Go your own way: Things have a funny way of working out when you do

Dave Trott is box office.

He’s a widely respected creative director and author of a number of astute books on creative thinking.

What Trott writes, people read.

So, when I came up with the idea of writing my own book, being an idealistic sort, I thought it would be good to be published by the same people who publish him.

Of course, it doesn’t work like that.

Despite my attempts to contact agents and publishers, my na?ve ambition was met with the expected radio silence.

In hindsight, fair enough.

Still, I carried on writing my book.

I’m sure many reading this have similar projects. Similar ideas you wish you could get published, but you’re repeatedly knocked back.

This parable is for you.

You see, after I realised my error in attempting to blindly follow someone else’s path, I more wisely set about pursuing my own.

In doing so, I found a publisher who was interested in my idea, the excellent, Harriman House.

We parried the idea back and forth. The manuscript was completed. And The Art of the Click was patiently edited into existence.

It’s at the pre-order stage now, soon to be officially released on October 1st.

You can pre-order it yourself here.

I’m over the moon, of course. A real book.

Years of feeling somewhat like a fraud whenever I dared to utter the words ‘I’m a writer,’ now seem somehow vindicated. And not just a writer: a published author, no less.

At this point, for full dramatic effect, imagine the opening bars of Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way building in the background.

Because this isn’t just about me patting myself on the back for getting published.

The real moral of the story comes with an email I received a couple of weeks ago.

It was from my editor asking my opinion on the cover of a book Harriman are publishing next year.

The book’s author?

You guessed it: the right honourable, Dave Trott.

I chuckled at first at the chance of it. But realised there was something deeper in the tale.

Cue Lindsay Buckingham hollering the chorus...

You can go your own way, indeed.

And you should.

After I’d dismissed the silly and hopeless idea of emulating other people and focused instead on my own strengths and style, by pure chance I’d ended up where I’d hoped to be in the first place…

Published by the same people publishing Dave Trott.

Yes, the lesson is a twee one.

But it doesn’t mean it’s not important.

You can – and most definitely should – go your own way.

Things have a funny way of working out well when you do.

P.S. The Art of the Click is officially published 1st October. To pre-order your copy, hit this link here.