Following Up on the Book Launch with Rich Bontrager

Stuart: Foreign. Welcome back to another episode of the Book More Show. Stuart Bell here. And we have returning guest Rich Bontrager with us. Rich, how you doing?

Rich Bontrager: Hey, doing fabulous. It's a great week.

Stuart: It is, right? So this show is going to go live, I think two weeks after we first recorded. So everyone will have seen our first episode two weeks ago. I'll stick a link in the show notes if you haven't, if you haven't caught that episode. And this will go out one week, I think a week and a half maybe after we did the book launch party.

Rich Bontrager: So your book launch party, Come on, it was. Your book launch party was all about Stuart, right?

Stuart: Yes, my book launch party. Yeah, it was funny you were asking me, I think after we recorded, just after we wrapped up the show, how did it feel? I was saying it's a little bit uncomfortable. So I can talk in front of a group of people on stage. That's no problem. Problem, I can talk one to one for a long time. That's no problem. But it's all about them and their book. It's rarely that I'm talking about me myself if I'm ever talking about what we do. It's always what we do as an organization. It's such a uncomfortable thing, or not even uncomfortable because I obviously got in the swing of it quite quickly. But it's not unnatural what I'm looking for. Unfamiliar thing to do.

Rich Bontrager: So it seems, it maybe is not familiar, but the power of doing a book launch, of amplifying your genius, your writing skills, the way you do things, how the book comes out, it's a very powerful tool. Once you do get in that flow and you realize, hey, this is kind of fun, right? It's engaging. There's a lot of things that go along with it. So the more you're in that rhythm and that mindset, the book launch has a long term replay power for you to continue to get more exciting people buying your book.

Stuart: Right. And that's the thing. So let me quickly recap just in case people are listening to this one and didn't listen to the last one. So we did a book launch launch party last week for the Book Blueprint Scorecard. So that's the book that I wrote that talks about the eight mindsets or the eight framework, the eight building blocks of our approach to writing a book. So we did a book launch. We invited all of the people on our list. We've got the, we had the live session and now we've got the recording to use it afterwards. So One of the things that Rich was helping was not only just in doing it at all, because it's really something that I wouldn't have got around to doing myself. So that's the magic of it, if nothing else, the fact that it gets done, but also as he was just explaining. And I'll get him to dive into more details on this. The I even choking on the words, trying to say it, but the personality element of the thing, of the asset, because it's so true. When I think about the podcasts that I listen to and the media that I Consume and the LinkedIn people I follow, all of them have a personality associated with them. It's not just that it's useful information, it's that I'm listening to them because it's them. Now, I'm sure some other people don't listen to them because it's them, but hey, who cares? That's always happening. So it was a great mind switch, which obviously you can tell my mind hasn't quite switched into the need to amplify some of the individual elements of it because that has a resonance. So for other people in the same situation, let's talk a little bit more about that and why the individual element of a book launch is just as important as the book launch.

Rich Bontrager: Well, it's even more important because you guys are dealing with business books and the. The business books are lead maggot now. They are a new business card to help you draw people to you with a brand authority. Your book is now an authority piece, amplify you as the business leader, the genius, the authority in your field. So you are now becoming a voice, a face, and you need to get used to be in front of the camera, because media does drive that. Now, whether it's an audio podcast, video podcast, there's so many new ways to do it. And your book is attached to that. So you should do podcast interviews about your book, but make sure you talk about you, because people are even more interested in you, the author, the writer, the genius, than they even your book is. The book is just a magnet to get to you, and you are really what people want to know about. So you have to step out of the shadows and out shine on camera.

Stuart: That's a great point. And I think the. Because when you think about break down. Okay, why are some people concerned about being in front of camera and all of the traditional things that you think about? I think I blame it on the accent, but arrogant enough that I'm fine with that. I mean, if no one watched do you remember, did you ever read a book or hear a book called Lord of the Flies?

Rich Bontrager: Yes.

