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.
THE EPISODE ABOVE WAS INSPIRED BY THE ESSAY BELOW. FEEL FREE TO READ OR LISTEN (OR BOTH!)
Doing your work for free can feel great.
It can also feel terrible.
It really depends on what you’re giving away and whether or not you’re treating the work and yourself like it’s valuable.
I learned this long ago but recently had the opportunity to, let’s say, re-learn it.
This is a solo episode, recorded straight from the Substack piece I wrote this week called
"The High Cost of Free". The thing is: doing free work can be extremely rewarding. I’m doing this right now for free (meta!). What I got wrong recently was treating an agreement to do something for free as if it didn't need to be an agreement at all.
I planned a recovery-writing workshop with Carly Schwartz, a bestselling author who opened the San Francisco bureau of HuffPost and was the Editor in Chief of the city's biggest paper. We spent three months planning it as a pilot, unpaid, for a wellness center's community. Then, the day before, the guy running it canceled on us with no real plan to fix it, and I realized the problem wasn't the free part. It was that we never protected our own time.
In this episode:
- Why doing something for free isn't the issue, and what actually went wrong with this particular agreement
- The conversation I should have had before agreeing to the workshop, and the cancellation terms we skipped
- Why authority doesn't exist in a vacuum, and how people learn what your expertise is worth by watching how you treat it
- The difference between generosity and the absence of an agreement, and why confusing the two costs you more than money
- What I'd tell you to do right now if you've agreed to do something for free and haven't set the terms yet
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 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