I just returned from Austin – it was a full trip and I’m still unpacking all that happened. Excited to share some of those insights the next few weeks but for this week:
Books.
Personally, I’ve been buying more physical books than I have in years. It is definitely an effort to spend less time on screens and more time doing kinesthetic things.
Books are also distraction-free. No ads, no clicks, no recommended next vids.
My system is definitely craving tactility (is that a word?) – actual pages, highlighting things in pencil, tossing things around the coffee table.
I don’t have enough room for all the physical books so…
If I want to absorb it, hard copy. If I want how-to or info, e-Book.
Some meals you savor and slow chew. Others are just fuel for the day. Others are junk food. Discernment is knowing which is which.
Now, before you think AI is going to destroy books, some actual facts according to Newprint:
- Print book sales in the U.S. totaled 782 million copies in 2024 – up 23% over the past decade.
- Barnes & Noble opened 60 new stores last year.
- There are over 43,000 bookstores operating in the U.S. right now.
- Global book sales are projected to nearly double by 2034.
I don’t see the cost of a paperback 3x’ing in the next few years so basically, people are buying books. They will continue to buy books. They will always buy books.
Obviously AI is changing how people consume info. I think that creates opportunity, not scarcity.
A few weeks ago I built an automation that scrapes my YouTube Watch Later list every morning at 8am and dumps the transcripts into a folder: summaries, key points, timestamps. I don’t have to watch most of the videos. I just want the salient ideas.
I did the same thing with my own book: I built an interactive HTML workbook for my private clients – all my frameworks, one-liners, reflection questions, indexed and searchable.
Sure, people are going to parse my books the same way I’m parsing YouTube videos.
I can whine about it… or I can write books that are worth buying, reading, and most of all: experiencing.
That doesn’t mean writing books with more information. Info is not a differentiator. The bar is to write where the experience of absorbing it is inseparable from the thing itself.
Example: some print books have great content but terrible paper and a binding that fights you every time you open it (I’m looking at you, college textbooks. I hated all of you.)
Others feel warm and inviting before you’ve read a single word.
The same standard applies to every book format:
- If you just use ElevenLabs AI to narrate your audiobook in an AI voice, that’s a missed opportunity. Make the audio an experience. I’ve received so many positive comments from listeners who appreciated simple bonus interviews in my audiobook.
- Your e-book should have links that lead to interactive dashboards, additional resources, experiences that the print version can’t offer.
- Your print book can have better paper, more tactile print, and feel even like a scrapbook if you want. Go to B&N and look at some of the stuff, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi sections. Or just look at Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
These are not gimmicks. They’re genuine accommodations for how different people absorb things.
Neurodivergent readers exist. Visual learners exist. Meeting them where they are isn’t dumbing it down.
We as thought leaders can whine about AI… or we can look at the stats and realize the opportunity is still wide open for anyone who wants to make a mark through the most timeless medium we have.
Game on.
Since I’m still recovering from my Austin trip, I’d like to share a convo I had with JJ Virgin.
JJ is one of the most well-known names in health and wellness and a four-time NYT bestselling author.
Her take: the books that won’t survive are the ones that can’t stand the test of time. We do a deeper dive on this so take 20 minutes to watch it.
I agree with what JJ said here: This is the time to double down on your personal brand.
You are not late. Look at the numbers. Look at the opportunities.
Any window of change creates incredible openings to jump through.
Finally, if you’re interested in hearing more about upcoming Intensives around writing your book, get on my waitlist below:
Joining the waitlist doesn’t obligate you to join and you certainly won’t get pounded with spam emails (that’s not my style, and never has been.)
… and I hope you enjoy the convo with JJ.