Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts Hardcover – July 18, 2017

Years ago now, I stumbled across Holiday's reading list and have been following it and his writing ever since. As an avid reader, one thing that I have grown tired of is non-fiction writer's putting out the same thing, over and over again in different ways. I have given up on entire genres because no one has anything original to say, they just copy each other ad nauseum, and the books are stale before they hit the shelves.Holiday is an exception to that rule, and everything he has written so far is always original and in his distinct voice. For this book in particular, I have read a lot in the genre of book creation/marketing. I helped run a small publishing company at one point and for part of my learning, I bought and read as many books on the business of books as I could. While Perennial Seller is not focused exclusively on books, authors will find more here that is useful than other creatives. Of all the books I have read on writing, this one stands out as my top recommendation moving forward. It succinctly covers Creation, Positioning, Marketing, and Platform and wastes no space in doing so. Some highlights include:"While many dream perennial-selling dreams, they think that the wanting–instead of the work–is what matters.""The difference between a great work and an idea for a great work is all the seat, time, effort, and agony that go into engaging that idea and turning it into something real. That difference is not trivial."The two best things to focus on as a nonfiction writer are enjoyability and utility."At a very basic level, if you're not amazing in every facet, you're replaceable. To publishers, studios, investors, and customers alike."The one sentence, one paragraph, one page exercise to make your product clear is invaluable.". . . nothing has sunk more creators and caused more unhappiness than this: our inherently human tendency to pursue a strategy aimed at accomplishing one goal while simultaneously expecting to achieve other goals we've specifically deprioritized."Only one thing matters in marketing: word of mouth.Bottom line: This is an extremely practical and enjoyable book, both original and drawing on the wisdom of many other creatives. If you are at the idea stage and haven't been able to break through to do the work, buy this book. Reading it gave me the push I needed to start working on other things that have been in the idea stage for too long. Highly Recommended.

This one showed up at my office on July 18th. I searched for a gift note as I didn't recall ordering up any books. Then, later in the day, I received an email from the author announcing his book was out and it dawned upon me that I pre-ordered it as Ryan Holiday has fast become one of my favorite authors.I set it aside until my mentor Kevin Nations posted on Facebook that this book was his favorite read in the past five years and I was suddenly inspired to make it my next.In Perennial Seller, Ryan gives us the quintessential guide to crafting your masterpiece, whether it's a song, movie script, book, or any other creative work.Part I is about the creative process. The most important theme here is that it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Creating a lasting masterpiece is hard work and there are no shortcuts.Part II is about positioning. Here Ryan talks about the importance of finding your editor, polishing, perfecting, testing, and retesting. He also stresses the importance of knowing exactly who your book is for.Part III is about marketing your work. Earlier in the book, Ryan makes a point of saying content is king and argues against 20% creation and 80% promotion, but in this chapter he reminds us just how important marketing is to make an impact.Part IV is about using your platform. He talks about the use of social media, networks, and he places added emphasis on email lists. Who winds up hearing your message about changing the world if you don't have a platform from where you can promote?I love Ryan's work and I've read 5 of his 6 books in just the last couple of months. He is an avid reader himself and always inserts quotes from other works that are relevant and meaningful.I've found his books to have practical knowledge that can be used in your daily life, whether it's marketing techniques, using Stoic Philosophy to live a better life, or this guide to creating and selling your masterpiece.Amazon gives this one a 4.7 after 46 reviews and Goodreads has a 4.34 after 173 ratings and 27 reviews. I gave this one 5 stars, a rating I seldom give out, and I highly recommend this one to anyone looking to create their masterpiece.#FridaysFind #MIAGD #PerennialSeller #RyanHoliday #Creation #Positioning #Marketing #Platform #ItIsAMarathonNotASprint #LindyEffect