My publisher told me the easiest books to edit are the ones with too many words and not enough value.
‘You can cut 20,000 words and nothing changes’, she said. ‘Don’t do that, Michael’.
Lovely.
Then there are the more difficult ones to edit.
It’s 60,000 words and needs to be 40,000. But every story adds value, every sentence has its purpose and every idea pulls its weight.
That’s an editor’s nightmare.
Don’t confuse volume with value.
Share your best.
When I’ve written books, I’ve always put my best ideas in them.
I want readers to think, ‘If this is what he’s sharing here, imagine what it would be like to work with him.’
But too often I see people doing the opposite.
Writers who say, ‘I don’t want to put my best ideas in the book. I’ll save them for the course.’
Or ‘I won’t share that in the talk. I’ll save it for the coaching.’
Or ‘I won’t give too much away in the proposal. I’ll save it for when they pay me.’
I understand the thinking.
But it’s backwards.
People don’t buy the hidden stuff. They buy because of what they’ve already seen, heard, felt and experienced.
Your best idea isn’t the thing to hide. It’s the thing that builds trust.
The Generous Expert
The more confident someone is, the more generous they tend to be with their ideas.
Because they know one idea is not their entire value.
A nervous ‘expert’ guards their one good idea like it’s the last biscuit in the tin.
A generous expert knows how to make more biscuits.
And this isn’t just about books, talks or courses.
It’s about conversations.
Sometimes we only bring our full attention when the conversation feels serious. But what if you gave your best attention to the everyday conversations too?
It’s about relationships.
Why save your kindness, patience and warmth for special occasions only?
It’s about customer service.
Why give customers the ‘that’ll do’ version (until something goes wrong) before you show them what brilliant looks like!
Maybe that’s the test.
Could 30% of your output be removed and barely be noticed?
If so, there’s your edit.
Don’t save your best for later.
Share it now.
Share it first.
Share it fully.
Be an editor’s nightmare.
Be Brilliant!
Michael
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