Explore every episode of the podcast Behind the Book Cover
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why a Criminal Defense Attorney Chose Fiction Over a Legal Book with Ron Chapman | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:34:55 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Criminal defense attorneys aren't typically known for writing philosophical Holocaust novels. Then again, Ron Chapman isn’t your typical criminal defense attorney.
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Turning Millions of Followers Into Lasting Authority with Jake Claver | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:37:19 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. When you have millions of people out there who already consider you an expert, it’s hard to imagine that you’d also want to do an authority-building book. Yet Jake Claver, who’s already co-written two books, just released his first solo one, Everyone Gets to Win—and it's a fable, not a business manual. He's spent the past five or six years building multiple companies and living by a philosophy of aligning incentives rather than playing zero-sum games, and instead of writing another how-to book, he wrote a parable his own son could eventually read. Jake and his business partner Max met on Twitter and built a mastermind group with about 17,000 members focused on financial education and pooled investments through special purpose vehicles. They co-authored two books together—Wealth in Numbers was the first—before Jake decided to write a fable. The genre wasn't incidental. Jake wanted something simple enough that a third-grader could understand it, and vague enough on names that the real people whose situations inspired it could keep their privacy.
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| The Person You Become by Writing a Book with Sierra Melcher | 25 août 2026 | 00:44:14 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. What do most people get wrong when it comes to publishing a book? That’s what I asked Sierra Melcher of Red Thread Books, a nonfiction publishing house where 59 of 77 titles have won awards—including two Nautilus Book Prizes. Sierra believes that the finished, printed book is a side quest. What she's actually in it for is the person who emerges on the other side of writing one—someone who spent years convinced they couldn't do this thing, who goes through the "dark night of the soul" of the writing and publishing process and who comes out the other end asking a completely different question: not "What can't I do" but "What else can I do?" Sierra came to this the hard way. She's dyslexic, tried to write for a decade and was certain she couldn't. Now she's watched dozens of authors—from a nurse paralyzed in a hospital parking lot to a supply chain expert with a wildly niche book that landed her a job saving a company millions—go through the same transformation. We talked about the moments clients try to quit right before publication, why she still cries with clients over manuscripts and her surprisingly relaxed, curiosity-first take on AI in the publishing world. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Skipping the New York Times List on Purpose with David Homan | 18 août 2026 | 00:43:01 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. David Homan has a background so sprawling that introducing him almost broke the show: composer with seven albums and now the person who quietly runs what may be the largest private network of "connectors" on the planet—2,800 of them and counting. His book, Orchestrating Connection, co-written with UC Irvine professor Noah Askin, landed at #2 on the USA Today bestseller list for business books the week it launched. But the real story isn't the list placement—it's the decade of networking philosophy that got him there. What I loved most about this conversation is how unflinching David is about the parts nobody tells you about publishing: the friends who promise to show up and don't, the launch-day silence from people you'd bet on, and the eight-year-old sending WhatsApp videos threatening a family friend into buying the book. We also got into his new startup, SOAR Connect, which is trying to solve relationship intelligence without doing what every other tech company does with your data. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Why I'd Rather Spend $1,000 Giving Books Away Than Make $1,000 Selling Them (Solo Episode) | 11 août 2026 | 00:08:11 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. A listener asked me a two-part question: as she gets ready to publish her book and launch her speaking career, what's the simplest, most economical path to having a box of copies on hand, and what should she budget to get there? I love this question, because I'm currently doing the exact thing she's asking about with the relaunch of On Good Authority. I've been following what I call the Alex Strathdee method—seeding signed, gift-wrapped copies into communities run by people I know and treating the request as the favor it is rather than a favor I'm doing them. That approach has already turned into an October speaking opportunity, and it's why my answer to her question is simple: never sell books after you speak, because giving them away builds far more value than the $60 you might walk away with from selling a few copies. Printing runs about $3 a copy—with shipping as the real cost to budget for—and I'd rather spend $1,000 giving books away than make $1,000 selling them, because that investment tends to turn into far more down the road. In this episode:
P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com.
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Why I'm Biased Toward Getting Your Rights Back (Solo Episode) | 04 août 2026 | 00:06:36 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Most traditionally published authors go through a moment (or 100 moments) when they realize that their publisher isn’t actually doing anything for them. Some just accept that while others ask themselves the age-old question: can I get my rights back? That’s what a listener asked me this week: when a publishing contract expires, is it better to renew or get the rights reverted? I'm not a lawyer, and I don't know the details of this person's contract, but I'm naturally biased toward reversion. I got the rights to my book Party Girl back from HarperCollins, and it changed everything. I republished the book under my own imprint with the cover I actually wanted, then rewrote it years later as a PG version that landed me coverage in the Wall Street Journal and a spot on Access Hollywood. That said, staying is worth it if your publisher is actually providing value: real marketing, real distribution, strong retail presence. I never had that kind of relationship with any of my publishers, and I'd say it was closer to antagonistic, probably partly my fault for being slow to understand how publishing actually works. This isn't all or nothing, though. You can go back to your publisher and ask what they'd actually commit to before deciding either way, and if reversion feels like a nightmare because you don't want to deal with relaunching on Amazon yourself, I get it (and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is exactly the kind of thing Legacy Launch Pad does for people). In this episode:
P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com.
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Why Followers Don't Equal Sales (Solo Episode) | 28 juil. 2026 | 00:10:34 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Two of you sent me questions that looked different on the surface but landed in the same place: how to market a book under a pen name, and why past launches haven't performed the way you wanted. My answer to both is the same. Lead magnets, newsletter lists and social media followers have done almost nothing for me, and the data backs it up. Justin Timberlake and Billie Eilish still had their books fail despite millions of followers, and Amy Chen sold just three books off a $10,000 TikTok campaign. What actually builds a career is relationships and by leading with generosity long before you need anything back. A Wall Street Journal story I read recently proves the point. A self-published book called Theo of Golden has sold more than 2.5 million copies and hit number one on the New York Times list, nearly three years after it came out, because the author's niece personally sent it to more than 70 book clubs and treated every reader who wrote back as an advocate. That's the whole lesson. If a reader feels completely seen, they become your publicist, and someone else recommending your book will always land harder than you recommending it yourself. Word of mouth isn't luck—it's built intentionally, one relationship at a time. In this episode:
P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com.