Stuart: So I'm. We're probably similar age. So when I was in high school, it was one of the reading books in high school.

Rich Bontrager: Yep.

Stuart: And there's a concept there of they're all in a meeting and arguing amongst themselves. So whoever got has the conch can talk. So I don't know why, but I've got this idea, hey, even if you're in the audience, I've got the conch. The social ramifications for someone getting up and leaving in the middle of something, it would have to be quite bad for it to be to that stage. And I'm confident enough that it's not that bad. So all the traditional things where people are concerned, that's not a barrier. It's just I never ever think about doing it. It's always a secondary thought to just promoting an asset or an outcome and it's missing a trick.

Rich Bontrager: Well, and that's what I coach my whole business. Rock the stage. Media does these book launch parties, but I coach people to come out of the shadows. I want people to be the go to expert. I want people to be seen as a go to expert. So I help you learn the media skills. How do you talk on camera? How do you use your body language? How do you have a great studio that's lit for you? How do you have quality sound bites that grab people's attention? And you had a couple during our live book launch the other night, they grab people. They have people stop and go, wait a second, did he or she really just say that? Well, now I got to know more. So learning these media skills to help you become that go to expert, that's where the new magic is. And when you start learning these, you'll get more bookings, more podcasts, more interviews, and you will get more clients and business out of it. Because you are now seeing who doesn't want to be the new oh, wow, Dean Coutts, J.R. tolkien. Who don't want to be the new business guru that writes that great book that everyone needs. Who doesn't want to be the new Tony Robbins in your own industry again. That's how we can make you shine now through these events.

Stuart: And that's a great point. Because the whole concept of in your industry, in your sphere, we talk about this kind of five mile famous for certain industries who are very kind of geographically tied in the. The binary nature of the way that we think is either all or nothing. I mean, that's complete nonsense. It's a gradient scale. And for most people it's not that. It's either nothing or the most kind of thirsty of celebrities out there. It's the small step towards not doing yourself a disservice and staying behind the

Rich Bontrager: scenes, learning to own your niche within your industry. So again, if you're a car mechanic, there's billions of car mechanics. If you're a car mechanic that fix classic Ferraris, right. That's something different than just being a mechanic. So let's elevate you as being that expert in Ferraris that are old and classic. You're that special genius in that space when you stand out within the crowd of other experts that fix cars. But you fix this car. Yeah, you will shine brighter because you are unique and different. And that's what we're doing with the books that you're creating with 90 minute books. And that's what we're doing when we do these media events. We're helping you step out from the shadows brighter as an expert within your industry.

Stuart: That's a great point. And it's so aligned with our book approach. I mean the first building block, the first blueprint step is choosing that single target market. So it resonates so much with what you were saying. Be the expert within the niche and select the niche and double down on it. Guessing that from working with eight or nine hundred people to write the thousand books that we've helped people create, knowing the type of business owner that we're dealing with, it's typically not the type of person who's out there already and has a massive social media presence. It's typically more the business owner in a local area or in a particular niche or they've got a unique product or service. So there's so much authority that they can bring and so much uniqueness. Even if it's in. I mean we talk about financial services, CPAs, those type of people a lot. And obviously that industry is very similar across the board. But everyone has their own unique approach to it and to be able to bring out those messages and pick up on the. The sound bites. Not because sound bites are superficial and kind of just transitory. It's because that's the hook that leads people to want to know and understand more. There has to be something small in order to get to something bigger. And I think that's often it's easy to a look. I mean certainly for me it's how

Rich Bontrager: often have you read a book and said I wonder what he or she is really like what compelled them to write that book? So by having a stronger social media presence, people get to know you by having an interview clip, they get to know you by doing your own podcast show, they get to know you. By using these media assets, you're answering the natural questions that most readers have. Who really is the author?

