Creative Bulletin n.291

Yesterday, The Creative Ambush was released in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia by the American publisher Andrews McMeel 🎉

If you're in the US and feel like sharing it with friends, I’d really appreciate it!

Daring to move beyond prejudice. When I first tried to pitch The Creative Ambush in Italy, it quickly became clear that no one was going to publish it. I was told it was too “weird,” the audience too broad, and the author (me) not well-known enough. So I did something often discouraged in the publishing world: I released it through Sefirot — in other words, I self-published it.

It wasn’t easy, because those doubts can take root inside us too (how had I dared to give myself permission to publish a book on my own?). For months, I was on edge — constantly checking reviews online, worried someone might “call me out.”

But the freedom was worth everything. I had it translated into English so it could reach people all over the world, and the response was incredible: over 30,000 copies sold.

That success caught the attention of a major American publisher, who decided to take it on and help spread it even further.

🌈 Creative takeaway: don’t let what seems like “reality” hold you back.

If I had left The Creative Ambush sitting on my desk because “it’s better not to self-publish,” none of this would have happened.

I know it’s not easy, but if no one is publishing you, seeing you, recognizing your work — don’t give up. Try bringing your projects to life anyway. Don’t wait for someone else to give them permission to exist. Give it to them yourself.

That’s what creative independence really is. That’s how you co-create your reality — by giving your ideas the chance to become real. ⭐️

With love,
Matteo

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