Building in Public

This website? You're watching it being built. In real-time. On purpose.

Most authors wait until everything is perfect before they share. Polished site. Flawless brand. Zero rough edges.

I'm doing the opposite. I'm building this platform in public—sharing the process, the decisions, the mistakes, and the lessons as they happen.

Here's why.

What "Building in Public" Means

Building in public means:

• Sharing your work before it's perfect
• Documenting your process as you go
• Letting people see the messy middle, not just the finished product
• Being honest about what works and what doesn't

It's the opposite of the "big reveal" mentality. No countdown timers. No waiting until launch day. Just consistent, transparent progress.

For this site, that means:

• Launching with a working MVP, not a perfect finished product
• Publishing blog posts as I write them (like this one)
• Sharing what I'm learning about marketing, distribution, and platform-building
• Showing the actual work behind the books—not just the final covers

Why Most People Don't Build in Public

Fear.

Specifically, these fears:

• Fear of judgment: "What if people see my rough drafts?"
• Fear of failure: "What if I have to shut this down publicly?"
• Fear of theft: "Someone will steal my idea."
• Fear of looking unprofessional: "Real businesses don't do this."

All valid concerns. Here's why I'm ignoring them:

1. People Don't Actually Judge Rough Work

You know what people do judge? Pretending you're perfect.

When you show the messy process, people relate. They root for you. They appreciate the honesty.

Nobody expects perfection from someone who's actively building. They expect it from someone who says they're finished.

2. Public Failure Is Better Than Private Quitting

If this project fails—if I shut down this site, stop writing, or pivot completely—building in public makes that easier, not harder.

Why? Because I'll have documented the entire journey. The failure becomes a case study. A lesson. Content.

Private failure is just... failure. Public failure is data.

3. Ideas Are Worth Nothing. Execution Is Everything.

I'm not worried about someone "stealing" my idea of being a multi-genre author with a blog. That's not a secret formula. It's a public strategy.

What matters is execution. And execution is what building in public forces you to do.

You can't fake progress when people are watching. You have to actually ship.

4. Real Businesses Absolutely Do This

Some of the most successful companies and creators build in public:

• Basecamp: Shares revenue, company decisions, and internal debates publicly
• Buffer: Open salaries, transparent funding, public roadmaps
• Indie Hackers: Entire platform built on founders sharing revenue and metrics
• Nathan Barry (ConvertKit): Built his email platform entirely in public, sharing monthly revenue from day one

It's not unprofessional. It's strategic.

The Benefits I'm Already Seeing

I launched this site less than a week ago. Already, building in public has given me:

1. Accountability

When you tell the world you're doing something, you're more likely to do it.

I said I'd publish blog posts. Now I'm publishing blog posts. If I'd kept this private, I'd still be "planning" the blog.

2. Feedback Early

By sharing work-in-progress, I get feedback while I can still use it.

If someone says "your contact form doesn't work" before launch, I can fix it. If they say it after launch, I've already lost potential readers.

3. A Built-In Audience

People who follow your journey become invested in your success.

They're not just passive readers—they're part of the story. They watched you build this thing. They want to see it succeed.

That's a more powerful relationship than "here's my finished product, please buy it."

4. Content That Writes Itself

Every decision I make while building this site is a potential blog post.

• Why I chose this hosting platform
• How I'm thinking about email capture
• What I'm learning about press releases
• Mistakes I'm making with social media

The process is the content. I don't have to manufacture insights—I'm living them.

5. Permission to Iterate

When you build in public, nobody expects version 1.0 to be perfect.

That frees you to ship fast, learn, and improve. You're not locked into your first attempt.

This blog design? It'll probably change. My content strategy? I'm already tweaking it. My approach to social media? Still figuring it out.

And that's fine, because everyone watching knows this is a work in progress.

The Downsides (Yes, There Are Some)

Building in public isn't all upside. Here are the real costs:

1. Time

Documenting the process takes time. Writing this blog post is time I'm not spending writing my next book.

But I see it as an investment. The audience I build now will buy the books I write later.

2. Vulnerability

Sharing unfinished work is uncomfortable. You're inviting criticism on something that isn't done yet.

The trick? Get comfortable with "this is where it is right now"—not "this is the final version."

3. Noise

Not all feedback is useful. Some people will tell you to change things that don't need changing.

You have to filter signal from noise. Just because someone said it doesn't mean you need to do it.

4. Pressure

Once you commit publicly, there's pressure to follow through.

That's also the benefit. But it can feel heavy when you're tired or stuck.

The solution? Be honest about that too. "I'm stuck" is a valid update.

How I'm Building in Public (My Framework)

Here's my personal approach:

1. Share Progress, Not Just Outcomes

Instead of waiting to announce "I launched a website," I'm sharing:

• What I'm building this week
• What I learned today
• What's not working yet

The journey is more interesting than the destination.

2. Show My Work (Literally)

I'm not just saying "I wrote a blog post." I'm explaining:

• Why I chose this topic
• How I structured it
• What I'm trying to achieve

Transparency builds trust.

3. Admit When I Don't Know

I'm new to platform-building. I don't have all the answers.

So I say that. "I'm experimenting with X. Not sure if it'll work. I'll report back."

People respect honesty more than fake expertise.

4. Document Decisions

Every choice is a chance to explain my reasoning:

• Why I'm blogging 3x/week instead of daily
• Why I'm focusing on certain topics
• Why I chose affiliate links over ads

Future me (and future readers) will benefit from knowing the "why."

5. Share the Metrics

I'll share what's working and what's not:

• Traffic numbers
• Email signups
• Affiliate earnings (or lack thereof)
• Time invested vs. results

Not to brag, but to be useful. What works for me might work for someone else.

Who Should Build in Public?

Not everyone. But probably more people than currently do it.

Build in public if:

• You're building something worth documenting (a business, a book, a platform)
• You're okay with vulnerability and criticism
• You want accountability and an audience
• You're willing to share what you learn

Don't build in public if:

• You're working on something genuinely secretive (R&D, sensitive projects)
• Your industry has strict confidentiality requirements
• You can't handle public feedback (yet—this is a skill you can develop)
• You're building something you're not proud of

What I'm Committed To

Here's what you can expect from me as I build this platform:

• Consistent updates: Blog posts, social media, progress reports
• Honest metrics: What's working, what's not, what I'm trying next
• Lessons learned: When I fail, I'll explain what I learned
• Behind-the-scenes: How I write, how I market, how I think

This isn't performative transparency. It's strategic.

I'm building a platform to support my books and connect with readers. Doing it publicly makes it better, faster, and more accountable.

Your Turn

What are you building right now?

Could you share it? Document it? Let people watch the process?

You don't have to share everything. But sharing something—your progress, your process, your lessons—might be the accountability you need to actually finish.

And it might attract the exact people who want to support what you're building.