Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately I now receive more messages every day than I could ever reply to fully. To help, I’ve written answers to some of the most common questions below.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m running my own company, writing a novel, mentoring some new businesses, writing weekly articles and training 4 times a week for a 20-mile run over a mountain.
When does your novel come out?
Currently I’m rewriting / rethinking a huge portion of it, resulting in it splitting into two books. It’ll be much better for it, I promise.
Can you give me advice on X?
A lot of people come to me asking for advice, and I honestly try to help where I can.
But you should know that I don’t have all of life’s answers. I write about what I know; what you don’t see is all of the things that I don’t know. And diagnosing personal issues via email, in short bursts of time, is difficult for me to do well.
What I recommend is asking your question on Quora, a free Q&A site where I hang out a lot. Posting on Quora forces you to express your problem clearly, which is the first step in solving almost any problem. It also means other people like but besides myself will be able to help. I’ve answered over 100 questions on Quora to date.
Can we copy / translate your posts onto our blog?
Almost certainly yes, so long as you ask for permission first. There are some basic rules to follow. If you need artwork without text, you should get in touch.
Can you do an interview / talk for us?
At the moment I’m seriously limiting these so I can focus on my top priorities for 2014. You’re welcome to ask, but I’m likely to decline right now.
Can you draw something for us?
Sorry, no. For one I’m not actually that good, for another I run a company fulltime, so my hourly rate as an illustrator wouldn’t be very competitive.
Can you write something for us?
You can ask, but I’m likely to decline. Money is not a good way to motivate me; I’d prefer an opportunity to expand my audience.
Can we share something with your readers? Sponsorship / advertising / our own posts?
No. This blog is solely for my own writing. I have no intention to make money from it.
Who designed your website?
My website was made by Delighten, who custom designed and built a WordPress site, and customised MailChimp, the email system that updates my subscribers. You can learn more about my website here.
Do you do your own illustrations?
Nearly all the cartoons and diagrams are drawn by me, yes. I use Shutterstock for stock photography, which sometimes I tweak in Photoshop first.
How do you do your illustrations?
I use Adobe Photoshop for bitmap work, and Xara X for vector work, but the tools aren’t really that important. I wrote a couple of articles on this:
Why are you an atheist? / You should stop being an atheist
This is a serious topic that deserves a serious response, beyond what I have time for here. Suffice to say I don’t force my beliefs on anyone, but I haven’t come to them lightly, and you shouldn’t expect to change them via email.
I do get asked to justify myself quite frequently, and honestly, I haven’t got the time to do so via email. One day I’ll write a proper post on it.
