Sterling Terrell

recovering economist

Should Writers Participate?

Should Writers Participate?

For success, Ryan Holiday suggests that writers participate.

By that, he means to participate with their fans.

I can’t be that I write something, you buy it, and then I tell you to go away.

Now we know why all these writers and artists are constantly doing interviews, live videos, and fan meetings…

The goal is not a marginal fan that buys your art.

The goal is a superfan impatient for everything you create.

Barbara Hendricks, founder of a prestigious book PR firm (having represented authors like Jack Welch and Clayton Christensen), put it like this: “Authors who want long-term success should adopt this mantra: Participate. Participate. Participate.” But forget authors. People who want long-term success must participate—and do so authentically and honestly.

-Ryan Holiday, Perennial Seller

The Dull Truth Of Lasting Success

The Dull Truth Of Lasting Success

The dull truth of lasting success is this:

It is incredibly hard.

I mean, no one is going to give it to you.

Robert Greene pointed to this when he talked about “the real formula for power.”

And the worst part?

The worst part is that after all that effort, you still may end up like Van Gogh.

But I don’t know, what is the alternative?

The first step of any creator hoping for lasting success—whether for ten years or ten centuries—is to accept that hope has nothing to do with it. To be great, one must make great work, and making great work is incredibly hard.

-Ryan Holiday, Perennial Seller

Sterling Terrell