Winter Break and Career Development in D.C. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Winter Break and Career Development in D.C. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog The following was composed by John Hughes, a second year MIA student studying Political and Economic Risk Analysis. ____________________________ With the semester winding down and finals looming, most students are looking forward to a nice, long winter break.   Though many students will return home for the holidays, many also have big plans.   These include trips all over the world, some self-initiated and others as part of the travel component of a workshop.   Wherever the break takes students, however, many will come together at the end for a career trip to Washington, D.C.   This year’s conference will take place from January 13-15, and is the 34th annual trip.   Unlike previous years, which have featured a two-day trip, this year’s conference is packed with three full days of events. On Wednesday, alumni working in industries including trade, development, energy and security will participate in informational career panels throughout the day, with students able to choose four to attend.   The alumni will discuss their positions, how they found them, and give students general insights on the field.    It is a great way to gain knowledge on a specific field students are interested in, or to explore a completely new one.   On Thursday SIPA has arranged site visits to a range of employers in the D.C. area, including the State Department, Treasury Department and USAID.   These visits will give students an additional opportunity to learn about organizations that interest them, while meeting with more SIPA alums at each employer who will be available to answer any student questions. After going around the city during the day, the conference participants will come together that evening at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown for a cocktail networking reception.   More than 150 alumni are expected to attend this swanky event, giving students the perfect opportunity to schmooze with them over a glass of wine.   Finally, if students haven’t gone into a networking-induced daze by then, they have the opportunity on Friday to conduct one-on-one or group informational interviews with alumni.   The Office of Career Services has provided each participant with a list of willing alumni, who students can then contact to set up meetings.   Though ambitious, it’s not unheard of for students to set up as many as five such meetings over the course of the day. The DC conference gives students a great chance to learn about potential future fields of interest and meet wonderful alumni.   More importantly, for many students it provides a crucial first step on their way to gainful employment in Washington.   Many students keep in contact with the alumni they meet at the conference as the semester moves forward, with some of these connections leading to internship and job referrals or even offers.   Of course, at the end of the day it is up to students to put in the effort to find a job, but the Office of Career Services D.C. career event certainly helps students interested in Washington along this path!

Essay on The Destruction of Love Between Hamlet and Ophelia

The Destruction of Love Between Hamlet and Ophelia Ophelia describes Hamlet as the courtiers soldier, scholars eye, tongue and sword, Thexpectancy and rose of fair state, the glass of fashion and the mould of form, Thobserved of all observers (Act 3 Scene 1) He is the ideal man. But, after his madness and the death of her father she sees him as a noble mind oer thrown! (Act 3 Scene 1). Ophelia suffers from Hamlets disillusionment; his attitude to her in Act 3 Scene 1 is hard to explain. His faith in women was shattered by his mothers marriage and it is also possible that Hamlet knows that Ophelia has been ordered to seek him out- yet how strong could their love have been as there is little excuse for the†¦show more content†¦This point is further backed by the fact that although Claudius and Gertrude would like to believe that it is Hamlets unrequited love for Ophelia that has driven him mad, Hamlets behaviour with Ophelia convinces them that Ophelia is not the main cause of his illness. As Claudius said Love? His affections do not that way tend; Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, was not like madness. (Act 3 Scene 1). Hamlets attitude, after seeing the ghost of his father, to Ophelia suggests that he is not fully in control of his actions- even if he knows Polonius and Claudius are listening, and that Ophelia, like his mother, is faithless; it is still hard to explain that, if he loves Ophelia, why he is so cruel to her. Ophelias response to his harsh words are immediate, that he is mad- suggesting that their love does run deep, for she cannot bear to conceive that his words are from sanity and that he could be so cruel and unloving to her. Now see that noble and most sovereign reason, like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh (Act 3 Scene 1). Hamlets behaviour in the graveyard scene suggests insanity. When he realises his love, Ophelia, is dead, he leaps into her grave, insisting that his love is greater than any brothers. From his mouth heShow MoreRelatedShakespeare s Hamlet - Hamlet And Ophelia958 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet and Ophelia The play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is the perfect example of how love can not always conquer all. Hamlet may be regarded as one of Shakespeare s greatest plays. This play follows the story of a young prince named Hamlet who lost his father and had his family torn apart by the hands of his Uncle, Claudius who is now king and step father to Hamlet. 