In his memoir and self-help Book Make Your Own Rules: Stories and Hard-Earned Advice from a Creator in the Digital Age, YouTuber and musician Andrew Huang takes us through his own life and provides tips and tricks along the way. For those unaware, as I was when I started the book, Huang rose to fame in the early days of YouTube through his innovative music mixes and commitment to the new platform. Nowadays, while he still makes much of his original content, he mixes in personal stories and advice to get where he is today.
With over 2.35 million subscribers, Huang is clearly in the upper echelon of creators. He can make thousands of dollars off a single sponsored post, and self admittedly doesn’t have to work anymore if he doesn’t want it. He has it made in all of the conventional ways. Normally, I am against rich people writing self help. It’s simply unrelatable content. However, Huang manages to sound down to Earth and isn’t afraid to admit the luck and advantages he’s had along the way.
If you’re someone who’s interested in early YouTube and how many creators got their start on the platform, you’re going to enjoy this book. For me, that was the most interesting part and I loved hearing from a musician—as opposed to a lifestyle vlogger—about what the inception of the platform meant to him at the time.
I am also deeply inspired by Huang’s story. He went partially deaf at a young age and still managed to become one of the best in the musical career. His ability to work hard, know when to hop on trends, and frugality allowed him to succeed despite the odds stacked against him. Huang eschews labels and by doing so managed to obtain joy out of life while achieving his financial and musical goals.
Like I said up front, it’s hard to feel inspiration when someone achieved partially by being in the right place at the right time. Huang’s story went further than that, though, and made me genuinely think about how I could achieve the goals I have, regardless of whether they involve content creation.
I received a free early copy of this audiobook from Libro.fm’s influencer program. We receive a small commission for books purchased through our Bookshop link.
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