Nasta Rahatko revealed the "dumb assumptions" she had to abandon when selling her book

1. Books are sacred. Nonsense. There's you as an author and you as a manager. The manager understands that a book competes not with other books, but with TV series, TikTok, Aperols, and so on. The author – a delicate soul – wants to write and immediately have a million copies sold. My book is called "Carry with You", so I sank it in the sea, photographed it in Berlin toilets, and ask people to send me photos with it from everywhere, including hospitals, business trips, kitchens, etc.

2. A good book sells itself. Bullshit! Books take longer to sell than to write. The book title and cover, as well as all other design elements, should ideally be conceived from the perspective of a manager, not an author. It's important to sell the reader's experience, not yourself as an author. That's why I say: this is funny and open about our shared experiences, how to live as an emigrant, a woman, a political refugee – without high-flown and mysterious language. I say: these are stories, quick to read, long-lasting in impact, like chatting with a friend.

3. Nothing can be done without a publishing house. Ha-ha. Self-publishing (for me) was the best decision. Publishing houses can be busy with their own plans, sometimes they lack money, or they don't know how to or consistently handle distribution. I've read how publishers say, "Our sales are bad, people don't read." No, they do read. Just those books whose interest is clear to them and communicated by publishers. If publishing houses don't want to print you, it doesn't mean your book is bad (or good). Print it yourself. If you don't know how – come, I'll tell you.

4. Choose who to be: either an Instagram woman, or a writer, or a politically active person, or a blogger. Also nonsense. You don't have to choose anything. I worked in media, then in politics, now I'm selling a book, I want to post naked photos – I will. This is integral to me – because this liberation was given to me precisely by writing the book and then through various dialogues with people. My book is like that too: there are giggles with a US Secretary of State in a restroom, and collections of posthumous interviews, and bodily practices. There's room for everything. If you think there isn't – ask yourself why it bothers you how much space other people occupy.

5. Neural networks are bad, awful, and for idiots. Well, well, Nasta! I wrote the text of the book myself (otherwise it's not interesting), but with AI I made a website, I manage a blog, descriptions, pitches, presentations, and more. I am a vibe-coder, vibe-layout designer, etc. With people, it would simply be more expensive and take longer.

6. If you're not accepted by the professional community – you're trash. Nope. The "community" mostly started talking about my book (no, I lie, about me, not my book) when I went to a Russian exhibition and when my book started to be given to diplomats (both with condemnation). So, it's not their merit at all that I have the desire to continue working on the book. If a young debut author without my life experience were in my place, they would have shut down, collapsed, and decided never to write anything again after such comments in the media, FB, and Threads.

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7. Only losers make mistakes; if you don't do it perfectly right away – you're weak. The biggest nonsense. A year ago, I could do almost none of what I do now. I go for advice, I pay for consultations. And I give them myself, because I've already made a ton of mistakes and had successes – and I can share them with others so that they/you don't have to make them, so that this very path takes them/you less time. If this is relevant to you – write to me, I love consulting. And buy the book, it's ready for you.

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