MCP131: The Three Reasons a Book Changes Your Business (Even If Nobody Reads It) w/ David Hancock

Most people think writing a book is about selling the book. It’s not. The book is a door. What’s behind it is the whole point.

I’ve known David Hancock since 2008. We met at a seminar in Atlanta. We don’t talk nearly as much as I’d like to, but nearly 20 years later, the friendship is still there. So sitting down with him for this episode felt less like an interview and more like a long-overdue conversation between two people who’ve watched each other grow.

David is the founder of Morgan James Publishing, a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, and the person Publishers Weekly first called the pioneer of hybrid publishing. He didn’t set out to start a publishing company. He set out to solve a problem that nobody else was willing to fix.

Key Takeaways

• A book doesn’t make you money directly. It stops people from negotiating with you, gets media calling you, and brings clients out of the woodwork who never would have found you otherwise.
• There are two bridges every author must cross before launch: the authority bridge and the permissions bridge. Most people skip both and wonder why nobody buys.
• The best time to start marketing your book is the moment you decide to write it. Not the week it drops.
• Traditional, self-publishing, and hybrid each serve a different goal. Knowing which path fits your situation matters more than picking the most popular one.
• People want connection just as much as they want content. A book that shows who you are will always outlast a book that only shows what you know.

Listen If You…

• Have been thinking about writing a book but don’t know if it will actually do anything for your business
• Already wrote a book and aren’t sure how to make it work harder for you
• Are trying to figure out which publishing path makes sense for where you are right now

Connect with David

Find David at davidlhancock.com or morganjamespublishing.com. When you reach out, let him know you found him through the show.

Tired of prospects ghosting you after your first conversation? Grab my FREE 5-day email course at https://thefollowupfix.net and learn the five relationship-killing mistakes that are costing you sales (and how to fix them without being pushy).

About the Show

#MeetCoolPeople is where founders, creators, and entrepreneurs share real stories about building businesses that matter. Hosted by Ely Delaney, each episode goes past surface-level advice to uncover the mindset shifts, failures, and frameworks that separate people who talk about success from people who actually build it.