Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday

Summary

What a read. I loved this book. I know I’ll be returning to this time and time again in the future.
 
Perennial seller started out a life as a book about book marketing itself. Ryan runs a successful book marketing company. After getting urged to write the book he started it. In the process, Ryan pivoted from “book marketing” to creating a classic work. A perennial seller.
 
In his early life, Ryan worked with the author Robert Greene. I’ve heard Ryan quote many times a single line from Robert that seems to have made a lasting effect on him. That question was: How do you write a classic? To which Robert replied:
 
It starts by wanting to create a classic.
 
This line summarises the book. The book is about how to create lasting work. Not only in writing but in anything. A product, a company or an idea that stands the test of time. That people return to time and time again and love.

Key insights

On creating – To create your best work, you need to create something you can’t not create. It has to be a labour of love. Something worth sacrificing for.
 
On finding your audience – Your work has to have an audience. Someone has to care. You need to loose the ego and gather feedback if you are to be successful.

Snippets

Making is also marketing.
Earned media is always better than paid media.
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 entirely unrelated.
You must deliberately forsake all other missions.
In order to create something truly great, you must submit yourself and your work to the feedback process.
Ignore what other people are doing. Ignore what is going on around you. There is no competition. There is no objective benchmark to hit. There is simply the best you can do – that’s all that matters.
Many creators want to be for everyone … and as a result, end up being for no one.
A timeless creation will not simply appear.
To actually give something up in the pursuit of your work is not only necessary but rewarding.
To make something great, what’s required is need. As in, I need to do this. I have to. I can’t not.
Lou Bichard
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