How the Author of Atomic Habits ACTUALLY Makes Money | James Clear | 143

When James Clear last spoke on the Craft & Commerce stage, Atomic Habits hadn't even been released. Now, it's sold over 30 million copies worldwide. I was delighted to welcome James back to the same stage 8 years later to unpack what he’s learned from creating one of the bestselling books of the last decade. In this conversation, James shares his insights on how to create a timeless product, how he built an email list of over 4 million subscribers, and the revolutionary publishing model he’s building with Authors Equity. James also answers burning questions from the audience on simplifying complex ideas, building lasting entrepreneurial friendships, protecting your identity as a creator in public, and James’s personal mission in life. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into creating a bestselling book, I think you’ll get a lot out of this episode.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:07 Expectations for Atomic Habits' success02:54 Selling 30M+ copies04:48 Timeless marketing principles07:18 Positioning for long-term book sales09:39 Building the world's largest single-author newsletter12:44 Current effective growth tactics14:01 Cross-pollinating platforms for growth16:51 The vision behind Authors Equity20:51 The Atomic Habits tipping point23:09 Why books are an underrated business model24:48 Simplifying complex ideas27:54 Cultivating lasting entrepreneur friendships31:33 Protecting your identity as a public creator35:30 Why choose traditional publishing over self-publishing?39:17 Mining for stories and metaphors43:24 What makes Authors Equity different?48:50 Daily habits for rebuilding momentum51:50 James’s life mission54:24 Authors Equity: working with self-published authors58:05 James's parting thoughts: 10-year and 1-hour timeframesIf you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one.Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/showFollow Nathan:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbarryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarryX: https://twitter.com/nathanbarryYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenathanbarryshowWebsite: https://nathanbarry.comKit: https://kit.comFollow James:Website: https://jamesclear.comNewsletter: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1X: https://twitter.com/jamesclearLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesclearInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesclearFeatured in this episode:Kit: https://www.kit.comAtomic Habits: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habitsAuthors Equity: https://www.authorsequity.comHighlights:02:10 - James's initial expectations for Atomic Habits09:39 - How James built the world's largest single-author newsletter23:09 - Why books are an underrated business model48:50 - James’s daily habits for rebuilding momentum51:50 - James’s life mission