New York Times “Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous” Bestseller list, October 20, 2013 What makes a bestseller? What is the “Oprah Effect” on books? I’ve thought about these two questions on repeat through the years—and finally have a set of answers. Let’s start with the bestseller question. What Makes a Bestseller? The War of Art will debut at lucky #13 on the October 20th New York Times bestseller list for Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous titles, showing that alternate routes can lead to the list, too. Backlist titles can make the list. The War of Art is over 12 years old. Titles…

Because something is happening here. But you don’t know what it is. Do you, Mr. Jones? —Bob Dylan Bob Dylan has a Twitter account, but I’m about as certain as death and taxes that it isn’t him banging out tweets on a keyboard. Under 400 tweets, it’s a short stream of concert updates and other announcements. To the point. Nothing there for Mr. Jones.

Before you read this post, watch the video below (and then stick with me as I circle back around to why it is being shared).

A couple of weeks back, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas caught the film world’s attention by pointing to a trend within the industry. From Spielberg: “You’re at the point right now, where a studio would rather invest $250 million in one film for a shot at the brass ring than make a whole bunch of really interesting, deeply personal – and even maybe historical projects that may get lost in the shuffle. . . . “There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen mega-budget movies are going to go crashing into the ground,…

Was it one if by land, two if by sea, or two if by land and one if by sea? The sexton of Boston’s North Church paces the 1775-era floor, trying to remember Paul Revere’s instructions, to alert the colonists of British movements. Now which one was it? A few days before, Paul Revere sent advance word, letting the colonists know about the warning system: Paul Revere: Make sure you don’t do anything until you see the lights in the North Church steeple. Colonist #1: Not to do anything … even if you see the lights. Colonist #2: [hiccups] Paul…

Mickey listens to her father’s comments about the high school ball player, then goes to the fence for a closer look. She returns to tell Gus, her father, that he was right. The young player’s “hand’s drift.” “How did you know that if you can’t see him?” she asks Gus, whose failing vision is as clear as sludge. “Because I’ve been in this business too damn long, that’s why.” “No, it’s more than that. Tell me.” “It’s the sound you hear. It’s like a ball coming off the bat, or exploding into a glove. It’s a pure sound. You’ll know…

I love the Frank Sinatra standard My Way (written by Paul Anka). It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it . . . And now, the end is here And so I face the final curtain My Friend, I’ll say it clear I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain I’ve lived a life that’s full I traveled each and ev’ry highway And more, much more than this, I did it my way A few weeks back I wrote a piece pulled from an interview Louis C.K. did with the New York Times. The entire interview’s a great read,…

Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s “10 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Turning Pro” had me shaking my head in agreement last week. A few from the publishing side: It’s Show Business, Not Show Art. A freelance producer offered me this advice while I was a summer college intern at Mattel’s headquarters in El Segundo, CA. I thought he was another bitter USC film grad who couldn’t hack it in Hollywood . . . so he sold out to “the man” and made toy commercials for a living. Looking back,  he was right and I was judgmental and naïve.

Anything can happen during March Madness, and we root for the underdog, but how many go so far as to put the underdogs within their final brackets? How many had 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast University going this far? Doesn’t make sense. There’s never been a 15 seed to make the Sweet Sixteen . . . Until now. . . * * * Imagine this: You have a new book and you’re sitting around, talking about marketing and PR with your publisher. Everyone’s cheering. They’re in your corner. Rah. Rah. Rah. But when you leave, the next author comes in…

The past few days, I’ve followed the storm swirling around an article journalist David Wood wrote for The Huffington Post. As I read the responses in the comments section of the post, as well as full blog posts replying to David’s article—and then the many more comments to those posts—I was reminded of Steven Pressfield’s recent articles  “The Principals and the Profiles” and “Principals and Profiles, Part II” and Jonathan Field’s article “Belief Without Compassion.” Quite a bit has been written about David’s article. Instead, it’s the responses I want to hit. Snark First, Verify Later. It’s easier to be…