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Why a Book Launch Should Never Be a One-Time Event (Solo Episode) | 21 juil. 2026 | 00:10:11 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. A client of mine named Jimmie Applegate asked me a question I get from almost every author I work with, even though he was too polite to ask it quite this bluntly: he has a published book, Addicted to Failure, and a great Psychology Today feature to his name—and he still doesn't know what to do next.
Jimmy got the press hit. That part's done. But the Psychology Today feature is living in exactly one place—Psychology Today—instead of his website, his LinkedIn, his speaker page and every bio he's ever written. I walk through what we call “the $50,000 press hit” at Legacy Launch Pad: the document I give clients that shows them how to take one media win and multiply it into 50 different pieces of content, mentions and proof points.
P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com. Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Listener Question: Should I Write a New Book or Re-Launch the Old One? | 14 juil. 2026 | 00:14:38 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Paul Colligan has written 13 books, is in the Podcasting Hall of Fame and has helped Donald Miller, Brendan Burchard, JJ Virgin and Joe Polish turn podcasting into what he calls a “grown-up business strategy” instead of a hobby. He also sent me a question I love: when you already have a working book, how do you know if it’s time to write a new one or keep leveraging the one you’ve got? I have very strong feelings about this one, mostly because I got the answer wrong for six years and recently got right. And Paul’s specific situation is one a lot of multi-book authors may recognize. He has a workhorse title, How to Podcast, that has been the category-defining book in its lane for years. But the world has changed underneath it—AI, the death of “if you build it, they will come,” the shift from downloads to impact. So….does he update it? Write the new manifesto? Write nothing and double down on the consulting? I had a take on all of the above—and more. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| I'm Becoming Your Book Strategist (Brenda Asked First) | 07 juil. 2026 | 00:18:21 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. I'm trying something entirely new on the podcast. I asked you to send me your book questions and I'd answer them like the brass tacks book strategist I am, and the first person who took me up on it was Brenda. Brenda has three different book ideas in her head, a 100-page version of each, an abandoned memoir and a new instinct to pivot into the longevity market. I'm going to tell her to scrap most of it and write one big book instead. Here's the case. Brenda is a personal development coach with sharp instincts—the kind of practitioner who saves clients years of therapy in a few sessions. Her ideal client is smart, entrepreneurial and allergic to anyone who can't keep up. She has a framework for personal development in the wings, multiple levels of teaching groups, a memoir she's already concluded isn't publishable, three short-book ideas across different topic areas and a fresh instinct to chase the biohacking-for-longevity market. Which is exactly the kind of fork where an outline appointment can save you a decade of writing in circles. But my answer really goes into the case against multiple short books, because Brenda is leaning that direction. I've published eight books and trust me—by the third one, even the people who love you stop caring. You don't get to compound enthusiasm by stacking projects—you compound diminishing returns. The people doing it well are doing the opposite. Yes, Dan Sullivan has a whole shelf of helpful little Strategic Coach books, but the big books he started doing with Ben Hardy for Hay House made a much bigger difference in his business. The little books are useful. The big books are what made him known. We also get into why I always ask what tax bracket your ideal clients are in, the case for niching down to "how to all pretend we're ants in a colony"-level specificity (every weird Facebook group has hundreds of thousands of members) and the sign-two-copies move that has turned more cold prospects into clients than any other recommendation I make. In this episode:
P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com.
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| The Five-Minute Audit That Tells You If Your Book Is Invisible to AI | 30 juin 2026 | 00:15:39 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. The Five-Minute Audit That Tells You If Your Book Is Invisible to AI Last week I did something I probably should have done two years ago: I asked AI whether my novel Party Girl is one of the best funny novels about addiction and recovery. One AI said yes and listed me alongside Marian Keyes and Carrie Fisher, which was the closest thing to a dream I have ever had as an author. Another AI did not know I existed. (Rejection wasn’t new; rejection by a robot was.) This is a solo episode and one could call it my confession. For 20 years. the question was: does my book come up on Google? Then it was: does it come up on Amazon? Now the question is: when a prospect asks ChatGPT for the best books in your category, does your name come out of its mouth? Your buyers are asking right now. Most authors have never once checked what AI says about them. I spent the week figuring out why one AI knew my book and one didn’t, how these systems actually decide what to recommend and what I am doing this week, on the record, to fix the gap. Including one move on Amazon KDP I am pretty sure I am not supposed to be able to make. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| He Built a $10M Writing Empire. Here's Why He Says Traditional Publishing Is a 10x Worse Deal | 23 juin 2026 | 00:46:30 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Nicolas Cole built his first ghostwriting business by answering questions on Quora in 2014, and somehow that has compounded into a $10M+ portfolio of writing companies that he runs with his partner Dickie Bush—anchored by Premium Ghostwriting Academy, the 16-week program that's trained roughly 2,000 ghostwriters to charge premium rates. Cole is a three-time guest on this show, which is a record nobody else holds, and there's a reason for it. We met at a party years ago and immediately started geeking out about books and publishing like two people who'd finally found each other at a conference for a very specific kind of weirdo. He's one of the few people I've watched scale, burn out, blow it up and rebuild without losing the part of him that actually loves writing. The part I really wanted to get into was the 10x argument, which is the cleanest case against traditional publishing I've ever heard anyone make. A traditional publisher pays you roughly 10% in royalties, meaning you keep 10% of the book and they keep 90%. Self-publish and you keep 100%. This means that to make the same money as a self-published author, your traditionally published book has to sell 10 times more copies. We also get into his Medium loophole that paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties before they emailed him to make him stop, the Christmas Eve in 2019 he tried to duct-tape together a paid newsletter six months before Substack existed and how he emailed the Substack founder to invest the moment he saw their first round. Also discussed: his Write With AI newsletter that now does $400K a year in subscriptions and feeds a $1-2M business on top of that and his case for why the only book worth writing is one you’re willing to write about on social media day after day after day after day. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| He Thinks Most Authors Don’t Need a Better Book. They Need a Better Funnel | 16 juin 2026 | 00:42:47 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Gary White is a Scottish marketer who spent years building funnels for Russell Brunson at ClickFunnels before he got obsessed with one specific kind of client: people who cared so much about a subject they wrote a book on it. He turned that obsession into bookfunnels.io, a company that's helped hundreds of authors stop selling books on Amazon and start using their books to acquire actual paying clients. I have to admit something. I got on a call with Gary, hung up, decided to poke around his site to see what he was about — and within an hour I had entered my credit card and signed up for things I did not need or really understand. That is how good his system is. So I figured the only responsible thing to do was have him on the show to explain exactly how he did that to me, so all of you can do it to your readers. The framework is called the TINY Book Client System. The T is the perfect bait, meaning your book has to attract the exact person you actually want to work with, not just any reader who might buy a book on your topic. The I is the independent selling system, which is how you stop renting your readers from Amazon and start owning the relationship. The N is the never-ending traffic source, and Gary has a story about spending five days making a YouTube video that got 82 views, then taking a single iPhone photo of a box of his books and selling hundreds the same week with a 30-second Meta ad. The Y is the implementation offer, which is the thing your book is secretly selling the whole time. We also get into "cash cycling"—the mechanic where every dollar you spend on ads comes back on Day Zero so you literally cannot lose money, why he thinks LinkedIn ads are a waste for most authors even when you're targeting CEOs, his case for "tiny books" of around 120 pages (just thick enough to have a real spine and an ISBN) and the warehouse-in-California-while-he-lives-in-Scotland setup that lets him sell physical books he has literally never touched. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them! | |||
