Beauty Moves Us Before We Can Explain It
Beauty often moves us before we can explain it. Source: Introduction, pages 37–38 of my latest book, “The Meaning of Your Life,” to be released on March 31st. You can pre-order your copy here: TheMeaningOfYourLife.com Source: Chapter 8, “Surround Yourself with Beauty,” pages 202-204 of my latest book, “The Meaning of Your Life,” to be released on March 31st. Comment “TMOYL” below, and I’ll personally send you a direct link to pre-order your copy.
Sharing My Current Read: How To Catch A Leprechaun
📗 Currently reading: "How To Catch a Leprechaun" 📋 Anything fun on your reading list this week?
9 Hard Truth
I'm 35. And over the last decade, I have: • Self-published 11 books • Wrote thousands of articles • Generated $20,000,000 from my writing And in this time, I've faced these 9 uncomfortable truths:
10 Must‑Read Books That Decode Human Thought and Behavior
10 Books That Reveal Why People Think And Act The Way They Do, According To Psychology https://t.co/PygSZiZfBF
Now's the Time to Get This Excellent Book
If you haven’t already gotten a copy of this excellent book, now is the time.
Grateful for the Flood of TBR Shelf Additions
Too many folks to reply to, but thanks to everyone adding this to their TBR shelves on Goodreads and/or Storygraph today. *tips hat*
Authors Discuss Science Under Siege at Penn
March 26, I look forward to joining my good colleague and friend @MichaelEMann in Philadelphia @Penn @PennCSSM to discuss our recent book #ScienceUnderSiege @public_affairs https://t.co/Aigz3ETAAS
Realized My Vietnam Knowledge Was Blank, Read Hastings
afterthought had a paper due on 'vietnam'. i realized i knew nothing. here is the crushing one-volume. Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings. https://t.co/ZSzLbMriI2 https://t.co/q3otI4wU71
Boost Book Club Sessions with Author Q&A and Guides
🎉 Want a fun way to kick off or wrap up your book club? 🗣️ I shared ideas like an author visit for a final session Q&A. 📚 I also mention study guides as a planning tool, including my free EdTech Essentials...
Rediscover Forgotten Neo‑Gothic Gems Worth Reading
Reposting this because I really think there are many people who would love to read this if they knew it existed. There are so many books that are forgotten and I can just feel they could find a new audience...
Exploring “TV Brain” Prose and Novel Interiorities
Had a great time chatting with Austin Wilson about novel writing, interiority, and what I’ve called “TV brain” prose. Give it a listen here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-190857559
Elsevier Wins Six 2026 PROSE Awards Across Sciences
Elsevier received the 2026 #PROSEAwards recognition for six books across Biological Sciences, Biomedicine, Clinical Medicine, Nursing, and Physical Sciences. Grateful to the authors, editors, and #publishing teams who brought these titles to life. See the award winners: https://t.co/ds2dpNXIJh #Elsevier #Health...
Linguists Aren’t Just Etymology Fact‑Checkers, McWhorter Explains
I started reading @JohnHMcWhorter’s book about the history of English. It’s so great. The first several pages are a rant about how people think that linguists are etymologists, with their little cocktail party factoids any about specific word histories.
Write Authentically, Not for Trends, and Connect Readers
Stop writing to trends. Stop writing what you think publishing wants. Stop writing to please others. And start writing what feels right and true to you. When you tune out the noise and instead honor YOUR unique voice, your readers will: 👉 Relate to your...
Terrifying Horror Books Keep You Sleeping with Lights
and for the lady, perhaps a horror book so terrifying that you have to sleep with the light on for weeks?
Find True Greatness Amid Chaos and Burnout
From @BStulberg's inspiring new book "The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World" — a book particularly welcome during a time of growing isolation and what Brad calls "zombie burnout." You can read...
Old Friends Reimagine Past, Turning 1995 Story Into Book
I shot this 15 yrs ago. One of my first with instagram. The people gave me the idea for how I could take a short story from 1995 and turn it into a book. What happens when old friends, people...
