Platform, audience, and assets
Building a sustainable author career requires aligning three things in a strategic way: Platform, Audience, and Assets.
Author success paths
We’ve identified five author success paths to help authors build sustainable, thriving careers by focusing on different aspects of their writing and marketing strategies.
Building your value ladder
A value ladder is a strategic pricing model that integrates perfectly with the bow-tie funnel concept.
Bowtie funnel
The bow-tie funnel model presents a comprehensive view of the customer journey, from initial awareness to becoming a superfan and brand advocate.
Catalog/Retailer sales vs. direct sales
For authors, understanding the distinction between catalog/retailer sales and direct sales is crucial, especially when considering how to write to market.
The five-step integrated publishing system
Many authors jump straight into publishing without a clear plan. They release a book, try some marketing, and hope for the best. But publishing success isn’t about luck.
The path of least friction
Most authors feel stuck not because writing is hard, but because they’re solving the wrong problem with the wrong strategies.
The 7 pillars that actually matter in building a publishing career
The 4 P's of prioritization, understanding the underlying structure of a sustainable career, and why most writers fail to master even one.
7 steps to thriving as a writer in a changing publishing world
Actionable advice for authors to grow with confidence, beat burnout, and build a lasting creative career.
My thesis about how to thrive as a writer in a capitalist dystopia
I will be the first to admit that this is not a scholarly text.
The Universe is Dumb, and Capitalism is Nonsense
Do you ever find yourself saying, “I understand this is how it works, but it’s so dumb”?
How to Improve Your Mental State by Embracing Neutral Thinking
Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to kill myself.
Is it Even Possible to be a Writer and Happy at the Same Time?
I was hanging out at the LA Festival of Books with my friend, who wrote a choose-your-own-adventure book called You Are a Filmmaker.
How to Reframe Capitalism to Make Sales and Marketing Work (Better) for You
It’s hard to show writers how to grow their author business without talking about capitalism because the biggest thing holding writers back are the constraints of capitalism.
What Chronic Illness Can Teach Us About Taking Imperfect Action
I have been chronically ill for 20 years.
How to Fall in Love with Book Marketing
I have been listening to Kesha’s music since she was making trashy club songs , and I was a trash panda getting wasted in bars every weekend.
Are you Finding Arbitrage or Building Arbitrage?
When I first started building my career in earnest, Gary Vee was using the term “attention arbitrage” to explain what people needed to be concerned with in the then-nascent creator economy.
How to Get Over Your Sales Phobia
Even though it’s critical to a business’s success, most people hate the idea of selling their products.
How to Use Technology and Productivity Hacks to Reclaim Your Time for Things That Matter
I think about whisks a lot.
Introduction
I’ve written a lot of books, but this one didn’t come out of a passion project or a sudden bolt of creative lightning.