| Why I'm Re-Releasing My Book Three Years Later (and What I Got Wrong) | 09 juin 2026 | 00:11:36 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. In 2023 I opened my book On Good Authority by saying AI wasn't going to replace writers. Three years later, I still believe that. But so much that I thought about publishing in 2023 has shifted that I'm re-releasing the book—two new chapters, an updated audiobook and a free upgrade for anyone who bought the original. Because the gap between what was true then and what's true now is the whole story. There are three main things that made me feel like a new edition was necessary. First, AI went from a hallucinating curiosity to a tool I use all day every day—not to write books, but for design, for thinking partner work, for the personal-relationship triage I sometimes do when I'm about to send an email I shouldn't. I would argue that AI has made it so that mediocre writing has become more irrelevant, not less, since anyone can prompt their way to passable now. Also a 2026 study finally proved what I've been saying for years: entrepreneurs with books charge 37% more than competitors without one. But the point I want to land hardest in this version is one I couldn't fully prove in 2023 and now can: book sales matter less than they ever have. A New York Times bestselling author profiled in New York Magazine this March makes $49,000 a year, and that figure includes retreats and recording the audiobook. A writer I follow sold 150,000 copies of her book and made $87,000 over six years after subtracting for editor, publicist and agent fees. My own New York Times bestseller didn't cover the cab fare to the launch party. So it’s even more true now that the book isn’t the product but what makes everything else possible. This new version also gets into AI discoverability, why your website needs to speak to robots as much as humans, why Wikipedia and Reddit and GoodReads matter more than they did three years ago, the LLM test I run on my own company every month and the niche-audience playbook my clients are using to land $20,000 speaking gigs. Which makes the new edition of On Good Authority the field guide for the season I've been running on the future of publishing. P.S. — If you bought the 2023 edition, email assistant@annadavid.com to get the 2026 version on Anna. Other links I promised: The Ask Me Anything page where you can indeed ask me anything about On Good Authority: www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/book The general book information page with links to where you can purchase: www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/good-authority-book
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Want to get my book that breaks down 30 years of experience and hundreds of interviews with publishing experts and authors—newly updated for 2026? (You can even ask the book questions. [Really!]) 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/good-authority-book
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Most Authors Want Sales. The Smart Ones Want This. | 02 juin 2026 | 00:31:20 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Steve Sarner spent eight years at Amazon and was VP of sales at Goodreads, which means he understands something most authors don’t: Book sales are not the point. What Steve focuses on now is something I think more people should be talking about: not selling books, but seeding them—that is, getting them into the hands of the exact people who can turn them into something bigger. This, you could say, is my obsession. We get into:
There’s also a story about someone finding their company through AI, requesting the book, reading it and becoming a client—which is basically the entire thesis in action. Find out more about the company where Steve works, ShelfLife, here.
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Want to get my book that breaks down 30 years of experience and hundreds of interviews with publishing experts and authors—newly updated for 2026? (You can even ask the book questions. [Really!]) 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/good-authority-book
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Real Way Smart People Are Using AI (It’s Not Writing Books) | 26 mai 2026 | 00:47:04 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Rex Sorgatz is one of those people who has been early to everything—blogging, digital media, startups—and now AI storytelling. We go way back to Lower East Side readings, when I quickly discovered that he was surrounded by people building the future before I really understood what that meant. This conversation is about AI and publishing, but not in the way people usually talk about it. Not “AI will write your book” or “everything is over.” More like: what actually changes when technology shifts how we interact with ideas. We also get into:
Also: a brief detour into an erotica reading I made him do years ago that I’m still not sure I should have been responsible for. Check out the AI company Rex co-founded here. Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply Want to get my book that breaks down 30 years of experience and hundreds of interviews with publishing experts and authors—newly updated for 2026? (You can even ask the book questions. [Really!]) 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/good-authority-book
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Publishing Promised Everything and Delivered Almost Nothing. So He Built His Own Version. | 19 mai 2026 | 00:44:55 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Charlie Hoehn worked for Tim Ferriss for years and got the job in a way Tim has actually written about (worth the click). Then he spent a decade watching publishing promise everything and deliver almost nothing, until he built Author Inc to fix it. Most people in my line of work make me want to lie down in a dark room. Charlie is the opposite. I would venture to say that he knows more about the topic of book publishing and where it’s going than anyone else out there. So this episode is less an interview and more a look at how someone I respect is actually building the thing. There are so many parts of this conversation that I love but none more than when he shared about the Bullseye reader test. See, I always struggled with those “avatar” exercises marketers were throwing at us a decade or so ago, where you’d have to answer a bunch of questions like, “What does my avatar drive and read and drink?” I always either felt like I was either answering the questions myself or simply making things up. That's why Charlie makes every author he works with name a single specific person they could text. Not a composite, not a Pixar character built out of demographic data, not "ambitious female founders, 35 to 50." A real person with a real phone number you know. In Charlie’s world, if you can't name them, you don't have a book yet. We also covered the four planning exercises his company does before a single word of the book gets written, his company’s two-day recorded-conversation process in a downtown Austin hotel suite that produces a 50,000-word first draft about an hour after the sessions wrap, his American Idol critique of traditional publishing, the book ROI calculator he built because he got tired of explaining how lucrative a book done right can be and why everyone should be able to name a non-fiction book that changed their life. Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| He's Doubling Down on AI and IP While Everyone Else Is Panicking | 12 mai 2026 | 00:40:50 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. I was a snob about AI in publishing. I'll just say it. When companies started popping up in late 2022 promising to use AI to write books, I had the same reaction I once had to self publishing when I was still in the traditional world: I want nothing to do with these people. Dan Curran has made me reconsider—some of it, anyway. Not because he convinced me AI can match what a skilled ghost writer or developmental editor does (I don't think it can, at least not yet) but what he’s building at Chapters may be as interesting as the manuscript.
