In 1997, Derek Sivers (accidentally) started CD Baby, the largest distributor of independent music in the world. Ten years later, he sold the company for $22 million.

What did he do with the money? Did he buy a Ferrari? A mansion? A private jet?

He gave it all to charity.

He then became a TED speaker and a writer. He's published 5 books:

- Anything You Want (2011) -- Best business book I've ever read.- Your Music and People (2020) -- Best marketing book I've ever read.- Hell Yeah or No (2020) -- Best book on productivity and decision-making I've ever read.- How to Live (2021) -- Best book on life philosophies I've ever read.- Useful Not True (2024) -- Best book on beliefs I've ever read.

Derek Sivers is the person I've watched, read, and listened to the most since I got an internet connection in 2000.

No joke!

I could’ve asked him questions about music, business, productivity, marketing, or public speaking, but many YouTubers and podcasters have done that before.

For 1.5 hours, we talked about one thing only: WRITING.

- What brought him into writing?- Which writers inspire him?- How did he write his books?- Why succinct writing?- Why does he not use semicolons?- What does he do to actively improve his writing?- Does he have a sentence he's particularly attached to?

We discussed this and other nerdy stuff about writing.

Enjoy!

DEREK'S LINKSHis (succinct) website - https://sive.rs/

FABIO'S LINKSBetter Writers - https://fabiocerpelloni.com/private/

YOUTUBE LINK for this episode- https://youtu.be/jI3efiQ2u_M

CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

03:30 Starting to write

11:30 The influence of bad writing

15:55 Reading reviews

19:00 Different reasons for writing

23:20 Writing "How to Live"

28:43 Writing one sentence per line

34:34 The influence of writing songs

39:06 Derek's best sentences

40:00 Imitating other writers

44:51 Reading old books

47:15 The work is the practice

53:25 Publishing daily?

01:04:00 Why succinct writing

01:05:30 Using stories to illustrate a point

01:07:05 Semicolons

01:07:45 Reading with a writer's mind

01:09:50 Academic writing

01:12:40 Writing for English as a second language speakers

01:15:00 Next book?

01:17:30 Being disciplined

01:19:28 Saying just enough

01:30:30 Conclusion