If you're thinking about writing an authority building book, and I really hope you are, and you don't want to be counting pennies or checking your book sales all the time, you actually want a book that's going to change your life, I can tell you how. Just go to sevenfigurebooks.com. I'm not trying to capture your email or anything. You can just download this PDF that's going to tell you exactly how to turn an authority building book into revenue, speaking, authority, and no exaggeration, a whole new life.
What do most people get wrong when it comes to publishing a book?
That’s what I asked
Sierra Melcher of
Red Thread Books, a nonfiction publishing house where 59 of 77 titles have won awards—including two Nautilus Book Prizes.
Sierra believes that the finished, printed book is a side quest. What she's actually in it for is the person who emerges on the other side of writing one—someone who spent years convinced they couldn't do this thing, who goes through the "dark night of the soul" of the writing and publishing process and who comes out the other end asking a completely different question: not "What can't I do" but "What else can I do?"
Sierra came to this the hard way. She's dyslexic, tried to write for a decade and was certain she couldn't. Now she's watched dozens of authors—from a nurse paralyzed in a hospital parking lot to a supply chain expert with a wildly niche book that landed her a job saving a company millions—go through the same transformation. We talked about the moments clients try to quit right before publication, why she still cries with clients over manuscripts and her surprisingly relaxed, curiosity-first take on AI in the publishing world.
In this episode:
- Why Sierra believes the physical book is a "side quest"—the real product is the transformed person who wrote it, not the object itself
- The recurring pattern of authors trying to quit right before publication, and why she treats holding their feet to the fire as part of the job
- Her framework for evaluating every nonfiction book she publishes: "How could we do this differently?"—applied to grief, love, business, or personal change
- Why she believes AI is a revolution, not an apocalypse, and where she personally draws the line on what she'll let it do for her versus never let it touch
- The exercise she runs with every author to fight impostor syndrome: visualize the exact person who needs your message, because the book was never about you in the first place
Want to know more about my company? Legacy Launch Pad Publishing is a boutique hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs and established founders. We help clients create books that build authority, attract opportunities and grow businesses. More info 👉
https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com
Want to ask me how to build authority with your book to generate seven-figure returns, speaking opportunities and high-value clients? 👉 https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/pocket-anna
Interested in working with a selective hybrid publisher that focuses on strategy, authority and long-term business growth—not just publishing a book? 👉
https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/apply
And if you just want to know more about me, 👉
www.annadavid.com
Remember, if there's anyone in your life who you know could be considered an authority in their field if they were better known, share this show with them!
What is Behind the Book Cover?
A book can do more than sell copies. It can build your authority, strengthen your personal brand and create entirely new opportunities for your business.
Hosted by New York Times bestselling author Anna David, Behind the Book Cover explores how successful entrepreneurs, authors and thought leaders use books, media and marketing to become better known, reach more people and grow their businesses.
Through candid conversations with traditionally published authors and independently published entrepreneurs—including business owners whose books have added seven figures to their bottom lines—Anna reveals what really happens behind the cover. The show goes beyond book publishing to explore marketing for entrepreneurs, CEO personal branding, thought leadership strategy and how turning your expertise into a book can help make you an authority in your industry.
Anna’s books have been published by HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, and she is the founder of Legacy Launch Pad Publishing, a leading hybrid publisher for entrepreneurs. In other words, she knows both sides of the publishing industry—and isn’t afraid to share what traditional publishers don’t want you to know.
Behind the Book Cover is brought to you by Authority Network.
Find out whether a book could help grow your business:
https://www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/book-score-card