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| She Got Her Sixth Book Deal Because of Her Podcast, Not Her Books | 05 mai 2026 | 00:42:22 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Stefanie Wilder-Taylor sold over 120,000 copies of her first book. Her most recent royalty check was for $95. That's not because people stopped reading—she's published five more books, launched four podcasts and now teaches memoir writing. It's because selling 120,000 copies doesn't actually pay the rent. Which is the fact almost nobody in publishing admits out loud. When Stefanie wrote Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay in 2005, she was a new mom, a former game-show writer and completely unknown as an author. Her publisher told her she'd been declined everywhere for publicity. Her husband cold-called some old talk-show contacts and got her on the Today show; by April of 2006, she was a bestseller with a $30,000 advance she thought made her rich. Every subsequent book—and there have been five—has failed to earn out. But what I really wanted to talk about is how she finally cracked her sixth book deal after years of being told she wasn't "sought after" anymore. Stefanie pitched Drunk-ish using her podcast stats—who her audience is, how loyal they are, exactly what kind of woman listens and exactly what kind of book that woman buys—and the publisher bought it. Which, for anyone under the delusion that publishers still do the selling, is the whole story. We also get into the COVID storytelling podcast she recorded episode by episode and then abandoned, her theory about why new moms buy parenting books and school moms don't, the agent who told her "never compare yourself to the exception" after she brought up Sex and the City and the weird fact that Down with Love with Renée Zellweger ruined her idea of what the writing life actually is. Plus: where Stefanie thinks traditional publishing is actually heading, which is the question driving this whole season. In this episode:
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Book Deal Was the Goal—Until the Industry Changed | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:52:38 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. An early internet writer turned entrepreneur, Daniel DiPiazza has been building audiences since the blogging days of MySpace and university-only Facebook. Long before “personal brand” was a buzzword, Daniel was clawing his way into Huffington Post, landing interviews with Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner and steadily growing a newsletter that would eventually reach 170,000+ subscribers.
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| He Said the Book Would Never Lead to a Business. It Became His Entire Second Career. | 21 avr. 2026 | 00:34:19 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. I told Chris Joseph years ago that his book would lead to a coaching career. He told me absolutely not. He meant it. It took about two years for him to tell me I was right. Chris was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2016, and seventy percent of people with that diagnosis are dead within a year. He quit chemo, fired his oncologist with no Plan B and is now about to turn 70. He wrote his memoir, Life is a Ride, because the story was in his head and he had to get it out, not because he had some grand business plan. But the book became his business card, his credibility, his foot in every door. People found it and kept asking the same thing: tell me what you did. He threw himself into new projects (at one point he was doing five podcasts). He did a book tour with a musician friend because he was smart enough to know not that many people show up for an author alone. And eventually, all those "tell me what you did" conversations became Terrain Navigators, the health coaching practice he now runs for people facing the diagnosis he survived. Chris didn't plan any of this. He just published a real book, took it seriously and let the ride take him where it was going. (It's not an accident the book is called Life is a Ride.) In this episode:
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Grief Memoir That Became a TV Pitch, a Sex Podcast and the Book Everyone Gives When Someone Dies | 14 avr. 2026 | 00:36:51 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Kelsey Chittick wrote a book about her husband dying at a trampoline park while she was on a spiritual retreat in Jamaica, and somehow it's one of the funniest books I've ever read. But what I really wanted to talk to her about is what happened after. Because the book, Second Half, became the thing people hand to someone when the worst has happened. It led to Zibby Owens inviting Kelsey to co-host a podcast about sex that lasted five years. It led to a grief group in her basement that ran every two weeks for three and a half years and is now being pitched as a scripted TV show. It turned her into a speaker, a life coach and someone whose phone rings every time somebody in the South Bay loses the person they love most. Kelsey didn't write this book to build a career. She wrote it so her kids would know the truth about their dad. They still haven't read it (too embarrassing, apparently). But the book did what books do when they're real: it opened every door she didn't know existed. In this episode:
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| He Sold 87 Copies—and Made $2.5M | 07 avr. 2026 | 00:25:16 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Alex Mandossian sold 87 copies of his book and made $2.5 million from it, which is either the best argument for publishing a book or the best argument against caring about sales numbers (or both). I've known Alex for years, and what makes him fun to talk to is that he'll just say the thing most authors won't admit: the book was never the product. It was the thing that got him in the room. He gave signed copies away on stages across six continents and every single one of his high-ticket consulting clients mentioned the book before they hired him. Not because it was a bestseller (600 copies sold, total, across two books) but because having it made him the guy who literally wrote the book on his thing. Alex calls a book a "credentializer," which is not a word, but it should be. He also has a collection of one-liners he calls Alexisms that are annoyingly quotable. We get into all of it — how he turned one book into years of content, why he thinks most authors completely misunderstand what a book is actually for and what happens when you stop chasing sales and start using your book as the best business card that's ever existed. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Why Your Book Is Never “Done”—And How It Can Keep Making Money for Years | 31 mars 2026 | 00:46:08 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Brian Kurtz spent decades helping build Boardroom into a billion-dollar business through direct response marketing, which means he knows more about what actually makes people buy things than almost anyone I've ever talked to. So when he finally wrote his book Overdeliver, he didn't do what most authors do (cross his fingers, pray for a bestseller list, then move on). He treated the book like a business asset that would keep working for years, and that's exactly what it's done. What I wanted to get into with Brian is his idea of the "perpetual launch"—that a book is never done launching, which sounds exhausting until you hear how he actually does it. He used bonuses, podcasts and decades of relationship capital to turn one book into a long-term client engine, and he'll tell you straight up that capturing a reader's email matters more than any Amazon ranking ever will. He also wrote for nearly a decade before publishing, which gave him something most authors skip straight past: an actual voice.