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Also the concept of the superego, both individual and cultural are brought up; and the importance of understanding the dynamics of aggressive destruction in Shakespeare’s tragedies involving revenge. The Freudian superego is usually thought of as heir to the Oedipus complex. In Hamlet himself, hate and destructiveness are consuming passions;Read MoreThe Juxtaposition of Hamlet Characters1658 Words   |  7 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s play â€Å"The Tragedy of Hamlet†, Ophelia and Laertes represent different aspects of prince Hamlets traits that further the understanding of his behaviour, thoughts, and over-all character. Laertes and Ophelia, like Hamlet, are children of murdered fathers. This connection helps create a link between the three that sends them passionately to their end. Ophelia has an important relationship and entangling affair with the prince. Hamlets and Ophelia’s actions in time lead the youngRead MoreHamlet Temperament Essay1702 Words   |  7 PagesHamlet is a play written by William Shakespeare around the turn of the 17th century that is believed to be based off of Seneca, one of the first â€Å"revenge tragedies† (â€Å"Hamlet: Violence†). Hamlet is considered to be a tragedy because at the end of the story only one major character, Horatio, is left alive. The revenge plot occurs mainly between Hamlet and Claudius after Claudius kills Hamlet’s father. As more people become involved on either side of their conflict, additional sources for revenge areRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1396 Words   |  6 Pagesbut they also help to develop and drive the plot. Ophelia, falling victim to the neglect and abuse of the other characters and depending solely on the men in her life, becomes the only char acter who truly becomes mad. Polonius’ concern with how others perceive him, along with his selfishness ultimately leads to him driving his children further away from him thus leaving Claudius with more power. Claudius uses manipulation, corruption and destruction of the lives of the innocent to stay in power, andRead More Themes of Love and Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1142 Words   |  5 PagesThemes of Love and Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet Love is one of the most powerful themes in Hamlet, but a superior force - REVENGE, drives Hamlets love. Revenge of his fathers murder. Hamlet is confused and melancholic over the fact that his mother married his own uncle and so quickly after his fathers death. Even though he does not immediately suspect foul play in his fathers untimely death, he is in a state of shock. As Kenneth Muir states, He (Hamlet) is profoundly shocked by GertrudesRead More The Tragic Tale of Ophelia and Hamlet Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tragic Tale of Ophelia and Hamlet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The common problem of lack of communication has plagued couples since the beginning of time. The relationship Hamlet and Ophelia share in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is no more immune to these human tendencies. Throughout the drama, many misunderstandings cloud their relationship. Unspoken problems and pressures within Ophelia’s and Hamlet’s private lives lead to overlooked, unnoticed love. For Hamlet, his bond with Ophelia pales in comparisonRead MoreHamlet Betrayal1216 Words   |  5 Pagestrust. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, betrayal is a reoccurring action between many characters. This play shows the audience different types of betrayal that are imaginable, from a husband betraying his wife, a boyfriend betraying his girlfriend and a mother betraying the son and father. These actions of betrayal hurt the people that are most loved and destroys them where it most hurts in the end. Betrayal is one of the strongest and most important themes in Hamlet. The entire play revolvesRead MoreHamlet, By William Shakespeare911 Words   |  4 Pages The male characters in Hamlet continually abuse both Ophelia and Gertrude, physically and psychologically, as a pathetic attempt to gain power and control over the situation. One of the greatest examples of psychological abuse comes from the harrowing scene where Hamlet and Ophelia have their final conversation before Hamlet leaves for England. During this rage-induced altercation, Hamlet refuses to accept Ophelia’s returning of the gifts previously given to her from him, saying â€Å"I never gave you

Fundamentals of Management - 7193 Words

UNIT I ------------------------------------------------- Fundamentals of Management Meaning of Management- Management is the art of getting things done by a group of people with the effective utilization of available resources. An individual cannot be treated as a managing body running any organization. A minimum of two persons are essential to form a management. These persons perform the functions in order to achieve the objectives of an organization. Management is the group of activities which drafts plans, prepares policies and arranges men, money, machine and materials required to achieve the objectives. The above definitions reveal that management is the activity of man who struggles for better living in the complex and†¦show more content†¦If there is only one course of action, need for decision-making does not arise. The quality of decision taken by the manager determines the organizations performance. The success or failure of an organization depends upon the degree of right decision taken by the manager. Universal application: The principles and practices of management are applicable not to any particular industry alone but applicable to every type of industry. The practice of management is different from one organization to another according to their nature. Management is getting thing done: A manager does not actually perform the work but he gets things done by others. According to Knootz and O’Donnel, â€Å"management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups.