On Being Happy and a Successful Writer at the Same Time
Russell Nohelty
This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.
What if success didn’t have to cost your sanity?
For years, USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty chased the “dream” of massive book sales, bestseller lists, and unlimited creative freedom...
…but achieving it came at the cost of his health, his happiness, and even his love for writing. Now, he's on a mission to make sure nobody else has to make the same devil’s bargain ever again.
In On Being Happy and a Successful Writer at the Same Time, Nohelty draws from hundreds of books on happiness, years of business experience, and the lived reality of chronic illness to lay out a practical, holistic framework that helps writers align their creative work with joy, abundance, and their natural tendencies.
This brutally honest, refreshingly hopeful guide offers a path forward for authors who want to thrive—not just survive.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
Whether you're just starting out or hitting burnout after years in the trenches, this book will help you realign with what truly matters, so you can stop chasing success and start living it.
Duration - 10h 14m.
Author - Russell Nohelty.
Narrator - Digital Voice Russell Nohelty E.
Published Date - Wednesday, 14 January 2026.
Copyright - © 2025 Russell Nohelty ©.
Location:
United States
Networks:
Russell Nohelty
Digital Voice Russell Nohelty E
The Author Stack
Wannabe Press
English Audiobooks
Findaway Audiobooks
Description:
This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. What if success didn’t have to cost your sanity? For years, USA Today bestselling author Russell Nohelty chased the “dream” of massive book sales, bestseller lists, and unlimited creative freedom... …but achieving it came at the cost of his health, his happiness, and even his love for writing. Now, he's on a mission to make sure nobody else has to make the same devil’s bargain ever again. In On Being Happy and a Successful Writer at the Same Time, Nohelty draws from hundreds of books on happiness, years of business experience, and the lived reality of chronic illness to lay out a practical, holistic framework that helps writers align their creative work with joy, abundance, and their natural tendencies. This brutally honest, refreshingly hopeful guide offers a path forward for authors who want to thrive—not just survive. Inside, you’ll learn how to: Whether you're just starting out or hitting burnout after years in the trenches, this book will help you realign with what truly matters, so you can stop chasing success and start living it. Duration - 10h 14m. Author - Russell Nohelty. Narrator - Digital Voice Russell Nohelty E. Published Date - Wednesday, 14 January 2026. Copyright - © 2025 Russell Nohelty ©.
Language:
English
On Being Happy and a Successful Writer at the Same Time
Duration:00:00:56
Introduction
Duration:00:05:21
The HAPI Compass framework
Duration:00:16:18
(B)elief
Duration:00:02:32
Thinking quantum
Duration:00:17:21
Success is a trailing indicator…
Duration:00:10:05
Problem-market fit
Duration:00:00:20
What am I missing here?
Duration:00:00:50
Is that even true, though?
Duration:00:02:15
Is this even solving the right problem?
Duration:00:01:46
You can’t brute force success
Duration:00:08:13
The great paradox of writing
Duration:00:00:49
The Power of Audacity
Duration:00:01:25
The Power of Empathy
Duration:00:01:12
Why Marketing Feels So Icky
Duration:00:02:08
Walking the Tightrope
Duration:00:01:50
Sustainable productivity vs. sustainable monetization
Duration:00:10:29
Money to growth parallel
Duration:00:01:38
Growth Phase
Duration:00:02:28
Monetization Phase
Duration:00:01:16
The Balancing Act
Duration:00:03:24
You’re not broken, but your author business might be
Duration:00:01:33
Discovery platform ≠ community platform
Duration:00:01:11
Monetization platform ≠ Product shelf
Duration:00:00:57
Product ≠ Project ≠ Prototype
Duration:00:01:02
Market ≠ Crowd
Duration:00:01:15
Author business diagnostic
Duration:00:01:17
The mindset for success
Duration:00:03:46
Is there even a point?
Duration:00:07:41
Set your win condition
Duration:00:05:59
It’s magic that anything works at all
Duration:00:07:04
(E)mbodiment
Duration:00:16:00
Three truths about anxiety that will make you furious
Duration:00:00:58
All anxiety is a lie
Duration:00:02:09
Emotions only last 90 seconds
Duration:00:01:53
Boredom and anxiety are two sides of the same coin
Duration:00:02:46
How to Improve Your Mental State by Embracing Neutral Thinking
Duration:00:17:25
When your brain says “write!” but your body says, “nope.”
