If you want to take your stories to the next level then, you'll probably want to find agents to represent you to book publishers and film studios. Commissions: Literary agents typically charge a 15% commission to represent you, which means they are going to get a percentage of all of the work that you produce. This is a good thing because they have incentive to get you the most money possible for your work. Film agents typically charge a 10% commission. Speaking agencies (which get you speaking gigs) charge between 25% and 33%. Never take on agent who asks for up-front money from you. Those are all scams. Finding an Agent: The front door rarely works so don't send your inquiry into the slush pile. Network through established writers and see if they will make an introduction for you. (But don't ask me!) Interview as many agents as possible to get a feel for who will be the best fit. If you are trying to choose between multiple agents, my rule of thumb is to hire the agent who is the most enthusiastic about your work and think you can work well with. Their overall reputation is not the most important factor. Book Auctions: A book proposal is the pitch letter for your book. It needs to be an amazing sales document. They tend to be between 20-100 pages long. Your agent will send your proposal out to the market, usually to about 20 publishers at once, and try to gin up excitement among them. If you're lucky, multiple publishers will bid on your project and drive the price up. REMEMBER: In an auction you have the ability to reserve certain publishing rights for yourself. Sell the publisher as few rights as possible. Try to retain world rights. Hold on to TV/film rights. Fight to the death to retain your audiobook rights. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEYoBJ_xtd8

The real history of Occam's Razor dates back to an argument between a Franciscan friar named William of Occam and Thomas Aquinas who wanted to understand what happened in the moment of holy communion when a catholic priest transformed a cracker into the body of Christ. Though Occam believed his solution to the problem was the simplest, anyone looking back at the debate from a modern perspective will instantly understand that the entire idea of Occam's Razor (the the simplest explanation is usually the correct one) is just straight up wrong. Subscribe to my newsletter https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h1g1p6 Does the Math of Random Numbers Prove God Exists? https://youtu.be/03WycRMU-U0 How Stuff Works Occam's Razor Overview https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/scientific-experiments/occams-razor.htm How Stuff Works Occam's Razor Podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/1fcR1Njpu1ZLTyiXWAIxea?si=c99f784500794d24 Catholics with Bibles on Occam and Aquinas's Disputes https://open.spotify.com/episode/52FmqcfeuF4d0DlmR81fuN?si=efdb69f289ba4a29 All the links: https://linktr.ee/sgcarney Remember to subscribe, like and leave comments! I read them all. #philosophy #Science #thoughtexperiment ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r92IDOxfk_4

From Sherlock Holmes to Batman, anyone seeking superpowers has traditionally looked to the Himalayas for secret spiritual knowledge. But are they really there? #jedi #kungfu #superpowers ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evY0eyOBb9A

How do we reconcile the fact that lying is an incredibly effective strategy for achieving self-serving goals with our shared desire to live in an honest society? In the natural world all sort of creatures lie about how dangerous they are, and those untruths help them survive to pass on their genes.The Allied command lied in WW2 to confuse the Nazis before D-day, and most of us would say that the lying was justified. But lying also erodes the social fabric that brings us together in a collective. I have been thinking a lot about lying lately. As a journalist I have a duty to tell the truth, and get a great deal of satisfaction out of the times that I've been able to expose liars with good on-the-ground research. At the same time I have to admit that liars mostly get away with it. It takes an immense effort to prove someone is lying, and, if they stick to their lies, they mostly succeed in saving face. This is a meditation on why so many liars win and what our duty is in the face of it. Get Exclusive Updates on Patreon: https://patreon.com/sgcarney Subscribe to my newsletter https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h1g1p6 Scott Carney Investigates Podcast https://www.scottcarney.com/podcast YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@sgcarney Books: ⁠The Wedge⁠ https://www.scottcarney.com/the-wedge ⁠What Doesn't Kill Us⁠ https://www.scottcarney.com/what-doesnt-kill-us ⁠The Enlightenment Trap⁠ https://www.scottcarney.com/the-enlightenment-trap The Vortex https://www.scottcarney.com/the-vortex The Red Market https://www.scottcarney.com/the-red-market Listen to the Scott Carney Investigates Podcast on: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2TVEkr1lWIJp6zZijbuZE8xTn5Edur-7 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scott-carney-investigates/id1675685319 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Eez65bpNJSDLCYQb7yck5 Anchor: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/12a9Xdpn6yb Social Media: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sgcarney/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scottcarneyauthor Twitter https://twitter.com/sgcarney Bluesky https://staging.bsky.app/profile/sgcarney.bsky.social #lying #consciousness #science #ethics Chapter Summary: 00:00 The speaker's compassion for creatures and the effort to avoid needless harm. 01:60 The fascination with snakes and the desire to save them. 03:22 Lying can be an effective survival strategy for animals and humans. 09:05 The conflict between truth-telling journalism and the desire for lies 10:15 The success of lying and disinformation in certain contexts 13:28 The negative impact of lies on trust and relationships. 17:49 The journalist's struggle with conflicting interests 19:57 Lying undermines long-term success and reality will catch up. 21:13 The power and advantage of telling great big lies that change society 22:44 The development of pathological liars and the prevalence of lying in society. 25:11 The consequences of faking data in one's career and the hope of escaping the truth. 27:08 The dangerous impact of lying on society and the need for punishment 27:26 Dishonesty rewires the brain, making it easier to lie in the future. 36:31 Academic who gained success through lying and fraudulent data. 37:54 The pleasure in grinding someone for lying, even though the lie felt right 39:07 Stand out with outrageous claims to attract attention and followers. 42:51 The preference for lies over truth in society and its impact on journalists. 45:11 The contradiction of facing adversity and struggling with it daily 46:15 The Reporter's Dilemma: Spreading Lies or Uncovering the Truth? 47:02 The ongoing struggle with the fundamental tension in seeking truth and duty 50:31 The disadvantage of truth tellers compared to those who can say whatever they want ©PokeyBear LLC (2023) ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbG13rZA0XM