Creatorwood

In this episode of Beyond the Book, I sit down with legendary marketing thinker and author Mark Schaefer to talk about how AI is literally rewiring our customers—and what that means for you as a storyteller, creator, or author. We dive into his books A...

Join us as Troy Lambert dives into his new Kickstarter, blending short fiction, monthly book subscriptions, and even AI-generated movies. We talk storytelling, crowdfunding, and how creators can adapt in a rapidly changing publishing world. Book Blasts...

In this episode of the Creatorwood Podcast, Maggie Beeler returns to share how her trope-inspired cocktail book, Trope Tales, evolved into a full-blown drink mix brand. We dive into how she found manufacturers, validated her idea, launched a successful...

In this intro episode, Michael shares the vision for the podcast, his background, and the true power of going beyond the book to turn your stories into an empire 👑. Join Author Sidekick, the newsletter to help you grow your readership and revenue as an...

Tropetails is a cocktail recipe book for readers. It's made $10k+ and has hundreds of customers. In this episode, Michael helps Maggie go beyond the books to create a scalable business with cocktail mixes for readers that could turn the IP of Tropetail...

Here’s your very quick Sunday update (I promise, most Sundays there will be no emails, but this was a very busy week). First, you can watch an exclusive video for Sidekick Plus members above all about the Investor v.s. Day Trading Approach to Publishin...

In this episode, I share what 99% of authors get wrong about publishing: that the game is about selling more books. Instead, it's about something much more fundamental. And with that understanding, opens up a whole new world to make money and reach new...

Story Letters are an emerging story format where readers receive a story told through letters in the mail. Authors are making tens of millions of dollars a year from story letters across genres ranging from romance, to horror, to children's books. Toda...

Today I share 10 marketing superpowers that when unleashed have the power to supercharge your book sales. Follow Author Marketing Superpowers Deck on Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/authorsidekick/author-marketing-superpowers-dec...

Before we dive into the replay of the first-ever Author Sidekick Plus Workshop… a huge, heartfelt THANK YOU for all the support today. Yes — that absolutely whacky email you received earlier was a parody… all to raise money for charity 😄 And because of...

Jonathan and Jynafer Yanez have raised $75k+ on Kickstarter to fund turning Jonathan's sci-fi novels into short-films. Today, Jynafer shares with us how they created Hollywood-level production quality films with no backing from a studio or major film c...

Learn how to reach new readers AND make money at book signings. Anna McCluskey, urban fantasy author, shares with us the strategy she's used to make thousands of dollars at 10+ book events with the right pricing of her books, event set-up, event-sellin...

I planned to get you the eBook and audiobook over the weekend… but I ended up making one last round of edits and added a TON of bonus content to the audiobook. I hope it was worth the wait 😊 Before we dive in… 🎉 You smashed the Kickstarter goal! The Au...

From chocolate to card games to interactive stories, here are 6 wild ways authors are making bank on Kickstarter and how you can do the same. Oriana Leckert, Head of Publishing at Kickstarter, joined me to break these campaigns down and share some behi...

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 Kickstar...

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 au...

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 ...

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 th...

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 ch...

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...

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 entreprene...

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...

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...

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 ...

Josh O'Neill of Beehive Books shares how they collaborate with visionary artists and authors to create stunning illustrated editions—diving into the creative process, crowdfunding strategies, and the future of art-focused publishing Join Author Sidekic...