I had to drop off a load of twenty or so books in the lobby of my building just now because I couldn’t carry them all in from my car. The Twelve Caesars, Socrates, Black Boy, The Age of the Moguls, Plutarch, Washington Irving, Nat Turner. The doorman asked are these for your school. Nope, they’re for work. And then I realized that I do this for a living. For money. The next time I (you, Ryan) complain about something, try and remember this and what you’d even hoped for two years ago.
Written by Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is the bestselling author of Trust Me, I’m Lying, The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, and other books about marketing, culture, and the human condition. His work has been translated into thirty languages and has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. His company, Brass Check, has advised companies such as Google, TASER, and Complex, as well as Grammy Award winning musicians and some of the biggest authors in the world. He lives in Austin, Texas.
arrogance? pride?
Yeah dude, from what I can tell, you’re living the life.
Also, have you considered going digital?
You, Ryan, are in a enviable position that most of us dream of having. As for most of your readers’ situation, Fortune is a cruel mistress.
Digital in terms of something like the Kindle?
Seriously, FOUR comments?
And I’d heard sooo much about you.
Disappointed is an understatement!
Good post. When you’re doing things for school, as a student, people assume that you aren’t taking it seriously, that it doesn’t really define who you are at all. The biggest part of being a student is not being serious. Telling the guy that the books were for work, and not for school, changes the whole ballgame.
Have you thought of using ebooks in pdf format and using a pdf editing tool like Foxit Reader to make your highlights and notes?
I prefer having the actual book instead of the electronic version; nothing can replace the experience of turning a page or the satisfaction of adding a finished book to my personal library.
Actually no. In fact, for what I’m working on right now I would be utterly screwed if I’d been using digital copies instead of marking up books for the last two years.
Did you know that you can mark up ebooks (and save your marks/comments)? Check out foxit reader. What do you think?
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php