Norrie Epstein

How did you become a writer?

It was just a natural outgrowth of being a reader. I can’t pinpoint a moment when I declared myself a writer because in my mind I already was. I began writing a diary at six. Recently I came upon it and began searching it for evidence of precocity. There was none—obviously I didn’t think being a writer meant you had to be good at it.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.)

As a child, I loved stories in which characters enter a portal into another world, like Alice in Wonderland. But also influential were the biographies of the Siamese twins Chang and Eng, Babe Didrikson, the first female superstar athlete, and Christine Jorgensen, the first transsexual. I’d love to write a novel that would encompass all that.

When and where do you write?

Anywhere and anytime. For a while I could only work in my attic office, but when it seemed too solitary, I began writing in public places. I find the background hum a reassuring reminder that normal life goes on.

What writing tools do you favor? (Specifically: computer, word processor, dictionary, thesaurus, apps, etc.)

I’m loyal to the Macbook Pro.   

What are you working on now?

I'm writing a book about the human/dog bond, which I don’t see as sentimental. Its more like the relationship between Frankenstein and his monster. As the only species created by humans, dogs reflect our dreams. prejudices and values. Take the purebred/mongrel distinction, which arose during the waves of immigration. Or dog fancy, a mirror of our own stratified society. It’s funny—we’re surprised at and praise dogs’ responsiveness to our needs—but it’s breeders who’ve made them that way.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

In graduate school I was practically aphasic. A Ph.D. in English literature is a mixed blessing. You’re introduced to the “canon,” i.e., works by “real writers” who inhabit a very different sphere from your own. At the same time you’re honing your critical skills. I was constantly comparing myself to great writers, and when I did write, my prose sounded like that of a senile Oxford don.  

What’s your advice to writers?

This goes back to the last question. A professor of mine asked me to tell him what I wanted to write, to pretend we were having an informal conversation. I probably wasn’t very coherent, but when I was finished, he said, “Write all that down.” I was stunned. I asked, “I can do that?” “Absolutely,” he said. And that’s my advice: Pretend you’re talking to a sympathetic listener and just write it down.

Norrie Epstein is the author of The Friendly Shakespeare and The Friendly Dickens; she is the editor of The Technique of the Love Affair by Doris Langley Moore and, with Jon Winokur, Happy Motoring: Canine Life in the Fast Lane. After receiving a Ph.D. in Victorian Literature, she taught at UCLA, Goucher College, and Stevenson University. She is currently writing a book about dogs and people.

Michael Sigman

How did you become a writer?

In college I was more interested in music and philosophy than writing. My dad, who was a songwriter, helped me get a writing job at Record World, a music trade magazine, during the summers. When I graduated with a degree in philosophy, there were no jobs for philosophers, so I went to work full-time at Record World and stayed for 11 years, most of them as editor.

Name your writing influences (teachers, writers, books, experiences, etc.)

My ninth grade English teacher, Mr. Keith. Professor Dennis Baumwoll at Bucknell U. Getting hit with billy clubs during the 1968 riots in Paris. Besides the obvious canonic writers, there’s Ken Kesey, Jon Stewart, the Family Guy guy, Elmore Leonard, Jon Leonard, Jonathan Lethem, Michael Ventura, Harold Meyerson, David McGee, tons more.

When and where do you write?

Early in the morning in a little room downstairs.

What writing tools do you favor? (computer, word processor, dictionary, thesaurus, apps, etc.)

Computer. Definitely online Dictionary, Thesaurus, Bartlett’s and, in a pinch, rhyming dictionary.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing once or twice a week for huffingtonpost and putting together a book of my essays, to be accompanied by illustrations. Also pieces for the small but mighty online mag The Bluegrass Special.

How do you assess the current state of book publishing?

Terrible for authors. Unless you get very lucky, you need to have a “platform” to be seriously considered. Otherwise, self-publishing is a way to go if you are good at shameless self-promotion.

Do you foresee a time when you’ll bypass traditional publishers altogether?

Absolutely. I’m in the midst of self-publishing a book right now, and preparing for shameless self-promotion. See above.

How has the Internet affected your writing process?

It’s a blast to write something and have it available to readers instantaneously. It’s also wonderful to get comments – and corrections – and be able to improve on the original.

Do you ever have doubts about your writing ability?

If so, how do you overcome them? I have almost nothing but doubts. I don’t overcome them, just press on.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

No. for many years I was a publisher and mostly wrote emails and memos, which had to be produced constantly. So I got used to some sort of writing every day.

What’s your advice to writers?

Besides the clichés – e.g. “write!” – I’d say find a friend or acquaintance who knows writing to read your stuff and give you unvarnished critiques.

Michael Sigman is a writer, editor, publisher and media consultant, and the president of Major Songs, a music publishing company which owns the catalogues of his late father, the songwriter Carl Sigman -- whose songs include “Ebb Tide,” “It’s All In The Game,” “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story,” “What Now My Love,” “Arrivederci Roma” and hundreds more -- and several contemporary songwriters.

