No1
Last week, we had our first number 1 show in the USA in 8 years of doing podcasts.
It was a Casefile Presents show, The Bakersfield Three, which we released on the 7th of November.
What’s interesting to me is the feeling of getting there and the history revisionism that usually happens after a big success or flop.
The feeling.
Not so long ago, I watched an interview with author Ryan Holiday, and he was talking about getting to the top of the bestseller list. It was his goal, his dream. He thought about it when he started researching his book, then during writing, editing, publishing, and finally marketing - imagining how great it would be to get to the top.
After all of that, one morning, he got the call that his book was at the top of the bestseller list - and the feeling, so hyped out, was not there. Of course, he felt good, but that’s about it. He then had to prep breakfast for his kids, take them to school - and do all the usual things he did the day before.
When he wasn’t the bestselling author.
It’s cringe when someone says, ‘It’s about the journey, not the destination,’ but sometimes the truth is cringe.
The revisions.
After a big success (or failure), the revision of what led to the moment happens.
It’s either ‘I knew it would happen.’ ‘Everyone believed in it, we knew it was special’.
Or
‘Only if we didn’t do it this way.’ ‘We should have changed XYZ, and then it would happen.’
Depending on the outcome, we fit the story, change it, and adjust it.
The truth is - we believe in each project. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing them. But we cannot predict what will happen after the release.
It’s impossible.
The only thing we can do is do the best we can.
Still, it is a great feeling when work pays off.
YOUTUBE
We are part of the accelerator group where people give feedback to each other. After the latest one, I decided to rerecord five videos I recorded a few months ago, so I am rewriting the scripts, too.
They are not out yet; even if it means extra work - it’s all part of the learning process.
BOOKS
On Writing by Stephen King. I do like writing (that’s why this newsletter exists), so I thought I should read more about the art of writing. King’s book is fun and autobiographical. I started it last night, so I didn’t get any writing tips yet.
FUN
Paulina’s sister and her husband were visiting us from Poland, so we had a fun few days driving around the area and sightseeing in Bristol, Bath, and Glastonbury. The weather was what you expect for November in the UK, but honestly, it wasn’t that bad.
And we visited a few spots I’ve never been to, like the Tor in Glasto, with great views.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you (hopefully!) next week!
Mike
https://mikemigas.com/
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