Infinite Loops Ellen Fishbein — Make Art, Not Noise (EP. 220)
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Jun 13, 2024 
Ellen Fishbein, a writing coach and author, discusses traditional publishing disrespecting intelligent readers, advice for aspiring authors, insights from Shakespeare's sonnets, the impact of Herman Hesse's works, using AI in book writing, changing role of agents, and innovating in the publishing industry.
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Print Creates Durable Connections
- High-quality print matters even for niche audiences because physical books create durable relationships.
- Ellen used a poetry book to stay top-of-mind with a small network and found it multiplied opportunities.
Validate Demand With Preorders
- Use crowdfunding-style preorders to validate demand before printing a book.
- Altamira prints a book once the author reaches 600 preorders so no upfront fees are required.
Constraints Train Great Writers
- Shakespeare's sonnets were a training ground that shaped his later work and preserved craft.
- Constraints like sonnet form are productive exercises similar to tweeting for modern writers.