4 Lessons I Learned About Book Publishing So You Don't Have To

What if the biggest thing standing between you and a book deal is not talent, but hesitation?

In this episode, Meghan Stevenson shares four hard-earned lessons from her 20+ years in traditional publishing that can help aspiring authors move forward with more clarity and courage. She explains why success often starts by saying yes to opportunities before you feel fully ready, and why trusting your instincts can open doors other people do not yet see. Meghan also makes a strong case that great books usually grow out of strong businesses, not the other way around. 

One of the most useful takeaways is that long-term book success comes from having an audience, a clear message, and a business foundation that keeps selling over time. She also reminds listeners that timing matters more than most people think, and while you cannot control the market, you can control when you take action. This episode is especially helpful for entrepreneurs, experts, and creators who want to become authors but need a clearer path forward.

Episode Highlights:
(0:00) Intro
(1:20) Four Career Lessons For Authors
(3:06) Lesson One Take The Risk
(3:57) Lesson Two Trust Your Instincts
(6:20) Lesson Three Build The Business First
(8:05) Lesson Four Timing Changes Everything
(9:04) Recap Of The Four Lessons
(10:47) Quiz For Aspiring Authors
(11:20) Outro

Have a great idea for a book but don't know where to start? MeghanStevenson.com/quiz


Traditional publishing expert Meghan Stevenson blasts open the gates of the “Big 5”—Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan—to share what every entrepreneur and expert needs to know about landing a book deal. 

In episodes released every Monday, Meghan shares wisdom and stories from 20+ years in publishing as well as interviews with authors, literary agents, and editors. She also answers questions from listeners like you. 

Whether you are an experienced entrepreneur with an empire, or are just starting out—this podcast will help you understand what you need to do in order to turn your dream of being a bestselling author into real life. 

