Book Review #3: Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

Table of Contents
The Book in 3 Sentences. Who should read it? Summary and Highlights. How it impacted me. Top 5 Quotes. Information about the book.

The Book in 3 Sentences.

1. Connect your work with your audiences.
2. Tell a good story that defines your work.
3. Don’t get carried away.

Who should read it?

I highly recommended this book to creative people. Though the ideas discussed in it are applicable for all walks of life. If someone is especially looking for:

1. Ways to share your innovative works.
2. Some easy tricks to sell out your creations.
3. Methods for getting a dedicated follower base.
4. Techniques to advertise your product interestingly and
5. Ways to keep yourself connected with your audience.

Then this book will be your perfect companion. Try it undoubtedly.

Summary and Highlights.

It is a non-fiction book and, it contains a lot of crucial points. So, this summary will include a brief discussion of the whole book. It may seem like a spoiler. Therefore, please read the book first.

1. You do not have to be a genius.
   1. In a scene, everyone has the potential to contribute something. Try to be someone in the scenario. Support each other. That is how the famous artists and writers of an era were born.
   2. Learn from your failures. Spend time on your work. Feel free to make mistakes.
   3. Share what you love. People who love the same things will find you.
   4. If you want people to know about your work, you have to share them first.
   5. Read biography and obituaries of others. It will give inspiration about how they started from scratch and became successful. It will also remind you about how little time you have to accomplish your work.
2. Think Process, Not Product.
   1. Share in-progress updates of your work. It will make a connection between you and your audience.
   2. Keep records throughout the process. Thus, you will get a clearer view of how things are going. Additionally, you will have a bulk of materials to share with your audience. 
   3. Share your progress every day. If there is none, share your inspirations and influences. You will get a whole story ready as soon as you have completed your work.
   4. Do not get carried away. Focus on sharing only after working up to a certain level.
   5. Small things over time get big. Share something every day and recapitulate them at a regular interval.
   6. Make your blog or website. Build a good domain name and buy a hosting that is your very own space. You control how your content will look. And eventually, it will be its currency.
3. Open your Cabinet of Curiosity.
   1. Our tastes make us what we are. Share your tastes. People will be more interested in you even more than in your work.
   2. Do not try to act hip or cool. Be honest about your likings. You will find like-minded people with whom you can connect your works.
   3. Give proper attribution to what you share. It is the only way to let the people dig deeper into that work.
4. Tell Good Stories.
   1. People who like your work also want to know the story behind it. Tell them a good story in a pleasant way.
   2. Make a structure of your story. Divide it into past, present and future events. The past events will mention what you have done so far. The present will tell your current standing and, the future will show how your work will end up.
   3. The more you tell stories, the more they will get better.
   4. When talking about your profession and skills, never attach adjectives like ‘amazing’, ‘aspiring’ etc. Also, do not mention them in your online bio if you are not a master.
5. Teach what you know.
   1. Teach people about your work. They will feel more interested and connected to you. You may get some great ideas in return.
6. Don’t Turn into Human Spam.
   1. If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. Do not point just to your work. Instead, connect your work to peoples life and desire.
   2. Do not ask people to follow you back. Be someone unignorable. 
   3. If you feel drained after talking to someone, that person is a vampire. Keep a distance from them.
   4. Always take care of your fellow and like-visioned workers. They can enrich you with their experience and expertise.
   5. Meet with your favourite people and idols. Visit their workspaces and grab a coffee together. It will grow your sense and vision.
7. Learn to take a punch
   1. Keep hidden your sensitive works but do not hide all of them. Let the people taste some of them. Eventually, they will be hungry to find others.
   2. Do not spend your life with only your work. Give a certain amount of time to the people you care about. 
   3. Throw the dump comments away and block the people you hate.  
   4. Turn off commenting in your posts often. Let them contact you directly or take your work to their platform to discuss.
8. Sell Out
   1. Do not be jealous when other people do well. Celebrate as if it were yours.
   2. When you plan for fundraising with your work, always put something worth the money. Set up a price that you would have paid for that work.
   3. Make a mailing list of your subscribers and treat them with special greets. Do not just spam their inbox.
   4. Do more work and be ambitious. If an offer means more money and, less work then simply deny it.
   5. Respond to fan mails but focus on getting your work done more.
9. Stick Around
   1. Do not just assume a successful outcome. Wait for the perfect moment and keep working on it.
   2. After finishing work, think about how could you possibly do better. Then, start the next one. Do not take an intentional long break. Ignite your next candle with the fire from the previous one.
   3. Give your body and mind some relaxation. Commute, Exercise and Nature are three good choices to stay disconnected from your virtual world.
   4. Do not ever feel like a master. Be an amateur and learn again and again. Find something new and start learning.

How it impacted me.

1. This book mostly inspired me to create this website and blog.
2. It showed me the way to keep social and personal life different.
3. It helped me to embrace the negative comments and get inspired by them.
4. It led me to share my works and write blogs at regular interval.
5. It guided me not to expect everyone as a follower but to choose my type of work to make like-minded followers.

Top 5 Quotes.

“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. “

“If you want followers, be someone worth following.”

“Having your work hated by certain people is a badge of honour.”

“Your work is something you do, not what you are.”

“Your last book isn’t going to write your next one for you.”

Information about the book.