Don't Write That Book

In this episode of Don’t Write That Book, Mike and AJ give a detailed breakdown of the editing process for a nonfiction book. Editing is more than fixing errors—there are bigger issues to solve before you get to the “polish” stage. Does your book work for your readers? Does it meet readers where they are? Is your book organized in a way that makes sense to them? Can they do all the things you’re a...

In this episode of Don’t Write That Book, Mike and AJ break down the difference between an avatar and an ideal reader, and why the distinction matters. They share how connecting to the hearts and minds of that reader is the secret sauce to their books’ success, and guide the listener into the steps needed to identify who their ideal reader is, and why it’s often an earlier version of themselves. B...

“To write a book that’s effective, you have to know it’s effective, first.” On this episode of Don’t Write That Book , AJ Harper and Mike Michalowicz break down a common mistake authors of prescriptive nonfiction make: not taking their content for a test drive to ensure it actually is doable. They’ll talk about how they’ve developed their process to build out action steps, identify gaps in their e...

Welcome to the first episode of Don’t Write That Book , where AJ Harper and Mike Michalowicz will share their journey as authors, with plenty of tips and earned wisdom from their decade and change of co-writing best-selling books together. In this episode, they’ll talk about the mindset shift that they wish all authors would make, from thinking a book is only a “better business card” to knowing th...

On this episode of Don’t Write That Book , AJ Harper and Mike Michalowicz focus on how they came to write Mike’s best-selling book , Profit First , using the “reader first” method. They self-published the book as their publisher didn’t believe it could sell and wanted them to write a different book entirely. (The book went on to sell over a million copies…) AJ and Mike explain how they came to und...

It’s not always sunshine and roses… On this episode of DWTB, AJ Harper and Mike Michalowicz discuss the challenges and lessons learned from their least successful book, Surge . How could this book tank, after the astronomical success of Profit First? (Hint: you’ll find out!) You’ll also hear about the mindset shifts they both had to make to keep working together because this episode details their...

Each year, roughly four million books are published. Four million. Considering that staggering number, how can an author hope to make it—make a living, make their mark, make a difference? First and foremost, by avoiding the “better business card” and other shortcut approaches to writing and publishing a book.   In their podcast, Don’t Write That Book, writing partners Mike Michalowicz (Profit Firs...