Stuart: Right. It's interesting. I was talking to someone yesterday, actually, someone who was on the book launch call. They were watching live and we were going through. They've just finished their book. So we were going through some of the strategies that we've got that we speak to everyone about at the end of the process. And in talking about it, they brought up an audiobook. So I was saying to them, okay, audiobooks. Most people mean two things really. One is actually technically an audiobook. The Amazon Audible audiobook formats. There's limited value in that from our perspective, from a direct response marketing perspective, because someone downloads their audiobook, you don't get their contact details. It's another channel, but it's not that interesting. But often we suggest that they have an audio companion. So it's not reading word for word verbatim what the book is. It's. It's doing a deeper dive into the book and the background because it gives such an opportunity to a. Give a little bit more context and expand on an idea easier than it is to write it in a book in audio. But it also gives a, like a fireside chat with you as the author and it allows you to build some rapport which you don't get to do elsewhere. And I think that's similar to what you're saying, bridging the gap between the kind of the book and the personality or the book and the person. That's powerful because it starts to build that relationship before you even speak to someone on the phone.

Rich Bontrager: Well, and part of being a go to expert is you want other assets. It's not a one and done. You need to have layers of assets. So again, working with your team, I know you might have a first lead magnet PDF, you might have another little tool, you might have a video course you lead them to. You need to have other assets to complete the whole bundle of genius, not just a book. And that's where you begin to elevate and separate from the other people you now become that go to authority.

Stuart: Yeah.

Rich Bontrager: And that's where this takes you. So you're exactly right by having a companion chapter by chapter description. Here's what I was writing, here's what else was going on. Here's what I Left on the editing floor. You know, when you add those conversations in, people are going to keep coming back for more of that content. Now it's not about the book now it's about you. Yeah, the expert sharing more. The deeper insights. And that's where we really want to get them to.

Stuart: Yeah, that idea you talk about on their editing floor. I mean, so much we talk about one of the. Again, one of the other mindsets is this idea of beneficial constraints. Because again, I just was shooting someone a text before we jump on the call here to say we were doing a review of where they are because they were hitting a slight block on. On the next step in creating it because they've got so much stuff and their idea is so expansive that I think their block is that they don't know where to draw the line. So I was saying to the texting, the person was saying the. The. When they would talk to someone about a campaign. So they're in the ad space. When they would talk to someone about a campaign, I'm pretty sure that they would say to them, hey, you're not gonna. This isn't a Super bowl ad. You're not going to attract everyone with everything in this one ad. The job of work of this one ad is to compel this one audience to take this one step. So think about the book as being the same thing. And then all of those elements that you're leaving on the editing floor, some of them might be another book because there's another group that it makes worthwhile to do, but some of them are going to be amplifying elements to this one channel. So it's such a great idea of creating things that build out the suite of touch points and not only for the book, but for you as the individual, as the authority. Then that really rounds out and helps address people in different ways.

Rich Bontrager: So one, one easy way to do that. I mean, yes, you do the book launch, you create the book, you have that funnel, but create video clips of the frequently asked questions that you always get right and have an FAQ area that people can go and literally go. And again, link that into your book, Put that on a lead magnet on your website and share it out through Twitter or through Instagram. Have a FAQ where you're literally answering the questions on camera and you're sharing your genius, your personality. They get to know you more, but they also get the information and content they're looking for. By blending media now into your world, you are now becoming your own media empire. You're now becoming Something that people want to know more about. People love reading books. People always are going to love reading books. But if you want to turn it now into something that you can speak on from the stage, gain more sales and marketing, you need to think more about media. Ongoing content, and the book launch is just one element of it. But now always have these other pieces ready to go. Build it out further and further.

Stuart: And the great thing about having the book done is you've got all of this material that can be the seed for these other ideas. So you've kind of done the hard work of capturing and refining all of your thoughts into six or seven chapters where you're explaining it. To be able to snippet that and then multiply, amplify it across different channels, it's a much easier job than trying to think about, okay, I need to create something from scratch. Just reuse and repurpose the thing that you've spent all of this time doing. It's just such a leverage opportunity.

