In 1997, Derek Sivers (accidentally) started CD Baby, the largest distributor of independent music in the world. Ten years later, he sold the company for $22 million.
What did he do with the money? Did he buy a Ferrari? A mansion? A private jet?
He gave it all to charity.
He then became a TED speaker and a writer. He's published 5 books:
- Anything You Want (2011) -- Best business book I've ever read.
- Your Music and People (2020) -- Best marketing book I've ever read.
- Hell Yeah or No (2020) -- Best book on productivity and decision-making I've ever read.
- How to Live (2021) -- Best book on life philosophies I've ever read.
- Useful Not True (2024) -- Best book on beliefs I've ever read.
Derek Sivers is the person I've watched, read, and listened to the most since I got an internet connection in 2000.
No joke!
I could’ve asked him questions about music, business, productivity, marketing, or public speaking, but many YouTubers and podcasters have done that before.
For 1.5 hours, we talked about one thing only: WRITING.
- What brought him into writing?
- Which writers inspire him?
- How did he write his books?
- Why succinct writing?- Why does he not use semicolons?
- What does he do to actively improve his writing?
- Does he have a sentence he's particularly attached to?
We discussed this and other nerdy stuff about writing.
Enjoy!
DEREK'S LINKS
His (succinct) website - https://sive.rs/
FABIO'S LINKS
Better Writers - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/
YOUTUBE LINK for this episode- https://youtu.be/jI3efiQ2u_M
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
03:30 Starting to write
11:30 The influence of bad writing
15:55 Reading reviews
19:00 Different reasons for writing
23:20 Writing "How to Live"
28:43 Writing one sentence per line
34:34 The influence of writing songs
39:06 Derek's best sentences
40:00 Imitating other writers
44:51 Reading old books
47:15 The work is the practice
53:25 Publishing daily?
01:04:00 Why succinct writing
01:05:30 Using stories to illustrate a point
01:07:05 Semicolons
01:07:45 Reading with a writer's mind
01:09:50 Academic writing
01:12:40 Writing for English as a second language speakers
01:15:00 Next book?
01:17:30 Being disciplined
01:19:28 Saying just enough
01:30:30 Conclusion
Open Draft - with Fabio Cerpelloni 