over and over and over again, and I see almost none of the revenue that comes into that.”
In the THR interview, Gunn had also claimed that Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Executive Chair Reed Hastings “give each other bonuses in the 10s of millions,” though the article has since been updated “to remove incorrect statement about Netflix CEO bonuses.”
“I don’t understand why they can’t lessen those bonuses to share the wealth more with the people who have created the content that has gotten them rich,” he had told the outlet. “It really is a travesty. And if the answer is, ‘Well, this is just how business is done’ … that sucks. That makes you a bad person.”
THR’s article now notes that Sarandos’ and Hastings’ compensation last year mostly came from stock options rather than bonuses. This year, Sarandos could reportedly earn up to $40 million from his salary, stock options and performance bonus. Co-CEO Greg Peters is reportedly set to see an enormous $30 million raise in potential stock options and bonuses, in addition to his $3 million salary.
“You really need to rethink how you do business and share the wealth with people,” said Sean Gunn.
Amanda Edwards/WireImage/Getty Images
In his remarks to THR, Gunn had seemingly conflated revenue — the amount of money that a business like Netflix makes — with residuals, which are doled out by a company producing and licensing a project. In the case of “Gilmore Girls,” the residuals come from Warner Bros. Discovery.
“Gilmore Girls” originally aired on The WB, which later became The CW, from 2000 to 2007. It was then made available on Netflix and became a staple for viewers who clamored for the show’s small-town atmosphere and witty banter.
Gunn, who played Kirk on the beloved show, told THR that the need to better compensate Hollywood workers “really is a moral and an ethical issue as much as it’s a financial issue” — effectively summing up what writers and actors have argued all along.
“You really need to rethink how you do business and share the wealth with people,” he added. “Otherwise this is all going to come crashing down.”
“The compensation issues include both upfront compensation, the session fees, the money they’re paid when they do the work, and also residuals or royalties that actors, and also writers and directors get paid when product is rerun or reused,” said Los Angeles entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel in an interview with Global News.
When it comes to streaming, actors are concerned that being on a successful show on services like Netflix or Prime video won’t earn them a higher compensation than one that draws in less buzz.
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“‘Wednesday’ doesn’t pay any higher residual than ‘Tuesday’ as it works,” Handel said, referencing the recent Netflix series produced and partially directed by Tim Burton.
American producer Tom Nunan told Global News that actors are increasingly being paid one lump-sum for their work on streaming services. Now, they want longer relationships with their content — similar to how they have been paid by non-streamers — and to see more transparency with the way that streaming services are measuring success.
The impact of the Hollywood strike on Canada
Before streaming services, “actors would have a movie or TV show premiere and then get paid for that one thing and then it would be on cable systems or on demand… and they would continue to have what we call residual relationships with the content financially,” Nunan said.
“Now in the streaming era, you get paid once and that’s all you get paid.”
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Attending a photo event on Wednesday, film star Matt Damon said that while everyone was hoping a strike could be averted, many actors need a fair contract to survive.
“We ought to protect the people who are kind of on the margins,” Damon told The Associated Press. “And 26,000 bucks a year is what you have to make to get your health insurance. And there are a lot of people whose residual payments are what carry them across that threshold… And that’s absolutely unacceptable. We can’t have that.”
Actor Rosario Dawson attends a rally by striking writers and actors outside Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif. on Friday, July 14, 2023.(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill).
Actor Jac Cheairs and his son Wyatt, 11, take part in a rally by striking writers and actors outside Netflix studio in Los Angeles on Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello).
Actor Dermot Mulroney takes part in a rally by striking writers and actors outside Netflix studio in Los Angeles on Friday, July 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello).
Actor Jason Sudeikis, center, walk a picket line with striking writers and actors, Friday, July 14, 2023 at NBC Universal Studios in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews).
Actors and comedians Tina Fey, second from right, and Fred Armisen, second from left, join striking members of the Writers Guild of America on the picket line during a rally outside Silvercup Studios, Tuesday May 9, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews).
Another key issue in the strike is the use of artificial intelligence — or AI. Computer generated imagery (CGI) is already widely used in the industry to simulate crowds or audiences, for example.
But as the digital age advances, studios have started to explore ways to convincingly replicate actors’ voices and faces. Early rumblings of ‘deepfakes’ already exist, where AI is used to make images of fake events or make appear that someone is saying something they didn’t.
