Fun fact: our videographer at the conference, Neal Browne, has won two Emmys in journalism!

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Every Author Needs to Think Like a Journalist

If you were to interview a journalist on what advice they would give to authors, here's what they would probably say...

1. Lead With the Hook

I know I sound like a broken record, here, but it's all about the hook.

Woodward didn’t open his article with Nixon’s paranoia, political intrigue, or a constitutional crisis. He opened with five men in suits caught in the act of burglary. Action, not theory.

Authors tend to bury their best material in the middle of the book. DON'T! You need your “burglary moment” right up front—something that grabs your reader by the collar and draws them into your book.

Ask yourself: If my first sentence were a headline, would anyone keep reading?

2. Cut Ruthlessly (Yes, It Hurts So Good!)

Every reporter has watched their carefully crafted 2,000-word story hacked down to 600 words before it sees print. At first, it feels like losing a limb. Then you realize—it’s stronger. Cleaner. Punchier.

Novelists and nonfiction writers cling to their “darling” sentences like Nixon clung to his tapes. But here’s the truth: if it doesn’t move the story or your point forward, kick it to the curb. Ruthless cutting isn’t destruction—it’s strategy.

Tight writing is powerful writing. Fear not the delete key!!

3. Find the Human Angle

When a journalist covers a policy debate or a scientific breakthrough, they don’t just list statistics. They find the person—the single mother whose rent is rising, or the scientist who lost three experiments before discovering a cure.

Politicians do this all the time.

Authors sometimes forget this, especially in nonfiction. They drown readers in data and arguments without giving them a human anchor. But humans connect with humans, not with charts.

That’s what I love about Malcolm Gladwell. His books are stuffed with research, yet they’re carried by stories—David and Goliath on the basketball court, or the dog whisperer who sees things no one else does. That’s journalism at work: facts, yes, but always tied to faces.

Ask yourself: Where’s the human heart beat in my book? That’s what your readers will remember long after they finish your book.

4. Deadlines Are Your Friend (No, Really!)

Journalists don’t wait for the muse to show up. They file the story by 5 p.m., whether or not their creativity cooperated that day. If they don’t, their story dies.

Authors, meanwhile, can spend five years fiddling with chapter three because they’re “waiting for inspiration.” The problem? Inspiration is fickle. Deadlines aren’t.

Deadlines create momentum. They force you to move forward, even if the writing feels clunky at first. And clunky words on a page can always be improved. Blank pages cannot.

READ. THAT. AGAIN!!

Books don’t get written by inspiration—they get written by discipline.

Write that on a post-it note and stick it on your computer screen.

Deadlines force you forward, whether or not you feel ready.

Remember: Nixon didn’t resign because Woodward waited for his muse. He resigned because the reporting marched forward, day after day, deadline after deadline.

5. Write for the Reader, Not for Yourself

In journalism all good writing, the reader is king. If your story doesn’t answer the reader’s unspoken question—“Why does this matter to me?”—it won’t survive.

Authors sometimes forget this and write to impress themselves, or worse, their audience (my one complaint about Jon Krakauer). But your reader isn’t sitting in a university seminar dissecting metaphors. 

They’re on the couch after work, scanning your pages with bags under their eyes and half a bag of Cheetos.

That’s why effective writers constantly ask themselves, What will my reader gain from this sentence? From this chapter? From this book?

That shift—from self-indulgence to service—is what separates a forgettable manuscript from a published book that readers actually read.

Look at Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie (one of my faves!). Albom was a sports journalist before writing one of the best-selling memoirs of all time. His training taught him to always think of the audience, which is why that book speaks to millions instead of sitting in a desk drawer.

Ask yourself: Am I serving the reader, or am I serving my ego?

6. Don't Fear the Rewrite

Journalists live and die by rewrites. Editors slash, rearrange, and demand changes—all in the interest of clarity. It’s painful, but the result is almost always stronger.

Authors sometimes treat their first draft like sacred scripture. But books aren't written—they’re rewritten. Allow yourself to be edited, challenged, and reshaped. That’s not failure; that’s the process and progress.

Did you know? Joan Didion learned her craft while working as a journalist at Vogue, where every word had to earn its place. Later, her essays and memoirs became classics because she honed her prose with relentless revision.

If Joanie accepts edits, so can we.

We Can All Learn From Our Journalist Friends

The best journalists aren’t just masters of words—they’re masters of focus. They know how to grab attention, tranform complexity into clarity, and deliver a story that makes people care.

And if you’re serious about finishing, publishing, and selling your book, you need those same skills.

The good news? You don’t need to enroll in journalism school or chase burglars through Washington D.C. You just need to learn how to apply journalistic discipline to your creative project. That’s where we can help.

Because whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, you need a strategy that balances creativity with clarity, and artistry with discipline.

If you’re ready to approach your book the way journalists approach their stories—sharp, clear, and compelling—let’s talk.

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