Dr. Marcus Collins

And when the email came through, I honestly thought it was one of those like ghostwriting spam emails or like, hey, just dictate and we'll write the book for you. And no shade to them, but I just never would do that. And I was like, I just kind of ignored it. And then he emailed me again and said, hey, like, I'd love just 15 minutes of your time. I just think you have something interesting to say.

And when the email came through, I honestly thought it was one of those like ghostwriting spam emails or like, hey, just dictate and we'll write the book for you. And no shade to them, but I just never would do that. And I was like, I just kind of ignored it. And then he emailed me again and said, hey, like, I'd love just 15 minutes of your time. I just think you have something interesting to say.

And he caught me right at the right time because we had just had our second daughter, Ivy, and I'm walking her in a stroller and I got a good half hour of time to walk her. So like, I'll take the call. So I was going to call. We talk and And, you know, I'm basically just grilling him about the industry because I didn't know very much about publishing at all. And we agreed to just write a proposal.

And he caught me right at the right time because we had just had our second daughter, Ivy, and I'm walking her in a stroller and I got a good half hour of time to walk her. So like, I'll take the call. So I was going to call. We talk and And, you know, I'm basically just grilling him about the industry because I didn't know very much about publishing at all. And we agreed to just write a proposal.

And he caught me right at the right time because we had just had our second daughter, Ivy, and I'm walking her in a stroller and I got a good half hour of time to walk her. So like, I'll take the call. So I was going to call. We talk and And, you know, I'm basically just grilling him about the industry because I didn't know very much about publishing at all. And we agreed to just write a proposal.

No strings attached. We just write a proposal. And honestly, when I hung up the phone, I just compartmentalized it somewhere in the back of my mind so that I would do later in life. COVID happens and a close friend of mine passes very, very early, very early. A gentleman by the name of Marlo Stoudemire. Died March 24th, 2020.

No strings attached. We just write a proposal. And honestly, when I hung up the phone, I just compartmentalized it somewhere in the back of my mind so that I would do later in life. COVID happens and a close friend of mine passes very, very early, very early. A gentleman by the name of Marlo Stoudemire. Died March 24th, 2020.

No strings attached. We just write a proposal. And honestly, when I hung up the phone, I just compartmentalized it somewhere in the back of my mind so that I would do later in life. COVID happens and a close friend of mine passes very, very early, very early. A gentleman by the name of Marlo Stoudemire. Died March 24th, 2020.

And immediately it reminded me of a book I'd read years ago called Die Empty. And that book said that the most expensive real estate on the planet is the graveyard because that's where ideas are buried that weren't. brought to fruition. Books weren't written. Movies weren't made. Albums weren't recorded. Companies weren't started because everyone was waiting for the right time.

And immediately it reminded me of a book I'd read years ago called Die Empty. And that book said that the most expensive real estate on the planet is the graveyard because that's where ideas are buried that weren't. brought to fruition. Books weren't written. Movies weren't made. Albums weren't recorded. Companies weren't started because everyone was waiting for the right time.

And immediately it reminded me of a book I'd read years ago called Die Empty. And that book said that the most expensive real estate on the planet is the graveyard because that's where ideas are buried that weren't. brought to fruition. Books weren't written. Movies weren't made. Albums weren't recorded. Companies weren't started because everyone was waiting for the right time.

Well, you don't have time. Time, you're on borrowed time. And in the middle of the pandemic, my mortality just felt so tangible. And I was like, I'm going to write this proposal. So I wrote the proposal. My agent liked it. I liked it. He said, let's pitch it. I'm like, great. What's the worst that can happen? Did they say no? And they said yes. And I was like, OK, cool. Great. Awesome.

Well, you don't have time. Time, you're on borrowed time. And in the middle of the pandemic, my mortality just felt so tangible. And I was like, I'm going to write this proposal. So I wrote the proposal. My agent liked it. I liked it. He said, let's pitch it. I'm like, great. What's the worst that can happen? Did they say no? And they said yes. And I was like, OK, cool. Great. Awesome.

Well, you don't have time. Time, you're on borrowed time. And in the middle of the pandemic, my mortality just felt so tangible. And I was like, I'm going to write this proposal. So I wrote the proposal. My agent liked it. I liked it. He said, let's pitch it. I'm like, great. What's the worst that can happen? Did they say no? And they said yes. And I was like, OK, cool. Great. Awesome.

And we end up getting a deal to write this book. And then I go, oh, man, I don't write a book now. And the truth that matters, and being totally honest, this is like totally true. I wrote like 5,000 words and I go, I got nothing else to say. That's it. I got nothing else to say. And I think I was on, I was on the hook, contractually on the hook to write 85,000 words.

And we end up getting a deal to write this book. And then I go, oh, man, I don't write a book now. And the truth that matters, and being totally honest, this is like totally true. I wrote like 5,000 words and I go, I got nothing else to say. That's it. I got nothing else to say. And I think I was on, I was on the hook, contractually on the hook to write 85,000 words.

And we end up getting a deal to write this book. And then I go, oh, man, I don't write a book now. And the truth that matters, and being totally honest, this is like totally true. I wrote like 5,000 words and I go, I got nothing else to say. That's it. I got nothing else to say. And I think I was on, I was on the hook, contractually on the hook to write 85,000 words.

And I go, just take your money back. Like, I can't do this. Like, this is a mistake. I've made a mistake here. And here's where things got interesting for me is that I thought, okay, what am I trying to say? What's the argument I'm trying to say? I'm trying to say that culture is important. So many people have said this. People a million times smarter than me have written that.

And I go, just take your money back. Like, I can't do this. Like, this is a mistake. I've made a mistake here. And here's where things got interesting for me is that I thought, okay, what am I trying to say? What's the argument I'm trying to say? I'm trying to say that culture is important. So many people have said this. People a million times smarter than me have written that.

And I go, just take your money back. Like, I can't do this. Like, this is a mistake. I've made a mistake here. And here's where things got interesting for me is that I thought, okay, what am I trying to say? What's the argument I'm trying to say? I'm trying to say that culture is important. So many people have said this. People a million times smarter than me have written that.