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The Practice: Shipping Creative Work Hardcover – November 3, 2020

Purchase options and add-ons

• Print length 272 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Portfolio
• Publication date November 3, 2020
• Dimensions 5.15 x 0.98 x 7.28 inches
• ISBN-10 0593328973
• ISBN-13 978-0593328972
• See all details

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Editorial Reviews

About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved..

1. It’s Possible This is a book for people who want to lead, to write, or to sing. For people who seek to teach, to innovate, and to solve interesting problems. For people who want to go on the journey to become a therapist, a painter, or a leader. For people like us. It’s possible. The people who came before us have managed to speak up, stand up, and make a difference. While each journey is unique, each follows a pattern—and once you see it, it’s yours. We simply need to find the courage to be more creative. The forces that are holding us back have long been unseen, but we can see and understand them and begin to do our work. The practice is there if we’re willing to sign up for it. And the practice will open the door to the change you seek to make. 2. The Pattern and the Practice Our lives follow a pattern. For most of us, that pattern was set a long time ago. We chose to embrace a story about compliance and convenience, the search for status in a world constrained by scarcity. The industrial economy demands it. It prods us to consumption and obedience. We trust the system and the people we work for to give us what we need, as long as we’re willing to continue down the path they’ve set out for us. We were all brainwashed from a very early age to accept this dynamic and to be part of it. The deal is simple: follow the steps and you’ll get the outcome the system promised you. It might not be easy, but with effort, just about anyone can do it. So we focus on the outcome, because that’s how we know we followed the steps properly. The industrial system that brainwashed us demands that we focus on outcomes to prove we followed the recipe. That priority makes sense if the reliable, predictable outcome really matters and the payoff is truly guaranteed. But what happens when your world changes? Suddenly, you don’t always get what was guaranteed. And the tasks you’re asked to do just aren’t as engaging as you’d like them to be. The emptiness of the bargain is now obvious: you were busy sacrificing your heart and your soul for prizes, but the prizes aren’t coming as regularly as promised. The important work, the work we really want to do, doesn’t come with a recipe. It follows a different pattern. This practice is available to us—not as a quick substitute, a recipe that’s guaranteed to return results, but as a practice. It is a persistent, stepwise approach that we pursue for its own sake and not because we want anything guaranteed in return. The recipe for recipes is straightforward: good ingredients, mise en place , attention to detail, heat, finish. You do them in order. But when we create something for the first time, it’s not as linear, not easily written down. This new practice takes leadership, a creative contribution—something that not just anyone can produce, something that might not work but that might be worth pursuing. It’s often called “art.” The industrial system we all live in is outcome-based. It’s about guaranteed productivity in exchange for soul-numbing, predirected labor. But if we choose to look for it, there’s a different journey available to us. This is the path followed by those who seek change, who want to make things better. It’s a path defined by resilience and generosity. It’s outward focused, but not dependent on reassurance or applause. Creativity doesn’t repeat itself; it can’t. But the creative journey still follows a pattern. It’s a practice of growth and connection, of service and daring. It’s also a practice of selflessness and ego in an endless dance. The practice exists for writers and leaders, for teachers and painters. It’s grounded in the real world, a process that takes us where we hope to go. This practice is a journey without an external boss. Because there’s no one in charge, this path requires us to trust ourselves—and more importantly, our selves—instead. The Bhagavad-Gita says, “It is better to follow your own path, however imperfectly, than to follow someone else’s perfectly.” Consider the people who have found their voice and made a real impact: their paths always differ, but their practices overlap in many ways. At the heart of the creative’s practice is trust: the difficult journey to trust in your self , the often hidden self, the unique human each of us lives with. See the pattern, find your practice, and you can begin to live the process of making magic. Your magic. The magic that we need right now. 3. Are You Searching for Something? Most of us are. If we care enough, we keep looking for that feeling, that impact, that ability to make a difference. And then we look harder. Followers aren’t searching. They’re simply following in the footsteps of the people before them. Do well on the test, comply with the instructions, move to the next rung. Leaders seek to make things better, to contribute and to find firm footing. The chance to make a difference and to be seen and respected, all at once. That search has created our culture and the world we live in. More and more people, engaging and contributing, weaving together something worth building. Let’s call it art. The human act of doing something that might not work, something generous, something that will make a difference. The emotional act of doing personal, self-directed work to make a change that we can be proud of. We each have more leverage than ever before. We have access to tools, a myriad of ways forward, and a real chance to contribute. Your part matters. Your art matters. It’s worth reminding yourself that the question isn’t “can I make art,” because you already have. You have already spoken up at least once, contributed something that mattered. You’ve said something funny to a friend or perhaps even sold out Carnegie Hall. And now we need you to do it again. But more so. The real question is: “Do I care enough to do it again?” As John Gardner wrote, “The renewal of societies and organizations can go forward only if someone cares.” 4. Askıda Ekmek Askıda ekmek: there is bread on the hook. It’s an ancient tradition in Turkey. When buying a loaf at the local bakery, you can choose to pay for an extra loaf and, after bagging your purchase, the owner will hang the second loaf on a hook on the wall. If a person in need comes by, he or she can ask if there’s anything on the hook. If so, the bread is shared, and the hunger is relieved. Perhaps as important, community is built. When you choose to produce creative work, you’re solving a problem. Not just for you, but for those who will encounter what you’ve made. By putting your self on the hook, you’re performing a generous act. You are sharing insight and love and magic. And the more it spreads, the more it’s worth to all of those who are lucky enough to experience your contribution. Art is something we get to do for other people. 5. Finding a Practice Do you have a creative hero? Someone who regularly leads, creates, and connects? Perhaps they’re a dancer, a recording artist, or a civil rights lawyer. In every field of endeavor, some people stand out as the makers of what’s next, as the voices of what’s now. Here are some to get you started: Patricia Barber, Zaha Hadid, Joel Spolsky, Sarah Jones, Yo-Yo Ma, Tom Peters, Frida Kahlo, Banksy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bryan Stevenson, Nancy Lublin, Simone Giertz, Jonas Salk, Muhammad Yunus, Rosanne Cash, Greta Thunberg, John Wooden, Amanda Coffman—living or dead, famous or not, there are change-makers in every corner of our culture. With few exceptions, the careers and working processes of every one of these artists are similar. Their output is different, the circumstances are different, and the timing is different, but the practice remains. We can adopt a practice as well. Maybe we don’t need an industrial-strength recipe for what it means to do our jobs. Maybe instead of a series of steps to follow, we’d be better off understanding how the world actually works now. We can adopt a practice. Here are the surprising truths that have been hidden by our desire for those perfect outcomes, the ones industrial recipes promise but never quite deliver: ·        Skill is not the same as talent. ·        A good process can lead to good outcomes, but it doesn’t guarantee them. ·        Perfectionism has nothing to do with being perfect. ·        Reassurance is futile. ·        Hubris is the opposite of trust. ·        Attitudes are skills. ·        There’s no such thing as writer’s block. ·        Professionals produce with intent. ·        Creativity is an act of leadership. ·        Leaders are imposters. ·        All criticism is not the same. ·        We become creative when we ship the work. ·        Good taste is a skill. ·        Passion is a choice. Throughout this book, we’ll keep returning to surprising truths like these that fly in the face of what we’ve been taught about productive work in a system based on compliance and recipes. Artists have been shunned or shamed for embracing them, but that’s because these truths work. They subvert the dominant power structure while at the same time they enable us to make things better for the people we seek to serve. 6. Learning to Juggle I’ve taught hundreds of people how to juggle. Learning requires a simple insight: catching the ball isn’t the point. People who fail to learn to juggle always fail because they’re lunging to catch the next ball. But once you lunge for a ball, you’re out of position for the next throw, and then the whole thing falls apart. Instead, we begin with just one ball. And there’s no catching: throw/drop, throw/drop, throw/drop. Twenty times we throw the ball from our left hands, watching it land each time. And then we do it again with our right hands. Practicing how to throw. Getting good at throwing. If you get good enough at throwing, the catching takes care of itself. It turns out that all this dropping is the hardest part for someone who is learning to juggle. It makes them really uncomfortable to throw a ball and then stand there as it drops to the ground. The desire for outcome is deeply ingrained, and for some, this is the moment where they give up. They simply can’t bear a process that willingly ignores the outcome. For those who persist, the process quickly gathers momentum. Perhaps fifteen minutes later, we try throw/throw/drop/drop. Simply two balls and two throws. And then, without stress, throw/throw/catch/catch. It’s easy. There’s no problem, because the throws are where they should be, rehearsed and consistent. The process has gotten us this far. And then the last step is to add a third ball. It doesn’t always work, but it always works better than any other approach. Our work is about throwing. The catching can take care of itself.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (November 3, 2020)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593328973
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593328972
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.15 x 0.98 x 7.28 inches
• #262 in Creativity (Books)
• #539 in Motivational Management & Leadership
• #684 in Business Motivation & Self-Improvement (Books)

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The Practice: Shipping Creative Work

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About the author

Seth Godin is the author of 20 international bestsellers that have been translated into over 38 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. For a long time, Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

He worked as a year as the volunteer founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, and his recent bestsellers also include The Practice and This is Marketing.

He's a recent inductee to the Marketing Hall of Fame, and also a member of the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame and (go figure), the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame.

His book, Tribes, was a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It's about the most powerful form of marketing--leadership--and how anyone can now become a leader, creating movements that matter.

His book Linchpin came out in 2008 and was the fastest-selling book of his career. Linchpin challenges you to stand up, do work that matters and race to the top instead of the bottom. More than that, though, the book outlines a massive change in our economy, a fundamental shift in what it means to have a job.

In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth was founder and CEO of Squidoo.com,. His blog (find it by typing "seth" into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.

He's known as a pioneer in online education, and was the founder of the altMBA.

