Before The Bestseller
This show is for book lovers and creators who want to go behind the scenes with their favorite authors to hear about how they were able to not just write a book but create a movement.
Episodes
239 episodes
BTB187: Karen Anderson, Co-Author of The Bezos Letters & Associate Publisher at Morgan James: What Makes a Book Worth Recommending? | Book Positioning & Reader Trust
We're back for a second episode with Karen Anderson, a publishing strategist and direct response marketing expert who has worked across every major publishing model and co-author of the Wall Street Journal and...
BTB186: Karen Anderson, Co-Author of The Bezos Letters and Associate Publisher at Morgan James: Inside the Publisher's Brain, Reader Pain Points, and What Kills a Book
Today, we're joined by Karen Anderson, a strategic book advisor, Associate Publisher at Morgan James Publishing, and co-author of the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow ...
BTB185: Steven Pressfield: Millions of Copies Sold, 35 Screenplays Written and Fiction vs. Nonfiction Book Marketing
Today we welcome back Steven Pressfield, bestselling author of The War of Art, Gates of Fire, The Legend of Bagger Vance, and his newest novel, The Arcadian. Across a career spanning fiction and nonfiction, Pr...
BTB184: Steven Pressfield: The War of Art, The Arcadian, and a Lifetime of Writing Books
Today we welcome a very special guest and one of my favorite authors for a long time, Steven Pressfield, author of more than twenty books spanning fiction and nonfiction, including The War of Art, which has sold more than a millio...
BTB183: Millions of Books Sold: Eric Ries on The Lean Startup, Incorruptible, Book Launches, and Reader-Driven Growth
We're back with Eric Ries, entrepreneur, startup thinker, and author of the bestselling books The Lean Startup and Incorruptible. With millions of books sold and ideas that have influenced founder...
BTB182: Eric Ries | The Lean Startup, Incorruptible, and the Hidden Decisions Behind Lasting Success
Today, we’re honored to have entrepreneur, creator of the Lean Startup movement, and author of the international bestseller The Lean Startup, Eric Ries, on Before the Bestseller. His work changed how founders think a...
BTB181: The Rise of Reader Experience in the AI Publishing Era with Niche Press CEO, Nicole Gebhardt
We’re back with Nicole Gebhardt, publishing strategist and CEO of Niche Press, for a conversation about what publishing looks like in a world shaped by AI, shifting reader behavior, and shorter attention spans. Nicole has helped e...
BTB180: The 5% Rule: From Book Idea to Business Strategy | Nicole Gebhardt (CEO, Niche Press)
Today we welcome Nicole Gebhart, CEO of Niche Press, where she has worked with hundreds of business leaders, advisors, and experts to help them clarify what they want to be known for and turn that into a book that actually drives ...
BTB179: From Zero to 1,500 Followers: Marshall Karp & Danny Corcoran on Authenticity, Social Media, and Reader Connection
Marshall Karp, #1 New York Times bestselling author, TV and screenwriter, documentarian, and playwright, returns to Before the Bestseller alongside Danny Corcoran, a former NYPD detective whose 24 years on the job ...
BTB178: Inside the Mind of Marshall Karp: Crafting Crime, Humor, and Heart from NYPD Red to Don't Tell Me How to Die
Today’s guest is someone whose career spans advertising, Hollywood, and bestselling fiction. Marshall Karp is a #1 New York Times bestselling author known for his work on the NYPD Red series with James Patterson, alo...
BTB177: 100,000+ Copies Sold — Nonfiction Book Marketing, Author Platform & Promotion Strategies with Naomi Oreskes
This week, we’re back with Naomi Oreskes, a scientific historian and Harvard professor, and co-author of Merchants of Doubt and The Big Myth, to talk about what it really takes to turn rigorous academic re...
BTB176: The $100,000+ Book That Exposed How Truth Gets Twisted - Inside Merchants of Doubt with Author Naomi Oreskes
Today we have a very special guest, Naomi Oreskes, a historian of science and professor at Harvard University whose work has fundamentally changed how we understand the relationship between science, truth, and public trust. She is best k...