In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| What 50 Years in the Business Taught Him—And Why He Finally Wrote the Book About It | 24 mars 2026 | 00:54:52 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Richard Lawson has spent 50+ years in Hollywood acting, teaching and mentoring people like George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, so writing a book could have been a victory lap—a way to package the lessons and put a bow on everything. That's not what happened. Writing The Artist's Roadmap: Navigating Your Career in SHOW Business didn't just organize what Richard already knew. It woke something up. It led to a Substack, a memoir in progress, a series of children's books and an entirely new creative chapter that he wasn't expecting at this stage of his life. What I wanted to get into with Richard is how that happened—how the process of writing the book became the thing that renewed him, not just the product of a long career. He tells me about a moment during a college musical in 1969 that set everything in motion (and why he still feels guided by that same force today). He talks about surviving an actual plane crash and what that did to his relationship with intuition. And he explains the dialogue between his two inner voices—his spiritual guide "Richard" and his creative alter ego "Tricky Dick"—which is not the kind of thing you expect from a guy who's spent five decades in the business, and that's exactly why it's interesting. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| He Raised His Prices 60x After Writing a Book | 17 mars 2026 | 00:31:46 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Justin Breen used to charge $500 for his PR services. After writing his first book, he started charging $30,000. That's not a typo, and it's not because the book sold a million copies—it's because the book made him the person clients wanted to hire at that price.
But what I really wanted to talk about is what happened with his second book, Epic Journey, because it got weird in the best way. Justin describes the writing process as channeling divine inspiration while literally staring at the sun on his daily runs, which I know sounds like something you'd scroll past—but the manuscript had such an impact on early readers that one of them got a tattoo inspired by it. The book led to what he calls a "complete ego death," an amicable divorce, a total life overhaul and a new AI music company called Corvia.AI. He's currently not sure where he's going to live next, which is either terrifying or the most honest thing an entrepreneur has ever admitted on a podcast. We also get into why he thinks not everyone should write their own book (which is a bold thing to say on this particular podcast) and his potential collaboration with Melissa Bernstein of Melissa & Doug Toys. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Book Launch That Became a Movement (Billboards, Celebrities and Sold-Out Events) | 10 mars 2026 | 00:38:26 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Christos Garkinos went from being a lonely gay Greek kid in Detroit to running marketing for Virgin Megastores, launching fashion lines on HSN and becoming Bravo's "Robin Hood of Fashion"—and then lost nearly all of it to addiction, financial collapse and grief.
What I wanted to talk to Christos about is the launch, because it's one of the most ambitious rollouts I've seen from any author, and he did it entirely on his own terms. Celebrity-filled dinners, sold-out events across the country and a billboard in LA that ran for five months—positioned directly above an ATM he used during his darkest days. That's not a marketing stunt. That's a man staring down his own story from a billboard. But the launch isn't actually the most interesting part of this conversation. Christos gets into what it felt like when people he hadn't spoken to in years started reaching out after reading the book—people who had written him off, people who barely knew him, people who suddenly understood something about him they never had before. He talks about sobriety, ego and surrender with a kind of honesty that you don't usually hear from someone whose instinct is to produce a show. And he gets into how the book didn't just change his public image. It changed his business, his relationships and the way he thinks about what he's actually building. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| He Lost Everything—Then Wrote the Book That Rebuilt His Authority | 03 mars 2026 | 00:40:15 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Walter Clarke lost his investment management firm after a catastrophic business failure involving regulatory action and bad advice, and then did the thing most people in finance would never do: he wrote a book about it. The Big Risk told the whole story—the painful parts, the parts that could have stayed buried—and it turned what could have been a career-ending chapter into the reason people started hiring him. Writing the book transformed shame into authority because he was teaching from experience, not theory, and that distinction is the difference between a consultant people tolerate and one they actually trust. What I wanted to get into with Walter is what happened next, because he didn't stop there. He wrote a second book, 401Kid, built around an idea that sounds simple until you think about it: financial education should start at birth, not adulthood. Walter has spent 30+ years advising wealthy families, and he's watched money quietly destroy relationships, identity and mental health when people aren't prepared for it. He says you lose your kids' attention around age 11, which means every parent who's waiting until their teenager "is old enough" to talk about money has already missed the window. We also get into why he thinks sudden wealth is more dangerous than not having money at all and why avoiding the "entitlement" conversation with your kids does far more harm than just having it. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| He Spent Decades Behind the Scenes on ER and The West Wing—His Book at 78 Put Him in Front | 24 févr. 2026 | 00:31:40 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. When we published Right for the Role, I figured John would sell a few books, make some actors cry and call it a day. I was wrong. John is a four-time Emmy-winning casting director who spent decades casting ER, The West Wing and Shameless, and his memoir didn't just tell that story—it completely rewired his creative life at 78. The book sparked a podcast, packed acting schools, landed in the Studio City Barnes & Noble window and somehow made him Instagram-famous (his words, not mine). He's now directing plays in New York and reconnecting with collaborators he hadn't spoken to in years. What I wanted to talk to John about is what it's like to spend your entire career shaping other people's performances and then, in your late seventies, step into the spotlight yourself for the first time. He gets into what it took to drop the privacy he'd protected for decades, what it's like to relive your life with a co-writer on Zoom and why the Smoke House book signing turned into something closer to an LA industry reunion than a reading. He also swears he "discovered no one," which—if you know anything about the casts of ER or The West Wing—is one of the more generous lies I've heard on this podcast. The thing he said that stuck with me: the book didn't give him a new life. It gave him his old one back. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| How One Book Turned Into $1M (And Why Most Don’t) | 17 févr. 2026 | 00:29:03 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Dan Nicholson is just the founder and CEO of Nth Degree CPAs. He’s also one of my favorite Legacy Launch Pad clients. One of the reasons for this favoritism is that I had the privilege of watching him go from being just another CPA to becoming the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of Rigging the Game. As a result of the book, he now commands up to $20,000 a speaking gig and has generated over seven figures in revenue from the ripple effects of authorship. How did he do it? Well, he had a system—and you could say he rigged it. First, he pre-sold hundreds of copies to his network before the manuscript was even complete, ensuring the project would be profitable before it launched. Then he started circulating the book with a focus on speaking and watched his speaking fees skyrocket. Masterminds and conferences have even built entire events around his book! Now prospects arrive at his CPA firm already pre-sold on hiring them, referrals flow in at record levels and his close rates have jumped significantly—even as he raised his prices by 30%. And that’s not all: thanks to his book, he's also doubled his media appearances, landed more podcast interviews and attracted new clients not only to Nth Degree CPAs but for his other ventures, including Certainty U and Certainty News. Listen in to find out why Dan’s system rigging leaves me in awe. Episode Highlights:
Key Takeaways:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Book That Led to a TEDx Talk—and 350,000 Views | 10 févr. 2026 | 00:32:52 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. I had a front-row seat to Bonnie Habyan’s transformation. A seasoned CMO with over 20 years in financial services, Bonnie wrote The World According to Bess—a book about her mother's wisdom that we released on her mom's 91st birthday, just months before she passed.
Topics Discussed:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Book That Started Legacy Launch Pad—and a Foundation That's Sent 200+ People to Treatment | 03 févr. 2026 | 00:37:48 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Aiming High was the first book I ever published, and it's the reason Legacy Launch Pad exists. So I'm biased. But the story of what this book did is worth telling regardless. Darren Prince was one of the most successful sports and celebrity agents in the country—Magic Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Charlie Sheen—and he was also quietly battling an addiction that nearly killed him. When we started working together, he wanted to write about his career. I told him his addiction was the real story. He didn't love hearing that, but he listened. He released the book on the anniversary of Ali and Frazier's "Thrilla in Manila" fight (because of course he did—the man is an agent to his core). Magic Johnson wrote the foreword. A CNN interview with Chris Cuomo launched a global media tour that led to Tucker Carlson, Dr. Oz, Fox & Friends and Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast. A six-figure spokesperson deal came in, and instead of keeping the money, Darren used it to start the Aiming High Foundation, which has now sent over 200 people to treatment. What I wanted to get into with Darren is all of it—the stuff that makes us laugh and the stuff that makes us a little teary. How his father's death and a conversation with Magic Johnson pushed him to finally tell the truth. How the book revitalized his agency in ways he didn't expect. And how a memoir about hitting bottom turned into a foundation, a speaking career and a life that actually looks like the one he was pretending to have before. In this episode:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| One Book → TV Show, Harvard Role and a 61-City Tour | 27 janv. 2026 | 00:34:15 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Matt George isn't just a Harvard Business School executive leadership coach. He's also one of my favorite Legacy Launch Pad clients. Yes, I say that a lot but I only have my favorites on this show. I've had the privilege of watching Matt go from being a longtime nonprofit CEO to becoming a three-time #1 bestselling author who leveraged his book into a multimillion-dollar portfolio of speaking, consulting, media and coaching opportunities. As a result of his books, he now works at Harvard Business School, hosted his own prime-time TV show for four years and has generated over a million dollars in revenue from the ripple effects of authorship.
Episode Highlights:
Key Takeaways:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| The Book Party That Changed Everything | 20 janv. 2026 | 00:43:25 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Calvin Bagley spent his childhood dodging the school bus and adulthood building business empires. The founder of multiple eight-figure Medicare companies and a self-proclaimed “big fish in a very specific pond,” Calvin went from growing up in rural isolation with nine siblings and no formal schooling to becoming one of the most respected names in his industry.
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Ethlie Ann Vare on Going From Gatekeepers to Algorithms | 13 janv. 2026 | 00:44:41 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Ethlie Ann Vare has lived through every incarnation of the media machine—from the era when editors and agents were true gatekeepers to today’s age of algorithms and the “wisdom of the crowd.” A journalist, TV writer and author, Vare built a career on talent, timing and serendipity. She went from covering rock shows in 1980s Los Angeles to penning biographies of Stevie Nicks and Ozzy Osbourne then spent 15 years writing for television shows like Renegade, Silk Stalkings, Andromeda and CSI.