† Management as a class or a team: A class may be defined as a group of people having homogenous characteristics to achieve common objectives. Engineers and doctors are grouped as a class in a society. Each and every doctor has the same objectives in life. Just like engineers and doctors’ the management are some of the specializations of management, specialists are appointed in the key posts of top management. Direction and control: A manager can direct his sub-ordinates in the performance of a work and control them whenever necessary. If the available resources are not utilized properly be him, he fails to achieve the corporate objectives in the absence of direction and control. Generally,Show MoreRelatedFundamentals of Project Management3669 Words   |  15 PagesModule: Fundamentals of Project Management Module Code: FPM12/1 Assignment number: 1  © Milpark Fundamentals of Project Management FPM12/1 Assignment 1 Year 12A / Page 1 Assignment Guidelines Guidelines for the successful submission of assignments Students are sometimes unsure as to what constitutes work of an acceptable standard when submitting an assignment. Naturally, programmes offered at different NQF Levels demand different types of responses. An NQF Level 4 or 5 qualification probablyRead MoreFundamentals of Financial Management10543 Words   |  43 PagesChapter 5 Currency Derivatives Lecture Outline Forward Market How MNCs Can Use Forward Contracts Non-Deliverable Forward Contracts Currency Futures Market Contract Specifications Trading Futures Comparison of Currency Futures and Forward Contracts Pricing Currency Futures Credit Risk of Currency Futures Contracts Speculation with Currency Futures How Firms Use Currency Futures Closing Out a Futures Position Transaction Costs of Currency Futures Currency Call Options Factors Affecting CallRead MoreThe Fundamental Issue Of Stakeholder Management1552 Words   |  7 PagesINTRODUCTION Stakeholder theory The fundamental issue in stakeholder management is to specify stakeholders or answer this question that who stakeholders are. There is not much agreement on stakeholder definition among researchers and project management experts. 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A collection of related dataRead MoreCase Study: Fundamentals of Management3451 Words   |  14 PagesFaculty of Hospitality Tourism Studies Fundamentals of Management Fundamentals of Management Case Study Mariyam Reema AbdulHameed (SID: 32601) Page 1 of 15 Faculty of Hospitality Tourism Studies Fundamentals of Management Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................... 3 Performance review ...................................................................................... 5 Mintzberg’s Managerial rolesRead More4 Fundamental Management Tasks2776 Words   |  12 Pages1. Introduction The 4 fundamental management tasks are Planning, Organising, Leadership and Control. 1. Planning – Planning involves mapping out exactly how to achieve a particular goal. This is the first component of management. A manager needs to determine what the organisations goals are and how to achieve them. Setting objectives for goals and following up on the execution of the plans are two critical components of planning 2. Organising – A manager needs to organise her/his team and materialsRead MoreFundamentals of Management Essay examples1989 Words   |  8 PagesManagement Fundamentals Essential concepts of management begin with the fundamentals. Fundamental management skills are executed on a daily basis with a significant impact to an organization. Because the greatest asset that an organization has is its personnel, management’s role in guiding, organizing, and monitoring could not be over emphasized. Management fundamentals have a resounding effect on style, motivation, decision making, planning, and communication, while also influencing structureRead MoreFundamentals of Human Resource Management1168 Words   |  5 Pages| D. Treatment of applicants | | 6.    High-performance work systems emphasize three of the following. 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ISBN 0 273 68514 7 ï £ © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Lecturers adopting the main text are permitted to photocopy the book as required.  © Pearson Education Limited 2005 Pearson Education Limited Edinburgh Gate Harlow Essex CM20 2JE England and Associated Companies throughout the world Visit us on the World Wide Web at: www.pearsoned.co.uk Previous editions publishedRead MoreFundamentals of Project Management and Business Decisions1445 Words   |  6 PagesFundamentals of Project Management and Business Decisions Professor Porfirio Chen Case Study #1: The Benfield Column Repair Project David Luo 29/02/2013 CASE ANALYSIS OF: THE BENFIELD COLUMN REPAIR PROJECT Introduction / Background This case is about an important South African coal, chemical and crude-oil Company called â€Å"Sasol†. The case is developed around the Benfield Unit of the Gas Circuit as Sasol Three. Sasol is an International integrated energy

Volkswagen Polo Advertising Free Essays

