John Grisham is an American Dream success story.
His parents could probably be generously put in the category of “middle class”. Lower class would probably be more appropriate.
John started working odd jobs when he was a teenager. Things that included hard work, getting dirty and many things that most people wouldn’t even consider if given the choice.
John attended community college. Then a four-year college. Eventually he completed his degree at Mississippi State with a degree in accounting. Then he went to law school. It might be fair to guess that he was looking to do what many would consider a “good job”. Accountants and lawyers typically do well financially and there is a lot of upside.
John began practicing law in the early 1980s. You could say that even at this point he was living the American Dream. Completing college, finding a good job, marrying and starting a family.
But John had a curiosity: writing.
Many people like the idea of writing the “Next Great American Novel”. Some even take the first steps of doing a little writing. Maybe even 10,000 or so words.
But the truth is that the first steps are easy.
John got an idea for a novel. He wrote it. Well, it took him about three years to write it. He was, after all, practicing law full time. He pitched the novel to publishers. They all, as one might expect, turned him down.
Eventually he found a small publisher that accepted the project. It was published. It sold 5,000 copies initially. That’s actually not a bad number. Even back then.
After finishing that first novel, and seemingly while pitching the first, John continued to write and completed his second. This one, The Firm, was picked up by a larger publisher and released, seven years after he began writing that first novel. The novel became a huge hit.
An interesting thing happened at this point. Here is what John said:
“A very young executive with a big book chain just said in passing that ‘the big guys come out every year’. He meant the likes of Clancy, King, Crichton, Ludlum, Follett. I heard that loud and clear. At the time I was about halfway through The Pelican Brief and had no idea when it would be finished or published. But I went home, locked myself away for 60 days and finished the book. It was published a year after The Firm. One year after that I published The Client. Those three books had an enormous impact on everything that followed. A Time to Kill was reissued and now, after all these years, is probably my bestselling book. I didn’t plan any of that. But I did plan to get The Pelican Brief out a year after The Firm, and that was the best decision I ever made.”
John made is past the first steps of writing a book. He was able to find huge success with his second novel. That’s a critical point for many content creators. At this critical time, John realized the importance of schedule. He heard the advice of the chain bookstore operator about releasing one book a year and he made that his goal.
He realized he was already behind on meeting the goal for the next book. But he did. Then he figured out how to form his annual schedule so he could write one book a year. And he tweaked that schedule over the years.
If you look at John’s bibliography today you’ll realize that ~30 years later and counting, he’s stuck to that schedule. And some years he’s even released two books.
Take from that what you will.
I take a couple things…
First, schedule is important because it builds discipline, responsibility and routine. John Grisham likely loves the fact that he’s one of the best selling authors of all time. But I would bet that his true passion is the everyday process of writing a book. He figured out a schedule and it’s helped him succeed. I’m sure he’s audited it and tweaked it over the years, but simply having a focus on a schedule has been huge.
Second, quantity is okay. Even ~30 years into his career, John continues to produce at the same quantity. One novel a year is a lot in the book world. A novel is about 100,000 words. You’re looking at about 350 words per working day for a whole year. But of course there is a lot of other work that goes into it. Also a lot of deleting, rewriting and more. It would be easy for John to slow down his frequency, but a lot of creators fall into that trap. Quantity is good for a number of reasons. It helps you learn. It keeps your creative muscles strong. And lots more.
Third, John is a smart guy. He was a working lawyer. He wrote a first novel. It sold okay. Then he burst to instant fame. He was a successful writer. But even at this point he looked to others as a way to model his future. He looked at other successful writers. He found a blueprint and tweaked it to suit his style. You don’t need to reinvent the world to find success. You can use the paths of others.
Obviously there is a lot that goes into making someone successful. John Grisham included. But it’s very interesting to read his quotes on the importance of schedule. It’s interesting that he took this advice early in his career and has stuck with it ever since.
It works for him.
It can work for all of us. No matter what profession or hobby we’re in.