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As soon as a product goes digital, people figure out how to steal it. It used to be just songs and movies that were pirated, but now ebooks are beset by the same want-it-for-free crowd. Even if you’re not a writer trying to keep the lights on, this is bad news for you. Studies have shown that widespread piracy decreases revenue and QUALITY OF PRODUCTS. Basically, if you don’t pay for stuff, stuff becomes increasingly shitty. Because people have no incentive to make good stuff, and even if they want to, they can’t afford to make it as good as they did back when they were, you know, actually getting paid. The good news is, there are a few simple strategies that have been shown to reduce piracy. So how do we fight pirates? Sell Everywhere Make your product available... Read More

Writers have a real problem with “just,” and I don’t mean in the filler word sense. I mean more in the way we treat our dearest accomplishments as filler words. I’m not a real writer, this is just my first book. I write, but just children’s books. I’m published, but just small press. I’m a bestseller, kind of, but just USA Today, not NYT. Of course, writers aren’t the only artists guilty of this. I’m not an artist, I just like to take pictures. I scupt, but just in plain old clay, not marble or anything. Most of us have done it, and I wouldn’t be writing this blog if I weren’t one of the worst offenders. It’s a defense mechanism, this self-protective way we downplay our attachment to the things we actually care about the most. And okay, humility... Read More