Key Takeaways:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Jamie Rose on Finding True Fulfillment After Traditional Publishing's Broken Promises | 06 janv. 2026 | 00:42:36 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Jamie Rose is proof that reinvention can be a superpower. After decades as a working actress, she did what most in Hollywood never dare: she pivoted. First came writing. She landed a Penguin deal for her memoir Shut Up and Dance, diving headfirst into the brutal world of publishing. Then came coaching, where she transformed her 37 years of training with psychiatrist Phil Stutz (of The Tools and Jonah Hill’s Netflix doc Stutz) into a career helping others unlock their potential. Now she’s tackling her boldest project yet: Facing Madame X: An Initiation into Feminine Power (out March 2026). Part memoir, part self-help, the book distills Stutz’s groundbreaking tools through Jamie’s uniquely female perspective, weaving hard-won lessons of resilience, humor and creativity. Jamie had to figure out the system for herself. She rode the highs (landing a book deal with a major publisher) and the lows (refreshing Amazon rankings until she nearly lost her mind). She discovered that success wasn’t about fame or money alone—it was about emotional “f-you money,” joy in the process and leaving a legacy that makes people weep (in the best way). Episode Highlights
Key Takeaways
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Mark Ebner on How to Survive the Death of Publishing (and Still Tell the Truth) | 30 déc. 2025 | 00:46:04 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Mark Ebner has lived every journalist’s dream. He’s a New York Times bestselling author, Hollywood insider and the guy behind some of the most notorious exposés in entertainment history. But behind the bylines and book deals is a story about an industry that chews up even its most fearless voices—and a writer who found a way to keep telling the truth anyway. In this conversation, Mark and I talk about everything the publishing world doesn’t want you to know—from missing royalty checks and botched releases to what happens when AI starts scraping your life’s work. He opens up about his unlikely friendship with Andrew Breitbart, the chaos of the book business and how he went from bestselling author to private investigator—while somehow staying one of the funniest, most unflinchingly honest people I’ve ever met. Episode Highlights
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Tom Zoellner on Letting Go of the Hustle to Find Meaning in Writing Rather than Publishing | 16 déc. 2025 | 00:43:06 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Tom Zoellner has no illusions about fame, sales or the myth of the “life-changing book.” A National Book Critics Circle Award winner and New York Times bestselling author, Zoellner has written nine acclaimed works of nonfiction including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, which also became a finalist for the Bancroft Prize and the California Book Award. But despite the accolades, he’s learned to see writing not as a climb toward visibility but as a lifelong meditation on curiosity and craft. In this episode, he and I had a lively debate about such things as whether technology is the death knell of creativity or an amazing opportunity, if one should be writing to build authority or to simply to experience the satisfaction of delving deeply into a topic and even how to pronounce BISAC (not to mention his last name). We also talk about how I once said a sentence to him summarizing how I feel about book publishing that he quotes back to me all the time. Tom may be my polar opposite in terms of using a book to strategically advance but I do admire the way he writes, as he says, to add one small spark to the larger fire of human knowledge. Listen in to find where you may lie on the spectrum of creativity and commercialism (and where the two meet). Episode Highlights:
Key Takeaways:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Dennis Hensley on Going from Landing a Book Deal to Working at Crate & Barrel (And Everything in Between) | 02 déc. 2025 | 00:42:42 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Dennis Hensley was the very first real writer I ever knew—back when getting a book published felt like spotting a unicorn in 1990s LA.
Dennis has written for everyone from Joan Rivers to Wondery podcasts, created party games and somehow made more money dancing in commercials than writing this year.
Topics Discussed:
Mentioned:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Heather Wood Rudulph on $0 Royalty Checks and Why the Dream Isn’t the Golden Ticket | 18 nov. 2025 | 00:40:38 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Heather Wood Rudulph has done many things in the publishing world, including co-writing Sexy Feminism: A Girl's Guide to Love, Success and Style with Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (a title that very much captured a specific moment in feminist evolution but makes Rudulph give a tiny cringe now).
Topics Discussed:
Mentioned:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Jeanne Darst on Landing Every Author's Dream Deal (and What Happened Next) | 04 nov. 2025 | 00:42:44 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Jeanne Darst's story is what happens when everything goes right—and then you realize "right" is more complicated than you thought.
After years of doing plays for 200 people in Vermont, she hit the publishing lottery: a bidding war sparked by a “This American Life” appearance that had publishers hunting her down by the next morning.
Riverhead Books won with serious money, the New York Times loved it, Vogue excerpted it, HBO optioned it and she wrote the pilot. It was the full fantasy—except the show didn't get picked up (Girls was coming out), and she spent the next decade in the Hollywood machine.
Her TV writing career was a success—she got a series of TV staff writing jobs—but her second book, Dad's Trying to Kill Me, couldn't find a publisher (despite glowing rejections). Now she's back to putting on shows while continuing to write, because sometimes the dream coming true teaches you what you actually want. Episode Highlights:
Key Takeaways:
Want to learn more about Legacy Launch Pad Publishing—my high-end hybrid book publishing company that helps entrepreneurs turn their expertise into authority-building books? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
Remember, if there's anyone in your life whose wisdom you deeply admire, or who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them. | |||
| Hannah Sward on Whether or Not It's Worth It to Chase a Book Deal | 21 oct. 2025 | 00:34:20 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Hannah Sward’s publishing journey reads like a masterclass in persistence meets divine intervention. After years of writing short stories for underground literary journals, she stumbled into a free writer’s group at a library—complete with homeless people sleeping on the sidelines.
Episode Highlights:
Key Takeaways:
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| INTRODUCING: Behind the Book Cover | 18 sept. 2025 | 00:04:35 | |
if you’re a subscriber, hi! It’s been a minute. And by a minute I mean it’s been almost a year. That’s because one of the main reasons I do a podcast is so that I can educate myself and after hundreds of interviews, I felt like I’d learned everything I could about how to build authority with a book. I even used many of those interviews in the book I published in 2023, also called On Good Authority. I was surprised to discover that despite not posting any new episodes, this podcast has been kicking along—remaining in the top 1% of podcasts just because new people are finding the show, or some of you authority junkies are listening to episodes over and over? Anyway, lately, I’ve been feeling that podcast itch again: that craving for the mic. And I also started a Substack that I’ve loved writing. One day recently it occurred to me that the Substack could have an accompanying podcast and then it occurred to me, hey I already have a podcast – it’s just been lying dormant. And so I’ve renamed the show Behind the Book Cover, same name as my Substack. Now I’m going to be focusing less on how to build authority from a book and more on the past, present and future of book publishing, as I see it. The past is the traditional publishing model, which means I’m going to spend the first season talking to authors who come from that world. We’re going to dive into the things no one wants to talk about: the tough days that follow getting the book deal. Season two will focus on the present: entrepreneurs that are earning literal millions as a result of their books, and how they’re doing it. And season three will delve into where book publishing is going, with a special focus, of course on AI. So why am I passionate about this new direction now? I’m so glad you asked! The Penguin Random House trial in 2023 revealed a lot that had previously been secret—namely, that 85% of book advances never earn out and Random House got its name because, as the CEO said in the trial, they never know which books will succeed so it’s random! The reality is that most authors make less than minimum wage. And here's the kicker—the entrepreneurs who get caught up in these publishing fantasies often end up worse off than when they started. They're so focused on impressing agents and publishers that they forget their actual goal: growing their business. So I'm going to be talking to authors about why traditional publishing dreams often backfire for business owners. I'll introduce you to smart entrepreneurs who use books strategically—not as lottery tickets, but as lead generation machines and authority builders. And I'll expose what the publishing industry doesn't want you to know about how this business actually works. Think of this as the same as On Good Authority but with a sharper edge. Depending on when you’re hearing this, I’ve either already released or am weeks away from releasing the show you know and love but fine tuned for your success. Same juicy interviews, same truth-telling, just more focused on what actually moves the needle in your business instead of feeding publishing fantasies that lead to disappointment. Whether you're thinking about writing a book, struggling with your first one, or wondering if any of this makes business sense, these conversations will save you time, money and heartache. Because here's the thing: once you stop chasing publishing validation and start using books as the business tools they actually are, everything changes. And I can't wait to show you how. Welcome to Behind the Book Cover. | |||
| Why the Ex-CEO of a $550 Million Company Did a Book Now with Erika Badan Ayers | 09 oct. 2024 | 00:24:09 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Erika Ayers Badan calls herself a “token CEO”, the rare female employee in the highest rank of a bro-roar sports and new media culture—specifically, at Barstool Sports, which she took from a rough-and-tumble sports and betting brand and turned it into a $550 million juggernaut with more than 5 billion monthly video views and 225 million followers.
