Passion or Profit in Publishing Books with Rob Archangel

About this video

Dale Roberts asks Rob Archangel, founder of Archangel Ink, whether self-publishers should choose passion or profit. Archangel argues you have to be realistic about profit first: you must keep the lights on and sustain yourself, because you are of no help to anyone if you are struggling. He notes taking outside paying work at times is not failure, as most businesses have a long incubation period and are not profitable in the first few years, requiring sweat equity. At the same time, passion is powerful because it gives you the energy to keep going, practice, experiment, and become good enough that people want to work with you. In his view success is partly a game of attrition — sticking with it longer than others, doing what they are not willing to do, distinguishes you and positions you to profit in the long term.

Key takeaways

• Assess profit realistically — you must be able to sustain yourself and keep the lights on to be able to help anyone
• Taking regular outside paying work while building a business is not failure; most businesses are not profitable in the first few years
• A long incubation period requires sweat equity — time and energy invested before you see the fruits of the labor
• Passion provides the energy to keep practicing, learning, and experimenting where others stop, making you good enough to attract clients
• Success is a game of attrition: sticking with it long enough and doing what others won’t helps you stand out and profit over the long term

Episode details: published May 6, 2018 · 4:35 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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