Volkswagen Polo advertisement Marco Mannoni Eric Sabatino Volkswagen, which means â€Å"people’s car†, is one of the most selling automotive companies in history. It has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time, the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle and the Volkswagen Passat. The protagonist of the Volkswagen Polo advertisement is a student who is bullied by a group of â€Å"cool† guys. We will write a custom essay sample on Volkswagen Polo Advertising or any similar topic only for you Order Now The situation changes when he gives a drive to one of the most beautiful girls of the school with his Polo. At the end of the advertisement the bullied guy will look more cool than the other guys thanks to a joke associated with the qualities of his car, the Volkswagen Polo. The purpose of the advertisement is to persuade young people that Volkswagen Polo is a young car and it’s made for them. As we can see in the advertisement there are only young people who act young, for example the joke that makes the advertisement funny is made only thanks to the qualities of the car and the behavior of the protagonist: if the car wasn’t powerful and the driver wasn’t driving hard, the joke couldn’t have been made. The advertisement is surely oriented towards a male audience. If we look at the ad we see that the actors are only students, probably university students. The joke that makes the ad funny matches with young people’s habits and behavior. This means that the target market for this advertisement is very small, it probably goes to a minimum of 18 years old (the age you can get the driving license) to a maximum of 23 years old (possibly your last year as a university student). This also means that the people who are the target maket probably don’t have any personal income and the car is supposed to be a present by their parents. The prototype of the target market for this ad is a middle-class 19 years old student who has just graduated from high school and deserves something very cool to start his new college experience in a positive way. The advertisement personality is particularly strong and it promises to the clients that they are going to buy one of the best young and also cool cars on the market. The product, a car in this case, is necessary for almost everyone in the world, but considering the target which the advertisement is addressed to, it is not strictly necessary. We’re not talking about a mobile phone or a high school degree, many young people use public transportations and go wherever and whenever they want with them. The advertisement wants to make its target market understand that Volkswagen Polo is not a vehicle, it is an experience. The stress on the feelings rather than on the technical qualities is supported with a very young advertisement which doesn’t focus on the car itself but instead focuses on who’s driving the car and how he looks and behave. The media used for this advertisement is internet. The only use of internet is justified by the content of the advertisement which could have been felt rude and controversial if aided on television. The fact that the ad is available only on the internet consents Volkswagen to look fashionable and trendy to its young clients and to don’t ruin the reliable image that it has with older people. How to cite Volkswagen Polo Advertising, Essay examples

Romeo and Juliet Juliets reaction to Romeo Essay Example

Romeo and Juliet Juliets reaction to Romeo Paper Ask: How does Shakespeare present Juliets reactions to Romeo in their first two scenes? (1: 5 and 2:2) Juliet falls in love with Romeo from the first meeting. In the first meeting Romeo doesnt approach Juliet with words of love but words about religion and pilgrims. Romeo assures Juliet that he will love and respect her whatever happens. Although Juliet takes it slow and dominants the pace she still falls in love with him. Their first meeting is set up in a Sonnet form. This is a fourteen line poem. The sonnet is divided to equal parts. Shakespeare does that to show us that Romeo and Juliet communicate amazingly well for a first meeting. Shakespeare also uses the metaphor of a pilgrim to show Romeos love to Juliet. Romeo describes himself as a pilgrim going to a holy place, in this case Juliet. Once the pilgrim reaches the place he loves and respects the place just like Romeo intends to do with Juliet. Just after they fell in love they found out who each one is and understand the problem that this relationship is going to cause. The second meeting is a lot different then the first one. We will write a custom essay sample on Romeo and Juliet Juliets reaction to Romeo specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Romeo and Juliet Juliets reaction to Romeo specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Romeo and Juliet Juliets reaction to Romeo specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Romeo gets his way to the garden under Juliets balcony and hears her Soliloquy. Juliet is talking about the problem of Romeo being a Montague and asks herself: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? After a while Romeo comes out his hide. Juliet is very surprised yet scared that Romeo is in the Capulet mansion. She asks him how did he get there and why did he get there. Romeos answers dont make much sense. For example: With loves light wings did I oerperch these walls almost as If he is drunk. Juliet is much more practical and she tells him he is in a great danger if they find him and that he will be killed. Although Juliet is very down to earth she also expresses her love to him by saying: My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love is as deep; the more I give to thee the more I have. She also assures for his love as she wants to see its not only one sided. After she points out the danger she says to him that tomorrow she is going to have someone sent to him and he has to decide if he wants to get married or not. This also shows practicality as she basically says I want to see that you Romeos is serious about this relationship.

