The Leanpub Frontmatter Podcast feat. Special Guest Josh Bernoff, Author of The Business Book ROI Study

In this episode of the Frontmatter podcast, Leanpub co-founder Len Epp interviews Josh Bernoff, business book expert and author of the Business Book ROI Study.

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About the Business Book ROI Study

Cover image for The Business Book ROI Study — The Business Book ROI Study

In this episode of the Frontmatter podcast, Leanpub co-founder Len Epp interviews Josh Bernoff, business book expert and author of the Business Book ROI Study. They explore Josh's journey from working at Forrester Research to becoming an expert in business books and collaborating on projects that generated millions for authors. The discussion delves into insights from the Business Book ROI Study, which surveyed over 300 authors to understand motivations, financial returns, and the broader impact of writing business books.

The findings highlight that most business authors write to boost credibility, generate leads, and share knowledge, with many achieving significant non-monetary benefits alongside revenue gains. Len and Josh also cover the differences between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing, as well as how hybrid publishing can help authors achieve faster results. They discuss the challenges and opportunities AI brings to the publishing world, emphasizing the limits of AI-generated content. Lastly, they consider the role of social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter/X for author promotion, and why some channels are more effective than others. You can learn more about Josh and his work at Josh's website (https://bernoff.com).

This interview was recorded on November 22, 2024.

About Josh Bernoff

Josh Bernoff, Author of The Business Book ROI Study

Josh Bernoff is an expert on how business books can propel thinkers to prominence.

Book projects on which he collaborated have generated more than $20 million for their authors.

Josh’s most recent book is Build a Better Business Book: How to Plan, Write, and Promote a Book That Matters (Amplify, 2023). As Daniel H. Pink wrote, “If you’re serious about writing a business book that matters, then look no further.”

Josh is also the author of Writing Without Bullshit: Boost Your Career by Saying What You Mean (Harper Business, 2016). Toronto’s Globe and Mail called it “a Strunk and White for the modern knowledge worker.”

He is the coauthor of the Businessweek bestseller Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies (Harvard Business Review Press, 2008). He has authored, coauthored, or ghostwritten eight business books.

Josh works closely with nonfiction authors as an advisor, coach, editor, or ghostwriter. He has collaborated on more than 50 nonfiction books.

Josh writes a blog post on topics of interest to authors every weekday at Bernoff.com. His blog has generated 4 million views.

He was formerly Senior Vice President, Idea Development at Forrester, where he spent 20 years analyzing technology and business. Prior to Forrester, Josh spent 14 years in start-up companies in the Boston area.

Josh has a mathematics degree from The Pennsylvania State University and studied mathematics in the Ph.D. program at MIT. He lives with his wife, an artist, in Portland, Maine.