Rich Bontrager: Well, speaking about leverage, okay, let's go back to your book launch. We were talking about before we went on live here, that the attendance was really good. However, not everyone attends. People register, they like it, they share it, they get excited about it. Stuff gets in the way. They don't always come. Part of the book launch is you get the attendant list of everyone that registered and said they were going to come. Now, we were just breaking down the numbers. And you said the vast majority of people you do not know.

Stuart: Yeah, it was really interesting. So we had. I mean, I'm open to be clear on all of the numbers because I really want this to be an example to other people. So on our main book list, which is the one that we narrowed this release down to, we've got about six and a half thousand people. So we've got some other bigger lists, but they're drifting into some of the other areas. So I didn't want to reach out to those people because this is an example. I wanted to make it more realistic and comparable to the small business owners and entrepreneurs that we help. So not a huge list, but not tidy. So six, about six and a half thousand people we had. We pushed out. I think we pushed out three emails. And one of those emails was our last podcast. So I think we did our last podcast where we talked about it. The PS was to register and then two individual emails to try and get people to register. And then LinkedIn, my individual LinkedIn page, our company LinkedIn page, is pretty small because we haven't yet done much with it. My personal LinkedIn page is a little bit bigger, but a lot of that comes from my past careers from 10 years ago. So it's not exactly the target audience. So we had, I think we had. Was it 56 or 65?

Rich Bontrager: Yeah, yeah, we were right around that 56, 60 range, right around there.

Stuart: Right. So that was the number of people who went to the page. I forgot one of the things I was cursing myself afterwards. I forgot on the emails that we sent out, I didn't put a tracking link on the number of people who had clicked through. So again, if we were doing this again or as you're doing, it would be interesting to see how many clicked on it and just maybe the time wasn't good for them. Or there's a form I've got to fill in. I'll come back to it later.

Rich Bontrager: So we did have more. We did have more. Because you're just talking about the numbers that you pushed out. We haven't talked about the numbers that I pushed out. My LinkedIn, my Facebook, my emails. So we had a far greater interest level. People click it, they like it, they give a thumbs up and all that cool stuff. But the actual attendance that night was really close to 60, right?

Stuart: Yeah, that's a great point, actually, because there are those audiences outside of just the names and email addresses.

Rich Bontrager: Yes.

Stuart: So of the 60 people who had registered, so I don't know about the other people who just kind of dialed in live, but if there's 60 names and email addresses that we've got, I think I would probably say there was somewhere between maybe five to ten people who I would say were friends, like people who I would expect to be there. Although funnily enough, you talk about people not being able to make it in the moment. Christy was one of the people who had registered and then she emailed me the following morning saying, oh, I can't believe I missed it. I was really looking forward to it. And in fact, we've been texting in the day and she still missed it. So she'll probably listen to this. So I called you out, Kristen, but that's the benefit of the replay. So, yes, somewhere between six or seven people who were actual friends who I would expect to be there. Then there was maybe 15 or so people who were older clients. 15? Yeah, 15 or so people who were older clients. So these are people who we've been doing this for almost 10 years now. And these were people who, from right back in the day were on the list. So that was interesting. And Then it was maybe another five or six people I recognized as more recent clients. Yet I'm not necessarily so close to it day to day as I was in the beginning because obviously the team's bigger now. So I missed some of the more recent names. But a good third to a half of the list were names I don't recognize at all. Now I don't know whether they came from our list or from your list, but that split I thought was really quite interesting.

