As of tomorrow night, my e-book “Knock Their Socks Off: A Freelance Writer’s Guide to Query Letters That Sell” will no longer be sold.

When I wrote the book, I was a 22-year old Indian writer who had found success in the international magazine market. Success at that point meant being able to earn good money, being able to pay off loans, being able to reject work without worrying about how it would alter my bottom line. It meant being popular, being known among the writing community, being interviewed twice a week. It meant getting ready-made assignments from editors, getting fan mail and getting daily offers to review the latest books and products on the market. At 22, success was all about what other people thought of me.

The e-book was written for people looking for similar kind of success. And at the beginning of our careers, that kind of success is exactly what we need. We need that first published clip, that first big assignment, that first big check. But soon, we have enough big assignments and enough big checks, and we need to move on. I’ve moved on.

I’m no longer 22. And my definition of success has changed. Today success means being able to get assignments that mean something to me, being able to work two months on a project that I believe in without worrying about whether it will ever see the light of day, being able to reach out to readers and touch them. It means being known for doing good work. It means being able to follow my heart, and being proud of each word that I’ve written. It means being able to know that what I do matters. Today, success is all about what I think of me.

I’m taking the book off the market for two reasons: one, it’s two years old and there’s so much more that I have learned and need to share. Two, I no longer feel it needs to follow the paid or the book model. Instead, I’m going to take it bit by bit, update it and put it up on this blog.

I’m also taking off the free e-course that is associated with the book. Since I’ll be putting up parts of the book up here in their entirety, the e-course no longer serves any purpose.