The Tim Ferriss Show #290: Gretchen Rubin — Experiments in Happiness and Creativity
From Law To A Lunch-Hour Idea
- Gretchen described how a lunch-hour idea about power, money, fame, sex turned into her first book project.
- She quit legal career momentum after a move and committed to getting an agent and becoming a writer.
Sell The Proposal Before Writing
- Getting an agent for nonfiction is often harder than writing the book; treat a proposal like a startup pitch.
- Sell the proposal first, then write the book when a publisher commits.
Human Nature Is Her Through-Line
- Rubin's through-line across books is examining human nature from different angles.
- That thematic consistency explains diverse subjects leading logically from one book to the next.
Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold three million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages.
On her popular weekly podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft; they've been called the "Click and Clack of podcasters." Her podcast was named in iTunes's lists of "Best Podcasts of 2015" and was named in the Academy of Podcasters "Best Podcasts of 2016."
Fast Company named Gretchen Rubin to its list of Most Creative People in Business, and she's a member of Oprah's SuperSoul 100.
Enjoy!
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