How to Actually Make $1M From a Business Book | Jeff Goins

<p>Can a business book actually make you a million dollars? The surprising answer is yes — but almost none of that money comes from book sales.</p><p>Tim&#39;s book DISCOVERABLE is now available for pre-order → ahrefs.com/discoverable</p><p>Best-selling author Jeff Goins breaks down the real economics of publishing: why books are &quot;a bad business model,&quot; how the back-end (courses, consulting, software, higher-converting leads) is where the money lives, and why one enterprise company saw higher contract values simply by mailing their CEO&#39;s book to every lead in their CRM.</p><p>Jeff is the author of The Art of Work and Real Artists Don&#39;t Starve, and runs a consulting firm that helps thought leaders turn big ideas into bestselling books. He was also Tim&#39;s personal mentor throughout the writing of DISCOVERABLE — Tim&#39;s first book, where he distills the marketing fundamentals behind Ahrefs&#39; growth into a framework any brand can use to get found.</p><p>You&#39;ll learn how much a first-time author can realistically sell, what it costs to buy your way onto the NYT or WSJ bestseller lists, why most business books suck, and whether you should self-publish, go hybrid, or go traditional.</p><p>In this episode:</p><p>(00:00) Intro<br>(00:39) How much money can a first-time author actually make?<br>(02:51) How many copies do Jeff&#39;s clients really sell?<br>(06:52) The real reasons people write books (that aren&#39;t money)<br>(10:40) Why writing a book humbles you — and the pay-to-play tricks in publishing<br>(13:03) Proving a book&#39;s value: the CRM story and building real authority<br>(24:43) Client anecdotes: General McChrystal and the payoff of a book<br>(27:26) Where to start: the book proposal vs. the book plan<br>(36:43) Why the central idea of a book almost always changes mid-writing<br>(45:31) Jeff&#39;s best writing advice: brain dump, front-load, don&#39;t restart<br>(54:35) Why do most business books suck?<br>(1:00:04) Publishing options: traditional vs. hybrid vs. self-publishing<br></p><p>Pre-order DISCOVERABLE → ahrefs.com/discoverable</p><p>Where to find Jeff Goins:<br>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeffgoins<br>Website: goinswriter.com</p><p>Where to find Tim:<br>LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timsoulo<br>X: @timsoulo<br>Website: timsoulo.com</p><p>Referenced:<br>DISCOVERABLE — Tim Soulo (ahrefs.com/discoverable)<br>The Art of Work — Jeff Goins<br>Real Artists Don&#39;t Starve — Jeff Goins<br>On Character — General Stanley McChrystal<br>Atomic Habits — James Clear<br>The One Thing — Gary Keller &amp; Jay Papasan<br>The 4-Hour Workweek — Tim Ferriss<br>Ryan Holiday — ryanholiday.net<br>Ahrefs — ahrefs.com</p>