An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
You have to determine your most important priorities and then stick to your plan. Now, if you ask your Public Relations people, they’ll tell you that PR should be number one on your list. And if you ask the Advertising people they will tell you that investing your time and money on that aspect should be your top priority. So, it’s important to discuss your goals and needs with a knowledgeable publisher who can help develop a plan that works for you — and then check off every box in their proper order.
As a part of our series about “How You Can Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael Stickler.
Michael Stickler is a highly respected author, producer, ex-felon, philanthropist, horseman, and internationally sought-after conference speaker. His ground breaking book, Cliven Bundy American Terrorist Patriot quickly made the bestseller’s list, revealing the truth of what is extensively and publicly known as the “Bunkerville Standoff.”
Michael’s most recent book, Life Without Reservations has been widely acclaimed in the Christian community. Michael’s newest release Ghost Patriot is his most exciting book to date: Ghost Patriot is a compelling fictional account, torn from modern headlines about the usurping of people’s freedoms, rights, and civil liberties by those who are sworn to uphold those same Constitutionally protected laws. It is the story of America, and how citizens rally to save her.
In addition to authoring four best selling books, Michael Stickler serves as the CEO of Leadership Books, an emerging powerhouse in book publishing. Dedicated to coaching novice authors from concept to completion and guiding experienced authors to even higher book sales, Leadership Books provides a new, proven way to help authors achieve success.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share a story about what motivated you to become an expert in the particular area that you are writing about?
In 2013, I delivered a book to my publisher that I had spent months meticulously writing. Since the publisher’s job was to market and sell my book, I was expecting great results. But I quickly realized that my publisher wasn’t really doing anything with it, which was infuriating. And it really put me in a bind because if that book didn’t sell well, my consulting business for the following year would take a real hit.
So, I decided I needed to get my book back from my traditional publisher. And that was a very painful process because I literally had to pay them for the rights to my own book. My own book! But I bit the bullet and got it back. Having control of my manuscript made me feel better, but it really put me back at square one because at that time I was an author, not a publisher. And that meant I had to learn how to become a successful marketer, seller, speaker, promoter, and everything else that goes into successful publishing.
Fortunately, I had a brilliant writing mentor in Art Ritter. Together, we took a deep dive into the publishing world. And what we found was that the book publishing world was a mess. You had some old school publishers still selling the myth that all you had to do is hand off your manuscript and then sit back while the checks rolled in. You had some newer publishers offering techy ways to publish digitally, but they took a hefty percentage and offered little to no guidance on what to do next. And lastly there were the die-hard authors who chose to self-publish and ended up with a garage full of books they couldn’t even give away.
Once we determined how the existing approaches were failing authors, we came up with a system that actually worked for them. And as I’ve explained in speaking engagements, it was kind of like when a startup named Netflix studied a industry giant named Blockbuster video. Once they saw what the customer really wanted, they developed a better way to provide it. And the rest, as they say, is video history.
Can you share a pivotal story that shaped the course of your career?
Perhaps the best story to illustrate how profoundly my life changed after the experience I just described is by the book itself. It went from being “unsellable”, according to my old publisher, to selling over 300,000 copies once we created a new publishing methodology. So, because of that one stubborn little book that refused to die on the shelf, we created a whole new way to get the author’s books to the people who want to buy them and read them. And in the process, I was blessed to write and publish four best-selling books and create a system that helps other authors achieve their goals.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Are you working on any new writing projects?
Well, one of the books I’m very excited about is one we are publishing right now is called, “Your Best Life Later.” The author is Andy McQuitty and he is a former Pastor from the Dallas area in Texas who created something truly unique. It all began 25 years ago when he decided to write a journal for each one of his five kids without them knowing about it. Each journal was chocked full of wisdom about life, what living a Christian life was about, some of the challenges he faced, some of the lessons he learned and other important things he felt his kids would need to know to succeed as adults. And when he took each of his kids to their first year of college and unloaded all their stuff in their dorm room, the very last thing he did was hand them their journal — one he had secretly been writing for them for the last 18 years of their lives.
What is so incredible about this story is that these journals were created solely as personal gifts for each of his children. But when he retired from his church, his congregation had a banquet in his honor and invited his family to speak. And unbeknownst to him, each of his kids — now all grown adults — brought their journals. One by one, each read some of what their Dad had wrote for them and revealed how it had impacted their lives. Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. And after the kids had shared, everybody kept coming up to him and saying, you have got to publish this because the world really needs to hear this now. Which, thanks to a kind soul who referred us, is how this project ultimately came into our hands.
When we saw the journals, we realized this was something truly special. So, our team sat down with Pastor McQuitty to formulate a strategy that would work. We went through each journal for each child and selected excerpts that truly impacted us. We included family photos and artifacts that served to illustrate the messages and increased the book size to mirror the composition books he’d originally written them in. In the end, it became a book that parents could use as a guidebook for raising healthy, successful kids. And when the media got a hold of the story behind every word of wisdom, humor, grace and purpose, the response to the book was simply incredible.