In her book, Nobody Cares About Your Career: Why Failure Is Good, The Great Ones Play Hurt, and Other Hard Truths, she talks about all that and more. And in this podcast episode, she discusses why she decided to do a book at this point in her career, how it serves as a “receipt” for what she’s done and how she truly doesn’t give an f what other people think. | |||
| Why People Lose Steam on Their Books with Jill Ishkanian | 01 oct. 2024 | 00:42:03 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. It’s truly a crime that there’s no TV series about Jill Ishkanian. The lone female tabloid reporter in a sea of men, Ishkanian has been raided by the FBI, exonerated Meghan Markle and been late to a lunch date with me because she thought she saw Kevin Costner driving. And those are just three of dozens of fascinating facts! Yet, despite the fact that she’s been technically employed as a writer for decades and knows she has a hell of a story to tell, she’s been stalled on writing her book. Why is that? And how can we—yes, the collective we—help her? It’s all in this episode. | |||
| How Book Publishing Is Evolving with Agent Mark Gottlieb | 24 sept. 2024 | 00:36:16 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. While Mark Gottlieb has agenting in his blood—he’s a second generation lit agent—he’s not your typical agent. He doesn’t specialize in any particular genre but bounces between fiction and nonfiction, with some children's books and graphic novels in between. And though he works with the Big Five publishers, he’s open-minded when it comes to self-publishing and the new wave of publishing.
In this episode we talked about how being a writer requires audacity, how tough it is to make a living as an author without a side profession and how most people don’t even know what a lit agent is, among many other topics.
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| Boost Your Business by Sharing Your Story (Solo Episode) | 12 juil. 2024 | 00:21:08 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Here's a special release for you: the keynote I recently gave at a mastermind that encompasses so much of what I know to be true about coming up with your book idea. It's short but sweet. Enjoy! FOR MORE ABOUT THE PODCAST AND OTHER STUFF, GO TO WWW.ONGOODAUTHORITYPOD.COM. | |||
| How to Use Instagram Reels to Blow Up Your Book with Erin Lee | 03 juil. 2024 | 00:35:49 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. You know that kindergarten teacher we all wish we'd had? That's Erin Lee. But part of what makes us all wish she'd been our teacher is the fact that in addition to being a teacher, she's an award-winning children's book author. Still, as we discuss quite a bit around here, being an amazing author doesn't always guarantee book sales. But Erin HAS sold thousands of books. So how has she done it? Well, she started dressing up as her five-year-old students to create engaging Instagram reels. These relatable and humorous videos have since fostered a thriving online community where Erin shares educational content, entertainment and promotes her books. I was actually interviewing Erin for my other podcast when I realized the information she was sharing was such book publishing GOLD that I had to switch gears and release it on this long-neglected feed. In this episode, she breaks her IG strategy down piece by piece. So good, so tactical. She actually makes Instagram sound fun AND useful. When have you last heard it described that way? | |||
| The State of Publishing Today with Kevin Anderson | 24 avr. 2024 | 00:24:39 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Kevin Anderson never meant to get into the publishing business after growing up in a small town in Canada before getting his PhD and graduating summa cum laude from Harvard and starting a tutoring company. Nevertheless, that tutoring company transitioned into what is now a massive publishing company that employs 30 writers and editors that have collectively worked on over 200 New York Times bestselling books and sold over 100 million copies of books by people like Brene Brown, Simon Sinek and Jen Sincero.
FOR MORE ABOUT THE PODCAST AND OTHER STUFF, GO TO WWW.ONGOODAUTHORITYPOD.COM. | |||
| How to Get Your Book Everywhere with Annabelle Gurwitch | 10 janv. 2024 | 00:42:09 | |
If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life. Annabelle Gurwitch is an actress, activist, and the author of the New York Times bestseller and Thurber Prize finalist I See You Made an Effort. Her other books include: Wherever You Go, There They Are, and You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up (coauthored with Jeff Kahn). She was the co-host of Dinner & a Movie on TBS and has appeared on NPR, The Today Show, CBS Early Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, PBS, and numerous CNN and MSNBC programs. Her essays and satire have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, AARP, Real Simple, Prevention, The Los Angeles Book Review, The Daily Beast, Time, Next Tribe, Lenny Letter, Hadassah and The Hollywood Reporter, among other media outlets. She's also an extremely methodical (she might say obsessive compulsive?) person—one who starts planning her launch as she comes up with the book concept. And she works it—making lists, checking them way more than twice, reaching out to people she knows and doesn't know and ultimately making it so that her books have no option but to be successful. If you want practical steps on how to prepare both emotionally and literally for a release, this episode is packed with tips, tactics and other t-words! FOR MORE ABOUT WHAT MY COMPANY, LEGACY LAUNCH PAD, DOES, GO TO WWW.LEGACYLAUNCHPADPUB.COM | |||