Paul Millerd & Jimmy Soni — The Creative Opportunities of a Boring Life (EP. 302)

Fresh off releasing one of the most beautiful hardcover books we’ve ever seen, Paul Millerd returns alongside Infinite Books CEO Jimmy Soni for a deep dive into the broken incentives of traditional publishing, why the industry breeds “cynicism at scale,” and how the internet is powering a second Renaissance for creators.

We get into what it means to build a creative life on your own terms, the Taoist approach to growing an audience, how to navigate financial uncertainty while raising a family, and why seemingly boring daily routines fuel extraordinary creative work.

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!," check out our Substack.

Important Links:

• Paul’s Website
• Paul’s X
• Paul’s Substack
• The Pathless Path Premium Hardcover
• Good Work
• Infinite Books
• Jimmy’s X

Show Notes:

• Make Books Beautiful
• Why Paul Turned Down Penguin
• Creative Work Should Inspire More Creative Work
• Cynicism at Scale in the Publishing Industry
• The Long Tail of Book Marketing
• Why Paul Launched a Hardcover Pathless Path
• Dre, Spielberg & Chappelle: Design Your Own System
• Playing Probabilistic Games
• How to Live a Pathless Life With a Family
• The Creative Perks of a Boring Life
• "What If I Do Less?”
• Books Are Win-Win
• Paul as World Emperor

Books Mentioned:

• The Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life; by Paul Millerd
• Good Work: Reclaiming Your Inner Ambition; by Paul Millerd
• The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley; by Jimmy Soni
• What Works on Wall Street; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• How to Retire Rich; by Jim O'Shaughnessy
• Walden (Steel Brothers reimagined edition); by Henry David Thoreau
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective; by Kenneth O. Stanley
• The Work Is the Win; by Billy Oppenheimer (forthcoming)
• Reclaim the Book; by Paul Millerd (essay)
• Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World; by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• The Chronic; by Dr. Dre (album)
• Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing); by Lao Tzu