HTBU has been described as "smart" (Chicago Tribune), "engaging" (The Washington Post), "helpful" (New York magazine), "frequently hilarious" (The Guardian), "pretty terrific" (January magazine), "sharp [and] witty [and] brimming with advice" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), "odd" (The Montreal Gazette), "fortuitous" (Utne Reader), and "clever and, as the title promises, useful" (Newsweek).

The Authenticity Hoax

Posted: June 25th, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: nothing to do with the book | Tags: , , , , | No Comments »

The other week I had the good luck to talk to Andrew Potter about his book The Authenticity Hoax. Potter is personable and quick on his feet and has the kind of nimble mind that runs on novel formulations of you know, this thing is like this other thing, this whole other phenomenon that appears unrelated but isn’t, not at all.

I typed up our conversation for a publication that didn’t end up running the piece. So here it is, here:

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What’s Wrong with this Email from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn?

Posted: June 3rd, 2010 | Author: admin | Filed under: I'm sorry you typed that way, in the mail, nothing to do with the book | Tags: , | No Comments »

About twice a day a perfect argument for why even competent writers need editors lands in my Inbox. Below is the latest, and it typifies one of the primary ways organizations misuse email, churning out external communications that are not only too long but also, ultimately, ineffectual.

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