You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at sethgodin.com

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The Practice: Ship creative work

A new book by Seth Godin  <—–click to order (scroll to the bottom of this post for audio!)

… a New York Times bestseller

Creativity matters more than ever, and each of us is being called on to be a Creative. A professional, able to conjure original thought on command.

We tweet, we run meetings, we write. We invent and share ideas. Mostly, we’re in a race to find our voice, change the culture and make an impact that we can be proud of.

Along the way, we’ve also been brainwashed into believing that creativity is a gift, something mysterious that the muse hands to a few select people. We’re not to look at it too closely or it might disappear.

• Creative is a choice.

[Thanks to extraordinary Fernando Lazzari for creating the video]

“Seth’s book is a skeleton key specially molded to unlock the most creative version of you. Read it, and find yourself free to be who you know you really are.” — Brian Koppelman , co-producer and co-creator of  Billions 

An instant bestseller. You can order from Amazon or your favorite Indy by clicking here.

The book is based on the Creative’s Workshop , from Akimbo , which runs again in 2021.

We’ll be posting video blurbs here. If you’ve read the book and have something to say, please share! Click this link for the easy steps.

“ The Practice explains that what looks like a barrier is often a catalyst in disguise. Magic may not come from what we can see on the stage but from behind it, where the wood chopping happens.”

— Peter Gabriel , Musician

The magic is that there is no magic.

Creativity is a skill, not a talent. It can be learned. If we trust our selves, we can do more than we ever imagined.

The book covers intentional action (a better way to discuss ‘design thinking’), writer’s block (there’s no such thing) and criticism (most of it comes from fear and should be regarded with kindness). It helps people understand genre (not at all like ‘generic’) and the trap of becoming a hack (we must not sacrifice our standards simply to be heard).

Our best work happens when we contribute something new, something generous, something that makes an improvement. And making a contribution isn’t possible until we ship the work.

This is a book about finding your voice. A chance, whatever it is you do for a living, to go beyond where you are and figure out how to do work that matters, work you’re proud of.

It turns out that we’ve misunderstood creativity for a very long time, and that it’s not reserved for a few, and it’s not something to wish for or to be afraid of. It’s ours, whenever we’re ready for it.

[Read Steven Pressfield’s review here .]

The arc of our conversation can revolve around a few ideas, and I can move us forward without you having read the book… basically, I’d like to simply talk and take the discussion where it goes, as opposed to the Larry King sort of prompting.

This book is a capstone of decades of helping people discover that they’re able to find their voice and share it. That we shouldn’t wait for permission, but should figure out the change we seek to make and find a way to show up with our best work.

It’s not about painting or poetry or singing, but it’s about all of those. Because it’s also about leadership, office work, meetings and all the work that leaders need to embrace as well.

If it doesn’t ship, it doesn’t count.

With surgical precision,  The Practice attacks our predictable misconceptions about the creative process and replaces them with better ideas, one by one. This book will inspire you to make things, hone your craft, and nudge you to ship things you are proud of. Read it.” — Tobi Lutke , CEO, Shopify

Some of the surprising ideas in the book include:

• Skill is not the same as talent.
• A good process can lead to good outcomes, but it doesn’t guarantee them.
• Perfectionism has nothing to do with being perfect.
• Reassurance is futile.
• Hubris is the opposite of trust.
• Attitudes are skills.
• There’s no such thing as writer’s block.
• Professionals produce with intent.
• Passion is a choice.
• Creativity is an act of leadership.
• Leaders are imposters.
• All criticism is not the same.
• We become creative when we ship the work.
• Good taste is a skill.

Reader feedback:

This book is for you – if you think you are a creative – if you want to be creative and has been searching for some helpful tips

You will find it in The Practice. You will find more than what you had intended to find. Have it with you, read a few pages whenever you needed that extra boost to keep going. Do the work. It is even better if you read and do the practice in the workshop.

The process is more interesting than the destination. The practice is the process to get you from here to there.

Xiuming Liang

“This is the book I need right now. It’s an extraordinary and electrifying call to action for writers, artists and creators in every walk of life. I re-read passages and felt as if my own secret creed was being explained back to me, in words I hadn’t yet found.”

— Rosanne Cash , Grammy-winning singer-songwriter\

And some of the things worth riffing on are:

• Avoid certainty.
• Pick yourself.
• Results are a by-product.
• Postpone gratification.
• Understand genre.
• Embrace generosity.
• Ship the work.
• Learn from what you ship.
• Avoid reassurance.
• Dance with fear.
• Be paranoid about mediocrity.
• Learn new skills.
• Create change.
• See the world as it is.
• Get better clients.
• Be the boss of the process.
• Trust your self.

“The Practice is a user’s manual for finding your calling and an alchemist’s handbook for pursuing your dream.” — Steven Pressfield , author of  The War of Art

If you’re about to do something you’ve never done before—maybe it’s something that excites you or maybe it’s something that scares you—then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Practice.

It’s a book for people who seek to challenge the status quo. In it, Seth Godin reminds us that we’re all capable of being creative and making a difference in the world if we show up with the right attitude. That means giving yourself permission to make mistakes. Permission to try things that might not work. Permission to fail. Throughout the book, Godin challenges his readers to honor their potential. It’s more than an opportunity. It’s an obligation. He knows that most people hesitate, seek reassurance, and succumb to fear and self-doubt and so he offers a path forward for those who care enough to make a contribution.

Even when the outcome is uncertain. Especially when the outcome is uncertain. Godin asserts that the practice is a choice. It’s a commitment to show up consistently, a posture of generosity, and a set of skills you learn by doing the work over and over again. Even when you don’t feel like it. Especially when you don’t feel like it. Chances are, you already know these things. You just need a reminder, a field guide to reference from time to time, or a dose of accountability. The Practice offers all three.

Now, more than ever, the world needs you to lead without authority. The Practice teaches you how. Choose who you seek to serve, what change you seek to make, and what skills you need to learn, then begin where you are. You already have everything you need. You know what to do. Embrace your discomfort and simply start.

–Paula Braun

20. To Be of Service

Isn’t that what we’re here to do?

To do work we’re proud of.

To put ourselves on the hook.

To find the contribution we’re capable of.

The only way to be on this journey is to begin.

But there isn’t a guarantee. In fact, most of what we seek to do will not work. But our intent—the intent of being of service, of making things better, of building something that matters—is an essential part of the pattern.

Because most of us, most of the time, act without intent.

[and here’s a video from Carole ]

Audiobook links:

Google Play

Libro.fm (partners with indie bookstores to sell digital audiobooks):

Soundcloud preview clip

And one more thing… I asked the great Keller Williams for a musical blurb:

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• Our Content

Book Summary The Practice , by Seth Godin

Can anyone be creative? Seth Godin’s The Practice dismantles the long-standing myth that creativity requires a special kind of “magic.” Godin argues that making creative work doesn’t require genius, lightning bolts of inspiration, or even confidence. Instead, creativity is a skill that can be learned. To be successful in creative endeavors, you simply need to maintain a consistent practice of creating and sharing your work with others. In this New York Times best seller, Godin tells you just how to do that.

Our guide contrasts Godin’s advice with other popular approaches to creativity, such as those found in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist . In addition, we take a look at some creative habits of working artists to determine how they line up with the practices advocated by Godin.

1-Page Summary 1-Page Book Summary of The Practice

The Practice is Seth Godin’s New York Times best-selling book about how to produce any type of creative work. Godin argues that, contrary to popular belief, creativity does not require that you be touched by the “muse.” It doesn’t require genius or suffering or even confidence. Instead, creativity is a skill that can be learned. To be a successful creative professional, you need to maintain a consistent practice that includes: making work that will effect change for the better, sharing that work with others, getting feedback, and making improvements.

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author of 20 best-selling books, including Tribes , All Marketers Are Liars , and Purple Cow . The Practice is based on Godin’s online class, “ The Creative’s Workshop ,” which is offered through Akimbo, the education company he founded.

The Practice consists of 219 short lessons on creativity, loosely organized by theme. In this guide, we’ve condensed many of Godin’s lessons to avoid repetition and reorganized them into four main principles:

• Principle 1: Learn to Trust Yourself
• Principle 2: Establish Your Intent
• Principle 3: Work Consistently Despite the Apparent Obstacles
• Principle 4: Share Your Work and Make Improvements

**How Do They Do It? The Daily Routines...

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The Practice Summary What Is the Practice?

In The Practice , Godin dismantles the myth that successful artists, writers, musicians, and other creatives were born with special talents and have access to a constant flow of inspiration from the “muses” of creativity. Godin argues that in fact, creativity is a skill that can be learned. How? By adopting “the practice”: the habit of consistently making and sharing creative work.

According to Godin, creativity is an action, not a feeling. If you want to create art of any kind, you don’t sit around waiting until you feel creative: You put in the work, day after day, and creativity follows. Committing to action can change how you feel, as well as change your beliefs about yourself. Identities like “writer” and...

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The Practice Summary Principle 1: Learn to Trust Yourself

Godin’s lessons on creativity can be divided into four main principles, the first of which is: To do creative work, you have to trust yourself. Like creativity itself, this is a skill that can be learned.

Godin points out that you develop trust in others over time. The same is true for learning to trust yourself. If you engage in a practice of making creative work every day, while keeping the following considerations in mind, you’ll learn to trust that you can do the work.

Don’t Focus on the Outcome

Godin claims that our modern, capitalist society is geared toward predictable outcomes. Many jobs make you feel like a cog in the wheel, producing the same product or providing the same service over and over, with a boss watching over you and telling you what to do.

Doing creative work is different because when it comes to art, the outcome is always unpredictable. Even if, for example, you’ve choreographed many dances before, you never know if the one you’re working on right now will work until all the pieces finally come together. **Creative work is about the process. You have to trust yourself throughout the process because there is no boss, there are no rules, and the...