How positive impacts outweigh negative effects Essays

How positive impacts outweigh negative effects Essays How positive impacts outweigh negative effects Essay How positive impacts outweigh negative effects Essay Traveling from one country to another is one big hit. It may seem appealing to ones desire to explore new horizon, a benefit to its cause; however, the effect may be the other way around. I disagree that Global Tourism may more like be harmful than beneficial. For one thing, Global Tourism empowers a low-income country to become globally competitive. There is an abundance in the countrys economy because of the merging infrastructures like hotels and restaurants to accommodate the tourists. As a domino effect, more Jobs are available not only to college graduates but to jobsharers without a degree. Moreover, transportation and entertainment businesses are rampant to vacationers who wish to see all the top destinations and leisure activities in a particular place. Lastly, this is a green industry, where most scenic places are maintained to preserve its natural environment. This Industry does not only benefit the people but mother earth as well. Albeit, Global tourism poses disadvantages to people in some ways. There Is a greater chance of a permanent loss of traditional culture if locals change ones lifestyle Just so that tourists can better understand them. For Instance, locals learn to speak English fluently, daydreaming ones own, to prevent barrier communication. In addition, vacationers who bring expensive luggages or gadgets are prospect targets of theft, thus crime increases In number. Moreover, these foreigners can also steal things or even Ideas from the country. Some foreigners recycle an Idea and produce It as If It Is their own. From my point of view, the positive effects of Global Tourism far outweigh Its detrimental Impacts. Countries make the most of one another, as well as both natives and foreigners. The future of global tourism Is a promising one that the government may need to devise policies In order to prevent Its negative effects.

Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper

Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper Uncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper â€Å"For someone who loves a book, would make their day? What would make them happy or make them think of it again or think that it’s cool? And I’m always struggling with that.†Update! We interview Eliot again for the release of the sequel to Uncommon Stock - come check it out!Eliot Peper is the nicest man in the world. At least, that’s how we felt coming away from our interview. His first novel, ‘Uncommon Stock,’ a startup thriller, is both an indie success story and the debut book from Colorado’s FG Press. Eliot’s background is in venture capital and consulting for the tech industry, including spells running his own startups. We met to talk about what it was like transitioning from entrepreneur to authorpreneur, and what it was like working with the newly-minted FG Press.Edit: As of 2016, FG Press has closed its doors. Eliot Peper is now a full-time indie author.- -REEDSYYour first novel is about startups. You’ve had pl enty of experiences in the business world, but had you written much before?ELIOT PEPERI hadn’t written fiction since high school, but I had experience with storytelling. My background was in startups -  I was a founder, then an early employee at a couple of different startups, and then an entrepreneur-in-residence at a VC fund. As you guys I’m sure know yourselves, the fuzzy front-end of building a business, most of it’s storytelling. You’re trying to pitch investors, you’re trying to bring in talent, you’re trying to tell people about the problem you’re trying to address; you’re always telling stories whether it’s to customers, investors, partners, team members -  that’s a lot of what you do on a day-to-day basis. So I’d been doing a ton of that, but I’d not been doing anything like writing a novel.REEDSYI thought it was interesting how widely your book was picked up by the b usiness community. A lot of business writing is generally non-fiction, right?ELIOT PEPERNon-fiction is interesting for obvious reasons. Most non-fiction is â€Å"Here are the lessons I learned doing something,† or with biographies â€Å"What did this person learn through living their life?† For business, I find fiction particularly interesting because it gives you this secret window inside the character’s head.There’s a boatload of non-fiction out there about business -  â€Å"I built GM, or I was the CEO of X company, so here are the things you should think about when starting a company or in your daily life.† But it doesn’t show you that, as I’m sure you guys are experiencing right now, when you’re building a business it’s a human experience, right? Especially for founders who are struggling through their first company or their first couple of companies. It’s a crazy emotional roller coaster. The hum an side of startups doesn’t get a lot of exposure because everyone wants to talk about advice and best practices. Few people want to talk about how it destroyed their relationship with their wife; or how they were sleeping with their co-founder; or how for their series B round they were about to get a ten-x valuation bump on the first round until lead investor had a heart attack the night before and it fucked up their entire company. That stuff happens all the time. I’ve been shocked by the shit that goes down in Silicon Valley.People don’t talk about that stuff publicly in a non-fiction context -  they don’t want to make that their sort of public life. The beauty of fiction is that you can experience that alongside the character. You can give people a window into what it’s like to be the startup or to be in business. And I think for people interested in learning about entrepreneurship that’s really special because there’s a lot more to it that just lean product development.REEDSYYeah, like you don’t need to have abstracted a principle for a story to be useful to someoneELIOT PEPERI’m sure you guys are experiencing this if you have advisors or mentors that you’re going to for advice. You’ll talk to one guy and he’ll say â€Å"Well, in my last business we did this, and we learned that you have to do X.