Write Something People Want to Read | Charlie Hoehn

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Farnam Street

Business, Investing, Entrepreneurship

4.7 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2024

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, Charlie Hoehn explains the secrets behind why some books are unforgettable, and others no one seems to remember. He shares his journey of helping authors transform their ideas into best-selling books and provides actionable advice on structuring, writing, and marketing a book. You'll learn how to craft titles that make people want to read your book, design compelling covers that stand out on the shelves, and use certain strategies to engage readers effectively depending on the ideas you communicate. Hoehn also shares the psychology behind book promotion, how to leverage feedback, and the dynamics of traditional versus self-publishing. Whether tackling a novel or email, this episode will transform how you write and communicate.

Charlie Hoehn is the founder of Author.Inc and a 3-time New York Times bestselling editor. He's the mind behind some of the influential books from Tim Ferriss, Ramit Sethi, Codie Sanchez, and Noah Kagan. Charlie's expertise has helped sell over 10 million books.

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(00:00) Intro

(03:04) Helping Authors Succeed

(03:38) Writing for a Specific Audience

(07:14) The Importance of Real Feedback

(10:18) Traditional vs. Self-Publishing

(20:50) The Economics of Self-Publishing

(24:42) The Art of Book Cover Design

(30:29) Crafting a Compelling Title

(36:42) The Importance of Book Structure

(47:22) Editing: The Final Touch

(51:35) Book Sales Percentiles

(52:32) The Harsh Reality of Book Sales

(54:20) The Emotional Impact of Writing

(55:12) Dealing with Compliments and Criticism

(58:24) The Quest for Bestseller Lists

(1:00:04) The Complexities of Hitting the New York Times List

(1:12:25) Leveraging AI in Writing

(1:20:21) Effective Marketing Strategies for Authors

(1:28:14) Creating Evergreen Content

(1:35:30) The Importance of Authenticity in Writing

(1:40:54) Final Thoughts

Transcript

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0:00.0	The title is the most important marketing decision the author can make for the book
0:06.3	because virtually all books that sell more than 10,000 copies are driven by word of mouth.
0:14.5	The title has to do a lot of things.
0:18.1	When a person says it, it has to evoke curiosity, fomo, some sort of emotional
0:23.6	reaction, whether it's intrigue or even repulsion in some cases. It should be almost a
0:30.6	tip of the tongue thing that gets triggered regularly in conversation. An example we used was
0:38.1	a meeting suck by Cameron Harold. Even if he didn't necessarily like the book,
0:43.1	people would complain about meetings. Meetings were a constant in companies. And so
0:49.4	this book would just kind of organically come up as like, you ought to read this and
0:54.0	it would just naturally of organically come up as like, you ought to read this and it would just naturally be recommended.
1:00.0	Welcome to the Knowledge Project. I'm your host, Shane Parrish. In a world where knowledge is power,
1:09.0	this podcast is your toolkit for mastering
1:11.6	the best of what other people have already figured out. Today's episode will transform how you
1:16.2	write and communicate. My guest is Charlie Hoan, this secret weapon behind bestsellers like
1:21.6	the four-hour work week and dozens of other books that have collectively sold millions of copies.
1:27.3	While Charlie isn't particularly well known to many people, he's the book whisperer to the people in the industry.
1:34.3	Whether you're crafting crucial emails, high-stakes presentations or reports,
1:38.3	or that book you've been meeting to write, Charlie breaks down exactly what makes writing connect and convert. We explore everything
1:45.5	from hook-driven titles that grab attention to structures that keep readers engaged, to marketing
1:51.2	strategies that make ideas spread. We also dive into the real trade-offs between self-publishing
1:56.9	and traditional publishing, what actually makes book covers work or fail, and how AI is changing the game for writers.
2:03.6	This conversation is packed with immediately useful insights on how to make your idea stick,
	...

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