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The Practice Summary Principle 2: Establish Your Intent

In addition to learning to trust yourself, creative work requires that you establish your intent. If art seeks to make change, then to make art you need to be clear on what change you’re trying to make. Godin argues that to be creative, you need to establish your intent by asking yourself what and who your work is for.

What Is Your Work For?

The first question you need to ask yourself is what your work is for. What purpose do you want it to serve? What change are you trying to make? For example, perhaps you’re trying to challenge a popular misconception, inspire people to be more compassionate, or bring a needed service to an underserved community. Setting an intent helps you focus on what the work needs in order to serve its purpose, rather than on what you need to assuage your ego (for example, personal gratification or success) . It also prevents you from hiding. If you’ve identified where you want to go, it’s easier to ask for directions and listen to people when they tell you how to get there.

Godin advises that you ask the intent question not only about the whole project but also about each element of the project. Ask yourself, “What is this part...

The Practice Summary Principle 3: Work Consistently Despite Obstacles

While trusting yourself and establishing your intent are important to creative work, perhaps the most critical aspect of being a creative professional is working consistently despite the challenges that come your way. Godin advises that you spend at least an hour every day on your creative work . He takes the position that many of the apparent obstacles to producing good work—lack of inspiration, failure, and creative “blocks,” to name a few—are actually integral to your practice (or at the very least, they’re not the threat they’re often made out to be).

Inspiration Follows Work

Creatives often speak of being “touched by the muse” or working in a state of flow. Indeed, there are times when it feels like magic infiltrates your work and genius flows through you. When you aren’t inspired in this way, it can be hard to make progress, and everything you create feels flat and boring. It might seem like you only have two choices: Produce low-quality work, or give up for the day until inspiration returns.

But Godin says that letting yourself feel this way is a form of giving up your own agency. The truth is that inspiration shows up when you put in the work. **You don’t...

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"I LOVE Shortform as these are the BEST summaries I’ve ever seen...and I’ve looked at lots of similar sites. The 1-page summary and then the longer, complete version are so useful. I read Shortform nearly every day."

The Practice Summary Principle 4: Share Your Work and Make Improvements

Godin believes it’s important to share your creative work regularly, on a schedule. Promising to deliver your work can help you be creative, and sharing your work allows you to receive feedback from your audience. Engaging with your audience is important because it will either give them something they want, or it will teach you what's not working with what you created.

(Shortform note: Austin Kleon espouses a different view in Steal Like an Artist . He cautions against sharing your work when you’re just starting out. He says anonymity is an asset for a beginning artist because it gives you the freedom to experiment as much as you want. Once you become well-known, your audience will expect a certain type of art from you, which can have the effect of backing you into a creative corner.)

When you share your work, some of it might work for some people, but not others; some of it might not work at all. The goal is not to get reassurance from your audience; it’s to incorporate useful feedback to make your work better.

Godin points out that a lot of criticism isn’t worth paying attention to . This includes...

Shortform Exercise: Overcome Obstacles to Find Your Personal Practice

The Practice includes a variety of approaches not only to making creative work but also to dealing with inevitable obstacles to the creative process. Identify the challenges you encounter when making art, and consider the ideas and habits that will help you overcome them.

What specific challenges do you struggle with when it comes to creativity? (For example: creative blocks, fear of criticism, and so on.)

The Practice

Shipping creative work.

• 4.5 • 64 Ratings

Publisher Description

From the bestselling author of Linchpin , Tribes, and The Dip comes an elegant little book that will inspire artists, writers, and entrepreneurs to stretch and commit to putting their best work out into the world. Creative work doesn't come with a guarantee. But there is a pattern to who succeeds and who doesn't. And engaging in the consistent practice of its pursuit is the best way forward. Based on the breakthrough Akimbo workshop pioneered by legendary author Seth Godin, The Practice will help you get unstuck and find the courage to make and share creative work. Godin insists that writer's block is a myth, that consistency is far more important than authenticity, and that experiencing the imposter syndrome is a sign that you're a well-adjusted human. Most of all, he shows you what it takes to turn your passion from a private distraction to a productive contribution, the one you've been seeking to share all along. With this book as your guide, you'll learn to dance with your fear. To take the risks worth taking. And to embrace the empathy required to make work that contributes with authenticity and joy.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SEP 7, 2020

"Are you an artist? Of course you are," fist-pumps business guru Godin (This is Marketing) in this big-hearted book of affirmations. The modern economy, he says, has "brainwashed" would-be entrepreneurs and industry disruptors into staying on the 9-to-5 treadmill, when they really owe it to themselves and everyone else ("It's selfish to hold back when there's a chance you have something to offer") to try out their most ambitious ideas, even at the risk of failure. Godin urges readers to get started by redefining themselves as changemakers, since "identity fuels action, and action creates habits, and habits are part of a practice, and a practice is the single best way to get to where you seek to go." His cognitively dissonant advice, like "seek out constraints" and embrace inauthenticity when necessary (such as by "show up" even when one is feeling uninspired and has "something else you'd rather be doing"), is thought-provoking, if occasionally lacking in gravitas, as when he optimistically forecasts that if businesspeople simply trust themselves and "the people we serve," then that "trust will be repaid many times over." Nonetheless, Godin's message will resonate with his many fans, and his enthusiastic, nearly giddy tone may even charm skeptics.

Customer Reviews

A call for creatives to ship their work.

Seth Godin is becoming one of my favorite public thinkers. I read his blog daily and listen to his podcast, Akimbo, as often I can. Also, I have read several of his books like Tribes, Permission Marketing, and This Is Marketing. He’s had a pulse on the business world for over three decades. His latest book, The Practice: Shipping Creative Work tackles how creatives can trust themselves to ship their work to the public. Also, the theme of the book is how artists should focus on the process more than the outcome. We focus more on the outcome and if our creative work does not become “a hit” with the public right away it is seen a failure. Godin is making a strong case to creatives to change that mindset. And this quote early in the book hits home: “Focusing solely on outcomes forces us to make choices that are banal, short-term, or selfish. It takes our focus away from the journey and encourages us to give up too early. Focusing on outcomes at the expense of process is a shortcut that will destroy your work.” Amen Seth. However, we live in outcome-oriented world and people latch onto what we have deemed successful by the culture. Godin drives home the point throughout the book that the outcome is beyond our control, and finding joy in the work is the real satisfaction. The Practice is broken into eight sections with headings: Trust Your Self, Generous, The Professional, Intent, No Such Thing As Writer’s Block, Make Assertions, Earn Your Skills, & Seek Out Constraints. Each section drills home that particular subtitle through blog post style entries. Nothing complicated, but I found a lot of wisdom throughout the book. I will admit that some of it gets repetitive. I would recommend The Practice to anyone who desired to be creative and have let resistance and the opinions of others keep them from writing that book, drawing that painting, or playing that musical instrument. Godin’s words will comfort and challenge you to pursue that creative project that you have been always wanting to do.

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All Seth is asking us to do is start and stop waiting for an invitation. A great read!

Thank you, Seth. I appreciate all the thought you’ve put into this and all that you do.

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Az Samad Lessons

Guitar, Ukulele and Music Lessons

Book Review: The Practice by Seth Godin

March 11, 2022 by azsamadlessons Leave a Comment

Reading Seth Godin’s latest book is like reading his blog or email. The chapters are short and there’s full of overlapping ideas and different things to hit your mind. When I first started reading it, I wondered whether I would not like it like his previous book, “This Is Marketing” or whether I would adore it like “The Dip”.

For me, Seth is at his best when he focuses on one idea and explores it deeply. The Dip worked because it taught one thing. I spread that idea to all of my guitar students. Why? Because he explained so well. I also talked about 4 lessons for musicians from Seth Godin in an old blog post.

With The Practice, I went on a journey to discover different ideas, some familiar and some new. But, even after reading the entire book, my impression is of a collage and the general idea is, “Make stuff, keep making stuff”.

This is great of course! And based on what Seth wrote in the book, my opinions in this context as a reviewer probably doesn’t matter to him as he stopped reading reviews. Still, it makes me want to reread This Is Marketing to see whether I still feel the same about that book now compared to how I felt when I first read it.

In short, if you’re a creative of any kind AND you’ve enjoyed Seth’s previous writings, you might dig this book. At the very least, you might get some inspiration or ideas. Organization wise though, the book feels like it all over the place.

If I had a systematic book note taking process like Tiago Forte’s Build A Second Brain, the book might make more sense to me. But for now. it’s something I’m glad I’ve read but probably not a book I will reread again soon. I’ll write and make more art instead, which means the book probably succeeded.

Pros: Lots of ideas about creativity, the creative process and making art. Cons: All over the place, seems disorganized. TLDR: Love Seth’s work? Get this if you’re curious about what he’s doing now but you’re not enrolling in his cohort based courses.

Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Shipping-Creative-Work/dp/0593328973

[Submissions for Review Consideration]

• Are you an author who wrote a jazz, guitar or music book?
• Have you created a DVD or an online video course or subscription based website?
• Would you like me to review your book/course?

Please send me a message at azsamad2 at gmail.com with:

For courses:  a link to the course/video/product + access info etc. For books:  a link to the book (Dropbox) or PDF attachment (if it’s small) for review consideration.

Depending on whether I dig the book/course, I’ll let you know if I do plan to review it!

I cannot guarantee a review for every submission & if I’m not too into it, I may opt not to review it. I mean, it’s better to get a good review that for me to write a bad review just because it’s not a match for the kind of stuff I dig right? :p

NOTE: All reviews reflect my honest personal opinion so be aware that I will point out both cool Pros and Cons that I see in the work. You dig? 