Rich Bontrager: And it is, because then it shows you it is a lead magnet tool. You have a celebration, some of your natural friends connections will be there. But it also is drawing in new people, new context. Part of the follow up is you get to use that list now and you get to reach out, say thanks for joining us, do you want to learn more or again, do you have that follow up PDF or that follow up gift? You're going to use your own system to reach out to those people now. So using this media tool becomes an asset to grow your reach for your book. We rinse and repeat that every time I do a book launch party or a client. Now the other cool part about this, we also stream it on other platforms. So some of those platforms are just viewers. I'm getting better at trying to accumulate some of the data of how many viewers on each of those platforms. But the more we do these book launches, the more people will keep coming back. And that extended reach of viewership also becomes a way to amplify it to a greater reach as well. So it's not a one and done and then we have the replay because now it's going to go on your website. Now we're going to add that into your arsenal of you have an evergreen content. Then we're going to take curated content and I'm going to get a couple great sound bits, sound bites pull out with Stuart bragging on the book, with some of the testimonials bragging on Stuart, he's going to have several curated content. Now you sprinkle that back out on your social media and it funnels all the way back around, you kick it up all over again. This is the power of media to create a go to expert.

Stuart: That's a great point. So we're going to do two, actually, a couple of points quickly before I forget them because I won't come back to them. So one of them is, you're right, I wasn't really thinking about your channel because the book launch party as a product and your world has a presence itself. You do this Many times for many different people. So your individual audience or the audience who know you rather than know the author, that's a distribution channel. That is a benefit of working with you as opposed to doing it yourself. So that one I wanted to make sure that we kind of touched on. We're doing. We're going to do two more things as part of this whole kind of launch elements. One of them is bestseller. So we often get the question of bestseller, and it's something that we've never really doubled down on before because it's so manipulated and transient and who cares, really? It's not a direct response approach. But again, like doing a book launch, there is some traction to it. So we're going to pull out some tools that we've had for a while and we've talked to lots of people over this period and some people have hit that bestseller list. So we're going to do an exercise where we launch a Kindle version of the book and see if we can orchestrate it onto a bestseller list, just to give people insights into what that really takes. So that's one thing. And then the other thing, we've worked with people who have got media attraction, so they've appeared on local news and then that's amplified into bigger news. So your background in history is obviously in a more traditional media space. Someone who does a book launch party. Have you got any advice or pointers for how they can bridge that into real world media coverage?

Rich Bontrager: Like I was just talking about that curated content, those little soundbite clips are great lead magnets to put out there if people start getting interested. Then you can send a press release. You could even send a link to whatever outlet you're trying to connect with and have them watch either in the whole book launch party or a shortened version of it. We also have a sub project called Spotlight. The Spotlight is an interview segment, like a 10 to 15 minute interview of you and your genius. So Stuart's going to get a Spotlight. We're going to be filming that coming up on Monday and that's going to be one of those things that Stuart then can thread out to show his genius as a go to expert in book publishing and marketing. He can now share that. Oh, and people are going to say, Stuart, you want to be on my podcast, you want to appear on the news with abc, cbs, but you can use it now as a tool. So we are literally creating the media assets to get more eyeballs onto to raise your interest as a go to expert with your book and then you Will start getting more calls, more bookings. It's an endless trail of media, social media, true media, and your own personality. There is a Persona that I help coach and get people to come alive to shine on camera better. The more you learn those media skills, the better of an interview guest you become. And everyone's looking for great guests, right? Everybody is, yeah.

Stuart: That's a great point because it does build on its own success. So becoming better skilled at delivering the product that the outlet wants makes you a better guest and more likely to get rebooked or booked in different channels. And Jonathan and Schultheis to where are we now? Probably four or five episodes before this one. I haven't got a schedule in front of me. I can't remember what episode number this is going to be when we release it. About 120 though, maybe. So a couple of episodes ago we were talking with Jonathan Schultz and we've actually done a podcast with him twice because he got media coverage for the book that he wrote. So he's got this thing where it's basically a bit like the latte factor. It's his base it around shoes. So you could go out and spend 500 on a new pair of shoes. But actually it's very common that people buy shoes and they don't fit. So they put brand new shoes on ebay. So you can get these same designer name shoes but for a third of the price and then take that extra money and invest it. So it's all kind of this looking for pools of money, investing it, just digging down the back of the sofa and being more sensible and more orchestrated. But anyway, his shoe example, the news clip that he's got is, is him in the new studio, his local news station. He's there having the interview and then he kind of reaches down and grabs his shoe off and puts it on the desk and says, do you know this shoe can make you rich? All of that type of thing. And that as a clip. He was then traveling on business into another state, so reached out to some local media outlets there because he had a day or two spare in the schedule and then got coverage there as well. So this whole idea of what's the job of work that I'm doing? I'm going on to present something in a way that leads people to a next step. But I also, the job of work is to be a good guest. And to be a good guest, I need to do the things that you're talking about. So it really does build on itself as this skill set that As a regular day to day business owner, you might not necessarily think about but it's an easy, it's an easy way to differentiate yourself.

