Here are some of my favorite stories I’ve written, many of which have nothing to do with presidents and their books!
My favorite publication, as both a reader and a writer, was Deadspin, and I remain proud of two two-part stories I wrote for it. The first focuses on a youth baseball player named Jericho Scott:
- “The Ballad Of Jericho Scott.”
- “The Boy Who Was ‘Too Good’ To Play Youth Baseball Never Got To Grow Up.”
The second focuses on my neighbor, an octogenarian basketball lover named Iris:
- “My 84-Year-Old Neighbor Has The Only Good NBA Takes.”
- “I Took My 84-Year-Old Neighbor With The Only Good NBA Takes To A Pacers Game.”
I like writing about books and ideas, especially when I can profile authors:
- “How Ohio Shaped Toni Morrison’s Fiction.” Cincinnati Magazine.
- “The Professor’s Swerve: A Profile of Stephen Greenblatt.” Boston Globe. (pdf)
- “The Midwest Writers Workshop Scandal.” Indianapolis Monthly.
I also like writing about politics, especially at the state level:
- “Indiana Is Weird.” FiveThirtyEight.
- “How UNH Turned A Quiet Benefactor Into A Football-Marketing Prop.” Deadspin.
Even after ten years on the beat, I still like writing about presidents and their books! Here are a few stories that are similar to Author in Chief, though I ended up cutting most of this material from the book for pacing reasons. Consider them deleted scenes, or maybe a free preview:
- “The Mystery Buffs in the White House.” New York Times Book Review.
- “First Lady Lit.” New York Times Book Review.
- “The Furor over Nixon’s Memoirs.” New York Times Book Review.
Craig Fehrman 
Enjoyed Author in Chief book very much. Fantastic Scholarship. It answered a lot of questions I had about presidential writing. One question, there was no commentary on Herbert Hoovers Presidential memoirs? Why? Granted they were dry as dust, but am I am curious. I hope you reply.