Handel says that the industry generally holds two schools of thought on the matter. Some actors say they don’t have an issue with studios reproducing their likeness with AI, but they want to be compensated by studios. Others take issue with the use of AI entirely for authenticity purposes.
“It’s a compromise between both sides of the table… but I think the unions are most likely to take the first position: that as long as there’s compensation that would be satisfactory,” Handel said.
Nunan says he doesn’t think there is a large risk of Canadians’ favourite A-listers having their likeness replicated without their consent. Rather, lesser-known actors are more likely to have their features replicated without being aware because they don’t have the same protections through lawyers, agents and managers.
Hollywood actors join screenwriters on strike: ‘We are being victimized by a very greedy entity’
With actors and writers stepping away from U.S. productions, Handel says audiences may have to brace themselves for slightly different content for the time being. Reality television will be emphasized, he says, along with sports.
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There’s also an opportunity for foreign content with actors and writers who are not part of the striking unions.
“Some companies, Netflix in particular, have proved very adept at creating content overseas and getting Americans to watch it. You know, “Squid Game,” for example. Netflix managed to do something that no one thought was possible, which is to get Americans to watch foreign content.”
Nunan, on the other hand, does not see foreign content now dominating screens, but it “could be promoted more heavily,” he says.
The actors’ guild released a statement early Thursday announcing that its deadline for negotiations to conclude had ended without a contract.
BIV: Impact of Hollywood strikes on B.C. film industry
“The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal,” said Fran Drescher, the star of “The Nanny” who is now the actors’ guild president.
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Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since early May, slowing the production of film and television series on both coasts and in production centres like Atlanta.
Handel said the dual actors’ and writers’ strike is a “win” for studios because “they’re not spending money on production.”
With files from the Associated Press and Global News’ Reggie Cecchini.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Unionized Hollywood actors on the verge of a strike have agreed to allow a last-minute intervention from federal mediators but say they doubt a deal will be reached by a negotiation deadline late Wednesday.
“We are committed to the negotiating process and will explore and exhaust every possible opportunity to make a deal, however we are not confident that the employers have any intention of bargaining toward an agreement,” the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists said in a statement Tuesday night.
The actors could join the already striking Writers Guild of America and grind the already slowed production process to a halt if no agreement is reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sides agreed to an extension before the original contract expiration date on June 30, resetting it to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
Growing pessimism surrounding the talks seemed to turn to open hostility when SAG-AFTRA released a statement Tuesday night.
It came in response to a report in Variety that a group of Hollywood CEOs had been the force behind the request for mediation, which the union said was leaked before its negotiators were informed of the request.
The AMPTP declined to comment through a representative. It’s not clear whether federal mediators have agreed to take part, but such an intervention would presumably require more time than the hours left on the contract.
“The AMPTP has abused our trust and damaged the respect we have for them in this process,” the SAG-AFTRA statement said. “We will not be manipulated by this cynical ploy to engineer an extension when the companies have had more than enough time to make a fair deal.”
Last week, social media erupted when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Didn’t hear about it? Well, you will soon.
If you don’t think the WGA Strike will affect you, consider this: what will happen when none of your favorite TV shows and movies are released when you expected they would be? What will happen when you tune in for a mindless episode of late-night comedy and there’s … nothing? What will happen when shows like Abbott Elementary are forced to shoot fewer episodes for the next season? Riots.
So, I have your attention now? Good. I’m sure you have questions…and I’m here to answer them.
Why Are The Writers On Strike?
This isn’t our first writers’ strike. From November 2007 to February 2008, American TV writers went on strike for the first time this century. This resulted in a $1.5 billion impact on the Los Angeles economy and cost the U.S. entertainment industry $500 million…And someone’s telling us we don’t need writers?
Essentially, the writers need to be paid more. The East and West branches of the WGA represent the writers of 11,500 movies and television series. And the WGA negotiates writer contracts with Hollywood studios roughly every three years. This year, things didn’t go so well.
While the studios believe they made a fair appraisal of the compensation increase, the writers believe they are being undervalued. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence, studios are mulling over whether or not writers are truly essential anymore.
The studios state that this is not the best time for the writers to see a major change in compensation. Meanwhile, the writers argue that streaming platforms have increased episode counts from the standard 8-10 run to close to 20 episodes a season and this severely cuts into their work lives.
But Why Not Use AI?