Duration:00:06:33
Pain reprocessing therapy
Duration:00:02:03
Pacing
Duration:00:01:30
Individualized nutrition
Duration:00:01:28
Gut health
Duration:00:01:41
Breathwork
Duration:00:01:48
Meditation
Duration:00:01:04
The McGill Big Three stretches
Duration:00:01:55
Sleep
Duration:00:01:30
Boundaries
Duration:00:01:22
Habits
Duration:00:01:36
Medication and supplements
Duration:00:01:42
Talk therapy
Duration:00:01:07
Choosing joy over happiness
Duration:00:01:42
Gratitude
Duration:00:01:30
Touch therapy
Duration:00:02:01
Interdependency
Duration:00:00:43
Books to read
Duration:00:15:45
(H)eart
Duration:00:03:48
Understanding resistance
Duration:00:04:04
Objectively good and subjectively your jam…
Duration:00:05:09
The Novel Blueprint
Duration:00:01:42
Getting your mindset right
Duration:00:04:02
The art of selecting story ideas
Duration:00:03:22
Three methods for building character relationships
Duration:00:00:55
The Triangle Method
Duration:00:01:44
The Ensemble Method
Duration:00:01:05
The Linear Journey Method
Duration:00:01:59
Creating main characters and villains
Duration:00:03:18
Supporting characters
Duration:00:04:24
Setting and worldbuilding
Duration:00:04:26
Constructing your structure
Duration:00:03:46
Layering your plot with subplots
Duration:00:02:15
Understanding Theme
Duration:00:03:31
Editing
Duration:00:03:30
The art of blurb writing
Duration:00:04:25
Getting a great cover
Duration:00:03:30
How to design a signature series
Duration:00:04:51
What genre do I want to be known for?
Duration:00:02:23
What will define this series?
Duration:00:01:09
What kind of series will this be?
Duration:00:01:53
What is the POV?
Duration:00:02:10
What is the hook into your series?
Duration:00:02:31
What is your unique selling proposition?
Duration:00:00:43
Where will I be primarily selling this series?
Duration:00:01:50
(A)udience
Duration:00:03:29
The power of leveraged assets
Duration:00:03:10
The Denominator Strategy
Duration:00:09:06
Find your brand
Duration:00:02:58
Interview people who fit your target demographic
Duration:00:01:39
Observe their behavior online
Duration:00:01:20
Test different messaging and branding
Duration:00:02:48
Plant where you are most comfortable
Duration:00:06:56
Help readers understand themselves
Duration:00:02:36
Find your superfans
Duration:00:01:33
Pump vs. flywheel
Duration:00:07:30
Mapping your customer journey
Duration:00:10:57
The Flywheel
Duration:00:03:37
The five time-tested adoption decisions
Duration:00:00:29
Relative advantage: Highlight what makes your work unique: Actionable advice
Duration:00:01:15
Compatibility: Make it easy to fit into their lives: Actionable advice
Duration:00:01:11
Simplicity: Ensure an effortless experience: Actionable advice
Duration:00:01:08
Observability: Show the benefits of your work: Actionable advice
Duration:00:01:27
Trialability: Let readers explore your work first: Actionable advice
Duration:00:02:03
The Bullseye Method for growing an audience
Duration:00:06:57
The four marketing channels
Duration:00:02:17
Earned media
Duration:00:01:16
Borrowed media
Duration:00:01:13
Paid media
Duration:00:02:48
“How do I market myself without feeling gross about it?”
Duration:00:01:01
Breaking you down
Duration:00:07:37
Building you back up
Duration:00:11:02
This is not about you
Duration:00:04:43
(P)rioritization
Duration:00:06:38
The 4 Ps of prioritization
Duration:00:02:55
Creating
Duration:00:01:31
Retailer/catalog sales
Duration:00:01:28
Crowdfunding
Duration:00:01:16
Subscriptions
Duration:00:01:21
Landing pages & special offers
Duration:00:01:21
Web store
Duration:00:01:15
In-person and virtual events
Duration:00:06:06
How to pick your priority
Duration:00:05:15
The One Thing principle
Duration:00:02:45
Using a modified Eisenhower Matrix to set priorities
Duration:00:03:49
Building sustainable systems
Duration:00:02:59
Planned serendipity: What do I mean by that?
