Charlie Hoehn, a three-time New York Times bestselling editor and founder of Author Alliance, discusses the secrets behind successful nonfiction marketing. He shares his experiences launching books for Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi. Hoehn emphasizes the significance of play for creativity and combating burnout, advocating for audience engagement to validate book concepts. He also explores critical strategies for structuring nonfiction, the benefits of self-publishing, and the financial realities of traditional deals, offering valuable insights for aspiring authors.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
The 'TAG' Method for Landing Dream Jobs
Stop telling people you want to work with them, start showing them.
Offer valuable, personalized gifts of free work, demonstrating your skills and commitment.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Burnout and Moral Injury
Charlie Hoehn discusses his burnout experience from overwork and lack of play.
He highlights physical, relational, and "moral injury" components, emphasizing the need for self-care and recognizing personal needs.
insights INSIGHT
The Importance of Play
Play is essential for well-being, not merely the opposite of work but the opposite of depression.
It activates trust and relaxation, similar to meditation, helping manage stress and anxiety.
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The book takes place in the 30th-story classroom of Wayside School, where each chapter focuses on a different student. The school was built incorrectly, with 30 stories instead of 30 classrooms in a row. The stories feature the antics of students under the care of their teachers, Mrs. Gorf and later Mrs. Jewls, and include the author himself as the yard teacher. The book is known for its absurd humor and insightful portrayal of children's logic and behaviors.
Chime the Rainbow Cheater
Chime the Rainbow Cheater
None
Emilia Hoehn
How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky
How to Get Rich Without Getting Lucky
Naval Ravikant
Recession Proof Graduate
Recession Proof Graduate
null
James Altucher
I will teach you to be rich
Ramit Sethi
This book, updated for a new era, provides a simple and powerful 6-week program to manage finances. Ramit Sethi focuses on behavioral psychology to help readers save more, earn more, and automate their finances. Key lessons include focusing on big wins rather than small savings, automating financial tasks, and spending guilt-free on things you love while cutting back on unnecessary expenses. The book also covers topics like crushing debt, setting up high-interest bank accounts, and long-term investing in index funds.
The 4-Hour Body
An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman
Tim Ferriss
In 'The 4-Hour Body,' Tim Ferriss shares the results of over a decade of self-experimentation and research, involving hundreds of elite athletes, dozens of MDs, and thousands of hours of personal testing. The book covers more than 50 topics, including how to lose weight quickly, gain muscle without steroids, sleep less and perform better, and improve sexual health. Ferriss emphasizes the importance of finding the smallest changes that produce the biggest results, making it accessible for readers to achieve significant improvements in their physical health and performance.
Million Dollar Weekend
Noah Kagan
In 'Million Dollar Weekend,' Noah Kagan provides a step-by-step guide on how to turn ideas into profitable businesses within a short timeframe. The book focuses on overcoming fear, creating value for customers, and validating ideas quickly. Kagan shares his personal experiences and real-world examples to illustrate how to start and grow a business efficiently. The book advocates for action over excessive planning, encouraging readers to test their ideas with minimal investment and scale based on real feedback. It also addresses the psychological aspects of starting a business and offers practical advice on automation, marketing, and achieving financial freedom.
Play It Away
null
James Altucher
Play
Stuart Brown
Christopher Vaughan
Atomic Habits
James Clear
Atomic Habits by James Clear provides a practical and scientifically-backed guide to forming good habits and breaking bad ones. The book introduces the Four Laws of Behavior Change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. It also emphasizes the importance of small, incremental changes (atomic habits) that compound over time to produce significant results. Clear discusses techniques such as habit stacking, optimizing the environment to support desired habits, and focusing on continuous improvement rather than goal fixation. The book is filled with actionable strategies, real-life examples, and stories from various fields, making it a valuable resource for anyone seeking to improve their habits and achieve personal growth[2][4][5].
Marketing strategist, editor and author Charlie Hoehn on the key things bestselling authors do to create a successful and shareable books.
We talk about:
Helping Ramit Sethi and Tim Ferriss launch their books
How to test and launch a nonfiction idea
Creating a brand around your book,
Effective marketing strategies
The merits of self-publishing and the minimum he would accept for a traditional publishing deal
Charlie is also a creative director and video editor. Previously, he was Head of Multimedia for Scribe Media, where he produced over 500 videos and 300 podcast episodes — including two viral sizzle reels for David Goggins, and courses enrolled in by more than 20,000 students. To date, he's created six viral videos, with more than a million views each.
London Writers' Salon 