Transcript

Opportunity Opens The Door

Meghan 0:00

Take the opportunity when it shows up. And I don't just mean with your book. This lesson applies to more than just your business or you becoming an author because the clients I've seen be really, really successful take a lot of leaps and risks. So can you. Welcome to the Kind of a Big Book Deal podcast where entrepreneurs come to learn about traditional publishing. I'm your host, Meghan Stevenson. After working as an editor for two of the biggest traditional publishers, I started my own business helping entrepreneurs to become authors. To date, my clients have earned over $7 million from publishers including Penguin Random House, Simon ⁇ Schuster, Harper Collins, and Hay House, just to name a few. In these podcast episodes, I will blast open the well-kept gates to traditional publishing. I'm going to explain what every entrepreneur needs to know about landing a book deal without losing your mind. I'm going to share stories, answer your questions, interview the successful authors I've had the pleasure to work with, and probably say platform more than a tech pro. So if you dream of landing on a bestseller list but have no idea how, this is the podcast for you, and I am so, so glad you're here. You want a book deal, and I can help you understand how to get one. I've worked in traditional publishing for over 20 years, and in this episode, I'm gonna share four lessons from my career that every aspiring author, including yourself, can use to make your dreams come true. Picture it, New York City, 2004. And if you get that reference, bonus points for you. I landed at LaGuardia Airport with four suitcases and $750 in cash. I was there to pursue my master's degree in publishing. And the very next week I have an interview scheduled at Simon and Schuster. Spoiler alert! That interview led to my first job in book publishing, which was as an editorial intern. As an intern, my job was to help out the other editorial assistants and begin to learn the ins and outs of traditional publishing. I remember sending a lot of mailers and reading the so-called slush pile of unsolicited submissions. One day I went out for lunch, and when I got back, all of the other assistants were crying. I found out that the editorial assistant I sat next to and had helped the most had gotten fired while I was gone. When the editor that assistant worked for called me into her office and told me that, I responded with something like, Of course you fired her. She wasn't doing her job very well. Now I didn't know it at the time, but that editor was stunned by my reaction. Think about it. All the other editorial assistants were losing their shit. They were all crying and sad, and here I was, an intern, totally effing fine. Nonchalant even. The editor explained that I would be helping her out while she looked for another assistant. Which brings me to lesson number one. Take the opportunity when it shows up. I was brand new to the traditional publishing industry. I had only worked as an intern for two months. And unlike all of the other editorial assistants, my degree was from a state school no one had heard of. I didn't go to an Ivy, right? I definitely had thoughts of doubt, like, I'm never gonna get this job, or who do I think I am? But I applied anyway. And when I got the job, the editor-in-chief was actually waiting outside to congratulate me because unbeknownst to me, all of the editors I worked with at the time were rooting for me. That decision to apply for the editorial assistant job led me to becoming an assistant editor and creating my first New York Times bestseller while I was at Simon ⁇ Schuster. Which leads me to my second lesson for entrepreneurs, experts, and creators like you that want to become authors. Trust your instincts. The first New York Times bestseller I worked on didn't happen because the project was submitted to me. Instead, I was simply watching a show I loved, How I Met Your Mother, when I saw an idea for a book. The Infamous Bro Code, a list of do's and don'ts for all bros, a fake book explained in the voiceover by the late great Bob Saggett and embodied by Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney. The minute Barney mentioned it on the show, I knew the marketability of a book called The Bro Code. That's because my college ex-boyfriend and all his friends referenced said code constantly. When I pitched the book at the publisher, the only people who understood the possibility and the marketability I saw was a guy in marketing and the publisher's son. But that was enough for the publisher I worked for at the time to take a flyer on my idea. And that book ended up selling more than 450,000 copies, probably more because there was a second book called Bro on the Go. It was a big risk to present that idea, first to my colleagues at Simon ⁇ Schuster and later to the people who handled licensing for 20th Century Fox and certainly the show's creators. But I knew that the Bro Code was going to be successful. Partly because of the popularity of how I met your mother at the time, obviously, but also because dudes like my ex love to debate and talk about the code with each other. There's a long-standing maxim in traditional publishing that men don't buy books, but when they do, those books are bestsellers. And the Bro Code is a great example of that. As is my book Harder, Better, Longer, Stronger by Caitlin Vee, which is also primarily written for men and is a top seller in sex and sexuality. For you as an entrepreneur, expert, or creator who wants to become an author, your instincts come into play when you make decisions. What strategies to implement in your business? How to show up and be visible, who to work with, how to publish your book. I encourage you to really trust those instincts in all areas, because in my experiences, hunches that persist, especially when it comes from the heart, are rarely wrong. Being intentional and aligned in your choices leads me to the third lesson I have learned in my career as an editor, ghostwriter, collaborator, and expert in traditional publishing. When I was an editor at Penguin, I was assigned to edit a book called How to Retire Overseas. And though I really admired and loved working with the author, I was doubtful that the book would sell. Similar books had sold almost nothing, and there wasn't a lot of expectation or effort behind the publication itself. However, months after the book was out, I got called into a meeting randomly. The publisher at the time looked straight at me and said, Why is how to retire overseas selling? And I had to say, I don't know. I'll ask the author and get back to you. So I went back to my office and I emailed the author. I said, Hey, what are you up to? And the reason that how to retire overseas sold then and continues to sell to this day is because the author, Kathleen Peticord, is the leader in her industry. Her business had an email list before email lists were a thing. She held a conference every year for people who wanted to do exactly what she taught. Retire overseas. Kathleen had built an audience for her advice, and those people bought her book consistently for years. Penguin even put out a revised and updated edition six years after the initial publication that you can buy right now, today. It might surprise you to learn that where you make money as an author isn't by hitting a bestseller list. Instead, it's by selling your book the way Kathleen did, over and over and over and over again. When you can sell that consistently in your business first, you are already set up for success when you have a book. Which leads me to the final lesson. Timing is everything. About 10 years ago, I collaborated on a book proposal written by an executive coach and an HR consultant about how middle managers could use leadership techniques from major movie studios, television networks, and entertainment companies to get promoted into executive roles. The book proposal was ready to go, but then the Harvey Weinstein story broke. The literary agent that had brought the authors to me said the proposal as it was written simply could not be sent out. The authors and I revised the proposal, but every editor at every single publishing house still rejected that project because of the timing. On the flip side, I remember that when I first met business coach Rachel Rogers, the title of her book, We Should All Be Millionaires, was off-putting to people. So much so that industry experts suggested to her that she changed the title. Luckily, I convinced her not to. Three years later, when that book came out, the world had caught up to Rachel's ideas, and that title was part of what made that book a bestseller. So, to recap, here are four lessons from my career that I learned being a part of traditional publishing that will benefit you as an expert entrepreneur or creator who wants to be an author. Number one, take the opportunity when it shows up. And I don't just mean with your book. This lesson applies to more than just your business or you becoming an author because the clients I've seen be really, really successful take a lot of leaps and risks. So can you. Lesson number two is trust your instincts. This second lesson is about your book, particularly how you publish and who you hire to help you. Whether that's a collaborator or an expert like me, a literary agent, even the publisher you choose. We all have intuition. Knowing what's right for you is a great way to use it. The third lesson, and this is super important, solid businesses create successful books. This is the biggest mistake I see. People not creating successful businesses before pursuing a book. Remember, in order to get a traditional book deal, you need an idea with potential that's related to your business, your audience, and your overall author platform. Build all of that first before pursuing your book idea. Okay? And lastly, timing is everything. You have no control over how or when your book publishes, and that is true even if you self-publish. You could publish your book at the exact right moment amidst the perfect cultural zeitgeist or the day everything locks down for a worldwide pandemic. True story happened to one of my clients. However, what you can control is how and when you personally, as an individual, take action. So, if you're listening to this but you haven't taken my quiz yet, now's the time. Over 3,000 aspiring authors like you have gotten their next steps to becoming a best-selling author simply by answering six questions. The link to take the quiz is in the show notes, and yes, you can do it on your phone. It is 2026 after all. And as always, I hope this episode has helped you on your journey to become an author. Until next time, cheers to your success. Thanks for tuning in to the Kind of a Big Book Deal podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it if you subscribe and also leave a review. Not only is this good for my ego and annoying for my enemies, but it also helps more entrepreneurs like ourselves find this podcast. Also, I'm pretty sure it's good karma. See you next time.