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Bestselling author Seth Godin has decided to end the Domino Project, his experimental imprint with Amazon. The books will still be sold on Amazon, but Sarah Kay‘s Why Publish Poetry? will be the last book published by the imprint.

Last August, Godin made a surprise announcement: “I’ve decided not to publish any more books in the traditional way.” He then launched the Domino Project through Amazon, publishing 12 books. The list included Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way by  Steven Pressfield. General Electric sponsored a free download of that “sponsored book.”

Godin explained why he is stopping in a blog post: “By most of the measures I set out at the beginning, the project has been a success. So why stop? Mostly because it was a project, not a lifelong commitment to being a publisher of books. Projects are fun to start, but part of the deal is that they don’t last forever. The goal was to explore what could be done in a fast-changing environment.” (Via Publishers Lunch)

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Do you feel resistance when you step into the water?A hesitation, perhaps, to put your foot in?A reluctance to jump?And once you’ve entered the water and started writing, do you feel the page resisting the words that you try to write?Do you feel the words themselves resisting you?Resistance can take many forms.In Steve Pressfield’s Do The Work! Overcome Resistance and get out of your own way, he

For those of you who have been reading the blog for awhile, you already know how much I adore a book called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I have a blog post that has some excellent gems from the book. It’s a definite must-read for any writer who may find themselves stuck.

So I was really giddy when I found out the author has just published a new book called Do The Work. What’s even more fabulous is that it’s currently available as a free e-book download (Amazon Kindle version)

About writing that first draft:
“Suspending self-judgment doesn’t just mean blowing off the ‘You suck’ voice in our heads. It also means liberating ourselves from conventional expectations — from what we think our work ‘ought’ to be or ‘should’ look like.”

Hitting the wall after smooth sailing:
“We’re poised at the brink of a creative breakthrough and we can’t stand it. The prospect of success looms. We freak. Why did we start this project? We must have been insane. Who encouraged us? What want to wring their necks. Where are they now?”

Ha, ha. I love this quote. Too funny and TOO true.

On getting validation on our work:
“We can’t tell whether we’re doing great or falling on our faces. When we finish, if we do, no one will be waiting to congratulate us. We’ll get no champagne, no beach party, no diploma, no insignia.”

Check out the Domino Project blog where the author talks more about the book. And the author’s blog is something you should also check out with the Writing Wednesday features.

You should really take advantage of the free Amazon Kindle download while the offer lasts. The book is a great read and can give you the right type of “umph” to finish your novel project.

General Electric will sponsor the next book from Seth Godin‘s Domino Project publishing line; the company will sponsor a free Kindle edition of Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of your own Way by  Steven Pressfield (cover pictured).

The eBook will be free until May 20th. It regularly retails for $7.99. The new publisher began by partnering with Amazon and is also talking with other corporations about future eBook sponsorship.

Godin explained in the release:  “Since it costs very little to deliver one copy of an ebook, the economics favor sponsorship. By paying the author directly, a sponsor like GE is able to earn the gratitude of hundreds of thousands of readers and spread an idea that matters.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

This past weekend I re-read a great quote by Steven Pressfield, author of The War of Art — a must read for writers who want gems of inspiration as well as a kick in the pants:

“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you got.”

I needed to read this again. I’m coming to a close on this current revision phase so I’ve been spending lots of time with my manuscript and I was afraid that maybe I was being selfish. But writing takes time and effort, which means you must give it your attention.

So writers keep writing. Give the world what you got.