† Then you talk to someone else and they’ll give you the exact opposite advice based on a totally different anecdote.A lot of business non-fiction is like that -  it’s a lot of anecdotes, and it’s really easy to mythologise people. So you look at the big names like Steve Jobs or whatever, and once they’ve achieved success it always feels like you can retroactively go back and say why they achieved success in the past. That’s a really weird thing to do. From a scientific process perspective that’s really bad, b ut that essentially covers all narrative non-fiction. You have to have that â€Å"What did you learn at the end of the fable?† ending, and I think fiction gives you a lot more freedom in that sense. You’re exploring just how humans wrestle with and overcome obstacles. Those obstacles could be killing Gilgamesh, or it could be taking a company public.REEDSYIt’s like parables, basically, or Aristotle’s version of Ethics. He doesn’t try to say what bravery is, he just says â€Å"Bravery is Achilles.†ELIOT PEPERI think the human mind is wired to understand complex problems through stories. It’s boring to read a complex problem that isn’t part of narrative.REEDSYHow have you applied your startup background to the daily routine of writing? I feel like a lot of startup advice is of the ‘work smarter, not harder’ variety. Can you apply that to writing?ELIOT PEPERI think the process of writing is very grinding, in terms of the actual drafting of the manuscript. I don’t even know how you would go about doing that smarter. I don’t really outline, I just spend time brainstorming constantly. On a walk I’ll think about where the characters are, where things are heading, what the next scene should be, what the final scene should be. I feel like I’m in good shape if I know the next scene I’m gonna write, and some kind of North Star that the climax will be. If I have more than that planned out it usually gets stale or I don’t stick to it anyway. I have to spend time immersed in the world psychologically, then I sit down, start writing, and there’s very little I can do aside from forcing myself to make the time, sit in front of Word, and not go on twitter. A lot of it is knowing how to be diligent and how to have discipline.That corresponds to business. It’s way too prevalent with my friends in tech and the startup world who are like â€Å"Oh my God I wa s up until 4am finishing this last release!† To me that’s like saying â€Å"Oh my God, I’m terrible at managing my time!† You know, that’s basically what you’re saying. It was less that I tried to take the lesson ‘work hard at all costs,’ and instead take the lesson ‘only do what matters.’ That’s really difficult to do.As an author it’s so easy to spend all my time blogging and emailing and pitching journalists or influencers to try and get more coverage for the book, to do events, to do signings, to just be on Twitter and Facebook or whatever promotional tools you’re using. You can let that suck away all your time. But at the end of the day the people who read my books, my actual readers, they just want the next book -  they don’t give a shit what I post on Twitter. To an extent, me having a public face, at least they can feel like they’re getting to know me.But you rea lly have to look back and say â€Å"I need to be spending at least the majority of my time doing what actually matters.† In business it’s just as difficult. It’s very easy to spend your time just being external facing when the only reason people are going to be interested in you is to improve their lives by solving a problem. If you’re not solving that problem in what you’re doing every day, that’s a problem.I think that’s probably the one lesson I took from business. The ‘work smarter, not harder’ side’s more relevant in the PR side of things and how you connect with readers. We’re trying to experiment with that. I have a twitter account for the protagonist of ‘Uncommon Stock.’ We built a real website for the fictional startup in the book. We got Foundry Group, the VC firm, to announce an investment in them on April Fools day. That’s sort of fun. My dearest hope is that if I do something that delights my readers, that when they’re at happy hour tonight and they’re quaffing a beer, they’ll say to their friend â€Å"OK, they actually did this.† If that happens that’s one more word-of-mouth referral. Anything I can do to inspire or delight my readers, that’s what I’m going for.REEDSYIt seems like delighting a reader is much healthier than growth hacking.ELIOT PEPERYeah. If you look at the public discourse about how to get readers, the majority of it is the growth hacking kind of stuff. It’s all about how can you engineer your own success and manipulate people into liking you, and I don’t know -  I don’t really like to be manipulated as a reader, so I don’t really want to do that as a writer.REEDSYDo you have any role-models in the self-publishing space?ELIOT PEPERI like Hugh Howey. He’s the wà ¼nderkind, right? But he’s also really personal and personable. He shares what he does, and it feels real. Or, you know Neal Stephenson? He’s a prototypical Big 5 author; he’s been a best-selling author for decades, he has a huge audience, in that sense he’s very mainstream. But he writes on Slashdot and other random forums all the time. The people writing for the New York Times Book Review would never have heard of these places. He’s interesting because if you go to his website, it’s pretty minimal. It’s sort of lame. But he’s also on Slashdot and all these random place, writing super in-depth, honest answers to forum questions from trolls. I find that compelling because it’s like â€Å"That’s pretty cool, you’re just being real, that’s who you are, you’re a sort of goofy nerdy guy, you read Slashdot so you started writing there too.