ReadWith
A sample note from reading
The Practice by Seth Godin
I recommend this book if you're looking to get serious about your creative practice.
“A pattern of small bridges, each just scary enough to dissuade most people”
I remember I left my last job because there were no such small bridges. Which is curious: leaving a job because of a lack of scary creative hops?
My throat had started to feel a little squeezed every day. I was interpreting my body’s subtle anxiety cues as this: I was trading doing “scary important” things for comfort. After trying to find “scary important” things to do at the job itself, which being a startup demanded exclusivity on my creativity and attention, and failed to see any avenues for these creative hops, I decided to leave.
Leaving was a creative hop. And it was “scary enough to dissuade most people”. So I did it.
Hi, I'm Pascal, and I've read
The Practice by Seth Godin.
I recommend this book if you've been looking to start publishing. Maybe it's building something in public. Maybe it's starting a podcast to help your audience. For me, I read this when it became clear I needed to feed my mind with enough perspective to keep a publishing habit that wasn't going to pay off right away, and to do it anyway.
Using ReadWith, you can read this book and get access to my reading notes, which I'll share with you as you record your own notes. It'll feel like you're in a mini reading group with me, and it's a great way to deepen your insights while reading. This package includes 46 reading notes in total, disclosed progressively.
You Share a Reading Note,
Then Mine Appear
Here's how ReadWith works: As you save your own notes about the book, my notes (up to the place you’re at in the book) will be shown to you. An entry contains both your note and progress info, and it calculates how far by percentage you are compared to other people's notes.
You shared
“They believed that harmonics held the key to understanding how things functioned.”
This reminds me of how often my beliefs are wrong at the outset of a project.
Just this morning, I realized I had believed one part of my design would be super important, and in fact wasn’t at all central.
This note at the top, that's the one you just added (let's say).
This one below, that's my note, made accessible because you're just a little bit ahead in the book (by percentage read).
Pascal shared
“A pattern of small bridges, each just scary enough to dissuade most people”
I remember I left my last job because there were no such small bridges. Which is curious: leaving a job because of a lack of scary creative hops?
My throat had started to feel a little squeezed every day. I was interpreting my body’s subtle anxiety cues as this: I was trading doing “scary important” things for comfort. After trying to find “scary important” things to do at the job itself, which being a startup demanded exclusivity on my creativity and attention, and failed to see any avenues for these creative hops, I decided to leave.
Leaving was a creative hop. And it was “scary enough to dissuade most people”. So I did it.
I built ReadWith to read books with other people, to simulate the experience of a reading group, where everyone can get a turn to share their reaction on a passage from the book.
To read The Practice by Seth Godin alongside my reading notes, purchase access and you'll hear from me today or tomorrow with the next steps.
The feeling of a reading group, at your own pace
In a reading group, you get to hear other people's insights.
With ReadWith, you get that feeling of a reading group, but you read at your own pace. No need to schedule a reading session, just read when you can.
Personally, I can't wait to read other's reactions, so this system gets me to read and contribute my thoughts more frequently, setting a good natural reading pace.
Unlock only the notes about topics you read
You won't be able to see notes further than your place in the book, so there's no risk of spoilers. No disconnect between what you're reading (in the book), and what you've heard about the book, because we'll both be reacting to the same passages.
A few important details ☜
- Audio Book? Yes. Ebook? Also works. Paper Book. Totally. Along with your reading note, you capture your progress by page number or time remaining.
- "Do I have to share notes with you?". You can have private notes only you get access to, separate from the notes you share with me. However, in order to unlock my notes as you read, you'll need to share some notes with me.
- "Can I read this book with other people besides you?" Currently, you can't yet invite any other friends to read this book with you, but I can keep you in the loop about that and other features as I'm ready to make them public.
- "Do we have a place to chat within the app?" It's not one of the planned features, but it's not a hard no. Maybe? The idea is more that it's better to formulate your thoughts, consider the thoughts of others, but not so much to react to everything. There's no "like" button. This isn't an attention medium, it really is an "ideas and insights" medium. If you already have a connection with the other reader (me in this case), then you can follow-up outside the app through your usual chat or DMs ("I read you reading note on such and such...").
"But I have so many other books I meant to read…"
Why this book and not another book you have on your "to read" list? I found that a reading group, even reading a book with just another person, makes the process of reading that much more enjoyable and meaningful. It's the alone part that makes reading a book a little bit of a chore. But when reading a book alongside someone else, it's a little bit different. You develop insights better, you remember the lessons better, you turn your reading into a little more of an investment.
"Does the price include the book?"
The price only includes access to the reading notes. Here's my pitch however: books are expensive right? Their price is low compared to, say, an online course, but their true cost is in the time you'll be putting in to read it, and the cost of changing your mind. I'm confident ReadWith will help reduce both those non-price costs for you. You'll read the book, you'll learn the insights. Tell you what, let me make it interesting for you: you'll find it a bargain or your money back.
"I already read this book."
I find that the best books are the ones worth re-reading. And so, if you'd like to re-read it alongside my reading notes, (or in a future update maybe, alongside your own private reading notes, I've tried it, it's great), then consider using ReadWith for this book.
"Ok, I'm ready to start reading The Practice with you Pascal."
Maybe not this book.
Are you reading other books with ReadWith, Pascal?
Yep, besides The Practice by Seth Godin, I've been recording my reading notes for other books (See my profile page). I only put reading notes for sale for the books I'd recommend, which means I only publish my reading notes for a few books a year. I'll be announcing new books soon.
I'll also be sharing about new features I'm building for ReadWith, and so here's where you can sign up to stay in the loop: