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Category: Writing Well

Damp garbage and the writing process

Posted on January 24, 2013January 24, 2013 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

John Steinbeck, in Writers at Work, recounts a fictional dialog with a publisher, illustrating the gauntlet of publishing a book.…

How To Write A Good Bio

Posted on January 23, 2013January 22, 2018 in Public Speaking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Many good people write bad bios for themselves. Anyone asking you for a bio, or reading it, wants you…

How to get from an idea to a book

Posted on January 15, 2013June 19, 2016 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Success in the majority of circumstances depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed. » Montesquieu I’m sure…

Next book to be published by Wiley / Jossey-Bass (with FAQ)

Posted on January 8, 2013January 8, 2013 in Books, Writing Well, Year Without Pantsby Scott Berkun

My upcoming book on my year at WordPress.com will be published with Jossey-Bass. I signed with agent David Fugate, who helped…

Quote of the month: Steinbeck on writing

Posted on December 24, 2012December 24, 2012 in quote of the x, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Steinbeck on writing: Writing is a very silly business at best. There is a certain ridiculousness about putting down…

Steinbeck’s advice on getting started

Posted on December 22, 2012October 9, 2014 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

When I’m supposed to be writing but don’t quite have the nerve, I read. I have a special stack…

The truth about choosing book titles

Posted on December 4, 2012December 9, 2016 in rant, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

I’ve published six successful books and in the years it took to write each one I’ve heard every range of…

Extreme Makeover: Bad Marketing Email

Posted on November 29, 2012November 29, 2012 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

In response to my claim Jargon Feeds on Lazy Minds, my friend Kav sent me one of the worst marketing…

How To Find Your Voice

Posted on November 14, 2012January 3, 2017 in Creative Thinking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

You have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself – Miles Davis There is a…

How to make a good book from a blog

Posted on November 3, 2012 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

RR from the Reluctant Runner blog read my post on how to turn a blog into a book and…

Researching and writing the next book

Posted on September 5, 2012October 15, 2012 in Writing Well, Year Without Pantsby Scott Berkun

As mentioned before, the next book is about my experience working at WordPress.com. Something I do while working on…

Lessons learned from my bad habits

Posted on September 5, 2012December 7, 2012 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Since leaving WordPress.com to return to writing full time, a surprise has been the decline in my writing habits.…

Jonah Lehrer and the facts

Posted on August 6, 2012 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Recently Jonah Lehrer, a rising star science writer, resigned his post at the New Yorker. A journalist named Michael…

The hard way is the easy way

Posted on July 29, 2012 in Philosophy, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Sometimes the hard way to do something is the easy way. I am a bad guitar player. But I’m…

On Writing vs. Speaking

Posted on March 18, 2012January 4, 2018 in Public Speaking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Paul Graham wrote recently on his perspectives on the written vs. spoken word. Graham admits he’s more confident as…

Is speaking easier than writing? Some advice

Posted on January 25, 2012October 12, 2012 in Public Speaking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

I get many emails asking about writing, in response to the popular posts I’ve written about writing. Recently Shawnee M.…

On Insecurity and Writing

Posted on January 23, 2012August 7, 2015 in Creative Thinking, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

A good friend mentioned he’d write more often if he dealt with his insecurities about writing. I look at…

Self-publishing vs. working with O’Reilly Media

Posted on January 3, 2012 in Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

I met Joe Wikert, GM at O’Reilly Media, in 2008, while negotiating terms for Confessions of a Public Speaker.…

Amazing list of what people want me to write

Posted on December 21, 2011 in Mindfire, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

At the book launch party  for Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds last month, Much fun took place. (Photos by…

The secret life of blurbs

Posted on December 8, 2011December 16, 2016 in Books, Writing Wellby Scott Berkun

Blurbs, the quotes from famous people that appear on books, are curious things. They’ve been around forever, and show…

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Scott Berkun is the author of nine popular books on creativity, design, leadership and public speaking. You can hire him to speak or follow him on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Latest Book: Why Design Is Hard

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Scott's Awesome Books

Why Design Is Hard

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4_5 Stars

"Concise, breezy, yet filled with excellent strategies for succeeding when the world is tilted against you.” Michael McWatters, VP Product Design for Max/HBO

How Design Makes The World

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4_5 Stars

“Nobody’s better at explaining how the world really works than Scott Berkun.” – Jeffrey Zeldman, co-founder of A List Apart

The Dance of the Possible

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5 Stars

"You'll find a lot to steal from this short, inspiring guide to being creative. Made me want to get up and make stuff!" - Austin Kleon, author of How To Steal Like An Artist

The Ghost of My Father

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4_5 Stars

“Thought-provoking read, and highly recommended…” – Thomas Duff

The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com & the Future of Work

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4_5 Stars

“If you want to think differently about entrepreneurship, management, or life in general, read this book.” — Tim Ferriss

Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds

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4_5 Stars

“The ideas contained in the essays are persuasive and it’s a fun, well focused read. ” — Simon Moore

Confessions of a Public Speaker

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4_5 Stars

“Berkun tells it like it is… you’ll gain insights to take your skills to the next level.” — Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com

The Myths of Innovation

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4_5 Stars

“Berkun sets us free to try and change the world.” — Guy Kawasaki

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

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4_5 Stars

“Highly recommended for CEOs, project managers, and hackers alike.” — Matt Mullenweg, Founder WordPress.org

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About Scott

Scott Berkun is the author of eight popular books on creativity, leadership, philosophy and speaking (more about Scott's background).

You can hire him to speak, ask him a question or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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