The book that Inc. says "every entrepreneur should read" and an FT
Book of the Month selection...
How did the movie The Shawshank Redemption fail at the box office but
go on to gross more than $100 million as a cult classic?
How did The 48 Laws of Power miss the bestseller lists for more than
a decade and still sell more than a million copies?
How is Iron Maiden still filling stadiums worldwide without radio or
TV exposure forty years after the band was founded?
Bestselling author and marketer Ryan Holiday calls such works and
artists perennial sellers. How do they endure and thrive while most
books, movies, songs, video games, and pieces of art disappear quickly
after initial success? How can we create and market creative works that
achieve longevity?
Holiday explores this mystery by drawing on his extensive experience
working with businesses and creators such as Google, American Apparel,
and the author John Grisham, as well as his interviews with the minds
behind some of the greatest perennial sellers of our time. His
fascinating examples include:
- Rick Rubin, producer for Adele, Jay-Z, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers,
who teaches his artists to push past short-term thinking and root their
work in long-term inspiration.
- Tim Ferriss, whose books have sold millions of copies, in part because
he rigorously tests every element of his work to see what generates the
strongest response.
- Seinfeld, which managed to capture both the essence of the nineties
and timeless themes to become a modern classic.
- Harper Lee, who transformed a muddled manuscript into To Kill a
Mockingbird with the help of the right editor and feedback.
- Winston Churchill, Stefan Zweig, and Lady Gaga, who each learned the
essential tenets of building a platform of loyal, dedicated supporters.
Holiday reveals that the key to success for many perennial sellers is
that their creators don't distinguish between the making and the
marketing. The product's purpose and audience are in the creator's mind
from day one. By thinking holistically about the relationship between
their audience and their work, creators of all kinds improve the chances
that their offerings will stand the test of time.
