> I don't want to get into a slug-fest over the work.
That wasn't my intention at all. I just thought I'd share my first impression because, as a newcomer to your work, I probably see it much differently than you do.
I read through your whole post, and -- sorry, this is going to be another first impression, made over the internet, so take it with a grain of salt -- you seem to be very emotionally involved with your work. I would be, too, if I spent that much time on something. I think you would benefit from seeking advice from an unbiased third party. I don't know who that would be -- a publisher? an agent? I know nothing about the book world.
> Finally, you have to consider that a landing page, if you're honest, isn't just to sell books. One of the most important things you can do is turn away people that might be wasting their money. I know that goes against all that is good and holy on HN, but really. I don't want people reading it that are wasting their time. That's awful.
I think a good, professional publisher (or whoever) would berate you for saying this. How can you possibly know who will benefit from your work and who won't ahead of time? I also don't like deceptive advertising but I think you can make your work attractive while also being honest and true to yourself.
For the record, I share a lot of your frustrations with regards to generating publicity. I really resonated with this:
> Creating something does not immediately cause good feedback to happen. Just the opposite. Now the _real_ work begins: getting people to listen. And that's usually a long, difficult, demoralizing slog. You suck it up and move on.
However, I don't think that viewing this as long, difficult, or demoralizing is productive or even rational reaction to have, which is why I'm working on trying to see this differently, myself.
I believe you're reading this as much more negative and confrontative than it was meant to be. The post was about how there was an emotional journey to creating great things. My comment simply relayed a personal experience that agreed with the tweet. That's it. It's an emotional journey. Creating things of value can be deeply emotional.
More to the point, recognize the sucky parts and continue on anyway.
"I think you would benefit from seeking advice from an unbiased third party." -- sure thing. I've ran more than 50 beta readers through the book. And I plan on seeking editing services. A trusted third-party is always a good thing. Why wouldn't it be?
"How can you possibly know who will benefit from your work and who won't ahead of time?" Well you can't, which is why you use beta readers. I know my work. I know my work helps people. And I know the people I help would also be helped from this book. That's just a starting place, mind you, but it's a pretty strong one. Then, and only then, do you start looking at tone, product-market fit and the rest of it.
I decided not to go the professional publishing route, even though I probably could have made it work. Why? Because I am purposefully doing this upside-down. That doesn't mean a professional publisher or editor wouldn't be great. Self-publishing is a ton of work. But so is ditch-digging. So is anything of this nature.
Yes, I can certainly make my work attractive while also being honest. I have work to do. Yay!
The purpose of the tweet was to tell people that there's an emotional trough you have to go through. That was also my purpose. It's normal -- and whether you need to get angry, happy, sad, or whatnot to make your way through it, it's quite an emotional ride! Don't lie to yourself about what's ahead and prepare yourself.
> I believe you're reading this as much more negative and confrontative than it was meant to be.
Absolutely not. I found your posts really interesting, it's a perspective I hadn't considered and you articulate it well. And no confrontation was intended from my end.
> Don't lie to yourself about what's ahead and prepare yourself.
"What's ahead" is unpredictable and unknown. You should certainly be prepared, but just avoid self-fulfilling prophecies like saying "it's difficult" etc. That can also put some people off of ever creating anything in the first place.
That wasn't my intention at all. I just thought I'd share my first impression because, as a newcomer to your work, I probably see it much differently than you do.
I read through your whole post, and -- sorry, this is going to be another first impression, made over the internet, so take it with a grain of salt -- you seem to be very emotionally involved with your work. I would be, too, if I spent that much time on something. I think you would benefit from seeking advice from an unbiased third party. I don't know who that would be -- a publisher? an agent? I know nothing about the book world.
> Finally, you have to consider that a landing page, if you're honest, isn't just to sell books. One of the most important things you can do is turn away people that might be wasting their money. I know that goes against all that is good and holy on HN, but really. I don't want people reading it that are wasting their time. That's awful.
I think a good, professional publisher (or whoever) would berate you for saying this. How can you possibly know who will benefit from your work and who won't ahead of time? I also don't like deceptive advertising but I think you can make your work attractive while also being honest and true to yourself.
For the record, I share a lot of your frustrations with regards to generating publicity. I really resonated with this:
> Creating something does not immediately cause good feedback to happen. Just the opposite. Now the _real_ work begins: getting people to listen. And that's usually a long, difficult, demoralizing slog. You suck it up and move on.
However, I don't think that viewing this as long, difficult, or demoralizing is productive or even rational reaction to have, which is why I'm working on trying to see this differently, myself.