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Practice Books, Grades K–5

Bridges Practice Books provide activities and worksheets for additional skill review, informal paper-and-pencil assessment, preparation for standardized testing, and differentiated instruction. Each volume also includes answer keys and a complete listing of the student pages grouped by skill. Although originally written to complement Bridges in Mathematics First Edition, these books may be used with any math program. Note: These materials were developed prior to the publication of the Common Core State Standards. While the content retains its educational value, the grade level alignment may have shifted for some lessons and activities.

Bridges Kindergarten Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: k.

Numbers to 30, comparing and ordering sets, skip counting, early addition and subtraction, story problems.

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Bridges Grade 1 Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: 1.

Numbers to 100 and beyond, number patterns, place value, facts to 10, money, time, graphing, and problem solving.

Bridges Grade 2 Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: 2.

Numbers to 1,000, skip counting and number patterns, facts to 18, place value, double-digit computation, money, time, and problem solving.

Bridges Grade 3 Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: 3.

Numbers to 10,000, multi-digit addition and subtraction, multiplication and division concepts, fractions, equations, perimeter, time, money, and problem solving.

Bridges Grade 4 Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: 4.

Multiplication and division facts, multi-digit addition, subtraction and multiplication, fractions and decimals, patterns and equations, area and perimeter, data analysis, and problem solving.

Bridges Grade 5 Practice Book, 1st Edition

Grade level: 5.

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How to Write a Book: The Ultimate Guide (with Free Book Idea Worksheet!)

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

Want to Become a Published Author? In 100 Day Book, you’ll finish your book guaranteed. Learn more and sign up here.

You want to write a book. Maybe you have a great story idea. Maybe you have a big idea you want to share with the world. Maybe people have told you, “Your life should be made into a book!” But first, you have to learn how to write a book.

The problem for the first-time author is figuring out how to get started. What are the writing habits you need to finish the actual writing for an entire book? And what comes next for your writing goals: traditional publishing? Self-publishing? Becoming a New York Times bestselling book? A long and illustrious writing career?

Because after coaching thousands of writers to write and finish their books, and also writing fifteen books of my own, I know exactly how much hard work it takes to finish a book.

It's not enough to want to write, you need to know how to write a book.

You need to have the right process. The write process, you might say (sorry, I had to!).

In this guide, we're going to learn everything about how to write a nonfiction book, from how to defeat procrastination and find writing time, all the way to revising and the editing process—and even to the publishing process.

If you've ever wanted to write a book, whether a memoir, a big idea book, or a self help book, you're in the right place.

If, on the other hand, you're a fiction writer and have a main character who you know is going to take the world by storm, we have a complete guide on novel writing here . For you nonfiction writers, though, read on for all our best writing tips.

And that free book idea worksheet ? Here's your FREE download: Book Idea Worksheet

Quick Tip: The Best Tool to Write a Book

Before we get started, here's a quick tip for writing a book, Microsoft Word just doesn't cut it.

My favorite writing tool is Scrivener, a book writing software used by the most successful writers. Scrivener helps you stay organized, set word count goals, and keep better track of your writing sessions. Check out our full review of Scrivener here.

How to Fail Writing a Book

In 2011, I had one of the best years of my life. That year, I wrote my first book, became a full-time writer, got my first book published , became a bestselling author, and had 80,000 people read my writing.

But it didn't happen overnight. I had dreamed about and had been working toward those goals for eight years before that: eight years of failure, of trying to write books and not being able to finish them, eight years of wanting to be a writer but not knowing how to actually do it .

Since then, I've written fifteen books, including one book that recently hit the Wall Street Journal bestsellers list.

You might be thinking, “That's cool, Joe. But you're clearly a talented writer. Writing is hard work for me.”

To be honest, it doesn't come easy to me. In fact, if I told my high school English teachers I'm a writer, they would probably be shocked.

The difference is that I found the right process. It's a step-by-step process that works every time, and it will work for you too.

In this guide, I'm going to share the process that I've used to write fifteen books, become a professional writer, and hit the bestsellers list.

But it's not just me. I've also trained thousands of people in our 100 Day Book program to finish books using this process, too.

It works, and it will work for you, if you follow it.

That being said, if you're still not sure you can actually do this alone, or if you just want some extra help along the way, check out 100 Day Book . In this program, we've helped thousands of aspiring writers turned authors to accomplish their dream of writing a book, and we'd love to help you, too. Click to learn more about 100 Day Book here.

How to Write a Book: 12 Steps to Writing a Book

Here's the process I finally learned after that decade of trying to learn how to write a book and failing, the same twelve steps that have helped me write fifteen books.

1. Come Up With a Great Book Idea

If you're here, you probably have a book idea already. Maybe you have several ideas.

And if that's true, great! Pat yourself on the back. You've made it to step one.

Here's what to do next: forget any sense accomplishment you have.

Yes, I'm serious.

Here's what George R.R. Martin said:

“Ideas are useless. Execution is everything.”

Because the thing is, an idea alone, even a great idea, is just the small step to write your book.

There are a lot more steps, and all of them are more difficult than coming up with your initial idea. (I'm sorry if that's discouraging!)

You have an idea. Great! Next, it's time to learn how to execute the way successful authors do. Let's get started with step 2.

(Don't have an idea yet? Check out this article: How to Write When You Don't Have Ideas .)

2. Write Your Book Idea In the Form of a 1-Sentence Premise

The next step to taking your idea and turning it into a book is to summarize your idea into a single-sentence premise.

But wait, what's a premise ?

A premise distills your entire book idea down to a single sentence. This sentence becomes the foundation of all your writing efforts and will be helpful even into publishing process.

Your premise is also the most important part of a book proposal, so a good premise can actually help you get published.

Here’s an example of a nonfiction premise from my book The Write Structure , which got half a dozen responses from agents.

The Write Structure utilizes The Write Practice’s (thewritepractice.com) award-winning methodology to show creative writers how to write their best novels, memoirs, short stories, or screenplays by following story structure principles used and taught by writers for hundreds of years.

Each nonfiction book premise should contain the following three elements:

• A problem . The problem the book aims to solve (in this case, how to write a good novel, memoir, short story, or screenplay)
• A person . Who is the person sharing the solution to that problem, e.g. you
• A solution . What is your unique process to solve that problem

By simplifying your book down to a single sentence, you create a strong, achievable foundation to your entire book. Not only will this simple step help you during the writing process, it will also help you throughout the publishing process, too, which we'll talk about more in a bit.

Ready to write your premise? To make it easier we have a free worksheet template that will guide you through writing a publishable premise: Download the worksheet here.

Or get a copy of our Write Plan Planner , and have a physical tool to guide you through the writing process. Check out the planner here.

3. Choose Your Publishing Path

When you're writing nonfiction, you have to choose your publishing path earlier than creative writers because most nonfiction books are picked up by publishers before they're written.

In fact, it's a red flag in the eyes of traditional publishers and literary agents if you've finished your book before you pitch them. They want to see a book proposal first, and have a hand in the shaping of the book.

That means, if you're writing nonfiction, and you want to get traditionally published, before you go write your own book, you must write a book proposal.

However, if you're writing a memoir, you may need to finish writing the book before you seek publishing. Memoir exists in something of a gray area in the publishing world, with more self-help focused memoirs requiring a proposal, and more creative memoirs acting more like a novel, where the writer would finish them first.

Which publishing path is right for you? Here are the two main requirements for traditional publishing for nonfiction books:

• Platform . Do you have authority within this topic? Do you have a following, via social media, speaking, podcast, YouTube, an email list, or some other platform of at least 10,000 people?
• A tested idea with mass market appeal . Does your idea line up with your platform? Does it have mass market appeal?

If you can't answer “yes” to both of these questions, then you might consider self-publishing, working with a small press, or hybrid press after you complete your book. Or taking a break from your book to build your platform and target audience, perhaps by building an author website and starting a blog. (For more on this, check out this guide on how to build a platform via a blog .)

You might be wondering, at this point too, how do you write a book proposal?

Book proposals vary across writers and publishers, but here are some of the major components:

• 1-Sentence Premise (see above)
• 2-4 paragraph synopsis
• Outline (Table of Contents)
• Tone and Writing Style
• Platform Description and Marketing Info
• 2-3 Sample Chapters

For more on this, check out Jane Friedman's excellent guide on how to write a book proposal .

Now, once you've chosen your publishing path and you're ready to begin writing a whole book, how do you actually finish it? The next steps will all but guarantee you reach The End of your book.

4. Outline Your Book

Even you if you don't decide to traditionally publish, I still recommend working through most of the elements of a book proposal listed above, especially the book outline because it will make the writing process so much easier.

Your book's outline will vary widely depending on your genre, your writing style, your book's topic, and your method.

However, there are some tried and true structures that exist in nonfiction books. Here are some suggested structures you can use:

Introduction . Most nonfiction books include a short (2,000 to 3,000 words) introduction. They usually outline the main problem you will be focusing on in the book. They may also introduce you as the author and your authority, and outline the unique solution you will be guiding readers through in your book.

8-10 Chapters . Nonfiction book chapters dive deeper into the problem and give principles or steps to solve that problem. Chapters can have a variety of different structures, but here is my personal favorite, used frequently by Malcolm Gladwell:

• Opening story
• Analysis of the story
• Universal principle
• Closing story (may be the conclusion of the opening story)

Conclusion . Conclusions usually restate the problem and show how you solved that problem, often ending with a concluding story and a call to action to encourage the reader to go out and put the ideas you've shared to use.

Easy right? Not exactly, but creating this outline will make the rest of the writing process so much easier. Even if it changes, you'll have a resource to help you get unstuck when the writing gets hard.

If you want a template for your outline, as well as a step-by-step guide through the book writing process, get a copy of our Write Plan Planner . This is the exact process that I have used to write fifteen books, and that thousands of other authors in our community have used to finish their book all in a beautiful, daily planner . Check out the planner here.

5. Set a Deadline

This one might surprise you. Because most people think that once you've got your idea ready to go, you should just start writing and not worry about the period of time it takes.

