How to Become a Best-Selling Author When You Have A Full-Time Job

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As the son of a truck driver, John Searles remembers developing a love of literature at stops he’d frequent with his dad. Since then, his unconventional writing path has taken him everywhere from the esteemed offices of Cosmopolitan magazine to abandoned drive-in movie theaters for book inspiration.

On the pod, John takes us through the triumphs and obstacles he went through to get his foot in the door of the journalism industry, and how he became a successful author on top of his 9 to 5. John also talks about writing his latest thriller Her Last Affair and the different strategies he’s used to get his thoughts on the page.

Key moments:

  • [22:24-22:30] “I always work really hard from page one, paragraph one, sentence one, to engage the reader right away.”

  • [53:06-53:10] “I always think all good writing feels visual.”

  • [58:00-58:12] “I’m not a write-everyday person. I’m always thinking about writing and reading and studying the world, and it’s always working in my mind. But I don’t write every day. I think you have to really find your own way.”

  • [58:45] "You have to read other people's work because that's how you learn by reading other, other people's books.'“

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