Authority By Nathan Barry
These are my book notes on Authority by the author Nathan Barry.
After publishing this book, the author founded the successful SaaS company ConvertKit.
Nathan calls his book “A Step-by-Step Guide To Self-Publishing”.
I think the concepts presented in this book can be used for MUCH more than that and are truly invaluable.
At the core, this book is about audience building.
Let’s dive in.
Facts
- Title: Authority
- Subtitle: A Step-by-Step Guide To Self-Publishing - Become an Expert, Build a Following, and Gain Financial Independence
- Author: Nathan Barry
- Author’s website: nathanbarry.com
- First published: 2014
- Type: non fiction
- Genre: self-publishing / marketing
- Rating: 4/5
- Recommended: Yes, but the pricing is off (very expensive for the basic edition) in my opinion. You get very similar, powerful concepts from other books I’ve reviewed on my blog.
To be known, you must teach.
- Nathan Barry
Table Of Contents Of The Book
- On Writing
- Basic Marketing
- Writing, Lots of Writing
- Pricing & Packaging
- Design & Formatting
- Prepping for Launch
- The Sales Page
- E-Commerce
- The Launch and Beyond
- Closing Thoughts
Key Concepts & Ideas
Teach everything you know.
But why care about writing?
- It is a great way to teach people.
- Teaching and sharing expands your reach and influence.
- People remember and respect those who have taught them.
- To be known you must teach.
You don’t have to be an expert to teach.
Teaching will establish you as an expert.
… So I started to write my own tutorials and build my own audience.
Within a year I had released two eBooks and made over six figures in profit from them.
If you know a skill (that other people use to make money), you can make a living by teaching that skill.
Nathan Barry On Writer’s Block
So what separates the wannabes from the published authors?
Well, actually writing.
Consistency is key.
Set a daily goal to write 1,000 words a day and track your progress.
When faced with writer’s block, lower your standards and keep going.
- Sandra Tsing Loh
Building A List / Email Marketing
Email is where it’s at - build an email list.
(…) if you focus on email you never have to start from scratch with a new product.
Nathan Barry Affiliates / JVs
The affiliate brings you the sale (most of the work) and you gain a new fan. Overall, it’s a pretty good deal. In order to help keep their affiliates motivated, many authors will even offer a higher commission. The more you do to help make your affiliate successful, the more they will want to promote your book. That’s where negotiating the lowest possible commission may not actually be in your best interest.
Most sales will come from a few affiliates.
Nathan Barry On When To Start
Start before you feel ready.
You may not feel like an expert qualified to write your book.
But if you don’t start, you won’t ever become that expert.
You may not feel like your audience is large enough for you to actually make a living
from your book, but without starting, your audience won’t grow.
And finally you may not feel like your work is good enough to charge for it. That’s fine. Charge anyway.
To be successful you need to get in the habit of starting before you feel ready. That one habit will change everything.”
Nathan Barry On Audience Building
Notes On Nathan Barry’s Talk
It all comes down to getting attention.
An audience (that you build over time) is a perfect way to get the attention of your target market.
How do you get people to know or care about your products?
Build an audience.
3 Principles Of Building An Audience
- Teach Everything You Know
- Tell A Story
- Build An Email List
Closing Thoughts
My book notes only cover small parts of the book.
So if you like what you read, please consider buying the book from the author.
Thank you for reading and stay awesome,
Tim for Online Business Dude
PS: Start And Grow Your Own, Profitable Online Business From Scratch, Step-by-Step, Today!