Nope. Not even close.

The next step is to set a deadline for when you're going to finish the first rough draft of your book. But you might be wondering, how long does it take to write a book in the first place?

How long should you set your deadline for?

Some people use NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, to set their deadline for them, writing 50,000 words of book in the thirty days of November. That being said, it's very challenging for most people to finish a book in thirty days.

Stephen King, on the other hand, said the first draft of a book should take no more than a season, so three months. With all due respect to Stephen King, I think that's a little fast for most people.

We give people 100 days , which seems to be just long enough to write a first draft without getting distracted by everything else the world wants you to focus on (looking at you, social media).

So for you, give yourself a week or two to prepare, then set your deadline for about 100 days after that.

There you go! You now have a deadline to finish your book!

6. Break Your Deadline Into Weekly and Daily Word Counts

You can't pull an all-nighter and finish writing a book. Trust me, I've tried!

Instead, you have to break up your deadline into smaller, weekly, and daily deadlines so you can make measured progress over your writing period. This step breaks the work into manageable pieces.

This step also requires a bit of math. Here's how to do it so you can actually stay on track:

• Figure out your book's ideal target word count goal (check out our word count guide )
• Figure out how many weeks until your deadline (e.g. 100 days = 14.5 weeks)
• Divide your book's total word count by the number of weeks (e.g. 45,000 ÷ 14.5 = 3,103 words per week)
• Next, figure out how many days per week you're going to write (e.g. 5 days a week)
• Finally, divide your weekly word count goal by the number of days you'll write to get your daily word count goal (e.g. 3,103 ÷ 5. = 621 words per day)

If you can hit all of your weekly and daily deadlines, you know you’ll make your final deadline at the end.

P.S. You're much more likely to actually meet your deadlines if you take a stand and set a consequence, which I”ll talk about next.

7. Take a Stand

Deadlines are nice, but it can be too easy to follow Douglas Adams' advice:

I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by.

There are two tricks that will help you actually meet your deadline, and it's essential to do these before you start writing or you'll never finish your book.

The first one is a little scary, but will make a huge difference.

Once you've set your deadline, go tell everyone you know. Post your deadline on social media, saying something like this:

Here. We'll even make it easy for you. Just click the share button below to tweet this and fill in the blank with your deadline:

Don't have social media? That's okay. Just email five friends. These friends will become your accountability partners to ensure you finish your book.

Important: I don't recommend talking about your book idea. Talking about the idea can actually remove some of the motivation to actually work on your book.

But I highly recommend talking about your book's deadline because humans naturally avoid letting each other down. When you make a public promise to do something, you're much more likely to do it!

So go ahead. Share your deadline. You can do this right now. Don't worry, we'll be here when you get back.

Then, move on to the next trick to keep your deadline.

8. Set a Consequence

You might think, “Setting a deadline is fine, but how do I actually hit my deadline?”

The answer is you need to create a consequence. A consequence is a bad thing that happens if you don't hit your deadline.

Maybe you write a check to a charity you hate, like the society for the euthanasia of puppies, you give it to a friend, and you say, “You have to send this check if I don't hit my deadline.”

Or maybe you say you're going to give up a guilty pleasure if you don't hit your deadline, like ice cream or wine or TV or your favorite phone game.

Set a really tough consequence for your final deadline, and then set a couple of less severe consequences for your weekly deadlines.

Whatever you choose, make it really hard to not hit your deadline.

Why? Because writing is hard! If you want to write a book, you need to make not writing harder than writing.

By creating a consequence, you make not writing harder than the actual writing, and this simple trick will make you much more likely to finish.

9. Set an Intention

This is the last step before you start writing, but secretly one of the most helpful.

Set an intention.

Studies have shown that when you have a goal, like working out more or writing a book, and you imagine where , when , and how much you're going to do something, you're much more likely to actually do it.

So do this with me:

• Close your eyes, and imagine your ideal writing space , the place you're going to spend your writing time. Maybe it's a coffee shop or your home office or a chair beside your favorite window.
• Next, imagine what time it is . Is it the morning? Afternoon? Late at night after everyone's gone to bed?
• Finally, picture yourself writing, and watch yourself reach your daily word count goal . Imagine how it feels to accomplish your goal. Great? A relief?
• Then, write all of that down, locking your intention in place . Now that you have a set writing schedule, follow it!

Notice that this is the tenth step.

Most people start here, but without the groundwork you've laid in the previous nine steps, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Don't skip the first nine steps!

Once you do begin writing, keep this in mind:

First drafts are universally bad .

Don't try to write perfect sentences. Don't go back and edit endlessly.

No, instead write as fast as you're able. Get to “the end” as quickly as you can. Use writing sprints .

Try to write as imperfectly as you can, not because you want to write a bad book, but because this is how writing always is: you write a bad first draft and then revise it into a better second draft—and finally, three or five drafts later, you've written a good book.

The difference between aspiring writers and published authors is that published authors know you can't do good writing until you write a bad draft first. Get through it as quickly as you can!

If you're not a natural writer , consider dictating your book into a recorder, and transcribing it afterward. There's no reason you have to physically type out your book. Transcribing it is a perfectly viable way to create a good first draft.

11. Revise, Rewrite, and Edit

After you finish your first draft comes the real hard part.

I know what you're thinking. The first ten steps weren't hard enough?

Yes, of course they were hard. But for some reason, second drafts can be just as hard, if not harder, than first drafts. I've had some of my biggest mental and emotional breakdowns in my life while working on the second draft of a book. There's just something about second drafts that are much more mentally challenging than first drafts.

Here, it's a good idea to get an editor who can give you feedback. (Need an editor recommendation? We have a team of editors we work with here at The Write Practice. Check out our process and get a quote here .)

Once you've finished your second draft, I also recommend getting beta readers, people who can read your book and give you feedback. For more on this, check out our guide on how to find beta readers and use their feedback effectively here .

Depending on your topic, you might also consider recruiting some sensitivity readers to read your book, too.

After you've done all of this, I have one last writing tip for you to ensure you actually finish writing your book—and it might be the most important of all.

12. Don't Stop

Most people want to write a book. I hear from people all the time that think they have a book in them, who believe that they have a story that needs to be shared.

I very rarely talk to people who have finished a book.

Writing a book is hard.

It's SO easy to quit. You get a new idea. Or you read your writing and think, “This is terrible.” Or you decide, “I'd rather be catching up on Netflix, not spending my nights writing.”

Because of this, you quit.

Here's the thing though: the only way to fail at writing a book is to quit .

If you don't quit, if you just keep writing, keep following this process we've outlined above, you will finish a book.

It might not be a good book (yet). But that's what editing is for.

It will be a first draft, and a finished draft at that . You can't write a second draft and start to make your book actually good, actually publishable, until you write the first draft.

So write. Don't stop. Don't quit. If you follow these steps and don't stop, you'll finish.

We'll be here supporting you along the way.

More Resources on How to Write a Book

Still feeling stuck? Have more questions about how to write a book? We've put together a library of book-writing resources. Take a look at the articles below.

Book Writing Tools and Programs

• 100 Day Book . Get a mentor, 100+ writing lessons, deadlines, and accountability and write your book in a program that works. Thousands of authors have finished their books in 100 Day Book, and we'd love to help you too. Click to sign up for 100 Day Book here.
• The Write Plan Planner. Containing everything we've learned about how to write a book over the last 10+ years, this step-by-step guide will walk you through our proven book writing process. Click to get your daily book writing planner.
• Best Book Writing Software . A variety of the best tools for writing, publishing, formatting, and marketing your book.

How to Write a Book Fast Articles

I shared above why I believe that first drafts should be written quickly, in just a few weeks. Still not sure? In the articles below, dozens of other writers share how they wrote fast first drafts, plus you'll get all the tips and strategies they learned along the way.

• How to Write a Book in 100 Days: 10 Steps
• How to Write a Book FAST
• How to Write a Book in 100 Days
• How to Write a Novel in 6 Months
• The First 10 Steps to Write Your Book in 2020
• How to Right a Book in Nine (Not So) Easy Steps
• How to Finish a Novel With a Swim Buddy
• How to Write a Book Using Microsoft Word

How to Write a Book by Genre

Every genre comes with specific expectations that must be fulfilled. Here's how to craft an amazing story in your genre.

• How to Write a Novel
• How to Write a Memoir
• How to Write a Mystery Novel
• How to Write a Suspense Novel
• How to Write a Thriller Novel
• How to Write a Romance Novel
• How to Write an Adventure Book
• How to Write a Coming of Age Novel
• How to Write a Young Adult Novel
• How to Write a Self-Help Book
• How to Write a Book That's Based on a True Story
• How to Write a Book Like Stephen King
• 20 Sci-Fi Creative Writing Prompts and Story Ideas

Okay, no, Stephen King isn't a genre. But he's well worth learning from!

How to Write a Book When Writing Is Hard

Let's face it: writing is hard . Every single writer struggles at some point in their book. The important thing is not to quit . In the following articles, writers share how they persevered through the hard parts, and how you can too.

• How to Write a Book While Working Full Time
• How to Write a Book When You Don't Have Ideas
• How to Write a Book When You’ve Got Writer’s Block
• I Never Thought I Would Write a Book. Here's How I Did It Anyway
• How to Write a Book: The Everest Method
• 10 Obstacles to Writing a Book and How to Conquer Them

How to Write a Book With a Specific Style

Your book comes with its own unique quirks and challenges, especially if the story you're telling is a series, or is told from multiple perspectives. Here's how other writers have navigated these choices.

• How to Write a Book from Multiple Perspectives
• How to Write a Book Series Without Messing Things Up
• How to Write a Novel That Readers Can't Put Down

How to Write a Book and Publish It

Writing is meant to be shared! In these articles, writers break down the publishing process so you can finish your book and share it with the world.

