Sometimes, Ya Just Gotta Write a Shitty Line
We write poor lines because of rushed deadlines, screaming babies in the background, hangovers, and just general human fallibility. Other times, we write poor lines because we have to, because even though they may sound off or awkward, they are, technically, accurate. Such is the case with this Scientific American article republished on Salon.com.
continue readingShould You Pay to Make a Book About Success a Success?
Finances are rarely as they seem. The sports media blasts $100 million dollar deal headlines on an almost daily basis. But it’s only been in recent years that they began drawing the distinction between the guaranteed portions versus the purely imaginary Monopoly money the player will never actually receive. While basketball and baseball contracts are…
continue readingLies, Damned Lies, And Publishing
Scott and I have been discussing the Mike Daisey fiasco and something stuck out for me during his This American Life interview and, more important, in the reactions by various tech visionaries at various online outlets. “He’s a liar,” they said. “He’s a fraud.” “Me made us care about something that wasn’t true.” While I…
continue readingIf Only We Made the Money They Think We Make
The sports world has been brewing with furor over bestselling author Jeff Pearlman’s new book Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton. Enraged by an excerpt in Sports Illustrated that painted the legendary Chicago Bears running back as beset with addictions, infidelities, and affairs, the sports nation rose up in ire against Pearlman. Most of…
continue readingCome One, Come All: Why Publishing is Drowning in Submissions
Everyone involved with writing and publishing complains about the volume of submissions. Aspiring authors lament the astronomical numbers of competing submissions. Agents and editors constantly talk about how they’re inundated with proposals. And certainly every aspiring author has inwardly groaned every time Aunt Mildred talks about how she wants to write a book and how…
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