Mastering the Book Game: Charlie Hoehn's Playbook for Self-Publishing Success

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Jun 25, 2024

In this engaging discussion, self-publishing expert Charlie Hoehn shares his insights on crafting bestselling books. With a history of working alongside renowned authors like Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin, Charlie highlights the art of creating compelling book titles and effective marketing strategies. He emphasizes the importance of authenticity, community engagement, and involvement of co-creators in the self-publishing journey. Listeners will also appreciate his thoughts on balancing creativity with public perception, making this a must-listen for aspiring authors.

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ANECDOTE

Life Updates

James Altucher shares life updates, including marriage and relocation.
These changes followed a viral article he wrote, leading to conflict with neighbors and family.

ANECDOTE

Writing Challenges

James Altucher discusses his writing process and current book project.
His current book involves a real-time story, a new style for him.

ANECDOTE

The Quest Narrative

James Altucher's new book explores finding meaning through quests.
He uses his chess journey as an example of this concept.

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In 'Main Street Millionaire: How to Create Financial Success', Alexzandra De La Iglesia provides a straightforward and accessible four-step process to help entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve financial success. The book focuses on identifying the ideal customer and implementing strategies to maximize sales, making it easier for anyone to create a strategic plan for financial growth.

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In 'Tiny Habits,' Dr. BJ Fogg presents a breakthrough method for habit formation based on 20 years of research and his experience coaching thousands of people. The book introduces the 'Behavior Design' approach, which emphasizes the importance of motivation, ability, and prompts in creating new habits. Fogg's method, known as the ABC (Anchor, Behavior, Celebration) method, involves anchoring new habits to existing routines, performing the behavior, and celebrating each success to reinforce the habit. The book provides step-by-step guides and practical techniques to make habit formation easy, enjoyable, and rewarding, helping readers to increase productivity, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.

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Albino Santos Mosquera

Genís Sánchez Barberán

In 'Antifragile', Nassim Nicholas Taleb delves into the concept of antifragility, arguing that some systems not only withstand stress and disorder but actually benefit from them. The book builds on ideas from his previous works, such as 'Fooled by Randomness' and 'The Black Swan', and is part of his five-volume philosophical treatise on uncertainty, 'Incerto'. Taleb provides examples from various fields, including science, economics, and history, to illustrate how antifragility can be achieved and how it contrasts with fragility and robustness. He also discusses strategies like the barbell strategy and optionality, and critiques modern society's attempts to eliminate volatility, which he believes are harmful. The book is praised for its revolutionary ideas and multidisciplinary approach, though it has also received criticism for its style and some of the author's views on mental health and other topics.

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The Miracle Morning

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The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod provides a step-by-step process to transform your life by starting your day with six powerful practices: Silence (meditation), Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing (journaling). This updated and expanded edition includes new content such as The Miracle Evening and The Miracle Life, helping readers optimize their bedtime and sleep, and begin their path to inner freedom. The book has helped millions of people become the person they need to be to create the life they’ve always wanted.

The Power of Now

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In 'The Power of Now', Eckhart Tolle discusses the importance of living in the present moment to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The book draws from various spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and mysticism, to explain how people's emotional problems are rooted in their identification with their minds. Tolle argues that the present moment is the only truly real time and that past and future are mere mental constructs. He provides methods for relaxation and meditation to help readers anchor themselves in the present, such as avoiding multitasking, spending time in nature, and letting go of worries about the future. The book also introduces concepts like the 'pain-body' and the distinction between one's thoughts and true self, emphasizing the need to recognize and separate from the destructive influence of the mind[2][4][5].

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Skip the Line

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In 'Skip the Line', James Altucher shares his personal journey from struggling and depressed to achieving his personal, financial, and creative dreams. The book challenges the 10,000-hour rule of achieving mastery and instead advocates for the '10,000 Experiments Rule'. Altucher provides tools and strategies to help readers execute ideas, become expert negotiators, attract attention, scale promising ideas, and improve leadership. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity, embracing fear, and constant growth, encouraging readers to navigate uncertainty and find success by doing what comes naturally and loving what they do.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

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In this book, Mark Manson argues against the typical self-help advice of constant positivity, instead suggesting that life's struggles give it meaning. He emphasizes the need to focus on what truly matters and to accept and confront painful truths. The book is divided into nine chapters and uses blunt honesty and profanity to illustrate its ideas, encouraging readers to find meaning through values they can control and to replace uncontrollable values with more meaningful ones.