• How to Write and Publish a Book for Free
• How to Write a Book Description That Will Captivate Readers (And Sell Books!)

Publishing Resources

Once you've finished writing a book, how do you get it published. Here are some resources to help.

• Amazon KDP. Self-publish your book on Kindle to the world's biggest book marketplace.
• Book Cover Design . Find a book cover designer among our favorite designers.

Commit to the Book Writing Process, Not Your Feelings

Are you ready to commit to finishing your book?

I don't want you to commit to a book idea. Ideas are seductive, but then you get a fresh idea and the idea you've been working on becomes much less interesting.

You probably have had inspiring moments of writing, when everything feels like it's flowing. But I don't want you to commit to a feeling. Feelings are fickle. They change by the hour.

No, instead commit to the process.

If you follow these steps, you will finish a book. It won't be easy. It will still be a challenge. But you'll do it.

Can you imagine how great it will feel to write “The End” on your own book? Think about the people you will touch because you finished that book. Let's get to it together.

Are you going to commit to writing a book? Let me know in the comments !

The first part of Step Three is to create a 1-sentence premise of your book.

Spend fifteen minutes today to rewrite your book idea into a single-sentence premise. Then, share your premise in the Pro Practice Workshop here.  (and if you’re not a member yet, you can join here ).

Finally, after you share, make sure to give feedback to three other writers.

Happy writing!

Join 100 Day Book

Enrollment closes May 14 at midnight!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.

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This book was a deep-dive on "Practice Strategy". One single read doubled my progress. Several might triple it.

 THE EBOOK 50% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME 

If You're Serious About Practicing Your Skill, This Book Was Written For You

As featured on the "improvement pill" youtube channel & "the mind your business podcast"  with millions of subscribers.

WHAT IF YOU COULD CREATE A PRACTICE ROUTINE THAT WORKED EVERY TIME ...

LAIDO DITTMAR

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PERFORMER, AUTHOR & PRACTICE MENTOR

"Why Is It That Some People Progress Immensely Faster In Their Practice Vs. The Majority ?"

FROM THE "DIGITAL DESK" OF

LAIDO DITTMAR:

Dear Friend,

If you're reading this, you're someone who is a high performer, or at the very least, someone who is looking to get an edge in their skill or sport and take their game to new levels.

Which means you and I might share compatible goals.

You might want to drastically improve your ability in your physical skill, maybe it's playing an instrument, mastering a sport, or getting better at whatever skill you are trying to master.

And you might be at a point knowing already that hard work alone and simply doubling your efforts in practice   won't necessarily bring you the results you're after .

Now, if you feel stuck at your current skill level in your practice or would like to accelerate your progress geometrically, shaving off at least 5-10 years of struggle in your journey, I believe what you're about to "hear" could potentially be the most important message you ever going to hear  when it comes to the knowledge of developing your skills .

I'm Laido a Cirque du Soleil Performer, Author & Peak Performance Coach. I'm also the creator of the "Natural's Method" & the founder of the  "Practice Blueprint Masterclass"

And I specialize in helping artists, athletes, and practitioners of any physical skil l or sport reliably double their progress speed by adjusting their "practice strategy", so they can achieve their potential 2-3 times faster, no matter how advanced they are. 

I do this by teaching uncommon but universal and fundamental laws of progress found only among the habits of the most “talented”.

Habits & principles I've discovered while teaching performers with the most diverse set of skills, and creating a method for modeling these practical habits that bring results every single time someone applies them...

No matter the physical field they are in. 

Especially trying to help those who might have already put in some tremendous amount of hard work and have already seen how difficult it can be to continue to progress once they are past a certain point.

And if that's you...

I'm sure that during your journey, you have almost certainly come across “talents” who seem to progress not only effortlessly and continually, but seemingly "naturally".

This could be a friend, who learned a new routine in just a few days, or someone who started a skill much later than you but caught up and even passed you by insanely fast.

In those scenarios, you might have asked:

"What’s so different in their approaches? What is it they do differently from you?"

Is there even any difference, and if there is, how could you use it for your own advantage to learn from and make your progress even faster?

Now, throughout my life, I've practiced approximately 20,000 hours. And after more than a decade of experimentation, testing, and research,   I can tell you that the reason why some people improve so much faster in a skill has a lot less to do with HOW HARD they practice   but much more to do with...  HOW THEY PRACTICE .

But before I even get into the reasons why those certain individuals progress much faster, let me ask you some simple questions to see if what I have might be of any importance and help to you.

Since no matter what background you may come from or what skill you practice, you’ve probably asked yourself... 

Why Are Some People Improving Immensely Faster Vs. The Majority ?

The majority that often even with hard practice, can't get half as much done , not even in twice the time, or even worse, with no progress at all?

Have you ever asked yourself....

Does Mastery Depend ENTIRELY On Talent And Genetics ?

Should we just be satisfied with what we can achieve?

Is there a universal way to progress and achieve skills fast, or does it depend entirely on just talent, and there's nothing you can change to make a difference, except practice harder, yet, when simply doubling your efforts doesn't seem to work,   is there a key to effective progress and if so, what is it....

What About Having  STRATEGIES And PLANS In Practice ?

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by all of the next-level skills, drills, or moves that you wanted to learn? We know it's impossible to practice everything, even if you had all the time in the world.

So what is the best way to prioritize the things we have to practice, and then act to get maximum returns, how long should i practice, and which things should get top priority.

How Can I Achieve Consistency ?

How can I keep progressing consistently in a way that lets me maintain my present skills, but also allows me to move to the next level continually?

Anyone can have a one off, some success here and there, but how do you achieve " systematic progress "  , how should i warm up, or choose the next drill to practice that will be right for me, how much rest is necessary how much is too much or too little.

How Can I Keep Up  Motivation & Focus ?

How can you keep yourself motivated and maintain focus so you can stay in the best possible state for achieving results?

Are there ways to increase other similar factors that may affect my practice that are outside of it, now, these are a lot of challenges to deal with, regardless of what type of skill you are trying to learn and if we would need to summarize it into one big question that encapsulates all others, it would probably be:.

How Do I Create A Practice Routine That I Can Rely On  Working For Me Every Time ?

A system that gives me the BEST POSSIBLE RESULTS  that I'm fully capable of achieving, knowing that I’m currently practicing the best possible way for achieving those results, regardless if I have a "good" or "bad" day...

Now Let Me Ask You: Have You Ever Had  Any Of These Challenges ?

Did you ever want to have the answer to any of these questions?

If you answered "yes" to any of these, i can already tell you...  "the art of practice" was written for you....

These are the frustrations that seem to be the most personal, yet what we might all share and have in common with each other, but even though we all experience them, these are the things we lack the most clarity on,   even if it causes us not to succeed in the first place.

Yet, when I see practitioners almost in any skill, people who have been practicing maybe even for decades , I see them making the same mistakes that I had and the frustrations I’d gone through.

Often in the process of them giving up their dream of becoming who I believe, they were meant to be...

THE ART OF PRACTICE - SAME EFFORT, TWICE THE PROGRESS, ANY SKILL

Is There A Secret To "Perfect Practice"?

Now who am I to speak on this?

The reason i know the challenges so well that i've mentioned is because those questions were created from my personal experiences that i needed to deal with throughout the years., truth is i used to be terrible at practice. and when i say terrible i’m really talking about a whole other level of dysfunction ., i know how the struggle feels since i too tried everything that you could think of to become better..

I would brute force my way to seeing the slightest of progress, only to become burned out right after, without having much to show for it.

Since most of the things I've tried didn't work at all...

And ironically, the only reason i could think of for my lack of progress was not working "hard enough", while practicing often 8 hours a day., that's why nobody would guess that the sudden change in my progress came from applying simple rules and processes that made me progress in a faster way than usual., so what enabled me to make this transformation.

A transformation that helped me to compete or even share world records with someone who started the very same skill at the age of 4 while I started at the age of 18?

It's a couple of things.

It's because certain systems i had and certain mindsets i had helped me get past those blocks that allowed me to dominate over my progress. , yet more than anything, it involved having to change how i believed practice works to what actually worked., since what i didn’t understand at the time is that if we're practicing in a way that is against the fundamental laws of progress, we won’t get any better no matter how hard or how much we practice., and the lesson that i still had to learn was….

Practice Alone, Won't Make You Perfect, But "Perfect Practice" Will .

It’s imperative to understand that behind every accomplishment, behind every success is a process .

Some people are better at what they do than others, and it’s not simply by chance that they got better., and as i found out throughout the years, the basic rules of the successful are surprisingly uniform and predictably divergent from what the rest of the world is doing..

Now, it's important to mention that I did not come up with these rules, I did not invent them.

So where did I get them from?

The simple answer is...  i've discovered them ., i've discovered them from modeling, imitating, and synthesizing the behavior of pro's that i call “naturals”., the people with "talent"... we like to put people like this on a pedestal, and tell ourselves the story that they were destined to be great, and that they have some mysterious power., but in reality, that’s not the case at all., the best of the best think alike and the fundamental unwritten rules they are practicing by is what allows them to progress to incredible heights, but the thing about those rules are that they are also often very counterintuitive ..

Meaning what often makes sense in the moment is not what usually leads to success...

Often, the things you wouldn't think will work and go unnoticed are the things that will, but almost nobody does.

If you look at 80% of what "talents" do, you can say, “Yeah, I understand that because it’s really intuitive.”

You can make sense of that because it’s the logical and obvious thing to do, but it’s the other 20% that’s counterintuitive., those counterintuitive things are always present in the background, and often, one little shift, just one simple change, is all it takes..

I saw firsthand after observing and practicing with some of the best performers in the world, that it wasn't the strength or physical powers that separated the good from the best. 

It was their mostly unconscious approach and mentality that looked dramatically different from the rest.

So, what are these actions that most people fail to see even if it's hiding in plain sight?

