Before The Bestseller

We're back for a second episode with Karen Anderson, a publishing strategist and direct response marketing expert who has worked across every major publishing model and co-author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller The Bezos Letters. Building on our previous conversation about what makes a book worth publishing, we now explore what makes a book actually work, from reader psychology and positioning to the kinds of marketing that readers naturally respond to.In this episode, Karen shares real stories that reveal why some books earn lasting word of mouth while others are quickly forgotten. We explore what earns a reader's trust, why recommendations matter more than promotion, and how the decisions authors make long before publication shape the way readers experience a book. From positioning and understanding reader pain points to testing ideas before launch, leading with experience instead of credentials, and creating memorable reader experiences, Karen explains why authentic relationships consistently outperform expensive marketing campaigns. Throughout the conversation, she makes a compelling case that the strongest marketing doesn't begin after a book is published. It begins by writing a book people genuinely want to share. Some books find their audience quickly, while others take time. Tune in to hear why the books that endure are often the ones whose authors stay committed long after publication.Connect with Karen and explore her free resources at KarenAnderson.coCheck out her book, The Bezos Letters, here: https://a.co/d/0fIrg0mM—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 $299 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]

Today, we're joined by Karen Anderson, a strategic book advisor, Associate Publisher at Morgan James Publishing, and co-author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon. With more than twenty-five years in publishing and contributions to numerous New York Times bestselling books, Karen brings an unusual combination of psychology, direct response marketing, and publishing experience that shapes how she helps authors build books that truly connect with readers.In this episode, Karen shares why authors should begin with purpose rather than pages, and how the most effective books balance information with inspiration. We discuss why many well-written books quietly fail, the role stories play in creating emotional connection, and how understanding what readers feel and need should shape every decision an author makes. Karen also explains how publishers think about marketability, why authors are ultimately responsible for marketing, and what separates books that fade quickly from those that continue finding readers years after publication.Tune in to hear why writing a good book is only the beginning, and why the books that readers keep recommending often start with a very different question than most authors think to ask.Connect with Karen and explore her free resources at KarenAnderson.coYou can also check out her book, The Bezos Letters, here: https://a.co/d/0fIrg0mM—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 $299 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]

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 $299 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]

Today we welcome a very special guest and one of my favorite authors for a long time, Steven Pressfield, author of more than twenty books spanning fiction and nonfiction, including The War of Art, which has sold more than a million copies worldwide and has become a foundational book for writers, entrepreneurs, artists, and creators. He is also the acclaimed author of Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Turning Pro, Do the Work, The Warrior Ethos, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t, and many others. Widely regarded as a master of historical fiction, his work has earned a place on the required reading list at West Point and the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His work has also reached audiences well beyond the literary world, earning him a featured appearance on Oprah and a readership that cuts across industries, disciplines, and generations. His latest novel, The Arcadian, continues a body of work shaped by decades of storytelling and creative practice.In this episode, Steven reflects on the thirty-year journey that preceded his first published book and the lessons that emerged from decades of rejection, uncertainty, and persistence. We explore the concept of Resistance from The War of Art, the emotional realities of creative work, the difference between amateurs and professionals, the challenge of self-validation, and why he still faces the same internal battle every time he sits down to write. Along the way, he shares what finally changed when The Legend of Bagger Vance broke through, why perseverance matters more than talent, the inspiration behind The Arcadian, and the philosophy that continues to guide his work decades into his career.If you've ever felt the pull to do almost anything other than the one thing you know you should be doing, tune in because this conversation with Steven Pressfield is one of the more grounded and clear-eyed looks at the creative life you're likely to find.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 $299 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]

