Essays

When an author writes the proposal for their book, and again, after they finish the manuscript, there is a big focus on the question: What’s the marketing plan for the book? This set of activities is an incredibly important component of launching a book and there are many different tactics that one can employ. You […]

Bard Press Essay #12May 7, 2021 1. When I talk to authors about their projects, they always want me to share my best ideas for marketing. “What are the three best things I can do to successfully launch my book?” I normally rattled off three answers, techniques that I have seen work over the years. […]

Bard Press Essay #11April 21, 2021 So… 10,000 copies sold in the first year is your new goal. So, how do you do it? Let’s build a model for how to think about that. The Long Term Book Launch Model There are three phases to the long-term book launch: Fuel Launch  Accelerate In the fueling […]

Welcome new readers! If you would like to subscribe to the Bard Press Essays, you can do that here. Bard Press Essays #10April 14, 2021 1. Launching a book is difficult and book launches are getting more difficult. For as long as I have worked in publishing, I have wondered what makes some books work […]

The Bard Press EssaysWeek 9 – March 30, 2021 “I want to change how publishing reaches out to authors.” That is how Yahdon Israel, newly hired senior editor at Simon & Schuster, described his approach in his Instagram Live last week. Editors using social media to talk directly to authors is not something you see much. […]

In the last few weeks, I’ve written a couple of essays about book throughlines. Creating a strong connection between the elements of the throughline makes your book a better product for readers. Today, I want to take it a step further and suggest that you extend the throughline beyond the book and into the marketing […]

Bard Press EssaysWeek 7 – March 17, 2021 1. Recently, I talked about the importance of picking the right problem. For an author, it is one of the most important decisions they can make. Books help readers solve problems.  If you get the problem wrong, you are not going to connect with readers.  What I […]

The Bard Press EssaysWeek 6 – March 10, 2021 There is one trend I talk about more with authors than any other: The books we read for business are not really about business anymore. Consider these classic titles: The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Bob Waterman […]

The Bard Press EssaysWeek 5 – March 3, 2021 From Bloomburg TV, June 16, 2011… Reporter Emily Chang: Given how fast innovation seems to be happening across the country, what do startups these days need to do to have a successful exit, whether it’s an IPO or building a great business? Y Combinator founder Paul […]

The Bard Press EssaysWeek 4 – February 25, 2021 I just got done reading Adam Davidson’s book The Passion Economy. The book focuses on innovative businesses who are defying the odds and making their businesses more relevant than ever in a competitive, global economy. In the book, there are some incredible examples and he describes […]