6 perspectives · Updated · 3 min read
There is no single road to a first book. The six authors here took different ones.
Charles Duhigg was a newspaper reporter who kept chasing one question. Daniel Pink wrote speeches and articles first. Ramit Sethi built a blog audience before his book. Brendon Burchard sent his first book to more than 200 agents, heard nothing, and self-published. Guy Kawasaki tells authors to handle publishing themselves.
Their answers cover where to start, what to write first, and what to do when no publisher calls back.
Most of these authors wrote shorter work for years before a book: articles, a blog, columns, or speeches. Start with a question you can't stop thinking about, write every day, and build readers who already like your work. If publishers don't answer, self-publishing is a real path.
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Six authors, among them a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the former chief evangelist of Apple, and the author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich. Listen for how each one got from writing to a finished book.
Guy Kawasaki · Chief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
Listen for: Why he wrote a guide to self-publishing.
Ramit Sethi · Author of the New York Times bestseller I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Listen for: Why the book is the peak, not the beginning.
Charles Duhigg · Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators
Listen for: How a reporter's questions became a book.
Daniel Pink · Author of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret
Listen for: His path from speechwriting to seven books.
Brendon Burchard · High performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto
Listen for: What he did after 200 agents didn't answer.
Arthur C. Brooks · Behavioral scientist and author of books on the science of happiness
Listen for: Why he talks an idea out before writing it.
Chief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur
Why themSelf-published, then wrote the guide to doing it.
Guy’s advice: Write the best book you can, then handle publishing and promotion yourself.
I wrote APE because I watched too many authors get strangled by the fantasy that a traditional publisher would make them famous. The real path is to write the best book you can, then handle publishing and promotion yourself.
Author of the New York Times bestseller I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Why themWrote a blog for years before his first book.
Ramit’s advice: Don't start with a book. Build readers who already like your work.
I started writing my first book in 2004, and I’d tell most people: don’t start with a book. If you haven’t written articles, a blog, or anything else, the book isn’t the beginning, it’s the peak. Start by building a platform of people who already like your work, because publishers won’t market it for you.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators
Why themTurned years of reporting into bestselling books.
Charles’s advice: Start with the question that keeps you up at night.
I became an author by accident, really. I was a newspaper reporter who kept chasing questions I couldn't stop thinking about, and eventually I had enough material and enough obsession that a book became the only honest container for it. My advice is to start with the question that keeps you up at night, not with the ambition to be an author.
Author of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret
Why themWrote speeches and articles before seven books.
Daniel’s advice: Write every day, even when you don't feel like it.
You become an author by writing, and by writing every day even when you do not feel like it. I wrote speeches for the Vice President, then articles, then seven books, and the only rule that held was showing up.
High performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto
Why themSelf-published his first book after agents passed.
Brendon’s advice: Finish the book, then keep pitching until a door opens.
I became an author by finishing Life’s Golden Ticket, shipping more than 200 gold‑box copies to agents, hearing nothing, self‑publishing 300, pitching it for a year at conferences, and following up until one conversation finally opened the door.
Behavioral scientist and author of books on the science of happiness
Why themWrites columns and books as a daily discipline.
Arthur’s advice: Talk your idea out for three months, then write a little every day.
I became an author by first becoming a behavioral scientist who wanted to translate technical ideas about human potential for regular people, then spending years writing columns and books as a daily discipline. If you want to write a book, start by talking about your idea for three months, lower your standards enough to get words down, and live in day-tight compartments while keeping the grand plan in view.
| Who | Their advice |
|---|---|
| Guy KawasakiChief evangelist of Canva and author of APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur | Write the best book you can, then handle publishing and promotion yourself. |
| Ramit SethiAuthor of the New York Times bestseller I Will Teach You to Be Rich | Don't start with a book. Build readers who already like your work. |
| Charles DuhiggPulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators | Start with the question that keeps you up at night. |
| Daniel PinkAuthor of seven books on motivation, timing, sales, and regret | Write every day, even when you don't feel like it. |
| Brendon BurchardHigh performance coach and author of The Motivation Manifesto | Finish the book, then keep pitching until a door opens. |
| Arthur C. BrooksBehavioral scientist and author of books on the science of happiness | Talk your idea out for three months, then write a little every day. |
Start with a question you can't drop. Charles Duhigg says to begin with the question that keeps you up at night, not the wish to be an author.
Write shorter pieces first. Ramit Sethi says the book is the peak, not the beginning, so write articles or a blog first. Daniel Pink wrote speeches and articles before his first book.
Write every day. Daniel Pink writes every day, even when he doesn't feel like it. Arthur C. Brooks treats writing as a daily discipline.
Talk the idea out. Arthur C. Brooks talks about an idea for three months before he writes it, then lowers his standards enough to get words down.
Build readers before the book. Ramit Sethi says publishers won't market your book for you, so build a platform of people who already like your work.
Keep going when no one answers. Brendon Burchard sent his first book to more than 200 agents and heard nothing. He self-published 300 copies and pitched it for a year until a door opened. Guy Kawasaki says to handle publishing and promotion yourself.
They split on publishers. Charles Duhigg and Daniel Pink took the traditional route. Guy Kawasaki tells authors to publish and promote the book themselves. Brendon Burchard did both: he self-published first and kept pitching until one conversation opened the door.
Start with shorter work. Ramit Sethi wrote a blog for years before his book, and Daniel Pink wrote speeches and articles first.
No. Guy Kawasaki self-published and wrote a guide to doing it. Brendon Burchard self-published his first book after agents didn't answer.
Ramit Sethi says yes: build a platform of people who already like your work, because publishers won't market the book for you.
Daniel Pink writes every day, even when he doesn't feel like it. Arthur C. Brooks lowers his standards enough to get words down and keeps the grand plan in view.
Pick the question you can't drop, write shorter pieces and build readers, and write every day. Then ask the author whose road looks like yours.
We asked this question to authors on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own writing, talks, and interviews, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .