Jonathan Rogers: What Do You Do When Your Best Work Fails Completely?

**Description:**  **Sixteen years ago, Jonathan Rogers finished the novel he was proudest of — and watched it fail so completely that it never made it onto a single bookstore shelf. In this conversation with Andrew Osenga, Jonathan revisits that heartbreak as he re-releases **The Charlatan's Boy** with a new cover and new illustrations, and traces how the experience forced him to ask an uncomfortable question: why did he need strangers he'd never meet to tell him he mattered? That reckoning eventually pulled him out of a lonely writing life and into founding The Habit, a community built on the idea that writers don't need to compete to do good work — they just need someone in their corner.**   **Thought-Provoking Quotes:**  **"Why is it so important to me that people I don't know admire me? Why do I need to be loved by people I can't love back?" - Jonathan Rogers**    **"It's the loneliest thing in the world when the book comes out and the world doesn't stop and notice."  - Jonathan Rogers**    **"You don't have to prove yourself. You don't have to make a name for yourself. You've got a name and you've got an identity."  - Jonathan Rogers**    **"I'm not nearly as afraid of failure as I used to be."  - Jonathan Rogers**    **“Writing is a good thing to do whether you get published or not” - Jonathan Rogers**   **Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned:** The Charlatan's Boy **by Jonathan Rogers** The Wilderking Trilogy **by Jonathan Rogers**  The Habit **— Jonathan's membership community/organization for writers**  The Habit's "Focus Retreat"    **\*Watch this interview on Andrew’s** YouTube channel**!**   **\*All episode music is by Andrew Osenga.**    **Guest’s Links:**  The Habit Facebook Instagram X   **Connect with Andrew:**  Website YouTube Substack Spotify Facebook Instagram *How to Remember by Andrew Osenga* *Hold the Light by Andrew Osenga*   ***\*The Pivot is produced in conjunction with*** *Four Eyes Media***.**