† It’s been very popular. His forum posts turn into memes that people share around writing blogs -  I think thatâ €™s fun.You don’t even have to stick to publishing. Macklemore self-published his first albums, was never signed by a major label, and was able to build a fan-base because his songs are awesome and he made funny videos for them. Now he’s turned that into having some of the top-listed songs over the past couple of years. That’s pretty cool, that’s pretty fun. With the writers I admire most the biggest thing is they write really good stuff, but the other part is in the rest of their lives they come across as really genuine.REEDSYWhat sort of relationship are you building between yourself and your readers?ELIOT PEPERI try to think of writing as literally storytelling. I don’t just hand over the manuscript and that’s that. I try to think of it like I’m literally sitting at a campfire talking to people. If you’re sitting at a campfire with your friends, you don’t want to be awkward, right? It’s better to tell a sto ry they want to hear. And afterwards you’re still their friend. It’s not like the relationship is over -  you’re going to roast marshmallows over the fire and have a conversation about it. That’s how I look at being a writer. I can connect with my readers in a new way or share something with them they might not otherwise know. Like on my blog I write about business because some of my readers are interested in startups and that’s part of why they read my stuff, but I also share personal stuff because if they like my book they might want to know more about me.Do you know Joss Whedon? I find him really interesting. I’m not very sophisticated about films, but what he’s famous for is that while many of the shows he’s made haven’t been that popular in terms of ratings, the people who did watch it were obsessed with it. He’s had the highest aftermarket sales of anyone. The prototypical guy for this is George Lucas. He turned a weird 70s sci-fi movie into the underlying mythology of America, and represents some enormous amount of toy sales and other crazy external licensing sales.The guys who are now doing all these superhero movies are obsessed with Joss Whedon because they’re trying to do the same with these comic book franchises. So they’re trying to take X-Men and turn it into these multiple blockbuster movies but also have video-games and all these other ways fans can experience the story. Joss says he has one question in mind that I think applies to every authors, and that’s â€Å"What can you do that would really delight your fans?† For people who really like your story, how can you double down and give them extra stuff that they would just want more and more of if they really love that story? There’s a really wonderful essay on this, that’s also relevant for early-stage entrepreneurs, called ‘1000 True Fans’.I’m still figuring that out. If people read Uncommon Stock, what more would they want? I know they’d want the sequel because they’re all asking for it, so that’s good -  I’m working on that. But beyond that what are other things that, for someone who loves a book, would make their day? What would make them happy or make them think of it again or think that it’s cool? And I’m always struggling with that.If I was constantly thinking about how I could sell more books, I wouldn’t enjoy the experience of being a writer much. If I want to look at the world cynically, my experience becomes cynical.REEDSYIt’s a bad filter on the creative process.ELIOTYou’re going to have a filter no matter what. If your filter is ‘how can I create something that people will love,’ that’s a fun filter to have. If your filter is ‘how can I create something that people will buy, not only is that less fun from the creativ e perspective, but it’s also very difficult to ascertain. It’s not obvious what people will buy. If you’re trying to select for that, it doesn’t mean you’re going to have any higher chance of success than someone who’s just trying to create something that people will love, and they’re going to have a much better time doing it.REEDSYYou worked with FG Press on ‘Uncommon Stock’ -  what was that like? Did it free you from the commercial pressures traditionally published authors work with, like having to earn out an advance?ELIOTFirst of all, FG Press gives no advances. You have a 50/50 split on all royalties. A typical big-5 contract gives the author about 15% -  that’s fancy math, but that’s more or less what it breaks down to. FG Press is giving a much larger cut on royalties and they’re giving no advance, and I wanted it that way. I think the advance system sets up the wrong in centive. Then the author is writing a book and selling it to a publisher, rather than selling it to a reader. The people who are important to me are my readers. My publisher is important to the extent that they help me either produce something better or do something that makes my readers more happy. I would self-publish in a heartbeat if FG Press was not providing those things for me.The commercial pressures are tied to advances, but the reason that authors are subject to those pressures is because they want the advance. That’s where things can get messy, and that’s part of what FG Press set out to try to do differently. Does that create different challenges? Of course. If you’re not giving advances, the writer has to support themselves until book sales start coming in -  if they do. That’s not a universally good decision -  you need to choose which risk factors you want to take on to produce the kind of content you want to make. T hat’s what they’re doing, that’s their model, and