Surviving the wild

4 things to think about this week + a quote: becoming who you want to be, trusting your gut, VIP is better, a word about bestsellers, and more …

Time and time again, I’m reminded how much of a struggle it is for authors at the beginning of their career to get into the right mindset — that being an author is a marathon, not a sprint. Publishing can be overwhelming — you’re trying to navigate an entire industry with many moving parts and often different people telling you different things. Hopefully, this newsletter is helpful for anyone feeling pulled in too many directions. If there’s one thing I need tattooed on my forehead, it’s this quote by Derek Sivers: “If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no!”

SOMETHING TO READ

If you're one of the few people left who has not already heard about Atomic Habits by James Clear, I highly recommend it. It's about how tiny habits — just 1% a day — lead to BIG changes. Read or watch this insightful interview with the author on The Profile. Below are some of my favorite things he says, but one thing that stands out as particularly relevant for new authors is this: "Changing your habits is really a process of rewriting your story -- to get you to believe in something new about yourself and once you believe that, you don't really have to convince yourself to do it anymore, you're just acting in alignment."

Here are some other highlights:

"My writing always suffers if I haven't read enough that week."

"Reading is filling the tank; writing is like the adventure you take with your car."

"Automate your stream of input-- by choosing who to follow, you're choosing your future thoughts."

"I'm never far from a good idea, and most of them aren't mine."

SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO

Your inner voice. Trust your gut. We’re all bombarded daily with demands on our time and energy. Author Derek Sivers explains it perfectly: “If you’re not saying ‘Hell Yeah,’ then it’s a No.”

SOMETHING TO WATCH

“Inventing Anna” was a runaway success on Netflix — based on a true story about a young woman who was either an audacious entrepreneur and German heiress or a con artist — played by the incredible Julia Garner (best known as Ruth Langmore in Ozark).

In the first episode, at the very end, Anna tells the reporter, who wants to get her story, that she needs to secure a private room for them to talk in prison. The reporter is protesting, saying it’s too much work and that the public area will do just fine. Anna lowers her face and looks at the reporter above her black frame glasses to casually yet confidently say, “VIP is always better. It just takes work.”

SOMETHING TO KNOW

Achieving “Amazon Bestseller” status in a category on Amazon does not mean you should add “bestselling author” to all your bios, social media, etc. Here’s why.

QUOTE TO INSPIRE

“Are you taking over or are you taking orders? Are you going backward or are you going forward?” referenced by Tom Morello, founding member of Rage Against the Machine, as shared on The Tim Ferriss Show

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Cheers,
Carina