by Neil Gaiman
THE ASSUMPTIONS,
THE NOW WE’RE SUPPOSED TO’S
OF HOW YOU GET YOUR WORK SEEN, AND WHAT YOU DO THEN,
ARE BREAKING DOWN.
THE GATEKEEPERS ARE LEAVING THEIR GATES.
YOU CAN BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU NEED TO BE TO GET YOUR
WORK SEEN. YOUTUBE AND THE WEB (AND WHATEVER
COMES AFTER YOUTUBE AND THE WEB) CAN GIVE YOU
MORE PEOPLE WATCHING THAN TELEVISION EVER
DID.
THE OLD RULES ARE CRUMBLING
AND NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE NEW RULES ARE.
SO MAKE UP YOUR OWN RULES.
SOMEONE ASKED ME RECENTLY HOW TO DO SOMETHING SHE
THOUGHT WAS GOING TO BE DIFFICULT. IN THIS CASE RECORDING
AN AUDIOBOOK, AND I SUGGESTED SHE PRETEND THAT SHE WAS
SOMEONE WHO COULD DO IT. NOT PRETEND TO DO IT, BUT
PRETEND SHE WAS SOMEONE WHO COULD. SHE PUT UP A NOTICE
TO THIS EFFECT ON THE STUDIO WALL, AND SHE SAID IT HELPED.
SO BE WISE,
BECAUSE THE WORLD NEEDS MORE WISDOM.
AND IF YOU CANNOT BE WISE, PRETEND TO BE SOMEONE WHO
IS WISE, AND THEN JUST BEHAVE LIKE THEY WOULD.
MAKE
INTERESTING, AMAZING, GLORIOUS, FANTASTIC
MISTAKES
BREAK RULES.
LEAVE THE WORLD MORE INTERESTING
FOR YOUR BEING HERE.
MAKE GOOD
ART.
FINIS.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is the bestselling author and creator of
books, graphic novels, short stories, film and television
for all ages, including Neverwhere, Coraline, The
Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane,
The View from the Cheap Seats and the critically
acclaimed, Emmy-nominated television adaptation
of American Gods.
The recipient of numerous literary honours, Neil has
written scripts for Doctor Who, worked with authors
and artists including Terry Pratchett, Chris Riddell and
Dave McKean, and Sandman is established as one of the
classic graphic novels. In 2017, he became a Goodwill
Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
As George R. R. Martin says: ‘There’s no one quite
like Neil Gaiman.’
@neilhimself
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com
Chris Riddell
Chris Riddell is one of the UK’s top contemporary
illustrators. He has written and illustrated an exceptional
range of books and is winner of many illustration awards,
including the UNESCO Prize, the Greenaway Medal
(three times) and the Hay Festival Medal for Illustration
at the 2015 Hay Festival, where he was described as ‘the
greatest illustrator of his generation’. He served as the
Waterstones Children’s Laureate from 2015 to 2017.
Chris is also a renowned political cartoonist whose
work appears in the Observer, the Literary Review
and the New Statesman.
@chrisriddell50
Credits
The full texts were originally published as follows:
‘Credo’ copyright © 2015 by Neil Gaiman.
First published in the New Statesman.
‘Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and
Daydreaming: The Reading Agency Lecture, 2013’
copyright © 2013 by Neil Gaiman.
First published in ReadingAgency.org.uk.
‘Making a Chair’ copyright © 2011 by Neil Gaiman.
First appeared on the CD An Evening with
Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer.
Biting Dog Press limited edition, Broadsheets, 2011.
‘Make Good Art’ copyright © 2012 by Neil Gaiman.
First published on UArts.edu.
Page 101 constitutes an extension of this copyright page.
ART MATTERS. Copyright © 2018 by Neil Gaiman.
Illustrations copyright © 2018 by Chris Riddell.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational,
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please email the Special Markets Department
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Published in Great Britain in 2018 by
Headline Publishing Group.
FIRST U.S. EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition JANUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-294265-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-290620-5
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