Creatorwood

Learn from one of the most storied authors in publishing about how he's written 50+ bestsellers, has 23 million copies of his books in print, and has succeeded in novelizations, indie publishing, Kickstarter, and more.

Check out Kevin's latest Kickstarter, Terra Incognita, an epic seafaring fantasy series with accompanying rock albums: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thekja/terra-incognita-epic-fantasy-trilogy-and-rock-albums

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Kevin's books: https://wordfire.com/

Attend Superstars writing conference: https://www.superstarswriting.com/

Kevin's publishing company: https://wordfirepress.com/

Western Colorado University's Publishing MFA: https://western.edu/program/publishing/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:03:16 The Origin Story of Kevin J Anderson

0:07:27  What Made Kevin Shift to Indie Publishing

0:12:24  How Kevin Gets Through "Black Ice" in Publishing

0:18:55  How Kevin Started on Kickstarter

0:22:28 What Projects Are Best for Kickstarters

0:25:55 Kevin’s New Kickstarter with Books and Rock Music

0:35:39 How Kevin Collaborates with Dozens of Creatives

0:38:47 The Kevin J Anderson Business Model

Thank you so much for listening! You can always reach out to [email protected] if you have any guest/episode recommendations or questions about going Beyond the Book!

I’d also super appreciate it if you rated Beyond the Book wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps us grow and get bigger & better guests to share their insights with you in going Beyond the Book 💙.

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

Before we dive into Day 4, a quick announcement…

The Author Marketing Superpowers Deck Kickstarter closes TOMORROW. We’re inches away from unlocking our next stretch goal — AuthorHub, an all-in-one book marketing tracker that helps you level up your author business.

Backers get:

👉 Back the Kickstarter before it closes

Now, welcome to Day 4 of the Author Marketing Superpowers Bootcamp: Scale Your Readers.

This bootcamp is designed to help you go from story idea → $1,000 in book sales in under 5 minutes a day, with minimal stress, time, and money.

You’ve already completed the foundations:

Now you’re ready for the part every author dreams about: scaling your readership.

But here’s the twist: Most authors think scaling = more work. In reality, marketing isn’t about selling books. It’s about building a system that sells books for you.

This system is your Reader Growth Engine — a repeatable, scalable way to grow your readership without burning out.

There are 3 Reader Growth Engines to choose from:

1. Paid Ads

Buying attention on platforms like Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, and Google. Fast to test, fast to scale.

2. Building a Media Brand

Creating content people want to come back to. Think: BookTok, BookTube, bookish podcasts, fictional vertical TV, or genre-inspired educational/entertainment content.

3. Affiliates + Collaborations

The advanced engine: Podcasts, influencers, retailers, and partners who sell your books for you.

Most authors start with Paid Ads or a Media Brand engine — and that’s perfect.

Your 3 Steps for Day 4

Step 1: Marketing Fuel

What marketing activity energizes you? Blogging, TikTok, Facebook Ads, genre videos, podcasting — choose the style that feels fun and sustainable.

Step 2: The Content Cannon

A few pieces of content will drive most of your sales. Start experimenting. Test ideas. Analyze what resonates. Double down on what works.

Your first attempts might be messy — that’s normal. Iteration is everything.

Step 3: Infinite Reader Loop

Your engine must pay for itself.

Ways to do that:

A sustainable engine is one that keeps its own fuel flowing.

Tomorrow, for Day 5, we’ll talk about something even more important: How to keep readers loyal — the key to long-term success and profit.

If you’re an Author Sidekick Plus member, you’ll also get access to our 2-hour Reader Growth Engines workshop, including deep dives into ads, community building, and live optimization.

Thank you again for your support — especially as the Kickstarter enters its final hours.

And remember…

Together we are boundless, Michael Evans The Author Sidekick

Publishing Nihilism: the belief that the pursuit of authorship is increasingly meaningless or hopeless.

How many of you have felt this recently?

