When you're writing a business book - or indeed any business writing - WHAT you're saying is the most important thing, of course.
But HOW you say it can make all the difference as to how people read it. I asked a group of editors what really pushed their buttons, and compiled this run-down of mistakes to avoid if you want to make a good impression. This is especially important if you're submitting a book proposal, but nailing this stuff will improve your credibility with all sorts of readers.
Spoiler alert: these might not be quite what you expect...
'They need to be able to 'get' the concepts that I'm trying to convey in whatever space they have available on the top of their phone screen.'
Used to writing for an academic audience, Dr Jen O'Ryan quickly realised that she needed take a very different approach for her business book if she wanted it to make a difference. And she really wanted it to make a difference.
In this episode we talk about diversity and inclusion, in the workplace in general but also in publishing, about relearning how to write, about sweariness, and about the fact that you need a really big table to write a book.
Listenable AF.
'How can we fall back in love with the idea of enough as a way of living, so that we stop striving and start thriving?'
The Art of Enough is the challenge of our age, says Becky Hall: as individuals and as a society we're beset on the one hand by scarcity (feeling inadequate, being under-resourced) and on the other by excess (overwhelm, over-consumption). Our personal and business goals are dictated by a relentless growth imperative that neither we nor the planet can sustain.
In this powerful conversation, Becky shares how she translated her profound message into a book, and the difficult decisions she faced about keeping its integrity.
A treasure of an episode.
Humans don't easily 'get' exponential growth - we've evolved in a linear world, and the pace of change we're facing now can leave us wrong-footed and disoriented. But Azeem Azhar argues that we need to get to grips with it, and fast, if we're to thrive in the modern world.
We also talk about synergistification, aligning your content creation and community to build your brand and your business (ok it's not a word, but it should be).
Insightful and intriguing, this is definitely not an episode to miss.