With PhD from Yale, BA from Georgetown, Atchity is a former professor of comparative literature & Fulbright professor to the University of Bologna, who changed careers to literary management and producing and has set up nearly 30 films (working with Angelina Jolie, Betty White, Maggie Gylenhaal, Jason Statham, among others) and sold hundreds of books to publishers, including two dozen of his own.
When will you consider your book a success?
When someone I’ve never heard of writes to tell me “your book changed my life.” I’ve always believed stories change the world, and to me, that’s the highest accolade.
Can you share a snippet that isn’t in the blurb or excerpt?
That’s what I love most about America, what my grandfather loved: It offers you as many chances to start over as you have the will and energy to take. I witnessed a yoga master once at a Satsang in India when a supplicant, who’d traveled 8,000 miles for the purpose, asked him, voice faltering, “But, Master, how many times can I pick myself up?” answer simply, “Sister, how many times can you fall?”
“There’s no penalty for failure here,” Jede repeated to me frequently, reminding me of the Arab saying he’d learned as a kid: “There’s nothing to fear! Kick the road—and go!”
I would discover that principle also holds in the Hollywood jungle, where I’ve battled to get stories produced for more than a quarter-century. The alleged show business truism, “You only get one shot,” is blatant nonsense. Nobody’s counting! You get exactly as many shots as you have the hunger and stamina for.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge in my second career as a literary manager/producer has always been cashflow, which allows me to play the high-stakes Hollywood game. I’ve sold it by using my editorial, development, and marketing talent to continually increase my cash-flow while waiting—sometimes for twenty years or more—for a particular flower I grew from seed to bloom and show its face to the world.
Please share one thing new self-publish authors can do to gain more reviews on Amazon.
Beg! Beg everyone you know to review your book on amazon, reassuring them that it doesn’t matter whether they love it or hate it. EVERY review is a good review because the more reviews readers see there the more likely they’ll look seriously into your book.
Can you share some of the marketing techniques that have worked for you when promoting your book?
Probably the most important one is to ask everyone I know to write a review of my latest book on amazon because reviews are the first thing everyone looks at, whether it’s an acquisitions exec in Hollywood or a prospective reader. Even the amazon computer “looks at reviews” and responds more and more strongly to books with increasing reviews.
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
Never sit down to write until you know what you’re going to write before you sit down. I expand on this preventative cure to “writer’s block” in my first book on writing, A Writer’s Time: A Guide to the Creative Process, from Vision through Revision (W.W. Norton).
What helps you stay driven and motivated to finish writing your book?
I never have a problem with motivation when I’m writing a book because it takes me a long time to decide to write it in the first place. When I believe I have something to say, nothing can stop me from saying it. I just take my time getting it as right as I can.
Can you recommend one book, one podcast, and one online course for entrepreneurs and authors?
If I have to choose one, I’d choose FILM COURAGE. Karen Worden and David Branin interviewed me twice and turned the interviews into a dozen shorter segments that have reached over a million people, and brought me dozens of referrals. And their questions are so insightful, earnest, and intelligent they brought out the best in me.
What are you learning now? Why is that important?
I’m learning to deal with the tedium of continuing because not to do so would be betraying not only my dream but the dreams of those storytellers who’ve entrusted their work to me. If the hero gets weary of the battle, he must fight on anyway.
What’s your best piece of advice for aspiring and new authors?
Let nothing deter you and take your storytelling gift dead seriously. I was once on a panel with Louis L’Amour on the night of his 94th Birthday. He told the audience; I’ve just published my 93rd book and I can finally say I’m beginning to feel confident with my writing. One of my clients was in the audience and came up to me at the break. “That is SO depressing,” she said. I told her she should take it the opposite way. “You should be elated to hear that. What other profession can keep you challenged for the rest of your life!” LOVE what you do and never stop learning how to improve your art. “There is no end to better,” as one of my Story Merchant execs used to say.
What is your favorite quote?
It’s from Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gasset, and is found in a footnote in his book On Love: “I think the only immoral thing is for a being not to live every instant of its life with the utmost intensity.”
Who should we interview next and why?
My wife Kayoko Mitsumatsu, who founded Yoga Gives Back, now in its 15th year. Her company slogan is “For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.” YGB is based on giving back to Mother India for the gift of yoga, by enabling underserved women and children in India. The work we’ve done (I’m chairman of the board of directors) has been amazing, and is all documented by her filmmaking.
What is your definition of success?
For me, success is about pushing your potential to the max and showing your love for life by exceeding the limits of your dreams. Carlyle said, “Success is steady progress toward a worthy goal,” and that’s pretty good too.
How do you personally overcome fear?
I wrestle with it during ‘dark nights of the soul,’ and end by assessing everything in my journal and plotting a path forward. I often remind myself, inspired by Eckhart Tolle, “there is nothing wrong right now!”
How can readers get in touch with you?
I’m easy to reach, and want to hear from storytellers who need help staying on track—preferably by email at atchity@storymerchant.com or visit StoryMerchant.com.
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