I mentioned earlier that I’m trying to rid my life of “music business porn” — the magazines, newsletters and books that focus on “how to make it” in the music industry. To be fair, there are some really good resources out there. There are many more that are not.

I was talking with a co-worker yesterday about this. He’s an aspiring writer and has interest in doing voiceover work, and he suffers from the same sort of “how-to” overload. It’s easy (and strangely comforting) to spend way too much time reading articles on how to be a successful songwriter, or a bestselling novelist, or a great illustrator, or whatever.

Worse, there’s a whole industry whose existence depends on keeping creative-yet-insecure artists (and I’ve never met one who wasn’t a little insecure) in that limbo state of reading and thinking about things they want to do, instead of actually doing them. They’re counting on you to feel just unsure enough to buy the next tape in the series. You end up mistaking a passive activity for real action. It’s like trying to become a tennis pro by reading books on tennis — forever.

Above all, the things that I’m cutting share a common characteristic: a lack of real, actionable advice. And what little advice they might contain is usually nonspecific to stuff I’m dealing with right now.

So my co-worker and I, we’re gonna write a book: “How To Stop Reading How-to Books.” Followed shortly by a series of seminars entitled “How You Too Can Write A ‘How To Stop Reading How-to Books’ Book (and Earn Millions!)”

Previously: Libations and Tribble-ations

Next: The Death Of Audiotape