Over the last decade, I was bound to the hustle mindset. It wasn’t enough to be a dude who writes stories. I needed to be a brand that I could leverage for maximum profit. I needed to conquer the publishing industry and bend it to my financial will.

And after ten years of fatigue and frustration, I am granting myself permission to stop being a brand. It’s exhausting, it’s dumb, and I hate it.

It’s a sad fact that most modern artists are forced into this mentality. Creating a brand can be quite lucrative if you nail the market incentives, but most people just want to be creative and maybe earn some extra cash. But these days, a kid can’t doodle on a napkin without some schmuck telling them to monetize it. Before long, the kid is prepping for conventions, hiring a tax accountant, and worrying about SEO. Cut to the end where they are steeped in regret and lose interest in doodling altogether.

So in an effort to mend this horrible mindset, let’s talk about ways to reclaim some authenticity and start enjoying the creative process again.

I think the great irony of hunting acclaim is that everyone becomes the same. And once you start paying attention to it, you see it everywhere. There is a formula for creating an enticing thumbnail for a YouTube video. There is a formula for creating a refined cover for a thriller novel. There is a formula for creating a catchy trailer for a movie. They’re all the same. Every ounce of authenticity has been stripped out of the art for the sake of audience capture. Or to put it another way: to extract the most profit.

If money is the goal, then more power to you. Embrace the sameness. Sand down the edges and sell to the masses. But if you’re like me, and hate the fact that “branding brain” has sucked the joy out of creativity, then I offer the following tips to help clear the fog.

(I am talking directly to myself, but the core points should be obvious.)

Stop selling stuff that isn’t your works.

No more merchandise, seminars, or coaching. All they do is steal focus away from selling books. If you want to be a speaker, then stop writing and be a speaker. The basic wisdom bears repeating: do one thing really well, not several things poorly.

Stop wasting time on big events.

There was a time when massive fan conventions were fun and lucrative. That time was 2015. Since then, they have devolved into joyless corporate slogs that siphon money from fans and creators. Stick to local events that don’t gouge consumers.

Stop expanding into other media.

Resist the temptation of starting a podcast or a YouTube channel. They are hyper-saturated markets that you have no hope of competing in. You’re a writer. You express ideas through the written word. Do not waste your time in front of a mic or camera.

Stop listening to the hustle goblin.

Some people can grind themselves to the bone every day. You are not that person. Enjoy your leisure time. Writing will always be there. You do not have to fill every minute of free time with work. That psycho-think will only lead to burnout.

Remember why you do this.

To quote you from the very beginning, “Why do I write? Because the movies in my head are amazing and I want my friends to see them.” That is your raison d’etre. A published title is the end result of a creative process. For fuck’s sake, enjoy the craft.

Okay, now that I have properly flogged myself, let’s take some time to reflect.

I totally understand why I started a merch shop. This was a callback to my days in the music industry where band merch was expected. I always had shirts and stickers available at shows, so it felt right to do the same for any creative endeavor. But I have to realize that there is a big difference between a music fan and a book fan. I can go to any grocery store and see a Taylor Swift shirt. But when was the last time I saw a Stephen King shirt? These are two very different fandoms. My books are my merch.

Similarly, I can also understand why I delved into seminars, coaching, and speaking. After a decade performing on stage, I am very comfortable in front of crowds. Coupled with the fact that I have learned a great deal about publishing, it felt only natural to combine them into a service. But the thing is, I never wanted to do so. I was just listening to the hustle goblin, who thought it was a great branding opportunity. Yes, this is an area of competence, but there’s no rule saying that I have to leverage it.

Tech is another trap that I always fall into. I work as a programmer, so the technical side of a project never bothers me. I already have all the know-how and equipment to start a podcast, but that doesn’t mean I should. I know the structure and demands, but I lack the desire to give it a proper go. For that reason, any podcast I start is destined to fail. I have to remind myself that knowledge of a thing is not appetite for a thing. Writing is my medium and I am propelled by the motivation to improve it.

So yeah, I am letting go of the branding hustle. Permanently.

And if these words strike a chord and help you do the same, then I welcome you to the grassy lands of normality. Here we strive to enjoy creative works for the sake of doing them, not for notoriety. If we earn a few bucks, then great. And if not, that’s great too. We strive for quality, but do not bristle when someone does not enjoy it. We are here for the simple joy of tossing something new into the world and seeing what happens. It’s exciting, it’s terrifying, and most importantly, it’s deeply fulfilling.

Hello. My name is Zachry Wheeler. I’m a dude who writes stories.