that’s why it’s different. They’re betting that authors who publish through them willingly want to build a readership and want to earn money based on how popular the damn book is, regardless of whether a high-level editor thinks you have potential.REEDSYWhat is FG Press offering their authors in exchange for the initial 50%?ELIOT PEPERFirst of all they’re writing the checks for the initial production costs. It’s true, they take that financial risk, so that’s great for authors who can’t write the checks to take the risks for editing and production. That’s useful and it shows that they’re committed to the title. It just doesn’t cost that much to produce a book. The part where they really add value is through helping to establish a community of readers. As a -  very personal -  example I was sharing my book with Brad becaus e I thought he would like it, and he’s a well-known guy among people who might also like it. If he likes it and writes a review of it, it could be really useful for helping me connect with new readers.When I wrote the book and we released it, that was super useful. Not only did he post about it but he talked to TechStars. TechStars bought ‘Uncommon Stock’ on a license for all of TechStars -  present and future founders. So every TechStars person now gets sent a digital copy of Uncommon Stock. I’d have never been able to achieve that on my own because I don’t have those relationships and I don’t know those people. But working with FG Press it was really cool to be able to do things like that. Or as another example, Foundry Group issued a fake investment. Would they have done that if I was a random self-published author? Probably not, right? So there have been many opportunities working with them for serendipity in terms of working with them that have definitely benefitted me hugely and that I really appreciate that I think also benefit readers. That was a cute stunt, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that for readers.Honestly, the way that I see it at the end of the day and the way that I think FG press is trying to build themselves and the philosophy they take to the table is that they want to just create a publishing model that makes common sense for authors and book production, and then they want to treat everyone like a friend. I’m doing a panel at a tech event. I called FG Press and said â€Å"Guys, I have this opportunity with this big panel -  wouldn’t it be fun if we could like get excerpts of the book to everyone going?† So we’re creating this co-branded landing page where everyone can go pick them up if they want to. Then FG Press said â€Å"If you’re looking for people for the panel, here are a couple of CEOs in the Foundry portfolio that cou ld be a good fit.† So that’s awesome, it makes the panel even better. And so I get to meet a bunch of CEOs who give me good material for my sequel. It’s an all-around everybody-wins.REEDSYHow important was it working with an editor?ELIOT PEPERFirst of all, I need an editor, and I think anyone who thinks they don’t is crazy. If you want to produce something that’s really fun to read, it needs to be edited by someone who knows what they’re doing.I had a couple of different stages. I shared the drafts with Brad but he wasn’t providing on-going feedback and I didn’t want him to. When I’m working on my first rough draft feedback slows me down, it doesn’t speed me up. I need to basically vomit onto the page, and then take that sack of shit in Word format and try to make it better. My first filtration process to try to make it slightly better was sending it to a couple of beta readers who I’d been really selective with. These were people who I had to trust would both be super honest -  not just say it was nice or whatever. I had to know that they’d give me lot of constructive negative feedback.They also each had a specific perspective they could add. One of them for example was probably the top Angel investor in San Diego, and he also studied Literature at Stanford. And so he has this dual perspective of knowing a lot about the English language and loving books, but also being very involved in tech and early-stage startups. I had a friend from grad school, who ended up being my developmental editor, who used to be an editorial exec in Hollywood. She had the whole movie perspective on how those structured plot elements. Movies are incredibly structured stories, and I don’t know that stuff. Having her perspective to help inform where the story could be improved was really useful. They sent back feedback in different forms. Some sent an email with high-level thoughts, s ome people sent me page references. I thought it through, took it on balance, incorporated it.Then I wanted to do a more in-depth, structural look at it because, as I said, I don’t really outline. That’s how I feel comfortable in the creative process but it means more work at the end because you end up having things that don’t work or don’t make sense or aren’t tight enough in terms of plot and character development. So I did three rounds of developmental editing with my friend from grad school. We made a lot of notes, had a couple of phone conversations, and then I would go through and address the problems I thought were important. We did three of those, and each got more gritty. The first one, she didn’t even make notes. She read it, wrote down thoughts, talked through some of the high-level issues. The next one was more scene-oriented, and the final one was more paragraph-by-paragraph.Once we were done with that, I did one more round of b eta readers, different people, got different feedback, incorporate it†¦ and that’s when Brad was giving a lot of detailed feedback. Finally, once we were satisfied with the content we moved onto language. So I did a round of copyediting, then two rounds of proofreading before formatting it for Kindle and print and all that.REEDSYThanks for your time Eliot.