Look, I get it. AI helped you write that essay you procrastinated until the very last possible moment to write (don’t worry, I won’t tell). It generated that photo of you in 1800’s garb. It can make almost anything look real (it terrifies me to no end).
But what AI can’t do is capture true human emotion in the ways that a writer can. While Chat GPT may get you 800 words, it surely won’t tell the truth about a certain brand or product. AI isn’t funny, doesn’t have a sense of humor…in other words, breaking news: robots can’t relate to us as well as humans can.
I don’t know how we got to the point of such laziness and greed that we actually entertain the notion that writers are no longer critical in the wake of Artificial Intelligence. It’s insipid. But I do know that Artificial Intelligence can’t tell you about the time they flew cross-country only to crash a rental car in Los Angeles and almost got banned from the state after a Harry Styles concert.
Who Is Affected By The Writers’ Strike?
If this madness continues, the entire planet will be affected in some way or another. And this insanity looks like it’s going to go on for a while. Late-night talk shows have all stopped shooting – which means no one’s getting paid unless the hosts are paying out of pocket, and many are. Late-night programming is the most immediate effect of the strike.
Meanwhile, films can halt production, but since movies take over a year to produce, release dates will just be pushed back. However, daily running shows like soap operas – a dying industry in itself – will run out of episodes to release within a month.
With no one writing at all right now, there are no new seasons in the works. Netflix shows like Big Mouth, Stranger Things, and Unstable have shuttered their writers’ rooms. And on May 2, Abbott Elementary scribes weren’t allowed to start working on the next. Yellowjackets and Billions among other popular shows have also paused writing due to the strike.
As you can see, we are about to face some major consequences. Celebs and the rich and famous are picketing with the writers, where you can see faces like Quinta Brunson, Dan Levy, Rob Lowe, and more boasting signs for the WGA. Late-night hosts like Seth Meyers and Jimmy Kimmel are paying their staff out-of-pocket for the time being.
What Now?
Writers are an essential part of storytelling, so we stand with the WGA and hope they get their bag ASAP. Plus, I will never forgive the Hollywood studios if I don’t see Quinta Brunson on my screen for endless-endless episodes. Get the deal done, Hollywood.
So the answer is no, AI can’t write like a real writer does. AI can’t create your favorite show the way humans can. And without our brilliant writers, there would be no shows.
On Wednesday, the Emmy winner joined a picket line outside Warner Bros. Discovery’s offices in New York amid the high-profile strike among TV and film writers. Patinkin carried a sign inspired by the film “The Princess Bride” that read, “You Killed Residuals Prepare To Pay!”
The sign was a play on his character Inigo Montoya’s most famous line from the 1987 classic:“Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Patinkin also had no problem reading his placard just the way Montoya — a Spanish fencer and henchman turned unlikely hero — would have delivered it.
And it’s so funny, it will likely leave you mostly dead with laughter:
Meanwhile, a separate video showed the “Homeland” star passionately scolding Hollywood bigwigs.
“Don’t be stupid!” Patinkin yells, apparently addressing someone located outside the frame. (Given the circumstances, it was hopefully a studio executive.) “Make sure you take care of people! You guys make millions and millions of dollars, for God’s sake! Without the writers, we have nothing! They create the stories that make our hearts beat! Help out now!”
Needless to say, Twitter users appreciated the rage-fueled vibe.
— Jenny Yang is in LA Sun May 21st 4pm Self Help Me (@jennyyangtv) May 10, 2023
Last week, 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America, West and East, went on strike after studio executives failed to agree to their proposals for more equitable pay in the streaming era, protections around the growing use of artificial intelligence, and other key issues. (HuffPost’s unionized employees also belong to the WGAE.)
The protests have shut down production on projects that are actively filming, including the critically acclaimed Apple TV+ series “Severance” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
Patinkin is by no means the only famous actor to speak out for strikers. Bob Odenkirk also joined a New York picket line Wednesday, and oodles of other celebrities — like Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Seyfried, Rob Lowe, Edie Falco, Jimmy Fallon and Quinta Brunson — have similarly shown their support.
“Writers need to be able to pay their bills and live a decent life,” Odenkirk said while demonstrating this week.
“We’re nothing without our writers,” Patinkin chimed in. “And ‘artificial intelligence’ is another word for ‘nonsense.’”
