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How to go From Blog to Book Deal in 2019
In 2008, there were stories everywhere on the internet about people who went from blog to book deal. Blogs were what podcasts are today. Everybody and their mother was starting one. They thought they would become famous and get a book deal.
But they didn’t see how much work it took. Ramit Sethi says the average person quits within 90 days. Most of the bloggers who started in 2009 are not around anymore. And many people don’t make it past the first year. My journey from blog to book deal took 7 years.
Today, the internet media landscape is more crowded than ever. It’s easier to start, but harder to stand out. So what does it take to go from blog to book deal in 2019?
1. Persistence
You’re not going to be a great writer when you start. Nobody falls out of the womb knowing how to walk. You learn to walk by falling, walking, and falling again until you stand.
You become a better writer by writing shitty first sentences, shitty drafts, and revising until you write something worth reading. Every piece of work you publish plants a potential seed.
You never know when or how it will bear fruit. I published the article that led to my book deal 2 years before my editor at Penguin found it. But, the real test isn’t just showing up.
