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The Journey of Unlearn

The Journey of Unlearn

5 years ago I self published a book called #Unlearn. Building the book (fonts, format, margins and learning Adobe InDesign) took longer than actually writing the book, but eventually the book was complete and available online. It sold about 2-3 copies on a good day, and that money added up to get me out of my hole. A few years later, major publishers in Canada took notice of me and we sat down to discuss a publishing deal. I told them that everyone who's read Unlearn loved it, and I'd love to bounce it off their trampolines to reach new audiences. They all replied "we don't traditionally re-publish books, but we'd love to have you for a new book." RULE: When people use the word "traditionally" run the other way, and that's what I did. A few months later, the good folks at @chaptersindigo reached out and asked to re-issue Unlearn and bounce it off their trampoline. Once they did, it became an instant bestseller, and stayed on the list for almost a year. I sold more copies of Unlearn in a month with Indigo than I did the 3 years prior independently. That caught notice of the major US publishers, and I  signed with @HarperCollinsUS to bounce Unlearn off their trampoline, and it soared even higher. 5 years, 4 covers, my baby continued to evolve at it's own pace. This story is important, because had I judged the book based off its original release, by many standards it would be considered a failure. Instead I realize now, it was a seed, and it needed to grow when it was ready. Now my baby has taken me around the world, connected me with amazing people, and secured me a few bags. To my fellow artists, put your work out and don't judge the results, you're planting seeds that will grow when they grow. Unlearn will exist beyond me, and I'm excited that my new book THINGS NO ONE ELSE CAN TEACH US will be dropping in October WORLDWIDE, so you can see what Humble can do now that my beard is 5 years longer, and I'm 5 years wiser. Thank you for being  a part of this journey, and I wish you all the best on your own. #BLESS

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1 comment

  • Hey.

    I hope ya’ll are good.

    I am a fellow writer making my way to greatness. I need to know what font Humble used for the quote pages in Unlearn.

    I’m self-publishing a book on Amazon. I wrote it in Segoe Print, but I’m getting an error message that it may not print correctly.

    I appreciate the help.
    Take Care. Talk soon.
    Anthony Markland

    Anthony Markland

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