Ep. 16 — David Grann on the Secret to Writing Bestsellers

David Grann has a writing career most of us just dream about. He's a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he pens powerful, narrative stories on everything from bank robbers to the hunt for the giant squid. He's also a bestselling author. His 2009 book, The Lost City of Z, traces the footsteps of explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett whose expedition to find an ancient, secret civilization in the Amazon disappeared in the 19th century. The book was adapted into a 2017 film.

His latest book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI tells the story of the tragic and mysterious murders that took place is Oklahoma in the 1920s and 30s and the investigation that followed. The book was optioned for $5 million and Scorsese, DiCaptrio, and Deniro are said to be attached. Nice!

David also happens to be an old college buddy of mine. In the podcast, we talk about the trajectory of his incredible career, which spans from the the New Republic to The New Yorker, and dig deep into his process of finding, researching, and writing such riveting stories.