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This Is Marketing by Seth Godin (Frankfurt AM, Germany, in the background)
I’ve been reading Seth Godin’s work for nearly two decades and I admit that when I lose sight of what to write about (or how to write―because that happens too), I visit Seth’s blog and after reading only a few posts, the desire to write something that matters overcomes me and I get back to it.
It seems to me that Seth’s #1 mission is to give us food for thought, and not just for writing and marketing, but even for our bellies. I purchased my first book on baking bread thanks to his recommendation just yesterday via a very touching post.
How To Create Art: The Step-By-Step Instructions
Over the years I’ve noticed Seth’s readers are constantly asking him for step-by-step instructions on how to create art and many complain that he won’t give them said instructions. He always answers pretty much the same way, that such instructions would negate what art really is, which is, art.
However, I think Seth did something rather sneaky in his latest book, This Is Marketing.
I’ve been reading This Is Marketing over the last few days and feel Seth has done the one thing he said he wouldn’t do, he’s given us the instructions, step-by-step, on not only how to market our art, but also how to create it!
I’m not 100% sure he realizes he did this or maybe he is abundantly certain and will never admit it. Either way, this is by far the best book I have read this year, and is the best book I’ve read from Seth so far, even though I’ve read and listened to Linchpin many times.
On page 11 of This Is Marketing Seth writes:
You can learn to see how human beings dream, decide, and act. And if you help them become better versions of themselves, the ones they seek to be, you’re a marketer.
He could have easily replaced a marketer with an artist.
Then he follows on the same page with Marketing in Five Steps.
In. Five. Steps.
I’m not going to give them away here, you need to read them in the book along with the rest it, trust me.
This Is Marketing is in effect what readers have been asking for and Seth delivers in spades. Whether he intended to or not, he provided instructions on how to create art and he did it by teaching us what marketing is and how to market our own work.
In order to market your art, you must understand how you created said art and why you created it.
The good marketer understands the how and the why, and Seth teaches us why the marketer understands and how he or she uses this information to serve our fans. It’s within these lessons where the heart of the book is.
This Is Marketing is likely the closest you’re going to get to a step-by-step instruction book from Seth, even if it’s cleverly disguised. You just have to read between the lines a little, but it’s there. I promise.
You can get your copy of This is Marketing here on Amazon.
I hope you read it and let me know what you think.