We're back with Eric Ries, entrepreneur, startup thinker, and author of the bestselling books The Lean Startup and Incorruptible. With millions of books sold and ideas that have influenced founders, executives, and organizations around the world, Eric joins us again to share how he approached building not just successful books, but movements around ideas.In this episode, we explore how Eric applied startup principles to book publishing, audience building, and idea development long before The Lean Startup became a bestseller. We discuss testing ideas through talks and feedback loops, treating readers as customers, building communities around a message, the lessons he learned from traditional publishing, his record-setting Kickstarter campaign for The Leader's Guide, and why saying "yes" to small opportunities helped create momentum. Eric also shares his perspective on books as tools for creating legitimacy around ideas, the difference between audience size and audience connection, and why practice often matters far more than people realize.Tune in to hear how Eric Ries turned an idea into a movement and why reaching more readers often starts with serving the ones already paying attention. Go to www.incorruptible.com to discover more about the book and access the limited-time pre-order bonuses. Visit your local bookstore to pick up a copy of Eric’s books and support independent booksellers.Check out Eric’s books on Amazon here:Incorruptible - https://a.co/d/0cWIpo70—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 $299 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]

Today, we’re honored to have entrepreneur, creator of the Lean Startup movement, and author of the international bestseller The Lean Startup, Eric Ries, on Before the Bestseller. His work changed how founders think about building companies by replacing assumptions with experimentation, validated learning, and building what customers actually want.We talked about Eric’s unexpected path from teaching himself programming as a kid and landing his first publishing opportunity as a teenager, to building startups and eventually writing one of the most influential business books of the last decade. We explored how The Lean Startup emerged from questioning conventional startup advice, why validated learning matters more than activity, and how founders and authors can think through one of the hardest decisions in any creative or business journey: when to pivot and when to persevere. We also shifted into Eric’s newest book, Incorruptible, where we discussed why organizations drift away from their original mission, how incentives quietly shape decisions over time, and what founders, consumers, and builders can do to create systems worth trusting in the long run.Tune in to hear how Eric thinks about testing ideas, knowing when to pivot, and building books, companies, and systems that can grow without losing what made them work in the first place. Go to www.incorruptible.com to discover more about the book and access the limited-time pre-order bonuses. Visit your local bookstore to pick up a copy of Eric’s books and support independent booksellers.Check out Eric’s books on Amazon here:The Lean Startup - https://a.co/d/0bwLP7TIIncorruptible - https://a.co/d/0cWIpo70—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 $299 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]

We’re back with Nicole Gebhardt, publishing strategist and CEO of Niche Press, for a conversation about what publishing looks like in a world shaped by AI, shifting reader behavior, and shorter attention spans. Nicole has helped entrepreneurs, experts, and business owners turn books into long term brand and business assets, and in this episode, she breaks down why the books people buy and finish today are fundamentally different from the books that worked even a few years ago.We talked about why “how-to” books are becoming easier to replace, why storytelling is becoming more important than ever, and how authors can design a reader experience that keeps people emotionally invested from beginning to end. Nicole also shared insights on Michael Hague’s storytelling framework, the difference between a reader’s outer and inner journey, how AI can quietly push authors toward the wrong book idea, and why the smartest marketing decisions happen before the first chapter is even written. The conversation also explored identity transformation, strategic positioning, influencer relationships, and how great books naturally create opportunities for speaking, referrals, and long term business growth.If your book is meant to last longer than the current trend cycle, tune in to this episode.Check out www.nicheleaders.com to learn more or take the assessment. —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 $299 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]

Today we welcome Nicole Gebhart, CEO of Niche Press, where she has worked with hundreds of business leaders, advisors, and experts to help them clarify what they want to be known for and turn that into a book that actually drives opportunity. With a background leading communications strategy at Caterpillar Inc. and years of consulting experience, she brings a structured, strategic lens to publishing. In this episode of Before the Bestseller, Nicole breaks down what it really means to treat a book as a business asset rather than a standalone product.We get into why the “wrong book” can quietly limit your growth, how different publishing strategies like signature, pep talk, and niche books each serve a specific role, and why most people approach writing from the past instead of where they want to go. Nicole shares how books should connect to your offers, brand, and long term business model, not just book sales, along with how to think in terms of frameworks, client conversion, and positioning yourself in the top tier of your niche. We also touch on what it looks like to fix a misaligned book, why owning your publishing rights matters, and how the right strategy can turn a book into a consistent source of opportunities.Tune in to hear how to turn a book into something that actually builds your business instead of just sitting on a shelf.Check out www.nicheleaders.com to learn more or take the assessment. —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 $299 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]