I know what you’re thinking…You’re thinking, “But, Becca… I don’t want to quit writing.”*nods* I don’t want you to quit writing, dear writer. But there are a lot of things that you do need to quit doing, when it comes to both your writing career and the writing process. How do I know this?Because I have coached thousands of writers. Six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, … seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. And there are patterns to what writers need to quit, what we need to keep, and what we need to question. Those patterns are why I’m here, writing to you. Anyone can tell you what worked for them, and of course they can say, “it might not work for you,” but they can’t tell you why.
Come and join me, and I’ll tell you why.
– Becca
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A fellow author strongly recommended this book to me, and I am so, so glad. I’ve read a LOT of non-fiction about business, habits, writing, inspiration – you name it. I’m a HUGE fan of Cal Newport’s Deep Work, Greg McKeown’s Essentialist, Alex Ping’s Rest — and for authors, Dear Writer, You Need to Quit is now next to (er, in my digital space) them in terms of useful, thought-provoking advice that isn’t really advice (and that’s good).
Syme takes so many myths and disintegrates them, because general advice just doesn’t work in the self-publishing space. Period. Other than “write a book that readers want to read” and “make your cover fit the genre,” how we write what we write and how we build our audiences is SO individualistic. Time after time, I felt like I was being smacked in the face with a reality I knew, but saw through a slightly different lens, one that provided clarity (and, at times, a gut punch). I HIGHLY recommend this book, and am now planning to take one of Syme’s courses.
This wonderful book about writing and life pulls no punches. If you’re not writing, or not achieving your goals with your career–the problem isn’t the industry, it’s the premises you believe and the actions you take (or don’t take). Becca Syme is entertaining and frank, and her advice can be applied to everyday life and relationships as well as pursuing your writing career. I am recommending it in all my classes and the workshops I teach!
If you’re a writer then this is a great book about finding your process and figuring out the writing life. I can’t recommend Becca and her books enough. Writers, definitely check them out! 🙂
I highly recommend this book for writers who want to take a serious look at why they are writing. It helped me question my goals and align my practice. My epiphanies:
1. I am not aiming to be a 6-figure writer so I don’t need to publish a book a month. I need to align what I do with what I want from my writing.
2. I need to stop trying out every system I hear about, like a new dress at a department store. I’ll look at them, but if they don’t fit me, then I’ll wave them goodbye.
For me, this book is not a step by step methodology or a new system for success, it’s a philosophical work that asks you to become self-aware about your writing.
I needed this short little book by a writing coach. It’s easy to internalize what the big names in indie publishing are doing and think you somehow have to do it exactly the way they do to achieve any kind of success, even if it’s not what you’ve ever done and it doesn’t fit with your life, your energy levels, your gifts, or your idea of a good time. Syme lays it all out in plain English, guiding you to check your premises and think twice about how well various writing and marketing rules really apply to you. If you’re feeling any frustration with where you are vs. other writers, and that’s affecting your productivity or joy, I encourage you to read this book. This probably applies to traditional authors, too, frankly. (I’ll admit, when I first saw this title, I thought, “Oh, please,” but I’m so glad I got past that.)
As an author, you will sometimes hit a wall in your career. You come to a place where you question what and how you’re doing things and if they are the best for you. I’ve been told by multiple people that I need to take Becca Syme’s Better-Faster course, but I haven’t had the opportunity or money to do so yet. I figured the next best thing would be to read Becca’s book.
It’s amazing. And thought-provoking. And told me a number of things that I needed to hear. As Becca says in the book, this isn’t for someone who’s looking for a magic pill solution or a quick fix. You’ll have to do all the hard work, but having this book helps get you on the right path. Even if that path proves to have a few thorns you have to push past.
Excellent read for writers who need to hear some hard truths, and who are willing to do the heavy lifting.
Such great food for thought! I’m already thinking about my writing in a different way.
This is a great book for any writer, and I highly recommend it! It truly does help you figure out what to keep, what to quit, and what to question as a writer, and it has changed me in the best of ways as to how I now approach the business of writing. It is one of my favorite books of the year!
Not really anything new in here, but it could be a good reminder for people feeling a little overwhelmed. Basically, it boils down to knowing yourself, accepting your own work habits, cutting out unnecessary distractions, and not comparing yourself to others.
If you’re looking for a writing mindset book that delivers advice with tough love, I’d recommend Adam Croft’s “Indie Author Mindset” over this.
I got this book free in a writers conference gift box. I thought I’d take a quick look at it, but didn’t expect to find it helpful. Instead, I read it cover to cover in practically one sitting. It’s a simple premise with powerful impact: there are no sacred cows. If you’re not progressing in your writing career the way you think you should be, the first step is to “question the premise.” SHOULD you be doing what you’re doing? I appreciated the explanation of how the brain works to reinforce bad habits and what it takes to break them. Very illuminating.
So often as writers, we try to do all the things. But could we actually do better if we did less? Becca explores this topic and gives us plenty to think about!
It taught me SO much about the book business. Read and listened to it 3 times. Becca’s courses are also very good.
First off–Syme does NOT mean for writers to quit writing! She wants us to find our unique style and productivity based on our character traits. I’ve been absorbing everything I can from her YouTube channel, classes and other books and the difference in my work life has been amazing. If you write, read this.
For any writers out there, this is a must read.
Every indie author needs to read this book! So much good information and so on point! I already plan to read it again and I’ve been binging her related QuitCast podcast.
