PERENNIAL SELLER | RYAN HOLIDAY | 2017 | NON-FICTION

After reading a few of Ryan Holiday’s books on Stoicism, I thought that one of his earlier books, based on his career in sales and marketing, could be a good follow-up. It’s aimed at creative types such as artists, authors, musicians and entrepreneurs. As a former marketing strategist, his advice in this book ranges from actually doing the work needed through to marketing the finished product.

A couple of the quotes that stand out in the beginning of the book include: writers write, and the fact that those who create classic work cannot help but do it, asking: What is it that you cannot, not do?

Mr Holiday suggests that for a work to be a classic or perennial seller it will need to stand the test of time: think Charles Dickens, Bob Dylan and Jane Austen. They’re all household names and famous for their enduring work. He says that what these perennial sellers achieve is based on epic principles and their desire to create no matter what.

The book abounds in interviews and quotes to highlight Holiday’s premise, such as: don’t have ready-made excuses for failure; and, you must have a reason to write or make music. On the topic of writing, a couple of ideas he promotes include: it’s not what a book is, it’s what a book does; and, non-fiction books must be either entertaining or practical.

The final section is about building a platform for your work. He insists this is essential. Whether it’s YouTube videos, podcasts, book trailers, giving away your work from your website or selling your work on Amazon at ridiculously cheap prices (he says you can always increase the price) his advice is to get your work out there and build momentum. As he says, you’re the CEO of your creativity, step up and promote your work.

He insists that to be successful, creatives need to tap into many audiences: those that read or listen, or watch videos or are thrilled to receive free information, ideas or stories from your email list. Nurture your followers, communicate with your customers and create every day.

This book is full of excellent advice for the target audience. It’s well written, and both entertaining and practical.