Rich Bontrager: I have a whole training series just on being a good interviewee because that shoe example is great example. He didn't do that the first time. I'm sure it took a little while to figure out what his gag was going to be, what his eye catching thing. What's your key story that you're going to illustrate on every podcast? You know it works that that shoe is going to work. And then how good of an interview are you? Do you know how to smile, to tell good joke? Do you know how to listen? Well, there's a lot of tips. I coach people that are really professional interview skills that you see on any late night talk show host. All those celebrities you see, they have been media trained. Be a good interview.

Stuart: Right.

Rich Bontrager: Once you start getting these lead magnet tools like clips like we're talking about now, you need to be ready to go on camera or a microphone anytime and hit a home run with every interview. So it all starts becoming a bundle and that's how you shine more. You do those things like when you're traveling. That's a great example, Stuart, of traveling sending that lead magnet out of doing that brief little shoe bit. Every interview place is going to want to interview you. They're going to say I got to talk to the shoe guy. He's not really the shoe guy. He's a money guy.

Stuart: Right.

Rich Bontrager: That's where you want to draw the attention and use media to help you get on more shows to become that go to expert.

Stuart: Yeah. And actually thinking about. So we've got think about Jonathan again. Just because the examples fresh in my mind his development of that. So that was the example from the first book and then his development from that was talking around the 401k super hit. Right. So he sells his businesses mainly corporate plans. So his customers are CFOs and the HR department in organizations setting up four one plan 401k plans for employees. But his premise and a later book that he did was the 401k superhero. And the idea of individuals being the superhero to their family because they're taking steps within the corporate plan. So he's got like a little Superman shirt logo and he's done that type of thing. So having those hooks having the reason for people to remember and stand out. Dave, who was the one of the guests on the podcast launch is known as the icy disc guy. I mean it's a tiny little Tax benefit. It's so niche. But there's obviously millions and millions of dollars of tax benefits associated with it because it's around export and the dollar values are big. But to be that the IC Disk guy, because he wrote the book and because he talks set up the IC Disk alliance or, or even you with Rock the Stage media, I mean that as a handle, as a name allows people to claim something and associate you with the other thing. Such a of building those hooks in that then allow you to build the bigger presence.

Rich Bontrager: Well, and your first step in writing the book is a catchy title with a super subtitle. You guys are teaching the authors how to do the very thing. Now you need to again capitalize on that and add into it and add into it with the resources, with the interviews with the book launch parties, whatever it is. Media assets are the game changer for everyone right now that really wants to become that known commodity. And we've never had greater access. You don't need ABC anymore, you don't need NBC. You don't need the baby millions of dollars to become that. Now with the streaming world, the video world right at your hand, there's people like me that can help you learn how to get out in front of it. And it will help you grow your brand. More eyeballs, more sales, more exposure to show your genius. And it just becomes growing and you become that Go to expert, right?