How many of you have been feeling this way for years?

In today’s edition of the Beyond the Book Podcast, I want to offer an alternative vision for our collective future as authors.

One of Publishing Boundlessness rather than Publishing Scarcity or Publishing Nihilism.

Join the Beyond the Book Accelerator waitlist, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Creator Economy for Authors Book: https://www.amazon.com/Creator-Economy-Authors-Future-Publishing/dp/1949458253

Intention Economy Book: https://www.amazon.com/Intention-Economy-When-Customers-Charge/dp/1422158527

Tolan App: https://www.tolans.com/

Belonging to the Brand Book: https://businessesgrow.com/belonging-to-the-brand/

Get Together Book: https://gettogether.world/

Bowling Alone Book: https://www.amazon.com/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046

On the Origin of Stories Book: https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Stories-Evolution-Cognition-Fiction/dp/0674057112

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:08:09 What the Next Publishing Revolution Has In Common With the Past

0:19:35 Opportunity #1: Community

0:31:48 Opportunity #2: Creator Street

0:38:16 Opportunity #3: New IP Formats

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue). In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

I traveled to the ScareMail HQ where 100,000+ story letters are shipped out each month by David Viergutz and his team. Join me on this adventure into a world beyond the book... where 1 story makes this author $3 million per year.

Note: The video for this podcast got corrupted, but I do include some b-roll of inside the ScareMail HQ 😊.

Check out ScareMail by David Viergutz: https://scaremail.com/ Join the Beyond the Book Mastermind waitlist, the ultimate community for authors turning their stories into empires: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:05:12 How David Ships 100,000 Letters a Month

0:06:32 What is a Story Letter?

0:08:40 David's Author Story

0:16:24 The Biggest Mistake David Made Scaling Story Letters

0:20:22 How David Tests New Ideas

0:22:33 How David Gets New Ideas to Serve His Readers

0:25:56 How David Works with Manufacturers with His Business

0:28:59  How David Keeps Writing With All of His Business Operations

0:31:09  When and How to Hire Help as an Author

0:33:42 How David Scaled The Production of ScareMail

0:37:44 How to Grow Your Audience

0:41:10 David's Advice to Authors Getting Started

Thank you so much for listening! You can always reach out to [email protected] if you have any guest/episode recommendations or questions about going Beyond the Book!

I’d also super appreciate it if you rated Beyond the Book wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps us grow and get bigger & better guests to share their insights with you in going Beyond the Book 💙.

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends). I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

ABOUT BEYOND THE BOOK:

Beyond the Book exists to help authors expand their revenue and readership beyond books. We are rewriting the rules of publishing by helping authors build “mini-Disneys” from their stories through physical products, community experiences, games, other media formats, and more.

It's time to Make Your Own Movies. There's a technology, social, and business change enabling an entirely new industry to form. One where independent storytellers like you can create fictional, episodic stories and charge by episode and season. This changes the landscape of film. What used to cost millions of dollars for a studio to make now just takes your laptop, a story, and a passion. This new world is what we call Creatorwood.

There are billions of dollars up for grabs. And I'm building something big to help your movie-making business become a reality. Grab your Author Deck here with 50 superpowers to level-up your book marketing and help you sell more books: https://authordecks.com/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

0:03:02 Turning Your Books into Movies, Shows, and Films

0:08:44 Why Storytellers Will Make Billions from Independent Films

0:12:35 A New Newsletter and Podcast for Make Your Own Movies is Launching

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

Thank you so much for listening! You can always reach out to [email protected] if you have any guest/episode recommendations or questions about going Beyond the Book!

I’d also super appreciate it if you rated Beyond the Book wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps us grow and get bigger & better guests to share their insights with you in going Beyond the Book 💙.

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

ABOUT BEYOND THE BOOK:

Beyond the Book exists to help authors expand their revenue and readership beyond books. We are rewriting the rules of publishing by helping authors build “mini-Disneys” from their stories through physical products, community experiences, games, other media formats, and more.

