What did Nietzsche, Thoreau, Rousseau, and countless other philosophers have in common? They walked every day. Walking isn’t a form of transportation, it's a form of meditation. Here are 10 lessons from "A Philosophy of Walking" by Frédéric Gros:

4 Books that will make you a better writer: - "On Writing' by Stephen King - "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser - "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield - "Ernest Heming on Writing" by Ernest Hemingway

Meet your heroes: they're awesome.

Read more old books. Most books go out of print within a few years. Some survive decades, but only a rare few survive centuries. They last because they are timeless, not trendy. Those who understood us centuries ago still have plenty to teach us.

People have been claiming that books are dead for centuries: "The printed book is made of paper and, like paper, will quickly disappear.” –Johannes Trithemius (1492) "The newspaper is killing the book." –Théophile Gautier (1835) "Books will soon be obsolete." –Thomas Edison (1913) "The fact is that people don’t read anymore." –Steve Jobs (2008) "Books will not exist in about five years." –Nicholas Negroponte (MIT Media Lab co-founder, 2010) "The end of reading is here." –The Atlantic (2026) And yet, people are still reading books, and the global book market is expected to grow 5% annually for the next several years.

I cohosted an author dinner in NYC last week. Here's what we discussed and who joined: 1) There are riches in the niches Seth loves basketball and data, and wanted to write a book that combined those topics. But his publisher said it didn't have mass appeal. He thought it would be a fun project, so he decided to write it anyway and self-published it. The book didn't sell a ton of copies, but somehow a billionaire owner of an NBA team read it, loved it, and hired Seth for a lucrative consulting gig. Follow your passion, you never know where it might lead. 2) The audiobook market is HOT There's a big battle going on between Audible and Spotify right now. Both are investing heavily in audiobooks and hungry for more content. Which means they're willing to pay a lot for audio rights. Instead of just giving the rights to your publisher, keep them and shop them around. 3) The next frontier of intellectual property Authors are always talking about US and international book rights, ebook and audiobook rights, but what about AI book rights? That is the next frontier of IP for authors. Make sure in your contract that you retain your AI book rights and not your publisher. These trillion-dollar AI companies will likely start paying a lot of money for authors and their books (if you decide to sell to them). Here are the authors who joined: - Jonathan Goodman ("Unhinged Habits") - Amy Landino ("Good Morning Good Life") - Seth Stephens-Davidowitz ("Everyone Lies") - Nicole Op Den Bosch (publishing & audiobook advisor)

I cohosted an author lunch in NYC last week. Here's what we discussed and who joined: 1) Create multiple tiers of preorder rewards Most authors only have a 1-book preorder bonus. But some people in your audience want to go above and beyond to support you. Brainstorm multiple bonuses such as a 30-minute coaching session for preordering 25 copies or a 1-hour virtual keynote for preordering 100 copies. Look at what services people are already paying you for and turn those into bonuses they can buy by preordering your book. 2) Think of ways to AI-proof your book A standard "How-To book" can be easily written or summarized by AI. Instead, write a book that includes more of your personal story and experiences. Things AI can't find online. Focus more on the emotions of the story than the pure facts. Aim to transform the reader, not just inform them. 3) The AI-genie is out of the bottle There's a saying that you won't get replaced by AI, but by a human using AI. The same is true for authors. DON'T use AI for writing, but use it for everything else. Use it to help with research, fact-checking quotes, drafting emails to podcasters, and other tasks. Authors who use AI will be able to 10x their marketing efforts. Everyone is using AI, even publishers. Just make sure you're using it for the right things. Here are the authors who joined: - Jonathan Goodman ("Unhinged Habits") - Ariella KristalKirstal (work in progress) - David Perell (How I Write podcast) - Nathan Barry ("The Ladders of Wealth") - Tahl Raz ("Never Eat Alone")

If you're a guy in your 20s, here are 10 books I highly recommend reading:

Good news in the book industry: -Sales of print books have increased nearly 25% from a decade ago -Number of independent bookstores in the US has increased 75% since 2020 -Global book market is expected to grow 5% annually for the next several years newyorker.com/magazine/2026/…