Being a writer has never been more exciting — or more confusing.
A decade ago, you could focus on writing great books and trust your agent, editor, and publishing house to take care of the rest. But if you want to succeed today, you need to be a self-starter, an entrepreneur — you need to be MacGyver. That means building an email list, engaging with fans on social media, making the rounds on influential podcasts, and developing a distinctive personal brand.
And those are just table stakes.
The questions multiply: Should you break into the lecture circuit? Launch a podcast of your own? Sell e-courses? Fiddle with Amazon keywords and metadata optimization? Create a premium subscriber community on Substack or Patreon? Get on #BookTok? What even is #BookTok?
And how about the book writing process itself? Should you use Scrivener or Google Docs? Are there AI tools that could make your job easier? Do you need to hire a researcher, story consultant, or fact-checker — and where do you find those people? And what do you do when your pub date rolls around? Should you shell out for an independent publicist? Are first serials still a thing? Do blurbs really matter, and if they do, how do you secure a few that’ll make a difference?
These questions are overwhelming, which is why we started Author Insider.
What is Author Insider?
Author Insider is a weekly newsletter with in-depth interviews and exclusive insights from publishing veteran Panio Gianopoulos and the Next Big Idea Club team.
We invite leading writers and industry experts to share their hard-won wisdom and lead detailed workshops on everything from how to plan a successful book tour to the ins and outs of social media strategy. Members receive case studies, advance copies of forthcoming books, invitations to exclusive virtual and in-person events, exclusive networking opportunities, and direct access to the Next Big Idea Club team. If you want to go from midlist to bestseller list, we have the strategies you need to make the leap.
Who’s behind this?
Author Insider is powered by the Next Big Idea Club, a book subscription service curated by renowned authors Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink.
In addition to our book club, we also have two podcasts, The Next Big Idea and The Next Big Idea Daily; a daily newsletter, Book of the Day; and an app that features more than 1,000 book summaries written and read by the authors themselves.
Who are some of Author Insider’s upcoming guests?
Daniel Pink, Gretchen Rubin, Morgan Housel, Madeline McIntosh, Jacob Weisberg, Susan Cain, Lucinda Halpern, Steven Johnson, and Christy Fletcher.
Is this only for experienced authors?
Author Insider serves writers at every stage of their journey. Whether you're working on your first book proposal or you’re a seasoned bestseller, our insights will help you navigate publishing’s ever-changing landscape.
Pricing
Free
Occasional posts
Paying
$30 per month or $295 per year
In-depth interviews with leading authors and industry experts
Workshops on everything from AI to Substack growth
Monthly roundups of industry news and author resources
Founding Member
$995 per year
Everything included in the monthly membership
Invitations to monthly roundtable discussions with industry leaders
Complimentary advanced copies of upcoming books by your fellow community members
Direct access to the Next Big Idea Club team to discuss your future projects
VIP invitations to in-person events
