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Thomas Lin

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Born

The United States

Website

https://www.quantabooks.org/

Twitter

7homaslin

Genre

Science, Nonfiction, Fiction

Member Since

September 2018

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Thomas Lin is the founding publisher of Quanta Books. From 2012 to 2024, he was the founding editor-in-chief of Quanta Magazine, a Pulitzer Prize-winning publication that reports on developments in science and mathematics, with content syndicated in Wired, The Atlantic, Scientific American and The Washington Post. Lin previously worked at The New York Times, where he edited online features and wrote about science, technology and tennis. He has also written for Quanta, The New Yorker, Tennis, and other publications.

Book ratings: 5 stars = must read; 4 stars = recommended; 3 stars = worth taking a look if you're interested in the topic. ...more

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Thomas Lin Writing is nothing if not aspirational. We aspire, among other things, to write better. There's no end to what we can imagine, learn, observe, explore…moreWriting is nothing if not aspirational. We aspire, among other things, to write better. There's no end to what we can imagine, learn, observe, explore, question, try and get hopelessly wrong, all while hoping for the next small success, the next sign of forward progress. That's the beauty of it. Thankfully there's no shortage of advice for writers. Countless essays and books have been devoted to the subject. From one aspiring writer to another, let me add, simply: Find a good editor. By "good," I mean an editor experienced in nurturing the type of writing you aim to do, who has edited the writers you admire most and who, in sharing your vision, will identify your blind spots and ask tough questions. Writing is hard enough to do well in the best of conditions and with an abundance of support. Don't make it harder by going it alone. After you've found such a willing editor (itself a nontrivial task; in most cases this will involve workshops, internships or successfully pitching a story), here comes the hard part: Listen to what she or he has to say about your precious work and be open to revisions big or small in service of your readers. The easiest thing is to try to defend your work against all perceived criticisms. Unfortunately that mindset is unlikely to foster growth.

I say this not as an editor but as a fellow aspiring writer who was lucky enough to work for some of the finest editors in the world. It can be a humbling process at first but it will do wonders for your aspirations.(less)

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Average rating: 4.0 · 620 ratings · 75 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Alice and Bob Meet the Wall of Fire: The Biggest Ideas in Science from Quanta 4.06 avg rating — 386 ratings — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Prime Number Conspiracy: The Biggest Ideas in Math from Quanta 3.92 avg rating — 276 ratings — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Thomas Lin rated a book really liked it The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You by Scott E. Page	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Thomas Lin rated a book really liked it Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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