How I Wrote 3 Bestsellers in 3 Years (Without a Publisher)

Key Concepts:

• Self-publishing
• Bestseller
• Idea validation
• Outlining
• First draft
• Consistency
• Beta readers
• Professional editing and design
• Launch team
• Book promotion

1. Finding the Right Idea:

• The speaker initially felt intimidated by the success of other books, but realized that simplicity, practicality, and real-life examples could make a book stand out.
• Key Point: Don't need a groundbreaking idea, improve upon existing ones by making them simpler, more practical, and example-rich.
• Process:
  • Pick a topic you're obsessed with and people seek your advice on.
  • Analyze existing books: identify gaps, complexities, and areas for improvement.
  • If you can improve upon existing books, that's your opening.

2. Outlining Like Crazy:

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of a detailed outline to avoid getting lost in the writing process.
• Example: A friend who spent 10 years writing a book, constantly rewriting and rearranging chapters, eventually gave up.
• Process:
  • Create a detailed table of contents.
  • For each chapter, define a clear takeaway for the reader.
  • Example: Instead of "Chapter 4," write "Chapter 4: Confidence - Takeaway: True confidence is the ability to handle whatever comes up."
  • Ensure the book delivers on the takeaways and solves the reader's problem.

3. Writing Your First Draft:

• The first draft should be messy and focused on getting ideas out.
• Key Point: Don't polish, obsess over typos, or rewrite sentence by sentence.
• Methodology:
  • Follow the outline, one chapter at a time.
  • Use speech-to-text software (e.g., ChatGPT desktop app) to talk out the chapter.
  • Use ChatGPT to clean up the text, tighten the structure, and smooth out the flow.
  • Add examples, rearrange sections, and tighten up the writing.
• Consistency:
  • Quote: Somerset Maugham: "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at 9:00 sharp."
  • Commit to a specific time each day and make it part of your routine.
  • Example: The speaker wrote every morning at 6:00 a.m. for 60 minutes.
• Addressing Knowledge Gaps:
  • Don't try to know everything yourself.
  • Talk to experts in the field and ask questions.
  • Example: The speaker interviewed 72 sales experts for his book on storytelling and sales.
  • Actionable Insight: The speaker will include the exact message he used to contact experts in the description below.

4. Testing with Beta Readers:

• Beta readers provide feedback on early, messy drafts.
• Quote: Reid Hoffman: "If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you have launched too late."
• Process:
  • Recruit 15-20 beta readers to get 3-5 engaged readers.
  • Find beta readers through friends and social media (e.g., LinkedIn).
  • Give them 3 weeks to read and provide feedback.
  • Use feedback to refine, tighten, and improve the book.
  • Run multiple rounds of beta reading.
• Type of Feedback:
  • What parts they loved
  • Where they got bored
  • Where they started skimming
  • Where they stopped reading altogether

5. Bringing in Professionals:

• Hire professionals for editing and design to make the book stand out.
• Editing:
  • Copy editor: Polishes the draft, improves flow, fixes grammar.
  • Proofreader: Final check for mistakes.
  • Resource: Reedsy.com for finding editors.
• Design:
  • The cover is crucial.
  • Use 99designs to get multiple cover concepts.
  • Key Point: Don't cut corners on editing and design.
• Publisher:
  • Self-publishing allows full control and royalties.
  • 90% of sales happen on Amazon anyway.
  • No need for print copies or inventory management.
  • Upload the final PDF to Amazon.

6. Building a Launch Team:

• The goal is to get as many reviews as possible (legally).
• Process:
  • Build a launch team of people who read the book before it comes out.
  • Send them a free PDF of the book a few weeks before launch.
  • Make the book free on Amazon for a few days on launch date.
  • Launch team members can download the book for free and leave verified reviews.
  • Ask for honest reviews, not just five-star reviews.
  • Recruit a large number of people (e.g., 150) to get a smaller number of reviews (e.g., 50).
• Addressing Piracy:
  • Don't worry about people sharing the PDF for free.
  • It's free marketing.

7. Promoting Your Book:

• Three main strategies:
  • Share in Public:
    • Share interesting events, interviews, title ideas, and challenges on social media.
    • Tag people in posts to make them feel part of the journey.
  • Pitch Podcasts:
    • Reach out to podcasts in your niche.
    • Explain how you can help their audience.
    • Promote the podcast with your own followers.
    • Include a screenshot of a five-star review you left for them on Apple Podcasts.
    • Actionable Insight: The speaker will add the exact message he used in his first book in the description below.
    • Statistic: For every five messages, one podcast invited the speaker to their show.
    • Example: The speaker joined around 20 podcasts to promote his first book.
  • Run 99 Cent Promotions:
    • Use email lists that promote discounted books.
    • Line up one promo per day for the first two weeks after launch.
    • Game Changer: BookBub promotion resulted in 700 book sales in a few days.

Conclusion:

The speaker outlines a seven-step process for self-publishing a bestseller, emphasizing idea validation, detailed outlining, a messy first draft, beta reader feedback, professional editing and design, building a launch team, and strategic promotion. The key takeaways are the importance of improving upon existing ideas, focusing on practicality and real-life examples, and leveraging beta readers and professionals to create a high-quality product. The speaker also highlights the value of self-publishing for maintaining control and royalties, and the effectiveness of building a launch team and promoting the book through social media, podcasts, and discounted promotions.