The 4 Hour Workweek

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In 'The 4-Hour Workweek', Timothy Ferriss presents a step-by-step guide to 'lifestyle design', encouraging readers to question the traditional notion of retirement and instead create a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom, adventure, and personal growth. The book teaches how to outsource life tasks, automate income, and eliminate unnecessary work using principles like the 80/20 rule and Parkinson’s Law. Ferriss shares his personal journey from a corporate workaholic to a location-independent entrepreneur and provides practical tips and case studies to help readers achieve similar results. The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on high-value activities, taking 'mini-retirements', and living life to the fullest in the present rather than deferring enjoyment until retirement.

This Is Marketing

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In 'This Is Marketing', Seth Godin presents a transformative view of marketing as a generous act of helping others solve problems. The book focuses on key principles such as targeting the smallest viable market, delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages, and building trust through permission marketing. Godin argues that effective marketing is about creating positive change and helping people become who they want to be. He provides actionable insights, case studies, and a strategic focus on storytelling, tension, and customer-centric approaches. The book is designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, and marketers looking to reframe their marketing strategies and connect meaningfully with their audiences.

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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.

Million Dollar Weekend

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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.

The Power of Habit

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Ego is the Enemy

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In *Ego Is the Enemy*, Ryan Holiday delves into the concept of ego and its detrimental effects on personal and professional success. The book is divided into three sections: Aspiration, Success, and Failure, each offering valuable lessons and perspectives. Holiday draws on a vast array of stories and examples from literature, philosophy, and history, featuring figures such as George Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt. These individuals achieved great success by conquering their own egos, and their strategies and tactics are presented as models for readers. The book emphasizes the importance of staying grounded, continually learning, and embracing a mindset of growth rather than letting ego hinder development.

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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].

A Note from James:Charlie Hoehn has quietly become the go-to expert on self-publishing your book. Charlie has worked with some of the best authors out there, like Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, David Goggins, Ramit Sethi, and Cody Sanchez. Charlie has touched every part of the book-making process-from coming up with the right idea to marketing the book in the most efficient and high-quality way.I've been writing books for over 20 years, and in this one-hour podcast, Charlie gave me so many new ideas I had never thought of before. This is a must-listen for anyone thinking about writing a book. Share it with your friends who are authors or aspiring authors, and be sure to check out Charlie's site, charliehoehn.com, where you can subscribe to his newsletter and all his self-publishing tips. This is important stuff to listen to.Episode Description:In this episode, James Altucher sits down with Charlie Hoehn, the self-publishing maestro who has helped best-selling authors like Tim Ferriss and Seth Godin bring their book ideas to life. Charlie shares his unique approach to self-publishing, offering insights that go beyond the traditional publishing route. He discusses the power of crafting compelling book titles, the importance of building a personal brand through your writing, and how to market your book effectively without a massive budget. Whether you're an established author or just starting, Charlie's strategies will help you rethink the entire book creation process and achieve self-publishing success.What You'll Learn:How to effectively self-publish a book and the advantages over traditional publishing.The art of crafting compelling book titles that attract readers.Strategies for marketing your book on a budget.The importance of building a personal brand through your writing.How to use personal stories and experiences to create a powerful and relatable narrative.Chapters:[00:01:30] Introduction to Charlie Hoehn: The Self-Publishing Expert[00:02:47] Catching Up: Life Updates and Personal Challenges[00:05:21] The Quest: Rediscovering Chess Mastery[00:10:12] The Power of Play: Transforming Anxiety into Joy[00:20:35] The Art of Book Marketing: Testing Titles and Strategies[00:31:00] Navigating Criticism and Resilience[00:43:06] The Benefits and Challenges of Self-Publishing[00:58:25] Starting Your Book Journey[01:10:33] Structuring and Drafting Your Book[01:18:15] Writing for Your Former Self[01:23:50] Building a Tribe Through Your Book[01:32:40] Finding Your Unique Voice[01:40:17] The Power of Personal Experience[01:50:30] Additional Resources for Aspiring AuthorsAdditional Resources:Charlie Hoehn's WebsiteJames' "How to Write and Publish a Book in 30 Days" CourseHelpThisBook.comINeedABookCover.comTim Ferriss's BooksSeth Godin's BlogDavid Goggins's Book "Can't Hurt Me"Ramit Sethi's "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.