Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
You must create room for the audience to inhabit and relate to the work. You must avoid the trap of making this about you—because, remember, you won’t be the one buying it. In that way, Robert’s insistence on diversity wasn’t coming only from his very real sense of fairness and tolerance. There was a genius business logic to his choices as well:
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Early in my career, I was a research assistant for Robert Greene, whose historic masterwork, The 48 Laws of Power, didn’t hit the bestseller lists until a decade after its release. It has since sold more than a million copies and has been translated into dozens of languages. I would suspect that a hundred years from now people will still be reading
... See moreRyan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
It’s also a cautionary warning to me against telling myself I am “done” too early. I want to prolong that introspective review phase. Because it may just save me from finding out my project was dead on arrival come launch day.
Ryan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
Phil Libin, the cofounder of Evernote, has a quote I like to share with clients: “People [who are] thinking about things other than making the best product never make the best product.”
Ryan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
This is the power of bringing in the perspective of a second person. It’s the difference between a life- and world-changing classic and a disappointing flop.
Ryan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
By patience, I’m not referring just to the amount of time that creation will take, but also the long view with which you evaluate your own work.
Ryan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
Looks are important, but they are only a fraction of this discussion. At some point in every project I work on, I find myself recommending that the creator take the time to consult the book The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. The first seven laws of this classic marketing tome deal with the art of positioning and packaging. Not branding or style,
... See moreRyan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
He wanted them to see themselves across his pages. (There is nothing more badass for a reader than to see themselves as the hero.) He also wanted them to be able to see their friends, family, and colleagues—so they could recommend it to them.
Ryan Holiday • Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts
most customers won’t get excited about a moderate improvement—because most people don’t even care.