Here’s May’s Monthly Sidekick Plus workshop. It’s all about Answer Engine Optimization, or how you can have readers discover your books when chatting with LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, and more.

This one is action-packed with insights and takeaways.

* The free tool (for now) trakkr.ai can help you see what books LLMs are recommending based on prompts

* Queries to LLMs are 23 words on average v.s. 4 words for search engines

* LLMs disproportionately recommend best-selling books, even when asked to recommend lesser-known titles 😬

* Answer Engines are already a place readers discover books, and likely are going to continue to grow, but it doesn’t seem to be a great channel for new authors, but rather another channel that perpetuates big authors

* If you haven’t already, sign up for ChatGPT’s waitlist for Product Discovery so your books can have an easier time being cited in responses

You can watch the full workshop above!

I’m excited for next month’s Sidekick Plus workshop. Always super happy to take recommendations on what you would like me to deep dive into.

In the meantime, don’t forget to:

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

Together we are boundless,

Michael Evans

The Author Sidekick

An Interview with Jay Yang: The Architect Behind Noah Kagan’s NYT Bestseller Launch

This is one of the most inspiring and actionable episodes of Beyond the Book.

Jay Yang is one of the brightest minds in social media and he’s worked with top entrepreneurs like Tyler Denk (CEO of Beehiiv), Noah Kagan (founder of Appsumo), and now Alex Hormozi (co-founder of Acquisition.com) to grow their following and reach millions online.

He also helped Noah Kagan launch his book Million Dollar Weekend, all about how to start and launch a business in 48 hours. This book hit the NYT Bestseller list!

In today’s episode of Beyond the Book, Jay Yang (who is still a teenager at the time of recording) shares with us:

* How to create content that hooks the attention of others and grows your reader base

* Why their email list was more valuable in promoting the book launch than their 1 million+ subscriber YouTube channel

* How to create outlier opportunities for yourself by doing the work upfront when collaborating with people

* Doing the hard work to develop belief in yourself

* And SO much more

You can watch on YouTube here:

The quote that stood out to me most in the podcast: “What’s obvious to you is amazing to others.” – Jay Yang

Jay recently launched his first book You Can Just Do Things. You can get your copy here. It’s all about how you can take action and accomplish big things without needing the permission of gatekeepers. If there’s any book that embodies the indie author mindset, it’s this one 😊.

I’ll be back with another podcast episode later this week (got the team trained up and ready to go on helping me get out episodes), and another essay all on the Retailer v.s. Direct mindset tomorrow!

In the meantime, don’t forget…

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

Chelle Honiker, a powerhouse in indie publishing, reveals how to scale your author business by focusing on what matters—and automating the rest. Tune in to learn practical strategies that save time and boost growth.

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE:

Author Automations: https://authorautomations.com/

Indie Author Magazine: https://indieauthormagazine.com/

Direct Sales Discovery for Authors: https://direct2readers.com/

Author Nation: https://www.authornation.live/

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:04:42 How to Automate the Right Way

00:10:00 Chelle's PARA Method

00:16:35 How Chelle organizes her goals

00:19:13 Chelle's Way of Defining Success

00:20:30 When should we and should we not automate?

00:27:35 Top Automations for Authors

00:39:35 What to Use to Start a Website

00:42:44 Indie Author Magazine Training

00:53:51 Where to find Chelle and her work

Thank you so much for listening! You can always reach out to [email protected] if you have any guest/episode recommendations or questions about going Beyond the Book!

I’d also super appreciate it if you rated Beyond the Book wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps us grow and get bigger & better guests to share their insights with you in going Beyond the Book 💙.

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.

Nat Eliason made over $5,000 from his first sci-fi novel, Husk—without a traditional publisher. After earning a six-figure advance for his nonfiction book, Nat pivoted into fiction, self-published his debut novel, and used his marketing skills to drive thousands in preorder sales. Learn how he did it and what aspiring authors can take away from his journey.