Stuart: It's so true. There's a guy, a LinkedIn guy who I stumbled across. I can't even remember where are some of the costs, but it was only in the last month or so. I'll put a redirect on our website, so go to 90minutebooks.com forward/justin if you want to find out more about this guy on LinkedIn specifically. But anyway, guy's name is Justin Welsh. His. His framework actually really resonates with the way that I think about things. He's got it very specifically dialed into to LinkedIn as a platform. So I was looking around for some stuff, I found him. He in the last year has done a whole load of podcasts. They're all over the place on YouTube. But the story, the presence, the way that he positions each one, obviously when I now go back and look for more of his stuff, I'm finding a huge footprint. But actually that footprint was over some time but it's so reinforcing because it's the same him every single time. It's quite funny actually listening to them back to back as you do like a deep dive on Someone. It's very kind of repetitive because I'm listening to them back to back, but it's reinforcing. Like he has the same story of how he got to the place where he was now, the same challenge, the same steps. And pretty much, although it varies slightly depending on the context, the same steps that he recommends for people. So this idea that you're talking about of you've got a thing, let's say that the only thing that you've got is a book because you're, you've been in the business for 10 years, you're now thinking about branching out. You've written the book, so the book is the thing. But to be able to take that and amplify it in different assets in different channels, the sound bites, so that when someone does come to look or come to search for what you do, there's multiple touch points that just reinforces that, that authority across the, across a broader piece.

Rich Bontrager: Well, just think how many books have become movies, how many books have become TV miniseries, how many books have inspired a TV series. The book is the beginning is not the end. As authors, as creators, we need to start thinking that way. We literally start thinking about, I have this book. How many different ways can I take this and sprinkle this around? But the genius here is bring it always back to you. The author, the speaker, the expert. So that's where the world now is about. Get it out there as far as you can. Use those same stories again, you're going to feel like you've told the story so many times you're going to vomit. That's what you want. You want that story to be that powerful. For my own example, Rich Trigger, Bond trigger triggers. Part of the brand name is simply a nickname. I've had it for 30 years, Stuart. There's over six pages of Google on me. Me. People can find me really easy. But that's what you want. But I've been using media because I've been in the media, but now I'm using other things, including I finally have my own book coming out in 2023. So I'm even adding new things to my layers. Authors need to think of this very same way. Now. How many layers can you add and think of them as touch points? How many different easy access touch points can you get to have people find you? You connect with you to get directly to the source.

Stuart: Right?

Rich Bontrager: That's what we're helping you really create here.

Stuart: And like you say, it's so much easier now than it was a few years ago. And having for our audiences as people are listening to this, that it's an easy step to do because you've done the hard work already. You've created the book, you've got the asset that has all of the seed content for 100 videos.

Rich Bontrager: Yeah.

Stuart: All at once. Start with the first one. But over time that footprint can really build.

Rich Bontrager: And also you can use the replays because just because you aired it once doesn't mean you've done it. You're gonna have new fans, new followers come back. That same content you recorded five years ago will still apply to new viewers. So don't be afraid to put old content out. Yeah, it will still grab and still hold because the content is worthy to listen to.

Stuart: Yeah. I just remember someone saying on a podcast ages ago that every day someone's born, he's never watched the Flintstones. So it's that idea of nothing goes old because there's always a new audience and even building it into your email follow up sequence. So either the whole thing or elements of it, having that as an amplifying factor and building the rapport. I mean that's a perfect use for it. I'm excited. So we're going to do the. This podcast will go out as we're recording now on the Friday the 16th. That's actually this is going to be the Christmas podcast. This is going to go up next week. So happy Christmas everyone. Hopefully, yeah, hopefully you had a good holiday. So we're going to share this. So this is within a week or two of looking at the live. So definitely check out my LinkedIn channel for the live recording if you haven't seen it yet to watch it back. So I'll link that in the recording. Rich, I really want to make sure that people have got a clear opportunity to get in touch with you so that as they're thinking about it, whether they've written a book with us or whether they've done one themselves or whether they're just thinking about it and just are interested in how this element could play into their overall strategy. What's the easiest way of people getting in touch with you?

