--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think, to be a successful author…" description: "\"I think, to be a successful author, you've got to be part recluse and part show-off.\" — Morris Gleitzman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/morris-gleitzman-12796_author_i-think-to-be-a-successful-author-you-ve_2030627.jpg" --- # I think, to be a successful author, you've got to be part… ![“I think, to be a successful author, you've got to be part recluse and part show-off.” quote by Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/morris-gleitzman-12796_author_i-think-to-be-a-successful-author-you-ve_2030627.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/morris-gleitzman-12796_author_i-think-to-be-a-successful-author-you-ve_2030627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/morris-gleitzman-12796_author_i-think-to-be-a-successful-author-you-ve_2030627.jpg) > “I think, to be a successful author, you've got to be part recluse and part show-off.” [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success in writing requires both solitude for deep work and public self‑promotion. **In simple terms:** Balance privacy and visibility to succeed as an author. Key Takeaway Cultivate both focus and self‑marketing. Themes creativity self‑promotion solitude career discipline writing personal branding public image Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - book launches - writing retreats - social media campaigns Key Concepts author interviews literary advice Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect creative time while building an audience? - What boundaries keep self‑promotion authentic? A Different Perspective Too much isolation can hinder networking; excessive show‑off can damage credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [As an author, I've never forgotten how to daydream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/as-an-author-i-ve-never-forgotten-how-to-daydream/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“He had been a mildly successful author, according to his wife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-daniello-jr/he-had-been-a-mildly-successful-author-according-to-his-wife/) James Daniello Jr > [“He was a mildly successful author, according to his wife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-daniello-jr/he-was-a-mildly-successful-author-according-to-his-wife/) James Daniello Jr > [“If my books can make one person smile, I am, in my opinion, a successful author." 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The regard of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-successful-author-is-equally-in-danger-of-the-diminution-of-his/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [As much as we don't want to hear it, book marketing is a huge part of becoming a successful author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-hart/as-much-as-we-don-t-want-to-hear-it-book-marketing-is-a-huge-part-of/) [Heather Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-hart/) > [I don't think I'm successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-don-t-think-i-m-successful/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I spent all my time in the clouds or the dirt and that is why I think I’m successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-spent-all-my-time-in-the-clouds-or-the-dirt-and-that-is-why-i-think/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) ## More by Morris Gleitzman > [A little hope goes a long way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/a-little-hope-goes-a-long-way/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [I used to get stuck trying to find the first sentence of a story, then I realised that it was often because I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/i-used-to-get-stuck-trying-to-find-the-first-sentence-of-a-story-then/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [We may not be in Manchester but we will always be united](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/we-may-not-be-in-manchester-but-we-will-always-be-united/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [I like the idea of young readers using my stories as a sort of moral gym, where they can flex and develop their newly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/i-like-the-idea-of-young-readers-using-my-stories-as-a-sort-of-moral/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [I discovered you can get closer to a character's thoughts and feelings in a book than in a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/i-discovered-you-can-get-closer-to-a-character-s-thoughts-and/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [At around nine or 10 years of age, young people start to decide for themselves what's moral or not, and that's why I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/at-around-nine-or-10-years-of-age-young-people-start-to-decide-for/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [When I did finally live in the Dandenongs, the mountain ash forests became an important part of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/when-i-did-finally-live-in-the-dandenongs-the-mountain-ash-forests/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [“Potato slices, crispy and fragrant. 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You must stay disciplined because most of the work is behind the scenes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/there-is-no-shortcut-for-hard-work-that-leads-to-effectiveness-you/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [The author I wish I was reading right now and always is Nora Ephron. 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