The "NATURAL'S METHOD"  is the philosophy and the system I created to answer that question…

Once I started to shift my own practice into this direction the way "Naturals" do, I started to understand how the little subtle differences they made in practice had enormous impacts on their progress.

The little things they were doing that the majority never did, or did in an opposite way because they didn’t seem important or went even unnoticed..., yet those very things were the things that made it work., and it's the reason why no matter what skill you practice or what field you are trying to advance in,   truth is that the underlying laws of why humans progress are universally applicable. , they will keep being universally applicable since the reason why we humans progress are  everlasting and never changing., if you understand the theory and you understand the cause and effect of why "naturals" do things in a certain way, you can create a million variations of how you want to use these rules in your favor, since these principles are by their nature, universally applicable... .

Thanks to these principles, I've learned that the best way to shortcut your progress enormously, to get results faster, easier, with less trial and error, fewer mistakes, and less stress, is to borrow the methods of "Naturals" and apply them to what you're doing.

Since that’s exactly what I did.

What this  method   has done for me.

AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE...

"it gave me a much deeper understanding why the things i did were working and what i didn't need to invest as much time in".

Testimonial By Milla

Ballroom & Latin Dancer

"I USED TO BE THE LITTLE GUY THAT'S SURPRISING, NOW I'M THE OLD GUY THAT'S SURPRISING... AT 55 I'M BEATING FOLKS OUTSIDE MY WEIGHT CATEGORY"

Testimonial By Kurt

Martial Artist, 7th Degree Black Belt in Kajukenbo  & Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner

"I WAS A COMPETITIVE ATHLETE SINCE I'M 12, I JUST WISH I'VE HAD THIS INFORMATION 10 YEARS AGO... IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE EFFICIENT"

Testimonial By Kasia

Ice Skater & Professional Artist

"HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO BUY THE BOOK, TOTALLY WORTH IT, IF ANY OF YOU TAKE PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS IT' DOESN'T EVEN COST A QUATER OF THAT"

Testimonial By Aaron Alfonso Petit

Professional pianist, private piano teacher & composer, this breakthrough method has been applied for the most diverse set of skills, including : acrobatics, tennis, hand balancing, golf, basketball, dancing, playing instruments, climbing, and many more and your competitors have already started using the advice i’ve laid out to huge success ….

. Review By Brandon Birchak

NCAA National Champion, Coach & C.E.O. of 6 Foot Creations

[ SOME PAST RESULTS   FROM FIRST TIME READERS   ]

JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT'S INSIDE IN "THE ART OF PRACTICE"

✔  Secret #1 : Find out exactly WHAT your "Practice Blueprint" is.

✔  Secret #2 : How to "HACK" your PROGRESS by  fixing  the one mistake in practice,  EVERYBODY  does.

✔  Secret #3 : Why going over your limits THE RIGHT WAY  keeps your routines SAFE.

Truth is I could easily make another 30 bullet points, but there isn't an unlimited number of things you need to learn. Yet, there's only a few you MUST learn.

I understand that for "some" this might seem like just another ebook, but I've designed it to be more that that. It's more of a “ Field Guide ” to massive progress, since it will show you exactly what to do , how to do it , and why .

Besides it's easy. You could even read it in an afternoon and  immediately "get" the entire methodology  that I and many others have personally used for getting real results.

And my guess with 100% confidence is that you’ll love this book and refer back to the best practices from this book for years to come....

So Why Read This Book?  Because I Believe Practice Matters

From being a pro basketball player to a pro musician, dancer, or being a circus artist like myself, EVERYTHING NEEDS PRACTICE.

Skill is built through practice, but it has to be done right ., and without knowledge, without a strategy... there is no power.  , i’ve always felt that by understanding the process, you could have more control over the outcome., it’s this understanding and control that will lead to the skill that you see in top performers., strategy is also the part of your practice that is most often under utilized while being also the area where you can typically get the biggest returns for the smallest time and energy invested.  , since whenever you practice anything a certain way, whether consciously or unconsciously it’s because you think that’s probably the best way and the way it should be done, but "you don't know what you don't know". some people have better systems, some have less effective ones..., but your system is the very thing that sets the entire context of your choices on what you will spend hours, months, or even years in your future., there’s currently a system in your mind that’s similar to a software, and consciously or unconsciously, that system installed is what dictates how you approach getting better , based on what you think will work and make you progress and achieve success in the end., now, everybody has a system in their mind , as said some people have better systems while others have less effective ones, but everyone has something that i call our mind’s “practice blueprint” ., yet whatever that system is, there is no system that couldn’t be overwritten. and the way to overwrite it is by changing your "practice strategy" based on what actually works., now most people spend 95% of their energy and attention working solely on their outer game, their outer execution ., they think about the movements: how high they should be, how low or how fast, etc., and though it’s true these things are very important, they are all merely just an effect of whatever "practice strategy" people use., however, they hardly ever focus or try to improve their system or strategy of their practice ., they just have a system in place that they don’t even think about and since that’s the most thought they can give to it, they only focus on that 95%., but what would actually create a real difference for most athletes is the 5% that most people don’t spend any energy on, even if it decides what you will do externally in the first place..

And simply to get different result's we need to be working  "on" our practice instead of just "in" our practice.

Now, having mentored a lot of practitioners over the years, I've learned that we are only 3-5 subtle changes away from reaching the progress and the results we want  or not even coming close to them .

Often these shifts seem like just a small alteration in direction, but if you look closely, every choice is just like an arrow that you shoot..., minor changes, even a couple of inches, can alter the destination tremendously, the further the arrow gets shot., and a bad choice or a choice that you aren't conscious off can still set your trajectory off by just one degree today, but over years the error can become incredibly magnified ....

Two Options, Which One Will You Take?

Now, if you wanted to, you could try to figure out all this stuff on your own.

I know because that's what I did.

The road from amateur to pro is a long and hard one, since obviously, the "aha" moments and experience's won’t come until the end of the road. But what if there was a way to bring some of those moments to the beginning, saving you years of time…

Knowing the work it took, i truly wish there had been a better way..., a way that can save and without doubt shave off at least 5-10 years of struggle in your life ... like for most of us if we think about where we wanted to be 6 months ago... are we further ahead or not as far as we would like to be, sure you might make some progress every once in a while, but if you would keep up the same pace, how long would it take to get to your goals at the rate you're going now, instead wasting endless amounts of hours, months, or even decades... what if those mistakes could be avoided, that's what this book is meant to accomplish., giving you a method that is duplicable, replicable and will produce the consistent desired result every time it is applied., not just once or twice, but consistently and predictably and forever...  , • i have already read hundreds of books on psychology, success, and achievement., • i have already spent two decades researching, testing, failing, and iterating different styles and strategies of practice., • i have already put in the work to integrate different schools of thought to provide you a set of condensed theories and tools that will help you achieve the results in your situation., so let me ask you..., if you were given the choice between trying to do this all by yourself without any guidance, or having someone who has already done it time and time again not only for himself but hundreds of others, which option would you choose, to be frank, i sincerely believe that the method contained within this book is the most high-impact, "best of the best" approach when it comes to improving your practice strategy, and i can personally guarantee that you will not find anything else available that even comes close to the training provided in this book., • this isn’t some unreadable 1,000-page lexicon of everything there is to know about practice., • this isn’t a rehashed, regurgitated, and diluted pamphlet that claims to have all the secrets but tells you nothing., • this is not the result of a google search in a frenzy or written with a.i. with a couple of prompts...  after having binged a bunch of articles or youtube videos over the weekend., this is me sharing what i've learned in a lifetime after years of experience and testing . condensing the essential wisdom over several years that works ., i teach this stuff because it was able to transform my life, and it's the reason why i want to teach people in the first place., because i know firsthand the difference that improving your skills can have., you know just as much as me that   by becoming more skilled than the "average", you might be able to secure a better job, win a competition, travel to new places, or even gain respect within your community., all things that i would have no idea how i could have experienced, unless i would have stumbled across the right knowledge that keeps still serving me to this day., but all these shiny things aren't the fantasy, it really isn't. at least it wasn't for me..., it's about the transformation you go through ., not from the outside, but from within. it's about proving to yourself, not for others, that you can achieve whatever you want., ever since i first started teaching artists, athletes and performers, i realized that’s what i want to do with my life., i want to show anyone who is serious about their skills how to accomplish their goals and get the most out of their progress and themselves. , and that’s what i’ve committed my life to: showing high performers how to do., and if you're part of the tiny minority of people who want more out of life and are willing to invest in their own personal growth to get what they want, no matter the amount of work it takes..., in that case, i'm willing to commit myself to  guarantee you results ..

My 30 Day Money-Back Guarantee

I believe that your time is your most valuable asset, and I genuinely respect that.

I've already wasted enough of my own time trying things that didn't work, and the last thing i want to do is waste yours., that’s why i’ve done two things:, 1#: i’ve created this book to be short and sweet, and i wholeheartedly believe it could save you hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of progress throughout the rest of your life., 2#: i’ve done my best to make this book as risk-free as possible for you by making it digital and including a 30-day money-back guarantee for the digital ebook ., so, here's the deal., go through the book, page by page, try it all out, take the techniques i describe for a test run for a full 30 days , and if it doesn’t help you, or if you just decide that it’s not for you, i’ll give you a complete refund, no questions asked., just send me an email to [email protected] and i'll refund you within 48 hours. it's really as simple as that., yet, my 100% guess is that you’ll love this training and you will be referring back to the best practices from this book for years to come., and if it's not the best 26$ you've ever spent on your progress, you can have it all back, and even keep the book for free, just send an email, no hassle, no hard feelings, this way, you don't have to decide if it's right for you right now., because the lack of clarity will cost you hours you will never get back… time you didn’t have to spend in the first place., you could leave this page and try to do this on your own trying to figure out all the strategies, and systems needed to get yourself to the next level…, it might cost you months and thousands of hours like me back in the day…, or you could read through this short book that can be easily consumed in one sitting…, leaving you with crystal clear clarity on all the strategies, systems and processes needed… all contained in one book..