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

EPISODES AND CHAPTERS

00:00:25-$5,000 as first time Fiction Author

00:01:40-How Nat Started as an Author?

00:03:26-Nat's arc as an Entrepreneur

00:04:46-Nat's First Nonfiction Book

00:06:24-Learning Path Through Writing

00:13:41-Improvements on Writing

00:18:16-Importance of an Article

00:25:54-Longevity of the Book

00:29:05-Why Nat Self-Published his 1st Fiction Novel?

00:36:25-The Future in AI Era

00:42:28-AI Tools you can use

00:51:05-Resources that can help you Journey

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE:

Nat Eliason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nat_eliason/?hl=en

Nat's Crypto Confidential: https://www.nateliason.com/books/crypto-confidential

Nat's contact email: [email protected]

BetaReader.io: https://betareader.io/

Chatgpt: https://chatgpt.com/

Dungeon Crawler Carl" https://www.goodreads.com/series/309211-dungeon-crawler-carl

Peak by Anders Erickson and Robert Poole: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26312997-peak

Husk by Nat Eliason: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229037036-husk

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the creator of Reader Meter (the reader intelligence platform for authors), Beyond the Book (the place that helps you turn your story into an empire), and Author Sidekick (the newsletter that helps authors grow their readership and revenue).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊

Roberta Townes, author of Shelf Talk, joins us to discuss how authors can successfully navigate the retail world. From pitching to buyers to building relationships with bookstores and retailers, she shares practical strategies and hard-earned insights for getting your book on shelves—and keeping it there.

Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an author: https://authorsidekick.com/subscribe

Get Author Decks, a beautifully illustrated card deck of 50 superpowers to help you sell more books: https://authordecks.com/

Join the Beyond the Book Membership, where we step-by-step help you turn your stories into an empire: https://beyondthebookacademy.com/

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE:

Roberta Townes' website: https://shelftalks.com/

Apple Podcast: Shelf Talks by Roberta Townes Shelf Talk

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/447iGFw

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:03:02 The Importance of Retail in E-Commerce

00:05:31 Understanding Retailer Needs and Product Fit

00:08:29 Challenges and Opportunities for Indie Authors

00:11:06 Crafting Effective Pitches to Retailers

00:14:07 Pricing and Packaging Strategies

00:14:58 Exploring Bundling Opportunities

00:17:44 Building Strong Retail Partnerships

00:20:15 Driving Sales and Marketing Strategies

00:22:54 Creating Unique Retail Experiences

00:25:23 Final Insights and Resources for Authors

Thank you so much for listening! You can always reach out to [email protected] if you have any guest/episode recommendations or questions about going Beyond the Book!

I’d also super appreciate it if you rated Beyond the Book wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps us grow and get bigger & better guests to share their insights with you in going Beyond the Book 💙.

I’m on a mission to bring Power to Storytellers. Here’s my story 👇

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS I’m the co-founder of Creatorwood (helping writers turn their stories into movies with AI) and Author Sidekick (media company helping authors succeed in the future of publishing).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

ABOUT THE HOST: MICHAEL EVANS

I’m the co-founder of Creatorwood (helping writers turn their stories into movies with AI) and Author Sidekick (media company helping authors succeed in the future of publishing).

In high school, I wrote and self-published 12 sci-fi novels (aka I didn’t have many friends).

I then attended college at Harvard, where I road-tripped the country filming YouTube videos during COVID (school was online🫣), live-streamed myself playing scavenger hunt with my roommate for ~1,000 hours, and eventually co-founded a software company that was named Publishing’s Start-up of the Year in 2023 by Jane Friedman.

After graduation, I worked on the data & analytics team at MrBeast and am now back in publishing, dedicating my life to bringing power to authors. I’m really grateful to be living my dream, and am hopeful I can help you get one (or a few!) steps closer to doing the same for yourself 😊.