Lessons Learned from Writing Gonzo Capitalism
Two months ago I published my first book in three years, the longest gap I’ve had since I began this career. I also went on tour for the first time in … well, it seemed like forever!
It was a lot of work, a lot of fun, and it also came with a number of “lessons learned.” I’ll focus here on the lessons, since the first two (work and fun) are somewhat obvious.
So what did I learn? As is my practice in these situations (there are many earlier posts about wins and losses in the archives) I’ll try to give an honest reckoning here.
Highlights: What Went Well
I wrote a book! I mean, that’s something. I did get a little stuck on this one and ended up rewriting it at least four different times. I would have preferred to avoid some of that pain, but nevertheless I’m glad I persevered and I do think the rewriting made for a stronger book in the end.
I think I told the story well. It was hard to tie in a few different themes, but with all the rewriting (and some legit help from my friend and editor Talia Krohn), we got there.
In reflecting that belief, I really appreciated Arlan Hamilton‘s blurb:
“For the first time in history, the people in power no longer get to decide who has the chance to make money off their ideas: we all do. Gonzo Capitalism will inspire you to find creative ways to add new income streams and build new wealth using the tools you already have access to.”
That’s what the book is about: a) the people in power don’t get to decide everything for you, and b) you need to take the right kind of action to thrive in this economy.
I also had a lot of good reviews from readers, which is always nice. Ultimately I write for readers, after all. So the fact that many of you seemed to enjoy it is greatly appreciated. 🙏
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Translations will be coming out in different markets for a while. These usually follow the original edition by 6-12 months, though some don’t get done until years later. I love hearing about people finding my books far away and in their own language.
Last but not least, I went on a tour! This tour was a little different, as I’ll explain shortly, but it was also a lot of fun. I got to connect and reconnect with readers in 15 cities.
I felt nervous and anxious in the beginning, no doubt because it had been so long, but I soon found a rhythm. (Thanks so much to everyone who came out to an event.)
Okay, Some Lessons!
Book tours are different now. In short, it’s hard to get people to come out now! Much harder than pre-pandemic. I still had good crowds in several stops, but several others were a lot smaller than I’ve seen for other books.
My friend Jon Acuff mentioned this to me as well, noting that he previously saw crowds of 200-300 people for his tour stops, and the turnout dropped a lot on his first post-pandemic tour. I think it’s just kind of the new reality? But it did require some adjustment on my part.
A lot of small things were unnecessarily difficult. To take one example: for three weeks leading up to launch, the description for the audio version of the book was for a completely different book (and not one of mine!). It was a weird error that should have been quickly fixed, but for some reason it persisted until many people complained to Amazon and my publisher.
Speaking of the audiobook, for more than a week after launch there was another weird problem. In short, the audiobook sounded terrible. We’re still not sure what happened on the production side to cause this issue. The publisher eventually fixed it (or at least improved it), but this too was pretty stressful.
In case you got an early version of the audio, you should be able to re-download it and you’ll get the much better update. Sorry about that.
These and (sadly) several other snafus reminded me of a timeless rule of publishing: You’re on your own, kid! In fairness, this is not a new lesson. Every author should know this already—and if an author is expecting their publisher to do a lot for their book, that’s a mistake on the author’s behalf.
But for this time, I think it’s fair to say that I’d forgotten some of the lesson. I’ve now internalized it once more for future books. 🙂
Again, to take responsibility of my own: I haven’t always kept up well with the times. I’ve known this for a while too, but the effects really kicked in for this book launch and tour. Even though this book is largely about the creator economy, in some ways the creator economy is now consumed by viral content.
While I’m proud of Gonzo Capitalism, I think it’s not immediately clear who the single, ideal reader is. Given the short attention spans out there these days, knowing that answer right from the start is more important than ever. If you want to write a book, make sure you have this answer! Write for one person—the exact person who needs to hear what you have to say.
Everything is easier when you think about a single, ideal reader as opposed to some sort of target market or, worse, everyone.
Have You Read It Yet?
This time around, I learned a few lessons and would have done some things differently—but I’m still happy about it.
I’m very grateful to be able to write books, see them go out into the world, and travel to meet readers. It’s the best!
If you’ve followed the journey so far but haven’t yet gotten your hands on Gonzo Capitalism, I’d love for you to check it out! It’s a culmination of my observations, experiences, and insights in the new world of power and money.
Whether you’re a creator, an aspiring entrepreneur, or someone just interested in taking control of your financial destiny, the book can help you with practical, actionable ideas.
I’m now busy writing my next book. But of course, this one won’t be ready for some time—so check out Gonzo Capitalism or perhaps an earlier one for now. 🙂
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