[  THIS IS FOR YOU IF:  ]

✔ You feel like the learning curve in your practice is extremely frustrating .

✔ your temptation to quit became a  mental burden due to the lack of reaching real results ., ✔ you’ve been practicing for years, but still feel mediocre despite giving it your all ., ✔ you feeling stuck at the level of skill you’re currently at  without making any significant progress ., ✔ it seems you’ve reached a plateau that seems impossible to overcome ., ✔ you feel in the mediocre zone where you can’t seem to reach a level that actually impresses people ., [ offer summary : ], if you're one of those people (like me) who skip to the bottom of the page to see what it's all about, here's a quick summary for you:, this book contains some of the best philosophies, ideas, and beliefs that i've discovered in 10+ years of research  on how to progress the fastest way in any physical skill through what i call " practice strategy training "., this book's original price is 39$ which is not even close to the value it can bring, but i'd like to give you an option tovget it for less than that for a couple of reasons:, ✔  #1: as an ebook i want to put this training into the reach of everyone who wants it., ✔ #2: anyone who isn't willing to invest the price of a "dinner for 2" into their training probably isn't serious enough about practicing their skill. in that case, this book is not for them., ✔ #3: i'm so sure about the result's this ebook will bring that i also offer a "no questions asked 30 day money-back guarantee", but here's the deal....

My 100% guess is that you’ll love this book and you will be referring back to it's best practices for years to come.

So take the leap and  click the button below,  and I will see you on the other side!

  Seeking excellence?    DISCOVER THE PRACTICE BLUEPRINT MASTERCLASS  

CLICK HERE FOR NEXT LEVEL MASTERY

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

After more than 20,000 hours in his own practice, Laido became best known for creating the "Natural's Method", helping practitioners of any physical skill or sport rapidly accelerate their progress in their practice. By teaching uncommon, but fundamental laws of progress he was able to establish a name for himself not only as an award-winning Cirque du Soleil artist but as a "Practice Mentor".

"OUTSTANDING HUNGARIAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD" 2022 An esteemed accolade celebrating an individual's significant impact on Hungarian arts and culture.

"HORTOBÁGYI KÁROLY" AWARD 2024 A prestigious state decoration conferred by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture, honoring exceptional contributions to the elevation of circus arts both nationally and globally, underscoring the recipient's pivotal role in enhancing the art form's prominence and appreciation worldwide.

THE "YOUND STAR OF THE STAGE" AWARD 2017 Award of exceptional stage performance and contributions to the live entertainment scene.

Is the book available in audio format?

Yes, the book is available in MP3 audio format. You can select the audio at the top of this page and enjoy listening on your preferred device.

Is the guarantee valid for 30 days of training days?

No. The guarantee applies for 30 days after purchase date.

Is the book available on Amazon or Audible?

The print and ebook are available on Amazon. The audiobook is still under development for Audible but available through this website.

Contact: [email protected]

TERMS OF USE     PRIVACY POLICY

COOKIE POLICY

This site is not a part of the Facebook website or Facebook Inc. Additionally, This site is NOT endorsed by Facebook in any way. FACEBOOK is a trademark of FACEBOOK, Inc.

© 2024 Official Site | LAIDO DITTMAR.

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Book Club: Discuss ‘James,’ by Percival Everett, With Us

For The Book Review Podcast’s May book club, we’ll talk about “James,” Percival Everett’s radical reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

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By MJ Franklin

MJ Franklin is an editor at the Book Review.

Welcome to The Book Review Book Club. Every month, we select a book to discuss on our podcast and with our readers. Please leave your thoughts on this month’s book in this article’s comments. And be sure to check out some of our past conversations, including ones about “Good Material,” by Dolly Alderton, and “Demon Copperhead,” by Barbara Kingsolver.

You know him as Jim, the sidekick in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” He’s an enslaved Black man who finds himself fleeing down the Mississippi River with Huck, as both attempt to reach very different types of freedom. Along the way, Jim is teased, duped, subjugated and otherwise maligned, in part because of Huck’s penchant for trickery and in part because of the mechanisms of slavery and racism in the American South in the 1800s.

Though Jim’s plight is harrowing, he’s not the star of this Mark Twain classic; he’s relegated to a variety of supporting roles, including comic relief, deus ex machina and agent for Huck’s moral awakening.

Now allow the novelist Percival Everett to reintroduce him. In Everett’s latest book, “James,” Jim becomes, you guessed it, James. The broad strokes of Twain’s character are still there — James is still an enslaved man who runs away after he hears that his master is going to sell him. But in Everett’s hands, James is no longer a helpless companion. Now, he’s a remarkably smart linguist, reader, writer and philosopher who is forced to play dumb for survival but is actually fighting for his family, freedom, dignity, self-determination and the right to tell his own story.

For this month’s Book Review Podcast book club, we’re chatting about “James,” by Percival Everett . The discussion will air on May 31 , and we’d love for you to join the conversation. Share your thoughts about the novel in the comment section of this article by May 22, and we may mention your observations in the episode .

Here’s some related reading to get the conversation started:

Our critic Dwight Garner’s review of the novel: “ What sets ‘James’ above Everett’s previous novels, as casually and caustically funny as many are, is that here the humanity is turned up — way up. This is Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful.” [ Read the full review here. ]

Our critic A.O. Scott’s notebook about “James,” “Demon Copperhead” and reimagined classics: “For Everett’s James, his own humanity is not in doubt, but under perpetual assault. His relationship with Huck takes on a new complexity. How far can he trust this outcast white boy? How much should he risk in caring for him? To answer those questions would be to spoil some of Everett’s boldest and most brilliant twists on Twain’s tale.” [ Read the full critic’s notebook here. ]

Norman Mailer’s 1984 essay for The New York Times, about rereading “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” for the novel’s 100th anniversary: “Classics suffer by their distance from our day-to-day gossip. The mark of how good ‘Huckleberry Finn’ has to be is that one can compare it to a number of our best modern American novels and it stands up page for page.” [ Read the full essay here. ]

Revisit our March book club discussion of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure,” which was recently adapted into an Oscar-nominated film : “ I love watching his mind on the page. He’s funny, he’s irreverent, he’s sarcastic. There’s nobody that writes like him. And I have to tell you that ‘Erasure’ totally blew me away, just because of the sheer number of textures in this book.” —Joumana Khatib, Book Review editor. [ Listen to discussion here. ]

We can’t wait to discuss the book with you. In the meantime, Happy May and happy reading!

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

The complicated, generous life  of Paul Auster, who died on April 30 , yielded a body of work of staggering scope and variety .

“Real Americans,” a new novel by Rachel Khong , follows three generations of Chinese Americans as they all fight for self-determination in their own way .

“The Chocolate War,” published 50 years ago, became one of the most challenged books in the United States. Its author, Robert Cormier, spent years fighting attempts to ban it .

Joan Didion’s distinctive prose and sharp eye were tuned to an outsider’s frequency, telling us about ourselves in essays that are almost reflexively skeptical. Here are her essential works .

Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Emilia Romagna GP 2024: UK schedule, when to watch Practice, Qualifying and Grand Prix from Imola live on Sky Sports F1

Imola hosts the seventh round of the 2024 Formula 1 season, where all eyes will be on Ferrari's planned upgrades; watch every session live on Sky Sports F1 as Formula 2 and Formula 3 also return to the Grand Prix schedule

Wednesday 8 May 2024 12:16, UK

Formula 1 heads to Europe for the first time in 2024 as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola returns.

Last year's race was cancelled due to serve flooding in northern Italy but there shouldn't be any problems next weekend, where McLaren and Lando Norris will look to repeat their win from Miami.

Norris has been on the podium twice at Imola in his F1 career, including the championship's last visit in 2022.

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Max Verstappen won that race and is still the driver to beat two years later, as he leads the drivers' standings by 33 points from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

Charles Leclerc is 38 points behind Verstappen, with Norris and Carlos Sainz both 43 points adrift of the reigning world champion.

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Ferrari trail Red Bull by 52 points in the constructors' championship but have a big upgrade for their first home event of the year.

Should it work, Leclerc and Sainz will fancy their chances at seriously challenging Verstappen on a track which the drivers adore.

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The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is not a Sprint weekend, so it's the usual format of Qualifying on Saturday and the main race on Sunday.

Formula 2 and Formula 3 are also racing at Imola, while Indy 500 Qualifying also takes place in Indianapolis ahead of the big race at the Brickyard on May 26.

Sky Sports F1's live Emilia Romagna GP schedule

Thursday May 16 1.30pm: Drivers' Press Conference

Friday May 17 8:50am: F3 Practice 10am: F2 Practice 12pm: Emilia Romagna GP Practice One (session starts at 12.30pm) 2pm: F3 Qualifying 2:55pm: F2 Qualifying 3:45pm: Emilia Romagna GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm) 5:30pm: The F1 Show

Saturday May 18 9am: F3 Sprint 11:15am: Emilia Romagna GP Practice Three 1.10pm: F2 Sprint 2.10pm: Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying build-up 3pm: Emilia Romagna GP Qualifying 5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook 5.30pm: Indy 500 Qualifying

Sunday May 19 7.30am: F3 Feature Race 9am: F2 Feature Race 12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Emilia Romagna GP build-up 2pm: The EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX 4pm: Chequered Flag: Emilia Romagna GP reaction 5pm: Ted's Notebook 8pm: Indy 500 Qualifying

Formula 1 heads to Europe as Imola returns to the calendar following last year's cancelled race. Watch the Emilia Romagna GP on May 17-19. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime

Book Fury vs Usyk on Sky Sports Box Office

It's one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight title on Saturday May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now .

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