The durability of a book

Books last.

In an era when so much seems ephemeral, swept away by trends or news of the moment, there is something about a book that endures.

Three years ago this past week, I published my first book. One of the most striking things I’ve experienced with the book is its durability. Nearly every week, I hear from people who just purchased it, read it, recommended it to a friend, or even just re-read it! Writers I speak with reference it in small ways in conversations I have with them. It’s just incredible.

Dan Blank

Here is this thing I created three years ago, and it just keeps going. It just keeps helping people.

This is why books are amazing. Magical, really.

When I wrote Be the Gateway felt like a small book in my mind, 170s pages sharing a single concept around what it means to create and share your creative work. That sense of smallness of it was part of why I published it. You see, I had been working for months and months and months on a different book that I had big expectations around. It kept getting longer and more complicated. In truth, I became crushed under the weight of it.

Amidst this, the idea for Be the Gateway came up, and when I shared the concept with writers, they loved it. I decided to create a little book around the concept, and set my expectations ridiculously low. I would give myself 30 days to write the first draft, and then publish it within 6 months (after much editing!) This was meant to be a small book not to limit its potential, but to ensure I could get it done and into readers’ hands.

That smallness allowed me to consider the exact message I wanted to share. The specific thing I was helping with. The ideal reader. My clarity made it all so much easier.

As I read reviews of the book that people have posted on Goodreads and Amazon, I can still hardly believe it:

“Be The Gateway gives us a new way of looking at marketing our creative work.”

“I not only ordered a print copy for myself, but also one for a friend. I’d give away a truckload, if I could.”

“To my mind this book is a must read for budding, debut and established authors, as well as every other creative out there.”

“This book changed me.”

(If you have read Be the Gateway, it would mean a lot to me if you could post a review of it on Amazon.)

That other book — the one that I was crushed under the weight of? I’ve been working on it, and am preparing for a Fall 2020 publication. In terms of scope, it is physically bigger (80,000 words right now), and I view it as a sequel to Be the Gateway. All of the advice in the book comes from the practical application of its ideas with my clients, mastermind group, podcast, and my total and utter obsession with the topic of how we can create and share our work in a meaningful manner.

The book is called Share Like It Matters.

This is the work that we do each day. We create like it matters. And for that work to be complete, it needs to have a meaningful connection with another human being.

I have the absolute joy of spending every day with writers and creators who do this. If you are reading this, I absolutely assume that is the work you do as well. So I’ll say this:

Thank you for what you create. Thank you for your unique creative vision. Thank you for trying to brighten someone’s day with what you create.

And thank you for all of the support you have given me over the years. It means so much to me.
-Dan