Economics of Being a Writer
In an era of generic content, I examine the high-stakes economics of professional authorship, revealing why a 30-book backlist has become the new sustainability benchmark. My research analysis move...
Books
Posts
Three Words for My 18-Year-Old Self
Everyone wants to advise their younger self. But would you have listened? I wouldn't. And that's not the problem we think it is.
Preflight Complete: The Year I Stopped Playing It Safe
What do you do with enough runway to change direction? You stop playing it safe. A look back at my 2025 pivot from federal service to launching the Strand alternate history series.
The Great Fruitcake
Discover the extremely factual origin myth of the Great Fruitcake; a creation story explaining why we pass around fruitcake each Christmas season.
Author Nation 2025 Recap
Five years at Author Nation: navigating AI in publishing, the fellowship that matters, audiobook strategies, and learning new ways to build a community with readers.
White Waters and Using Artificial Intelligence.
Learn how to assess AI use in writing with a whitewater rapids framework. This rubric helps authors evaluate risk levels from grammar tools to full AI generation, including production uses like tra...
How much is too much world-building?
World-building debate: Sanderson critics miss the point. How much lore do SF/F authors need? My rule: match your novel's word count in setting development.