I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
I want a NYT bestseller, so I set a different goal
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Hey Reader, I want my book, The Ladders of Wealth, to be a New York Times bestseller. We’re building the entire launch around making that happen. Part of the reason is credibility. Having a New York Times bestseller helps the book, and it helps Kit. I also want what comes with it—which is thousands of people holding the hardcover in their hands and hopefully giving it to someone they care about as a gift. Even so, the list isn’t the goal I’m setting for myself. Because I can’t control whether the book is a New York Times bestseller. The authors I’ve spoken to talk about how crazy hard it is to make the list, and sales are only part of the picture. Ultimately, it comes down to a decision made by editors at the Times. There’s a chance that we could do all of the right things and still get editorialized off the list for whatever reason. So we set our goal at 15,000 copies sold during launch week. The plan is for that to be 10,000 pre-orders plus 5,000 more sales once the book is out. This doesn’t guarantee we get a bestseller, but it is within my control. The reason I share this is to point out that you can do the same thing with pretty much any goal you set. Instead of setting a goal based on an outcome you want that may be outside your control, set a goal that’s fully achievable if you truly commit. Let’s say you’re trying to build wealth. You can’t control what the stock market does this year, but you can control how much you invest every month. Or if you want to speak at a big conference in your industry, you can’t control whether the organizers pick you. But you can decide how many talks you pitch and how much work you put into each one. It’s okay to continue wanting the bigger outcome. I still want the bestseller list, and we’re doing everything we can to make that happen. If you’re working toward a goal right now, try writing down the part you control. Then focus on that relentlessly. For our launch, pre-orders make up the biggest part of those 15,000 copies. Every copy someone orders before launch day counts on launch day. That’s why pre-orders make such a huge difference for a book launch. You mentioned to me that you pre-ordered the book, so I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support! I’ll be keeping you posted on how to get early access to the audiobook and ebook soon. If you know someone else who would benefit from the book, tell them they can read a free chapter at LaddersofWealth.com. PODCASTThe Exact System to Build a $10K/Month Business in 90 DaysOnly 8% of people who start a course ever finish it, and the average membership lasts less than three months. Jasmine Star built a seven-figure course business and a membership past 10,000 people, so she has watched both models up close. Now she teaches clients a hybrid offer built around specific customer results. We also get into how she builds trust with an audience in what she calls a trust recession. You’ll learn:
Watch or listen to episode » KIT FEATUREBuild emails with Claude or ChatGPT, edit in KitThe Kit MCP now builds broadcasts and email sequences for you. Just tell Claude, ChatGPT, or whatever AI tool you use what you want. It pulls in your templates and brand, and the email shows up ready to tweak and send in Kit’s editor. Here’s a few ways you can use it:
BOOKCommunity Made: The Truth About Success and the Relationships That Create ItMy friend Jayson Gaignard just released his new book, Community Made, and it is so good. Most of the best entrepreneurs I know, I’m friends with because of Jayson and because of his community, MMT. Something Jayson says is: You never really know the value of your relationships until you really need them. This book contains everything he knows about building an amazing community and what drives it. It’s super engaging, easy to read, and has a ton of fun illustrations. He breaks it all down into three parts:
Have a great week! —Nathan |
Nathan Barry
I'm a designer who turned into a writer who turned into a startup CEO. My mission is to help creators earn a living. Subscribe for essays on building an audience and earning a living as a creator.
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