You are a successful author and thought leader. Which three character traits do you feel were most instrumental to your success when launching your book? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Well first, to be a good author you must be is an excellent observer of people. So, I spend a lot of time in public situations just watching how people act and react. I observe their strengths and their challenges. I watch how they comb their hair, how they flirt, what embarrasses and excites them, and what makes them laugh or cry. I think being an observer of people is deeply important to be an author because you cannot tell a good story if you don’t understand people’s behavior. Once you acquire that skill, you will be able to write with such vividness that the reader is able to see it in their imagination.
The second necessary character trait is that an author must be a great storyteller. I’m far more interested in someone who can tell great stories than someone who knows how to diagram a sentence or where to put a semicolon. Great storytellers can transport readers to a campfire next to a flowing river. They can make you shiver with the damp night chill or feel the warmth from the fire on your face. And it’s that ability to tell a great story that gets the reader excited to read your book from cover to cover, as opposed to the nearly 60 percent of all books that readers never finished.
The third important character trait is to engage people right where they are. Here’s an example: I was at a book signing one time when a woman walked up to me and she poked me in the chest with her
her index finger and said, “You are stupid!” Surprised, I kind of chuckled at her and I said, okay, well, why do you think that? And she says, “Well, in chapter seven in your book here, you tell this story about yourself that you kept doing this same stupid thing over and over again. And in my mind that makes you stupid.” Now, while no one likes to be called “stupid”, what I liked about that interaction is the realization that she was fully engaged. She had an emotional feeling opinion about me based on what she had just read. She didn’t realize that by the end of the chapter I would fully explain the rest of the story so it would have a meaningful lesson she could apply to her life. But hey, I’ll take someone’s passionate reaction to something they just read anytime over someone confessing they had to “slog through to the end”.
In my work, I have found that writing a book can be a great way to grow a brand. Can you share some stories or examples from your own experience about how you helped your own business or brand grow by writing a book? What was the “before and after picture?” What were things like before, and how did things change after the book?
If you write a book primarily to improve your brand or write it to have “a fat business card”. you have the wrong goal. Your goal should be to author a book that presents your unique thought leadership in long form. And if it is a great book, it will definitely improve your brand because people will respect your ideas.
What goes into writing a great book? Well, one of the key factors is writing it for the people will actually read it. Most novice authors think that their book should be read by everybody, but that is completely unrealistic. Instead, you should get a clear vision of whose life you want to impact, improve or influence and write it to them and for them. To that point, we coach some of our first-time authors by having them create an avatar of depicting their ideal reader. Who are they? Where are they in life? What are their dreams? What do they need to know to go to the next level and beyond? And what does the author need to say to land a message that stands out from everything else in the marketplace? We find that by doing that mental exercise, the new authors really hone in on who their readers are what it will take to turn them into loyal fans.
If a friend came to you and said “I’m considering writing a book but I’m on the fence if it is worth the effort and expense” what would you answer? Can you explain how writing a book in particular, and thought leadership in general, can create lucrative opportunities and help a business or brand grow?
If a friend came to me and asked me if it was worth it to author a book, I would ask if they have ideas, stories, insights or lessons they want to convey that are compelling enough that it will make people want to buy their book and read it? If they give that question some serious thought and the answer is “Yes”, then I tell them they should invest their time and resources in writing their book. Because when people consume and embrace your ideas, they are going to want to follow your larger business model. Therefore, if you offer consulting services, online courses, mastermind groups or public speaking services, your readers will want in on it and that will make your business more lucrative. And it also makes converting prospects into clients much easier because they have already bought into you. Consequently, there is no long courting process, it’s typically just a matter of determining what they actually need from you and then structuring it so it works for them financially.
What are the things that you wish you knew about promoting a book before you started? What did you learn the hard way? Can you share some stories about that which other aspiring writers can learn from?
Like most authors, I made some big mistakes starting out because I didn’t have anyone to coach me how to avoid them. But that’s okay because they ultimately became great lessons that I can now teach to others. A prime example is that I had to learn how to market my books online so I could compete with all the other books that are out there. It is a very complicated process and a lot of work, but without knowing how to market to the people who will buy and actually read your book, you are just spinning your wheels.
Another lesson I had to learn is how important it is to know exactly who is buying my books. Unfortunately, that’s something that big outlets like Amazon keep you from ever knowing because they keep all the data from the sale. So, you have no way of knowing if your buyer is your best client, most savage competitor or your supportive grandmother.
Another critical lesson I had to learn was that there’s a reason they call it the book “business”. Because like any other business, I had to provide customer service quickly and cheerfully otherwise there would be negative repercussions. For instance, if a reader wrote me with a complaint like a book arriving late or damaged, I needed to address that right away. Otherwise, their review or endorsement on a book they actually really liked could drop from four stars to two stars just because they felt slighted. And that lower rated endorsement definitely has an effect on how well a book sells.
Based on your experience, which promotional elements would you recommend to an author to cover on their own and when would you recommend engaging an expert?
