I bought a $100 book from Paul Millerd

I bought a $100 book.

The Pathless Path (premium hardcover edition) by Paul Millerd.

The day we met, Paul pulled out a huge box and I handed him a stack of cash in New Taiwan Dollars. The whole scene looked like a drug deal. Except we were dealing a book. In some ways, this is a pretty good drug too.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. He’s in Taiwan and I live in Malaysia.

Last December, I heard that two of my favorite YouTubers, Ray and Shosho Chang, were hosting a meetup with Paul in Taiwan to discuss The Pathless Path. Instant jealousy.

Then I had a wild thought: why not just fly there?

After some planning and getting my wife’s blessing, I quickly bought a ticket. Then I reached out to Paul directly, asking if he had any hardcovers in Taiwan. He said most of them were in the US. The only copy left in Taiwan was his own. But he could sell it to me.

And just like that, I actually flew back to Taiwan. And actually bought a $100 book (not counting the plane ticket).

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.

Pathless Path has quickly become the book I’d recommend alongside The Millionaire Fastlane (for entrepreneurship) and Four Thousand Weeks (for rethinking productivity).

The real person is even more authentic 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.

I cracked up. But after laughing, I 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 every dollar and the flight.

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.

Alex Hsu

Indie developer, AI music miner, aspiring writer, ADHD.
Documenting my journey of personal growth and the pursuit of simplicity.