Behavioral Science Unlocks Proven Ways to Motivate Action
Psyched to do a book signing at SXSW today. 4:45 at the SX Bookstore at the Hilton (6th floor). Using Behavioral Science in Marketing reveals surprising, proven ways to motivate action. At an earlier SX signing, I had a brush...
Deciding Kindle Release Timing Vs. Hardcover Launch
Self publishers. Should I release the Kindle version or wait until the hard cover has had its run? https://t.co/hHETfT3LfG https://t.co/NmWLQHybpi
Transform Your Reading: Discover, Retain, Apply Books
All I want to do is help people read more books. If you DON'T read a lot books: I want my content to help you discover life-changing books and strengthen your reading habit. If you DO read a lot of books:...
Embrace Change and Diverse Minds for a Vibrant Life
Two thoughts from Evelyn Waugh “[Change is] the only evidence of life.” “It would be a dull world if we all thought alike.”
Hyperion's Vivid Scenes Linger Long After Author's Death
Wow, I didn't know he passed. I think about Hyperion on like a daily basis. There are fictional scenes from that book that are seared into my brain.
Barry Lopez Reveals Cure for Loneliness and Life’s Three Tenets
Barry Lopez on the cure for our existential loneliness and the 3 tenets of a full life https://t.co/xiziNeKuc5
Tim Powers' Overlooked Masterpiece Merges Romantics with Vampire Horror
Apropos of the Gothic moment what with talk of Mary Shelley and the Brontes in recent months, Tim Powers' The Stress of Her Regard is about Romantic poets battling ancient vampire like entities. Won the World Fantasy Award back in...
Embracing Uncertainty Is the Courage to Love Everything
George Saunders's disarmingly wonderful meditation on the courage of uncertainty, which is the courage to love the world: https://t.co/MmkRMjpy6q
Help Choose Cities for The Incorruptible Book Tour
The Incorruptible book tour is coming together. Where should I go? Make your case ⬇️ https://t.co/8QsQYGGMnu
Poetry Saves Lives: A Powerful, Inspiring Read
Why are we not better than we are – wonderful, wonderful read on how poetry saves lives https://t.co/kV1EMCkgdY
Time to Retire Fowler’s Outdated Modern English Usage
Why it’s time to close the book on Fowler's century-old Modern English Usage, despite its many good bit. https://t.co/UFORDPIw8x
AI-Era Book Ranks with Kant, Descartes, Hume
Judged by the company you keep... 🔥Today I noticed The Borrowed Mind sitting at #9 in Epistemology on Amazon, in the company of thinkers like Kant, Descartes, Hume, and Russell. 1. Complete Works of Immanuel Kant — Immanuel Kant 2. The Art of...
Kerouac’s 30 Tenets: Embrace Experience, Language, and Knowledge
“No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge.” On Jack Kerouac's birthday today, his 30 tenets of writing and life https://t.co/8vU4F40wDh
Celebrating 40th Birthday with First LA Book Signing
A little behind the scenes from the studio these past few days. I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who’s picked up a copy of Out There and supported this small business along the way. Believe it or not, it’s this kind...
Add Conflict: The Easy Trick to Deepen Protagonists
I've read several novels recently with flat protagonists. Their lives are pretty stable, they're relatively content, no unhealed wounds. Good for them, but where's the depth? Here's one EASY but super effective way to make your protag more layered, dynamic, and human:
Use Three Transitions to Preserve Reader Capital
Every time you make a jump in the story without building a bridge, you’re spending down your earned "reader capital." Author @sethharwood describes how to build three types of transition: spatial, temporal, point of view: https://janefriedman.com/build-the-bridge-3-kinds-of-transitions/
Unearthing Queer Books Forgotten by NYT's Pamela Paul Era
So proud to be a part of this project for @literaryhub that covers some of the trans and queer books that were overlooked in the Pamela Paul era of the Times Book Review. Thank you to Sandy Allen for including...
