Content Library
self publishing
Arvid Kahl on the business, product, and process of nonfiction
The best-selling author of Zero to Sold opens up about ideas, audience, platform, and profits
Jeff Gothelf on Becoming Forever Employable
Lessons from a 4x author
Why most nonfiction fails to make money
Four royalty-wrecking blunders & how to fix them
Editor Adam M Rosen on How Authors Screw Up Their Books
The traps self-publishing authors fall into
How to Turn 12-year olds into Published Authors
Emma Barnes on the publishing industry and its future
Bulk printing options
For bulk sales to events, corporates, and universities
Jermey Matthews (Acquisitions Editor @ MIT Press)
Tradpub nuance, popular science, market research vs. timing, and entrepreneurial authors
earning author
Arvid Kahl on the business, product, and process of nonfiction
The best-selling author of Zero to Sold opens up about ideas, audience, platform, and profits
Why most nonfiction fails to make money
Four royalty-wrecking blunders & how to fix them
Bulk printing options
For bulk sales to events, corporates, and universities
Jermey Matthews (Acquisitions Editor @ MIT Press)
Tradpub nuance, popular science, market research vs. timing, and entrepreneurial authors
beta reading
Editor Adam M Rosen on How Authors Screw Up Their Books
The traps self-publishing authors fall into
Ashton Rodenhiser on beta reading a highly visual book
Lessons learned from 1500+ reader reactions
Recruiting beta readers when you have a large audience
The way to leverage a large list is to let people opt in to read at their preferred level of polish
Start beta reading this week by sharing a mini-manuscript
The best way to start your book project is to write one chapter — or part of one chapter — and share it as early as possible
design patterns
Advance organizer
Bleed navigation
Bracket niche objections
Gotta catch 'em all'
Categorized callouts
Director's commentary
Overlay meta-commentary, side notes, objection-handling, and encouragement in a way that feels human and honest
Dual coding
Footnotes
Make notes redundant
Margin notes
Messy doodles
Messy markup
Parallel experiences
Progressive framework
Recurring segments
Repetition is reinforcement
Signpost skippability
Simple iconography
Collection of standalone parts
Support nonlinear navigation by designing the start of each Part as if it were its own book
Stories of struggle and success
Three things framework
Breadcrumb author bio
Share your story through small, well-timed details rather than early standalone sections
Put the ending sooner
Improve reader completion rates and reviews by moving the conclusion earlier.
Forgo the front-matter
Raise engagement by deleting the introductory sections and beginning with chapter one
Inline indexing
Support non-linear reading by adding inline cross-references throughout your book
Map of progress ("You are here")
Help readers reorient, navigate, and stay engaged using visual chapter-level maps
Becoming the book
Establishing reader belief
Help your readers to believe not just in you, but in the power of the process and the sensation of progress