Sigman was the publisher and later also president and CEO of LA Weekly, the nation’s largest alternative newsweekly, from 1983-2002. During his tenure at the paper, he was also corporate publisher of LA Style Magazine, a successful monthly founded and published by LA Weekly from 1985-88 until it was sold to American Express. Sigman was also the founding publisher of OC Weekly, sister paper to LA Weekly, when it was launched in 1995. 

Sigman also supervised LA Weekly Books, an imprint through St. Martin’s that published books by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jonathan Gold, Bruce Campbell, Diana Wagman and Eddie Little, among others.

Prior to joining LA Weekly, Sigman was a music journalist, and served as a reporter, then managing editor, then editor-in-chief of Record World Magazine, a leading music industry weekly, from 1972 to 1982.

Sigman’s writing appears weekly on huffingtonpost.com and has also been published in Record World, LA Weekly, the LA Times, OC Weekly, The District Weekly, LA Style, The Bluegrass Special and other newspapers, magazines and websites. He is also the author of a biography of his father. He’s currently working on a biopic of legendary music man John Hammond.

Michael Sigman graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude, with a BA in Philosophy, from Bucknell University in 1971.

Guy Kawasaki

How did you become a writer?

I was having a frustrating time at work, so I wrote my first book as a cathartic experience because I knew that there must be a better way. Thus, you could say that I became a writer to escape.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.)

Teacher: Harold Keables, Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii. He was my high school English teacher and the biggest influence by far. Were he alive, he would be astounded that I'm actually getting paid to write. Writers: John McPhee, Ambrose Bierce. Books: If You Want to Write, The Elements of Style, The Chicago Manual of Style. By the way, I only read fiction, except when I'm writing a book. When I'm writing a book, I read competitive books for market research. The kind of fiction that I read is stuff by Daniel Silva, David Baldacci, and Frederick Forsyth. In other words, love stories—love of guns and violence.

When and where do you write?

I can write anywhere at any time. I can also sleep anywhere at any time. Usually, I bounce between these two states unless I'm playing hockey.

What writing tools do you favor? (Specifically: computer, word processor, dictionary, thesaurus, apps, etc.)

Computers: MacPro (home office), iMac (family room), MacBook Pro (everywhere else). Software and sites for writing books: Microsoft Word, Dictionary (the Apple app), Wikipedia, TextExpander. Software for writing blogs: MarsEdit, BBEdit. Proofing books: iPad 3G, iAnnotate, Pogo Stylus. I've found that the best way to proof a manuscript is to put it on an iPad and read it as if it's already an e-book. I don't know why, but this works extremely well for me.

What are you working on now?

I'm writing a book called Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. I want to write the best book ever for people to influence, woo, and persuade others and change the world. I'm also working on my forward and backward crossover skating.

How do you assess the current state of book publishing?

iPad changes everything. It may take ten years, but printed books are going the way of desktop computers: there are many around, some people will buy new ones, but most people buy laptops at this point. How many people do you know who buy desktop computers? In ten years, buying a printed book will be as unusual as buying a desktop computer. Eighty percent of the books that I buy are for my iPad since the day I got my iPad. Bookstores have to do some real bold, out-of-the-shelf thinking to survive. I wish I had the answer for them.

Do you foresee a time when you’ll bypass traditional publishers altogether?

I will bypass them when 80% of book sales are e-books—that is, unless I'm locked into a multiple-book deal with a huge advance at the time. Many people buy my books as gifts. Can you imagine getting an ebook as a gift? "Here's your gift link. Click to feel appreciated." Or, "We're having an author signing. Print out the first page of your e-book and bring it with you." I don't think so.

Do you write differently for the Internet than for a book?

Let me put it this way: the Internet has changed how I write a book. I use shorter paragraphs and bulleted or numbered lists all the time. 140 characters is the new paragraph. Or, if you're Japanese, it's the new haiku.

Do you ever have doubts about your writing ability and if so, how do you overcome them?

None of my books have been New York Times bestsellers, so sometimes I lay awake at night wondering what I'm doing wrong. Based on some of what I've seen on the New York Times bestseller list, though, my marketing, not my writing, must be the problem. The only way to overcome my doubt is to write a New York Times bestseller, I guess.  

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

My approach to writer's block is to only write a book when I have something to say. That's why it's usually four years between books for me. What a concept, huh? If you have something to say, by definition, you don't have writer's block. That said, I do get writer's block when I have to write a blog post. When this happens, I look at other blogs to get ideas. Alltop.com is great for this purpose.

What’s your advice to writers? 

I'm a romantic about writing. When people tell me that they think they should write a book, I ask them why. Many tell me that they think a book will help them gain credibility and position them as a speaker, leader, or God help us, a politician. Make me puke. People should write when they have something powerful to say. Something so powerful, useful, insightful, or delightful that you feel a moral obligation to write about it. No one should write as a means to an end. Writing is an end in itself—a piece of art, a window into your soul, and your blood on the paper—or in the iPad's memory.

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.