BTB185: Steven Pressfield: Millions of Copies Sold, 35 Screenplays Written and Fiction vs. Nonfiction Book Marketing episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 15, 2026 · 31 MIN

BTB185: Steven Pressfield: Millions of Copies Sold, 35 Screenplays Written and Fiction vs. Nonfiction Book Marketing

from Before The Bestseller · host Alex Strathdee

Today we welcome back Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The War of Art, Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and his newest novel, The Arcadian. Across a career spanning fiction and nonfiction, Pressfield has sold millions of books and built a reputation as one of the most influential voices on creativity, discipline, and the challenges that stand between people and their life's work.In this episode, Steven reflects on the long road behind his success, from writing dozens of screenplays before his breakthrough to watching books like Gates of Fire and The War of Art slowly grow through word of mouth. He shares the surprising story behind The Legend of Bagger Vance, how luck and preparation intersect throughout a writing career, and the marketing approaches he has used across both fiction and nonfiction. We also explore audience building, podcasts, email lists, self-publishing, the challenges of marketing fiction, and why some books continue selling for years while others disappear shortly after launch.Tune in to hear what separates books that last from books that fade away, why patience matters more than most authors realize, and the hard-earned lessons from a lifetime dedicated to the craft of writing.Subscribe to Steven's weekly writing newsletter at stevenpressfield.comMake sure to follow @steven_pressfield on Instagram. Check out his new book, The Arcadian here: https://a.co/d/03YobKj0Explore all of Steven’s books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000AQ8R8Q?ingress=0&visitId=d84a9904-f7ce-400a-8292-17d9d655e6c2&ref_=aufs_ap_ahdr_dsk_ab—Subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps more people discover the show, the author and their books. —Get the popular weekly book marketing 3-2-1 and get access to our Free Amazon Ads course when you subscribe to our newsletter here:  https://getshelflife.com/category/newsletter/Head to our new website for more content and updates.: www.getshelflife.comIf you're interested in connecting further or have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 15, 2026

Embed this episode

Today we welcome back Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The War of Art, Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and his newest novel, The Arcadian. Across a career spanning fiction and nonfiction, Pressfield has sold millions of books and built a reputation as one of the most influential voices on creativity, discipline, and the challenges that stand between people and their life's work. In this episode, Steven reflects on the long road behind his success, from writing dozens of scr...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

Ready to play

BTB185: Steven Pressfield: Millions of Copies Sold, 35 Screenplays Written and Fiction vs. Nonfiction Book Marketing

0:00 31:23

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Before The Bestseller?

This episode is 31 minutes long.

When was this Before The Bestseller episode published?

This episode was published on June 15, 2026.

Can I download this Before The Bestseller episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!