Book publishing is still in a place where editor can say that kind of thing, like amid for the careery. People pick up books not just because your name is on the cover, but they also have to be interested in the topic. I couldn't get people to read 500 pages on lego, as much as you think that's a fine idea. Oh, so it's that mix of the byline and the topic, i think that is really important how i pick what i'm going to read. And that casting, which is, of course, usually what editors do, is, i think it's really important.
Michael Pollan is a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine, the host of Netflix's How to Change Your Mind, and the author of nine books. The latest is This Is Your Mind On Plants.
“I have found myself at two distinct points in my history having this transition from being the journalist, learning at the feet of these people, to becoming an advocate. And it’s an awkward role for a journalist, but at a certain point it would be kind of false to pretend you didn't have points of view, that there weren't directions in which you think the world should go. And the great thing about doing narrative nonfiction is that editors cut you a fair amount of slack at the end of a 10,000–word piece to say what you think.”
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