WASHINGTON—In a social media post sharing his predictions, former President Barack Obama revealed Friday that the winner he had picked for his NCAA basketball tournament bracket was Song Of Solomon by Toni Morrison. “March Madness is here, and this season, my money’s on Song Of Solomon—though I’m certainly keeping my eye on Emily The Criminal and the musical stylings of singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers,” said Obama, whose selections for the Final Four also included the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, Beyoncé’s Renaissance, and Bob Dylan’s entire songwriting catalog. “Song Of Solomon is an underdog, that’s for sure, but with a National Book Critics Circle Award under its belt, this may be its year. I’m predicting it crushes Nomadland in the second round, easy, but it will still need to get past Jason Isbell if he makes it to the Sweet Sixteen again. As for the women’s tournament, I’m rooting for the National Park System.” At press time, Song of Solomon had been knocked out of the tournament by Gonzaga.
Publisher Penguin Random House announced it will release a new collection of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels in their original form after it received criticism for cuts and rewrites removing language that may be offensive to some modern-day readers. What do you think?
“See? You can please everyone.”
Eva Freeman, Candle Scenter
“I’m just disgusted that Roald Dahl has been silent on the matter.”
Andre Ostkamp, Buffet Monitor
“I still wish they kept out the parts aimed at me by name.”
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Would you believe me if I told you I just attended New York Fashion Week? If you are someone who celebrates fashion, you might know that Fashion Week is one of the biggest events in the industry. I was honored to be personally invited to participate in one of the shows.
But you’re probably thinking, how did this happen to someone like me who is decidedly not in the fashion industry? It happened because of a book. My company wrote a book for one of the designers, and she was generous enough to let me see her collection launch during the infamous event.
In the current age, more and more entrepreneurs are jumping into the literary space to gain authority in their field. I have heard it said that entrepreneurs having their own books is like having a really good business card. But is everyone good at making business cards?
Not everyone is a writer. Some might not enjoy the act, don’t feel they have the skills or don’t have the time needed to create a book. Plus, writing is hard. But it can be much more manageable if you have someone who knows what they’re doing. They can guide you along the process, working with you to create your book while saving you time. Enter the “ghostwriter.”
People hear the word ‘ghostwriter’ and get weary that the book is untrue. But just because something is “ghostwritten” doesn’t mean the ideas aren’t from the author (in this case, the client or the person whose name is on the book).
Authors play a huge role in writing the book! They’ll discuss their ideas with the writer, provide feedback on drafts and even edit the ideas in the book. With ghostwriting, someone else puts those ideas into coherent, eloquent words, but the author gets the credit because they brought the book to life. It becomes a helpful tool devised through an equitable partnership. This is why working with a trusted professional will give you the best results.
As I mentioned, another benefit of hiring a ghostwriter is saving time in the writing process. Writing a book is nothing if not time-consuming and having a ghostwriter by your side makes life much easier. If you are an entrepreneur, you’re most likely busy balancing your personal and professional life while trying to earn the best results for your clients. This is no easy task, but the best leaders know that they cannot do everything themselves.
Did somebody say delegation? Having someone who helps you out is okay, especially if that individual understands your goals. Reaching out to someone like a ghostwriter doesn’t make you fraudulent or a bad business person; it just makes you a person who is willing to ask for help, which is an admirable quality if you ask me.
How do ghostwriting services work?
While every ghostwriter may have a slightly different process, typically, it starts with a discovery interview where they ask what you want to write about. Here the writer will gauge if you have any topics that you want to be implemented. This is a great time to lay out those ideas that have been brewing inside your head. This way, the writer can already start piecing together what the actual text of your book might look like.
Usually, ghostwriters will then take your input and put it into words that foster connection and empathy from your audience. Ghostwriting is an intimate process so expect the call to get personal at points, especially if it is a nonfiction book and even more so if it’s biographical. You must feel comfortable with your ghostwriter so that you and your work don’t suffer in creating your book.
After the preliminary call is done, the ghostwriters get to work. Once they have the first draft done, they will typically send it to you, encouraging you to make any edits you deem appropriate. Remember, this is your book! So this is an excellent time to clear up any misunderstandings or bumps in the manuscript.
Even if you are not a linguist at heart, you can create your own book with a good ghostwriter by your side. When you start to promote your books (especially if it centers around you and your field of business), others will see you as an authority. Books are a great way to prove your knowledge in your field, allow your customers to get to know you better, and allow you to flex those creative muscles.