Rich Bontrager: Yeah, the book launch party is an hour long live streaming event. Again, multiple channels, live interactive audience. If you want to learn more about that, that contact me richbondtraegger.net or simply go to rockthestagemedia.com and on rockstage media.com there is a book launch tab. You can go right to there, learn more about it, contact me. We can do a pre call, get you set up just like we did with Stuart. And then we're off to the races, creating a live interactive event.

Stuart: And just as a testimonial, if for a better term, the process was super straightforward and easy to do. And even with me being terrible at replying to emails and being a little bit late on some things, Rich didn't get too upset with me, but politely chase me and say, hey, listen, we really need to get these things sorted out. So it really was, I mean, it really is something that I would never have got around to. I think I was joking on the call that the actual book itself, I mean, really, it's two years since I pretty much had it written and at least a year since it was absolutely finished. So unbelievably terrible at doing what I tell other people to do and get it out there.

Rich Bontrager: Well, and that's a great point that I've worked with people that during Pandemic, they, their book failed to launch. The pandemic changed the sales cycle and everything. I've gone back with people that have been sitting on a book and they thought, what am I going to do with it now? I kind of missed my opportunity. It's like, no, we just go launch it. We're just going to go celebrate it and get the engine going again. It's really that simple. And that is no launch police.

Stuart: You don't have to ask permission to launch it. And that's actually a great point. So of, I mean, like I said, we've helped get a thousand books out there. Now, obviously they weren't all this year. So a lot of people watching this are going to be thinking, well, I created my book a long time ago. The idea of the word launch and relaunch, there's no after ask permission to use one versus the other. So I don't think there's any barrier to a book that was out there for many years actually launching it.

Rich Bontrager: I can give you a great example of that. So world renowned author Dennis Whaley, a book in 1979 became a smash hit. He just last year came up with a new edition. The new revised version of the book is how he branded it.

Stuart: Right.

Rich Bontrager: I did a book launch party with Dennis. Now he's written amazing books. He doesn't need me. He wanted to do it to elevate what was to what is now. And we did a release party for the new revised version. It doesn't matter how old it is. We can wrap it up and make the narrative work for you. And we had a great party with Dennis.

Stuart: Right. You know, two things and I'm super conscious of your time. So I don't want to go off on too many tangents because I've got a habit of doing that. But funny enough, I saw Dennis Waitley speak on stage, present on his unlimited. What was the name of the book? Unlimited Potential or the wealth with him or. I can't remember.

Rich Bontrager: Yeah, because so many books, right.

Stuart: And it was 1990, 1995, maybe 96. So, yeah, that's. He has been around for a long time. So that's funny. And then the other point that you make is we talk a lot about topic bridging. So there's. Politicians do this all the time. They'll be asked a question about the economy and they'll say, that's a great question. That's really important because this policy that I'm now championing is key to this. So this idea of topic bridging, the story, the narrative that you put around your book is way more important than the book itself or its release date or any other specific element. So it's really important to understand that no matter how long your book's been out there, you've got the opportunity to draw a line in the sand and have a reason why January 2023 is the reason that you're relaunching this and wanting to get it out to more people. It's such a great opportunity.

Rich Bontrager: So happy to help people out, happy to serve them again. And if you forgot, got Rock the Stage Media. If you got rich@richbontraigger.net you can always contact 90 Minute Books because they know how to get a hold of me.

Stuart: Yeah, definitely. Any questions? For sure, Just shoot as an email to Stuart at 90 Minute Books and I can happy to answer any questions. Or if people have got questions about the process, maybe they don't want to reach out yet. But if you want to ask me any questions, feel free. And of course, we'll put links to Rich's email and the website in the show notes. So definitely check out the show notes for the episode with that. Thanks again, Rich, for your time. It's really valuable. I really appreciate being guided through the process and recommend it to all the people listening, whether they've done a book with us or by themselves or haven't yet done one. So thanks for everyone listening. Rich, thanks for your time and we'll catch you in the next one.