What I Learned After Self-Publishing a Book

After putting out Shots in the Dark and studying what actually makes books succeed, I’ve realised something simple but uncomfortable:

There are really only two categories of books — fiction and non-fiction — and the rules for each are completely different.

In fiction, you can say anything and get away with it. Tolkien, Rowling, C.S. Lewis, Star Wars… all of them explored our cosmic origins, metaphysics, morality, and hidden truths — wrapped in story. People love it, because story goes down easy.

In non-fiction, especially self-help or “truth” books, you have to be extremely careful. If you speak plainly, directly, or objectively — like David Icke, Jordan Maxwell, or Velikovsky — most people won’t understand it, won’t buy it, and probably won’t even hear about it. Truth in its raw form doesn’t sell.

My own book was released as non-fiction, competing with giants like Sudha Murthy. But Shots in the Dark wasn’t written for the masses anyway — it was a curation, something I wanted offline, something I could carry even without internet. A book for utility, not virality.

But here’s the strongest revelation:

Nobody reads anymore.

People want reels, videos, films. Our attention span has collapsed. The only “books” most people touch are school textbooks or a classic they were forced to read.

So if you want to write a book today, it has to be sensational… or even better:

If you have a non-fiction or self-help message,

you’ll reach 10× more people if you turn it into fiction.

Story is the back door into the collective mind.