Well, in a perfect world you could do everything an expert does — providing you are willing to put the time, effort and money into fully learning what they do. For instance, if you are selling books online, which is where people buy books now, you need to know the latest changes in Facebook’s marketing policy, Google’s new algorithm, and on and on. And unless you are really proficient in all of that, it is probably something you want the experts — who are paid to keep up with it — handle for you.
What most authors should do instead is wake up every day and answer this one simple question, “What can I do today to sell more books?” Should I do a podcast, do PR, write a post, talk to some
friends, call the bookstore, or follow up with that podcaster who said they might be interested? I can’t overemphasis how important that kind of personal involvement is. I coach all of our authors on how critical it is for them to dedicate the year after their book goes live to take the calls, do the book signings and speaking engagements and anything else necessary and productive to promote their book. Gone are the days where you write a book and just throw it over the fence and wait for the “mailbox money”. Because if you want it to be successful, you have to work as hard to promote it as you did to author it.
Wonderful. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your own experience and success, what are the “five things an author needs to know to successfully promote and market a book?” If you can, please share a story or example for each.
First, you have to remember that most people today buy books online and most of them decide to purchase based on recommendation. So, if you have lots of money and you can pay for lots of advertising, that only addresses half the equation. The other half is that you need to have people who will endorse your book. The more endorsements you gather, the higher your star rating will go. And the more people that give you a great review, the more your book will sell.
Secondly, as I have said before, you have to be willing to work to promote your book once you’ve written it. I know of wealthy people who published a book and then spent anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 in advertising in the New York market trying to get their book on the best seller list. And when it hit the New York Times best seller list for two days it almost immediately fell off because there were so many negative reviews.
Here’s a real-life example of how much difference a diligent, strategic post publishing effort can make. When former First Lady, Hillary Clinton published her book it immediately skyrocketed to the top of the charts. But because she didn’t do a ton of publicity on it, it fell down in popularity a few months later and soon after that was in the discount bin. But when another former First Lady, Michelle Obama published her book, it shot up to the number one best seller and stayed there for a long time. The last I checked she sold over 37 million books and even outsold her husband’s book by three times. Why? Because she worked tirelessly at it. She traveled relentlessly, did countless book signings, appeared on a variety of talk shows, and did continuous speaking engagements for years after she published.
Third, you must know how to present your book from the stage. I am privileged to work with some of the finest communicators in the world as a publisher, but many didn’t know how to present their books at events. So, I made it a policy with our new published authors to go out with them to their first events and coach them through the process. Because the right approach can make the difference between ten people and a hundred people standing at the merchandise table.
Here’s a case in point where a coachable author learned how to dramatically improve his sales in minutes. I was working with a well-known Pastor who had an audience of 10,000 people every Sunday. He was very gifted communicator and very good at what he did. But when I told him I was coming with him through his first book presentation, he was reluctant. He thought that because he had 20 years’ experience in public speaking, he would know instinctively what to do. Fortunately, I was able to convince him that I could help his sales and he was willing to listen and do what I suggested. Afterwards he came up to me and said, “I have never, ever had so many people in line to buy one of my books. And I have to tell you that it was because of what you taught me to do.” The truth is that it is not that hard or complicated. It’s just a matter of doing and saying the right things at the right moments that makes all the difference.
Fourthly, you have to determine your most important priorities and then stick to your plan. Now, if you ask your Public Relations people, they’ll tell you that PR should be number one on your list. And if you ask the Advertising people they will tell you that investing your time and money on that aspect should be your top priority. So, it’s important to discuss your goals and needs with a knowledgeable publisher who can help develop a plan that works for you — and then check off every box in their proper order.
Finally, number five is to understand that when you write a really good book and lots of people buy it, you are just getting started. Because if they love it, they are going to demand another one. As a result, you need to be actively planning your next book. The rule of thumb for keeping your audience and your book sales momentum is this: Your first year you work on writing and publishing your first book. The second year you work on marketing, advertising, and promoting that book. And the third year you write and publish your second book — one that stays in the same genre as your first successful book. A perfect example of someone who understands this principle is Freddy Davis, author of The Truth Mirage: An Introduction to Worldview for Biblical Christians. His first book so well that he recognized that there was a pent up demand for sequels. So, he systematically began planning his follow up books after publishing and marketing his previous one.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them 🙂
Tough question. There are a lot of incredible authors out there, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with quite a few. But if you pressed me, I would have to say that the guy I would love to have lunch with would be Patrick Lencioni. His book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable was not just life changing for thought leaders, but it was written in a style that I really agree with. He took many of the crucial lessons learned as a business consultant and put them into a fictional story form. And his creative, entertaining format he called “a leadership fable” was a unique and highly effective way to engage his readers.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
LeadershipBooks.com
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/LeadershipBooksOnline
Twitter — https://twitter.com/BooksLeadership
LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikestickler/
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/leadership.books/
Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent. We wish you continued success with your book promotion and growing your brand.
Author Mike Stickler Of Leadership Books On How To Grow Your Business or Brand By Writing A Book was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
