Entrepreneurship

Perfectionism is All Lies and Oversimplifications, Part One Million

By Hillary | April 27, 2019 |

This tweet has it all, from a perfectionist standpoint: It: Sets an impossibly high standard for success. (You should be as successful as Apple’s Steve Jobs, etc.) Is shaming. (“What’s your excuse?”) Makes specious comparisons. (Between you and these ultra-successful outliers, most of whom also achieved their success decades ago, in a very different society…

Why You Don’t Want to be Donald Trump

By Hillary | October 11, 2016 |

One thing I teach, in my writing and business classes, is how to effectively promote yourself. I have a handout (see below) summarizing the three “Promotional Personalities”: Arrogant Idiot Properly Proud Shy And Self-Effacing I came up with these because so many students were reluctant to promote their work because they were afraid of being…

The Joys of Being a Late Bloomer

By Hillary | September 24, 2015 |

This piece originally appeared on the blog of The Woman and the Owl Foundation, a fantastic group that, “explores and encourages the development of women spiritual leaders of all faiths and backgrounds through education, community, and support.” I also did a video interview with them which you’ll find here. Many thanks to Jessamine Dana for…

Exclusive! John Scalzi’s Time Management and Career Tips

By Hillary | June 1, 2015 |

Last week, the publishing world was abuzz with the news that bestselling science fiction author John Scalzi signed a movie-star-like $3.4 million publishing deal for 10 books. Scalzi is someone I admire enormously, not just for his writing and career success, but because he’s a genuinely nice guy, both offline (I’ve seen him at science fiction conventions)…

Why Amazon is This Writer’s Best Friend

By Hillary | May 30, 2014 |

Right now, there’s a contract dispute going on between Amazon and the publisher Hachette Book Group, with the result that Amazon is delaying shipment of some Hachette books and removing “pre-order” buttons from listings of others. Read some news stories and you might think all authors are pro-Hachette and anti-Amazon. But that is not at…