I bought a $100 book from Paul Millerd
Part of My Heroes Collection
About the people who have influenced my worldview and values, and what I've learned from them.
I flew back to Taiwan to buy a $100 book.
The hardcover edition of The Pathless Path. Paul Millerd was in Taiwan at the time and had one copy left. I contacted him directly and picked it up in person.
Here’s how it happened.
Last December, I heard that two of my favorite YouTubers, Ray and Zhang Xiuxiu, were hosting a meetup with Paul to discuss The Pathless Path. I was in Malaysia at the time. Instant jealousy.
Then I had a wild thought: why not just fly there?
After some planning and getting my wife’s blessing, I actually bought the ticket and went.
A book I wish I’d read sooner
When this book came out in 2022, I had already quit Meta and was walking my own pathless path. So I wasn’t interested. It was like already knowing Japanese and then being asked to read someone’s story about learning Japanese.
It wasn’t until last year, when I started writing You Don’t Procrastinate in Video Games and got interested in self-publishing, that I gave this book a second look.
Turns out Paul self-published it without a publisher.
And he publicly shares all his numbers: how many copies sold, how much money made.
So cool.
After reading it, I wished I’d found it sooner.
Paul went from MIT to McKinsey, then quit to pursue writing. His journey, the self-exploration, and the vulnerable moments he shares really resonated with me.
It also made me reflect on my own path.
Taking easy classes to boost my GPA (Paul calls this “Hoop Jumping” in the book).
Getting into Stanford, getting into Facebook.
Jumping through hoops until I realized I’m more comfortable doing my own thing.
His journey from creating to self-publishing gave me a huge push to write my own book.
Writing is a lonely road. But after reading his, I realized there are many others walking this pathless path before me and alongside me.
Just knowing that is reassuring enough.
This has quickly become one I’d recommend alongside The Millionaire Fastlane (for entrepreneurship) and Four Thousand Weeks (for rethinking productivity).
The real person is even more real than the book
The day we met, Paul was exactly like he is in the book. Genuine. He said a lot of things that stuck with me.
He said he no longer sets annual goals or New Year’s resolutions.
For him, what matters more is exploration.
No predetermined direction. Just let curiosity lead the way.
He also joked that he hopes his readers never walk the pathless path.
Go join McKinsey or some other big company instead.
That way they’d have money to support a broke author like him.
Everyone cracked up. But after laughing, you realize that’s the reality of being an independent creator.
Books are absurdly underpriced
After I started writing a book, I realized how hard it is to write one. Especially before AI existed. Every author who published before 2023 deserves massive respect. Unlike me, trying to write a book with AI in 2025.
I also realized that writing books barely makes any money.
Books contain so much. They can change so many lives.
And yet the price of a single book is absurdly low.
Online courses cost at least 10x what a book costs.
I remember paying half price, $750, for Tiago Forte’s Building a Second Brain online course a few years ago. I finished it and nothing changed. A few books I read afterward helped way more. When BASB and PARA eventually came out as books, the course had to drop to $499, because the books already covered everything.
We’ll happily spend hundreds of dollars on a two-hour concert.
But we’ll only pay $15 for a book containing an author’s entire life of experience and wisdom.
And a $15 paperback through traditional publishing? Less than 10% actually reaches the author.
My kind of fandom
So when an author I admire self-publishes a $100 hardcover?
I’d rather skip a concert and a few meals to support them.
If there’s an event I want to attend, I’ll buy a plane ticket and fly there.
Isn’t this just the same concept as being a fan?
Except these days, I don’t follow pop stars. I follow authors.
Paul Millerd and The Pathless Path are worth it.
Image source: pathlesspath.com
This is the most beautiful non-fiction book I’ve ever owned.
P.S. The company that made this beautiful hardcover, Otterpine, is the same one my number one hero Derek Sivers uses to print all five of his books.
Indie developer, AI music miner, and aspiring writer.
Documenting my journey of personal growth and the pursuit of simplicity.