Hot Off the Presses: Act Accordingly

Colin Wright

I enjoy writing books. I’m even coming to love the publishing process, though it hasn’t always been my favorite thing in the world. I’m still getting used to all the PR that surrounds a well-organized book release — I’m sure that will come in time, as well.

In many ways, Act Accordingly — a book that goes on sale today in ebook and paperback formats, and within the next few weeks as an audiobook — is a difficult sell. It’s short and discusses philosophy. Two strikes against it, as many short books are frivolous or written for children, and books on philosophy tend to be dry treatises on historical ruminators, or preachy self-help books that aim to cram you into a one-size-fits-all mold.

Thankfully, folks who have read Act Accordingly thus far have been universally enthusiastic about not just the contents of the book, but its brevity and topic. Rather than hurling their copy at my head, demanding to know why I wasted their time on fleeting, frivolous drivel, they’ve gushed with excitement that they were able to pick up a book and read it cover-to-cover in less than an hour, and that what they took away in that short period of time was enough to make them want to read it again and buy a copy for a friend.

For me, as an author, there’s no higher compliment than someone wanting to share my work with others. I couldn’t be more thrilled about the response, and I’m hoping against hope that if you pick up a copy, you enjoy it too.

Rather than droning on endlessly — and risking writing a blog post about a book that rivals the book itself in word count — I’m going to leave you with a quick thought, and a request.

Take a look at the preview of the book on Amazon (click the book’s cover to view it), and the chapters published on The Minimalists and Exile Lifestyle, and if you like what you read and want more, pick up a copy (it’s just $2.99 for the ebook, and $7 for the paperback). Then, if you enjoy the book — or even just the examples you read — pass the link along to a friend and see what they think.

I’ll share what I learn about publishing books — especially those of non-traditional size and genre — after the initial numbers have rolled in, and what I’m hoping to find is that good ideas can flourish in this industry, even without the filler that’s generally used to flesh out page counts before they go to press.

Thanks in advance for your help, and I hope you like what you read!

Also: If you decide to publish a book review (on your blog, Facebook wall, whatever), let me know and I’ll pull a quote from it and post a link on the Act Accordingly page here in the Asymmetrical store.