{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Nathan Barry Show","title":"James Clear: How To Actually Make It As An Author In 2026 | 129","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3855,"description":"What actually makes a bestseller? My two guests this episode, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling book of the last decade, knows a thing or two about it. I also sit down with Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Penguin Random House US, where she's overseen the publication of over 1000 books. Together, James and Madeline have co-founded Authors Equity, a publishing model that completely inverts how authors are typically paid and how books are brought to market. In our conversation, they break down everything you need to know about publishing today, what works, what's broken, and how they're revolutionizing the industry with a win-win approach for authors.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:21 Publishing transformations Madeline has witnessed02:59 Madeline's motivation for founding Author's Equity05:14 The Author's Equity model compared to traditional publishing09:20 Why the author's equity model is beneficial14:03 The power of aligned incentives18:22 Author pain points solved by Author's Equity21:00 Selecting custom teams for each book24:45 Author's Equity's willingness to learn from authors28:22 Self-published authors joining Author's Equity31:07 Who Author's Equity is not for34:00 The win-win philosophy of Author's Equity36:05 Crafting books that sell for years39:00 The importance of building an audience as a nonfiction author41:40 The timeless desire and new vessel for delivering information46:00 Getting your best work in front of readers50:08 What makes books keep selling in year two and beyond53:10 Leveraging seasonal buying and promotional efforts55:22 The New York Times Bestseller list: commercial vs. psychological1:00:30 The most accurate bestseller list1:02:10 Reaching out to Author's EquityIf you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one.Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/showFollow...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/94Z7X6faUKE41kiKTRfZPH0m-h9g7ytYNEt5v0i7EJE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kODMx/YjU2MDE1OGMwYTVj/YWE2MjUyOTkwNTVi/YmJkMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}