BTB175: Sierra Melcher, CEO of Red Thread Books, on Goal-Driven Book Marketing, Conference Strategy, Book Seeding, Goodreads Giveaways, Reviews, and Long-Term Momentum
Today we welcome back Sierra Melcher, a publishing strategist and CEO of Red Thread Books, where she works closely with nonfiction authors to turn their ideas into clear, strategic books that support real business goals. Through h...
BTB174: Sierra Melcher, Author & CEO, Red Thread Publishing, on Publishing in 2026, Reader Psychology, and Book Marketing Strategy
Our special guest for today is Sierra Melcher, CEO of Red Thread Publishing, who has guided over 350 authors across 28 countries to write and publish meaningful nonfiction that actually serves a purpose beyond just being a book. With dee...
BTB173: Nir Eyal on Marketing Beyond Belief: Email Lists, Newsletter Growth, Social Media and What Actually Converts Readers
Nir Eyal is back on Before the Bestseller, the bestselling author behind Hooked, Indistractable, and his newest book Beyond Belief. Known for his work on behavioral design a...
BTB172: Nir Eyal (Hooked, Indistractable) on His New Book Beyond Belief: The Psychology of Beliefs, Motivation, and Behavior Change
Today’s guest is someone many of you already know. If you’ve read Hooked or Indistractable, you already know his work has shaped how millions of people think about habits, technology, and behavior. Nir Eyal
BTB171: 30,000 Copies Sold and 4,000+ Reviews: Patrick Taylor on Grassroots Hustle, Amazon Ads, and Reader Loyalty
We’re back with Patrick Taylor, also known as the Texas Yeti, adventurer and author of a five book series that includes Lost on Purpose and its bestselling prequel in solo and adventure travel categories. To date, he has sold more than...
BTB170: Patrick Taylor on Lost on Purpose, Reinvention, and Solo Winter Trekking the Lewis and Clark Trail
Our guest for today is Patrick Taylor, known to many readers as the Texas Yeti. A former technology executive who built and sold a successful hardware company and later served as president of Intel’s board of advisors, Patrick reinvented...
BTB169: 2M+ Copies Sold: Michael Bungay Stanier on The Coaching Habit, Hybrid Publishing, and Building a Business Beyond Book Sales
We welcome back Michael Bungay Stanier, author of the million copy bestseller The Coaching Habit. Beyond that landmark book, Michael is the founder of Box of Crayons, a training company that helps organizations build prac...
BTB168: Michael Bungay Stanier, Author of The Coaching Habit, on Coaching, Leadership, and Better Conversations
Welcome back to Before the Bestseller. It’s 2026, and we’re starting the year with a rockstar author and one of the most influential voices in modern leadership and coaching, Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael is the author of ...
A message from the team at ShelfLife
Thank you for spending time with us this year. We hope these conversations gave you something useful to apply to your author journey. We’re grateful to the guests who shared their stories, and we’ll be back in February 2026 with what’s shaping ...
BTB167: Stephan Spencer on YouTube Strategy, Attention, Shorts, and AI for Authors | The Art of SEO Author & Marketing Speak Podcast Host
We’re back with Stephan Spencer, a longtime leader in SEO and digital marketing. Over the past two decades, he has worked with brands like Zappos, Quiksilver, Chanel, Volvo, Sony, and Best Buy, helping them strengthen their online visibi...
BTB166: The Art of SEO with Stephan Spencer: AIO Strategy, LLM Visibility, Digital PR and the Dead Internet Theory
Today I get to sit down with someone who has shaped how some of the world’s biggest brands think about SEO. Stephan Spencer is a top SEO consultant, bestselling author, and the host of the long-running Marketing Speak podcast. For...
BTB165: Over 12 Million Copies Sold: The Self-Publishing Story Behind Thomas Erikson’s Surrounded by Idiots
In today’s episode, we welcome back Thomas Erikson, the behaviorist and international bestselling author behind the global phenomenon Surrounded by Idiots. What began as a single book has grown into the bestselling Surrounded by s...
BTB164: Surrounded by Idiots | Thomas Erikson on Human Behavior, Bias, and the Four Colors
Today, we’re joined by Thomas Erikson, the highest-selling living Swedish author and the international bestseller behind Surrounded by Idiots, the book that has helped millions understand human behavior in a clearer and more pract...