This is one of the best non-fiction books I read so far. Not that I’ve read a lot of non-fiction books, but I’ve been reading more of them since this year and this one really stood out for me. One of the main reasons this one stood out to me is that something about this book really resonated with me. And I am not even a writer, the target audience for this book, but I do work in this industry as tour organized and author assistant and I am just interested in everything publishing and marketing books.
The way this author talks about writing, questioning the premise and finding your perfect alignment and what works for you, really resonated with me. I had me nodding along and re-evaluating my own behavior and suddenly realizing why some things do and don’t work. There were some really insightful parts and I really feel like I got a lot of great information out of this book and it changed the way I think about some things.
It’s like this book finally gave me the answer to all those times I’ve questioned why I can’t work like others, why I can’t work more or differently, why I am not like others and why this weird system I have works for me even though it seems like it shouldn’t or that I should do things differently. Why I feel like there’s something wrong with me at times because I work so differently than others or why at some times I struggle to work at all. Why I struggled with working earlier this year even though I have my dream job and also why my current focus on finding a better work life balance is so important. And it’s like this book finally make me realize it’s okay and I what I’ve been doing with trying to find the best way to manage my work/ life balance is what I should be doing instead of trying to be like other people. That it’s okay to be this way and to work this way and that everyone is different and different systems work for everyone. And it’s like this should be something I know, but reading this book really made those truths sink in.
It’s also so very accepting. And so understanding and even encouraging of how each individual is different. The writing style and tone really worked for me, yes there are hard truths, some really though truths. And it really hits it home how hard it is to make a living writing. It doesn’t pull any punches or make promises that you can make it or that there is an easy way. The author says time and time again that it’s going to be hard, but at the same time it’s very encouraging as well. I also felt that it was very real and honest and accepting. Just know the facts and the market before you start so you go in with your eyes open. And figure out what works best for you.
The author really emphasizes you have to work hard and try to figure out what works for you. I liked that message and the focus on figuring out what works for you. That you can listen to advice, but also evaluate whether it’s something that works for you. And how every person is different. I think this is so true and also why not every advice or tip or system works for everyone.
Even when you’re not a writer I think this book can be valuable, especially when you work for yourself or if you struggle with anything in your daily life. So many of the tips and information in this book is applicable to so many areas of life. At times it even felt like it wasn’t just about writing. All the examples are about authors ofcourse, but it’s easy to see how these truths and information pieces can be applicable in other areas of your life as well. Speaking of the examples, I thought most of those were very informative and illustrated her points well.
I actually finished this book in a few days, which rarely happens with non-fiction books as I usually fit them in during small breaks and take a long time to get through them, which is fine and I like reading them that way usually. But something about this book just pulled me in so much that I actually wanted to keep reading it and kept finding more moments to read it. As I wanted to know more, as I wanted to have more of the insightful information in this book and because the writing pulled me in. Because this book resonated with me in a way and really meshed with some of my own ideas. It was so insightful to read and I wanted more of those insights.
The main premises and themes of this book felt very solid and important to me. Having to question the premise and finding out what to quit, what to keep and what to question. Each chapter is titled after something to quit and while that tone might seem negative, it didn’t feel that way at all. Because with how much the focus is on quitting things, the other side of that is keeping the things that do work and focusing on those.
It is clear the author is a coach and that shined through in the book I thought it made for a very interesting point of view. She’s an author as well, but I think her being a coach gave her another point of view or approach than I see in most non-fiction books for writers. I thought it worked well. I think it really shows how much she knows about this topic and how many people she has coached and how that helped her see patterns.
To summarize: This is probably one of the best non-fiction books I’ve read this year. Something about this book really resonated with me and there were so many insightful moments. While it’s focused on writers, I think it can be insightful for other people as well. I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in only a few days as something kept me pulling me back to this book. It really gave me some new perspective and made me evaluate my own behavior. And it felt nice how the author focused on individual differences and finding out what works for you, it felt very validating for me as I often feel like I do things differently/ wrong and this book made me feel better about that as this is what works for me. While the book has some hard truths about how difficult this type of work is, I thought it was very accepting and encouraging. She doesn’t pull punches and it felt very real and honest, but definitely accepting as well. There are some great bits of information in this book and things that made me think and even with all that going on it was still an enjoyable read as well. The author of this book is a coach and I think that gave her a unique point of view and different approach than I see in most books and I thought it really worked here. I would definitely recommend this to authors, writers or other people that work in this industry or that work for themselves or do any type of creative job as I think the information in this book is applicable to a lot of people and a lot of areas in life.
Becca Syme is a voice of clarity in a wild wilderness of “how to” books for writers. Most of them are “my way or the highway” types but Becca is the exact opposite as she coaches you to find what works for you, which… gasp!… may be completely different than the writing mentor or guru you’ve been trying to replicate. Brilliant stuff.
A wonderful book about finding your method, and quite timely for me, during NanoWriMo, it has helped me stay motivated. 🙂 I highly recommend this for anyone who struggles with their writing, because it may not be the way someone else is doing it.
The right writing book at the right time for me. I now have a QtP voice to use on myself. 🙂
I can’t think of a single author who will not benefit from the wisdom found in this book! it was a balm to this weary writer’s soul. An easy read that is practical, insightful and easy to implement. Becca’s style is funny and direct, and I love that about this book! Get in and get to the point. She does just that!