Unlocking Words, Facts, Thoughts—Beware What You Wish
📖Guttenberg UNLOCKED WORDS. ℹ️The internet UNLOCKED FACTS. 🧠LLMs UNLOCKED THOUGHTS. 🚨Be careful what you wish for... Much more in The Borrowed Mind. https://t.co/D7TcstgnY1
Agency Client Lands on Bestseller List, Celebration!
It was so exciting yesterday to see an agency client hit the bestseller list. ❤️❤️❤️
Kerouac's 5‑Mile Tape‑Recorder Rescue: A Remarkable Tale
The night Jack Kerouac, born 104 years ago today, walked five miles with a colossal reel-to-reel tape recorder on his back to keep a young woman from taking her own life – immeasurably wonderful true story https://t.co/KxTbANQpwd
Our Price Anchors Are Fragile; New Models Rewrite Value
I love books. Always have. There was a time when the price printed on the jacket was the price of the book. If you ordered one online, you paid that price plus $19.95 shipping. That was just how books worked. Then Amazon showed...
Half Readers Finish “3 Startups, 40 Pivots” In One Sitting
50% of the people who read "3 Startups, 40 Pivots" say they've finished it in ONE sitting ❤️ @mecolalu ty Brian https://t.co/wi90g6Kit6
Never Paid for It; Laziness Beats Payola
Yep. I've placed on this list at times and have never paid for anything. No need to talk about payola when it's likely human laziness.
ACOTAR 6 Hits Bestseller List Before Release, Fans Confused
I’m really confused about ACOTAR 6 being on the USA Today Bestseller list months before pub day. I thought pre-sales counted towards first week sales?
Torturous Yet Beloved Books Now at Painted Porch
Books that tortured me while I was reading them, but loved anyway. All copies available at my bookstore, the paintedporchbookshop
Crescent City: Fun, Hot Paranormal Zootopia Adventure
“Convince me to read Crescent City before ACOTAR.” Because it’s fun. It’s like Zootopia with paranormal creatures but everyone’s hot.
Sarah Schulman on Solidarity, Error, and Narrative Craft
My Art of Nonfiction interview w/the great Sarah Schulman is in this issue of @parisreview. We talked for four years (surely a record?) about her nonfiction + novels + organizing, about real solidarity vs. fake loyalty, and the necessity of...
Books: 10% Writing, 20% Editing, 30% Publishing, 5000% Marketing
New writers should be aware that the time expenditure of writing and publishing a book is around 10% writing, 20% editing, 30% either querying/submitting to agents/publishers *or* formatting and uploading to self-pub platforms, and 5000% marketing.
Murder Reveals a City: Connelly’s Telling Details
Michael Connelly has written 40+ novels, sold ~100 million books, and is the man behind TV series like Bosch and The Lincoln Lawyer. That makes him one of the most popular crime fiction writers in the world. He says: "Every...
Harsh Comment Sections Teach Us to Listen and Grow
"The comment section in Huffington Post is notoriously harsh, and conventional wisdom says to avoid reading it. I write to understand, but I publish to be part of a larger conversation. Therefore, I want to listen—mostly—to what readers say. And,...
Transform Your Life by Rewiring Limiting Beliefs
If you can change your mind, you can change your life. Nir Eyal spent 5+ years studying the neuroscience of beliefs and how to turn limiting beliefs into liberating beliefs. Here are 10 key lessons from @nireyal's new book "Beyond Belief": https://t.co/uMe2tBIn6q
Exile, Memory, and Growth: Nature Mirrors Writing
all that grows: nature and writing by Clara Obligado.🌱 all that grows: nature and writing is the English-language translation of Todo lo que crece: naturaleza y escritura by the Argentinian author Clara Obligado. The book chronicles the author's upbringing in Argentina,...
Freeman-Shor and Levy Release New Must-Read Stock Picking Guide
Lee Freeman-Shor and Clare Flynn Levy team up to write another great book for stock pickers. Sample chapter in the post 👇👇 https://t.co/T2sOEitRVD