After The Book Podcast

Episode: 22 Title: When Charging Feels Wrong In this episode: A listener question from Rachel, an author who ran a successful free workshop and found herself stuck when it came time to charge for it. This episode explores the beliefs many authors carry about money, accessibility, generosity, and the sustainability of their work. The question Rachel teaches mindfulness for overwhelmed professionals...

Episode: 21 Title: How to Know If It's Working In this episode: After testing a coaching offer, workshop, resource, or small program, how do you know whether it actually worked? This episode explores what to measure, what to ignore, and how to recognize real traction before the numbers look impressive. Key ideas Most authors measure the wrong things after a test Sales, attention, and praise are in...

Episode: 20 Title: How to Test Something Small In this episode: A practical look at how to test ideas before overbuilding them. This episode explores why authors often skip testing, how to create small real-world experiments, and what you can learn before investing months building something bigger. Key ideas: – Most authors build too much before they test anything– Testing is the bridge between th...

Episode: 19 Title: What All the Author Questions Have in Common In this episode: After six listener-question episodes, this episode steps back to explore the deeper patterns underneath them. Why authors get stuck, what they’re actually struggling with, and what building a business from a book really requires. The six author situations: – A book that didn’t create momentum– Overwhelm from too much...

Episode: 18 Title: When You’re Fully Booked and Don’t Know How to Grow In this episode: A response to a listener who has reached capacity with one-on-one clients and is unsure how to grow without burning out or losing the effectiveness of her work. This episode explores practical options for sustainable growth and how to think through the trade-offs. Key ideas: – Being fully booked is a form of su...

Episode: 17 Title: When You’re Stuck Between Multiple Good Options In this episode: A response to a listener who has multiple viable directions after his book—and can’t decide which to pursue. This episode explores why having too many good options creates paralysis, and how to move forward without feeling like you’re closing doors. Key ideas: – Paralysis can come from too many good options– The pr...

Episode: 16 Title: When You Build Something and No One Buys It In this episode: A response to a listener who built a course based on reader feedback but saw very few sales. This episode explores the gap between interest and readiness—and why the delivery method often matters more than the content. Key ideas: – Building something that doesn’t sell is not failure—it’s feedback– There’s a difference...

Episode: 15 Title: When People Want to Work with You But You Don’t Know What to Offer In this episode: A response to a listener who has demand for his work but no clear offer. This episode explores how to move from interest to action, without overthinking the structure or waiting for the “perfect” program. Key ideas: – Demand without clarity creates a different kind of stuck– People asking to work...

Episode: 14 Title: When You’re Drowning in “Should” In this episode: A response to a listener who feels overwhelmed by everything she’s been told to build after publishing her book. This episode explores why most of that advice creates paralysis—and what to focus on instead. Key ideas: – Overwhelm often comes from trying to do everything at once– Most post-book advice is designed for people furthe...

Episode: 13 Title: When the Book Doesn’t Launch the Way You Expected In this episode: A response to a reader question from an author whose book didn’t generate the momentum he expected. This episode explores the gap between expectation and reality—and how to reframe the role of the book so you can move forward. Key ideas: – Most books don’t create momentum on their own– The expectation of a “launc...

Episode: 12 Title: Building the Long Arc In this episode: After building clarity, choosing direction, and creating a sustainable starting point, the next shift is time horizon. This episode explores what changes when you stop thinking in weeks and start thinking in years. We look at why that shift protects coherence, builds authority, and creates something that lasts. Key ideas: – Most urgency is...

Episode: 11 Title: The Smallest Sustainable Version In this episode: After choosing a direction and designing around your temperament, the next step is building something real—but not oversized. In this episode, I explore how to define and create the smallest version of your business that delivers value, fits your life, and can be sustained over time. Key ideas: – Why authors tend to overbuild too...

Episode: 10 Title: Designing Around Your Temperament In this episode: Not every business model fits every person. In this episode, I explore how your temperament—your energy, preferences, and natural tendencies—should shape what you build after your book. The goal isn’t just effectiveness. It’s sustainability. Key ideas: – The difference between what works and what fits– Why building against your...

Episode: 9 Title: The Shape of What You’re Building In this episode: Once your book starts revealing real possibilities, the next challenge is focus. In this episode, I explore the core shapes most book-based businesses take, why too many options create paralysis, and how choosing one direction for now creates the depth needed for something durable. Key ideas: – Clarity often creates options, and...

Episode: 8 Title: Signal vs. Distraction In this episode: After publishing, opportunity increases — but not every opportunity is a signal. In this episode, I explore how to distinguish real patterns from noise, how ego can blur discernment, and why protecting coherence is essential for building a sustainable book-based business. Key ideas: – Not every positive response is direction– Real signal re...

Episode: 7 Title: Listening to Your Readers In this episode: Building a book-based business requires more than clarity. It requires listening. In this episode, I explore how readers often reveal what your book is actually doing — and how paying attention to those signals can guide what comes next. Key ideas: – The gap between what you intended and what readers experience– Why reader feedback is of...

Episode: 6 Title: What Does a Book-Based Business Look Like? In this episode: A book-based business doesn’t follow a single blueprint. In this episode, I explore what these businesses actually look like in practice — through patterns I’ve observed over time. The key isn’t forcing a model. It’s noticing what the book is already doing and building around that. Key ideas: – Book-based businesses emer...

Episode: 5 Title: What Books Are Actually Good At In this episode: A book doesn’t need to do everything to be valuable—but many authors pressure it to. In this episode, I talk about what shifts when you understand what a book is actually good at, and why that clarity becomes the bridge between the book and the business that comes next. Key ideas: – The bridge between book and business is often a m...

Episode Title: You’re Not Late — You’re Just Standing at the Quiet Part of the Path After writing a book, many authors feel an unexpected wave of pressure: What comes next? Did I miss something? Am I already behind? In this episode, Lee Baucom offers a simple reframe that removes that pressure and restores momentum. Instead of asking big, overwhelming questions about scale or long-term plans, he i...

Episode: 3 Title: When the Book Isn’t the Problem In this episode: I reflect on how books often do their job long before authors recognize it. Rather than being failures, many books function as credibility anchors, filters, and bridges—clarifying who your work is for and what it naturally leads to. You’ll hear about: – Books as credibility anchors– Why books are naturally self-selective– Using a b...

Episode: 2 Title: The Accidental Entrepreneur In this episode: I share how my first book gradually turned into a business. Not through strategy or intention, but through attention. Over time, the books I wrote became the foundation of my work, fitting together in a coherent way I didn’t fully recognize until much later. You’ll hear about: – Writing without a business plan– Why coherence across boo...

Episode: 1 Title: Origin Story — An Unlikely Author In this episode: I share how becoming an author had nothing to do with loving reading—and everything to do with needing clarity. From growing up dyslexic to using books as tools rather than trophies, this episode sets the foundation for how I think about authorship and business. You’ll hear about: – Why reading has always been work for me– Loving...