EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction collaborative writer Blake Atwood What's the best way to start a prescriptive nonfiction book? As soon as possible, win your reader's trust and interest. If they don't trust your insight or expertise, they won't keep reading. And if you're not interesting, they have a billion other options. In Cues, Vanessa Van Edwards says that warmth plus competence equals charisma. She's talking about in-person and online communications, but of...
9 days ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction collaborative writer Blake Atwood This past Saturday, I enjoyed another client's book release party. When I received Mike Congrove's invitation, I was surprised. I even replied, "It lives!" We'd last worked on the book in September 2024. I then suggested he look into the hybrid publisher Streamline Books to get him across the finish line. They did so quickly and capably. Eating with God's Fork has been available since February,...
18 days ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction collaborative writer Blake Atwood Last week, a recent client and a former client had NYT Best Sellers in the "Advice, How-to and Miscellaneous" category. Jefferson Fisher's just-released The Next Conversation debuted at #2. James Clear's outlier of an outlier book, Atomic Habits, was at #4. (It's been in the Top 10 since its release more than five years ago!) At Jefferson's packed book signing in Dallas. Of course, I'm grateful to...
25 days ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction collaborative writer Blake Atwood To make the time pass faster, we played Foilball in the basement of the Texas Capitol. Foilball is not a real sport, but you've probably played it. The four of us—all Texas Senate proofreaders—devised the game in the throes of boredom. Its one rule is simple: Don't let the ball of foil touch the ground. We once exceeded a hundred touches without it hitting the floor. (I could be exaggerating. This...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I'm typing this at 5:34 a.m. because I could barely sleep last night. Jefferson Fisher's book, The Next Conversation, officially releases today. What began with him recording less-than-a-minute videos from his SUV in 2022 has exploded into 12 million followers across his platforms, a top-rated podcast, a school of communication, and now, finally, a book. Due to my work on Atomic Habits, I was...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I recently ordered new business cards that read: BLAKE ATWOODLiterary Therapist I'm kidding. First, does anyone still use business cards? And second, I fear that some may not get the joke and assume I actually have a degree in counseling. (I do not, though I am the glad recipient of counseling in the past.) The need for a "literary therapist" came up on a client call last week. They've written...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I give this piece of advice all the time to my clients: Write your first chapter last. Depending on what you’re writing, you could replace chapter with paragraph or section or overview. You should still draft an opening just to get it out of your head and onto the page. But do not spend an inordinate amount of time on it if you haven’t completed the rest of your article, proposal, or manuscript....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood I view developmental edits as a puzzle to solve. Except the puzzle has already been put together. And there's no lid. The author has attempted their level best to write the book that's long desired to break free from their heart, mind, and soul. And so they write word after word, page after page, chapter after chapter, until they have a book-length manuscript. But rarely is this first (or second...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
EVERY WORD TELL Writing and publishing insight from nonfiction ghostwriter and editor Blake Atwood One unfortunate truth about publishing is that having written a book is only the halfway point of the marathon. Is a book still a book if it has no readers? All authors should be finding their audience before, during, and after their book is published. This is doubly true for nonfiction authors and trebly true for nonfiction authors hoping for a Big 5 trad pub deal. But man is it laborious....
2 months ago • 1 min read