Duration:00:13:52
Break through a ceiling and turn it into a floor
Duration:00:09:49
Inefficiency is the real flex
Duration:00:07:52
(I)ncome
Duration:00:07:15
“If I needed $1,000, I could always…”
Duration:00:04:09
$1,000 triggers writers can build
Duration:00:03:15
What’s your “I can always…”?
Duration:00:01:19
Freedom to vs. freedom from
Duration:00:06:12
The margin of safety
Duration:00:01:34
What’s a margin of safety?
Duration:00:04:22
How to build a margin of safety
Duration:00:00:24
Build systems, not one-time plans
Duration:00:00:39
Design for downturns, not just growth
Duration:00:00:30
Create optionality
Duration:00:00:36
Set a baseline for survival mode
Duration:00:00:28
Assume you’re wrong
Duration:00:00:56
Money as means or money as ends?
Duration:00:01:25
Money as means
Duration:00:01:48
Money as ends
Duration:00:01:33
Two worldviews colliding
Duration:00:02:35
How much do you want to make in the next year?
Duration:00:00:59
Step 1
Duration:00:00:16
Step 2
Duration:00:00:21
Step 3
Duration:00:01:07
Step 4
Duration:00:00:54
Step 5
Duration:00:03:19
Step 6
Duration:00:00:31
Step 7
Duration:00:02:15
Step 8
Duration:00:01:04
Transition points
Duration:00:01:09
Non-fiction: Providing clarity and solutions
Duration:00:01:14
Fiction: Offering emotional resonance and escape
Duration:00:02:38
Fiction that reflects personal growth and self-discovery
Duration:00:01:02
Why targeting transitions works
Duration:00:01:37
Platform, audience, and assets
Duration:00:01:25
Platform: Meeting the demands of the market
Duration:00:00:52
Types of platforms:
Duration:00:00:18
What makes a platform important for authors?
Duration:00:00:39
Examples:
Duration:00:00:19
What does the platform want?
Duration:00:01:57
Differentiating between platforms
Duration:00:00:49
Audience: Aligning your content with reader needs
Duration:00:00:04
Types of audience:
Duration:00:00:41
Why Understanding Your Audience Matters:
Duration:00:00:38
What does my audience want?
Duration:00:01:55
Assets: leveraging your unique strengths
Duration:00:00:23
What assets do I have?
Duration:00:00:50
Why Assets Are Crucial
Duration:00:00:36
How can I leverage these assets to reach beyond my core audience?
Duration:00:00:54
Growing your assets over time
Duration:00:00:35
Common pitfalls to avoid
Duration:00:00:43
Measurable action steps
Duration:00:01:34
Author success paths
Duration:00:00:21
Virality / writing to market
Duration:00:00:27
Key components
Duration:00:00:51
Actionable steps for authors
Duration:00:02:28
Content marketing / Thought leadership
Duration:00:00:20
Launch cycles
Duration:00:00:13
Actionable steps for authors:
Duration:00:02:10
Evangelists
Duration:00:00:20
Strategic partnerships
Duration:00:00:16
Actionable steps for Authors
Duration:00:02:27
Offer #1: Freebies
Duration:00:01:47
Offer #2: The tripwire offer
Duration:00:01:52
Offer #3: Your core product
Duration:00:00:32
Offer #4: Profit maximizer
Duration:00:02:31
Cross-sells, upsells, downsells, and bump offers
Duration:00:03:02
Bowtie funnel
Duration:00:06:05
Catalog/Retailer sales vs. direct sales
Duration:00:00:38
Catalog/Retailer sales: Writing to market for broad appeal
Duration:00:00:38
How writing to market works with catalog sales
Duration:00:01:16
Challenges of writing to market for catalog sales
Duration:00:00:35
Direct sales: Freedom to write outside the market
Duration:00:00:41
Advantages of direct sales for niche or personal projects
Duration:00:01:09
Hybrid strategy
Duration:00:01:54
The five-step integrated publishing system
Duration:00:03:14
The casual reader funnel
Duration:00:02:47