Adapted from the book "Perennial Seller" by Ryan Holiday Learn more at perennialseller.com

1. PERENNIAL
SELLER
Strategies For Lasting Creative Success

2. Hidden from view for the vast
majority of the public—buried mid-
way through a little page that explains
the complicated methodology behind
the famous New York Times Bestseller
list—is an unusual phrase. It says,
with matter-of-factness, “among the
categories not actively tracked at this
time” are so-called “perennial sellers.”

3. It’s an industry term for perhaps
the most important type of book in
publishing, one that is responsible for
the vast majority of the revenue for
the $70 billion dollar book industry:
the titles published long ago that keep
selling without fanfare and without
attention.

4. In their purest form, every writer,
musician, entrepreneur, designer,
journalist, producer, filmmaker,
comedian, blogger, pundit, actor,
investor—anyone doing any kind
of creative work—is attempting
to do one thing: make something
perennial—something that has
impact and survives.

5. That’s what a perennial seller is: a
product that keeps reaching new
customers week in and week out, year
in and year out.

6. Perennial sellers are the revenue
engines of the creative industry. They
are like gold or land—they go up year
after year—they pay like annuities.

7. All my life (and career) I have been
studying these kinds of perennial
sellers. Not just because it’s what I do
for a living as an advisor to writers,
musicians, and entrepreneurs, but to
incorporate them in my own writing.
What follows are some of the lessons
we can learn from the creators who
have made things that last—not for
months but for years.

8. Making Something That
Lasts
• The Work Is What Matters: The first and most
essential step of a perennial seller is creating
something truly great. It starts by wanting to
create a classic.
• Think Long Term: As you are deciding what to
make, it’s essential that you root it in what is
timeless. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how great
it is in the moment—it won’t last.
• Seek Out A Blue Ocean: Can you redefine or
create a category, rather than compete in one?
• Know Your Audience: It’s important to “scratch
your own itch” as the saying does, but are you
actually sure people share your itch?

9. Marketing Something That
Lasts
• Marketing Is Your Job: If you don’t care enough to
market your work, why should an audience buy it?
• The Rule You Can’t Forget: start by acknowledging
a blunt but important truth: Nobody cares about
what I have made. Humility always works harder
than ego
• Only One Thing Matters: Word of Mouth
• Free. Free. Free.: Free is one of the best ways
to get fans. The more you reduce the cost of
consumption, the more people will be likely to try
your product.
• Find Your Champions—The More Influential,
the Better: When a real person, a real human
being that many others trust says, “This is good,”
it has an effect that no brand, no ad, no faceless
institution can match.
• Getting Media Attention: Media is a seller’s
market. Focus on what’s unique and special, Don’t
be afraid of controversy, Start small and trade up
the chain, and keep your platform in mind

10. What’s Luck Got To Do
With It?
• It would be dishonest to talk about creating a
classic, perennial seller, and pretend that luck
has nothing to do with it. Because luck matters
a lot. No matter what we have heard from our
parents, hard work does not trump all.
• But, the more you do, the harder you work, the
luckier you seem to get.

11. Success isn’t something you’re after
for a month or two. You want to be
evergreen. To sell for decades. To be
classic. To make the backlist. To be a
perennial seller.
Because that’s where the impact is, in
reaching people, and lasting.

12. p e re n n i a l s e l l e r. c om