✍️ Diary of an Author: This Entrepreneur Spent $1.2 Million Self-Publishing His Book -- Why?
What writing and self-publishing a book can do for your career, and why people are still investing heavily in the written medium.
Happy Sunday! In today’s newsletter, you’ll learn…
✍️ Why great entrepreneurs are investing millions in writing and self-publishing their books
☕️ What publishing your book can do for your writing career
😎 How one author broke records with a $41.7 million Kickstarter for his self-published books
📖 3-Minute Story: Why Books Are Still So Lucrative
“Why do you work in books?”
Culture is obsessed with social media and the noise of every new AI tool and trend can be deafening.
I know the appeal of the modern tech scene: I used to spend lots of my time working in tech before exclusively pivoting my focus to books, and my view of how authors will adapt in this new tech-heavy world.
…so why books?
Can you name a book that changed the course of your life, or your perspective? That made you dream bigger, feel less alone, or understand your fellow humans better?
I can think of a dozen books that changed my life for the better.
But have you seen a TikTok or YouTube video that changed the course of your life? Maybe. But I’d reckon a guess that while those videos might have taught you something or made you laugh, they aren’t as evergreen or impactful as what you’ve read.
Trends come and go, but books have been around for 6,000 years for a reason.
📕 Alex Hormozi, Author of $100M Offers Spent $1.2 Million Self-Publishing His Book
In this YouTube video, entrepreneur Alex Hormozi explains why he spent $1.2 million publishing his book, and why he chose self-publishing.
📚 In short? He wanted his book to come out in months, not years after he finished writing it, and he wanted total control over the process.
Hormozi is worth millions and has a huge social media audience, so he could have easily landed a traditional publishing deal. But he didn’t. He values self-publishing.
But why?
Let’s look at another example.
Brandon Sanderson, one of the hottest fantasy authors of the moment, made $41.7 million from a Kickstarter campaign that pre-sold special editions of his novels to his audience.
Great books create legions of fans — fans that will support you, forever. And with self-publishing, you can create directly for your fans, without having to go through the bureaucracy and long waits of traditional publishing.
Tim Ferris, an entrepreneur and investor known for his bestselling book The Four Hour Workweek, also jumped on Twitter to share that he’s considering moving away from traditional publishing for self-publishing:
It’s no coincidence that many successful entrepreneurs and authors are moving away from traditional publishing models.
📚 Publish Your Book to Change Your Life
It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself an entrepreneur or not. If you have a story to tell, publishing your book can change your life.
I’ve written on my blog about 6 reasons why entrepreneurs should write their book, which also shares some of the immediate benefits I gained from publishing my book, Six-Figure Freelance Writer, which has seen a huge jump in sales.
You don’t even have to publish the book in “book” form — after all, I’m “publishing” my thriller novel Let Me Be Your Ghost on Substack, one chapter at a time. It’s an experiment in a new form of publishing, where I’m letting my readers in on the process of writing a book.
If you’re a Modern Author, the digital age is here to support your book publishing journey, not replace it.
Modern Authors use tools like social media, Kickstarter, and Substack to build community around their books. That’s how great writers succeed and cut through the noise.
Don’t be shy: get your words out there. And if you need help, reply to this email and I’ll send you some links and resources.
You can also check out my editing and publishing services here.
Found this post helpful? I’d be so grateful if you could share it with others who might enjoy it!
✨ 2 Quotes to Inspire You
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” — Anais Nin
“Books are uniquely portable magic.” — Stephen King
✍️ 1 Journal Prompt
What book did you read that changed your life? How did it change your life? What stories do you have that could help others? What story is bursting out of you?
Feel free to share your findings from your journaling with other Modern Authors in the comments:
💻 New Blog Posts on AmySuto.com
🎙 New Diary of an Author Podcast Episodes
6 Steps for Rewriting Your Work (5 Min)
🎥 Video of the Week: Growing This Substack - Month 1 Update
Newsletter writing is a great way to connect with your audience, provide valuable information and entertainment, and also build a sustainable writing career for yourself.
In my new YouTube series, I’m going to be 100% transparent about how I’m building this Substack, growing intentionally, and trying to find better ways to serve you — my audience! — as fellow Modern Authors join our ranks.
Know you can always reach out and give me feedback on what you want to see in this newsletter!
Watch more videos on my YouTube or TikTok.
📸 Photo of the Week
I feel like I’ve spent all of my time in Athens hanging out on rooftops and enjoying the view of the Acropolis at night, and that’s all right with me.
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⚡️ Upcoming Wednesday Edition:
This Wednesday, Diary of an Author subscribers will get an exclusive issue about…
✨ How I held myself back from being a successful writer — until I discovered what set me free
🧪 The pivotal moments in a writer’s journey when it comes to having the courage to go after what you want in life
📚 How to identify your North Star and the 3 books that will help you secure the writer’s life of your dreams
Subscribe now so you don’t miss out! And thank you to my community for supporting this newsletter — it’s been an honor to write for you so far. 🙏
Sending creativity and good writing vibes your way,
-Amy
Great info.... I'm published at KindleBooks at the moment, 'Christmas of 1956' et al