Ep. 115: Writing Books and Failing Forward with Chandler Bolt

Today’s guest is my very good friend Chandler Bolt, who I can’t believe hasn’t been on the podcast before! He’s the founder of Self-Publishing School, an online academy dedicated to helping authors write and publish their books. He’s also a smart and strategic business owner, and I’ve learned so much from him. Chandler is definitely someone who inspires me, and this episode gives him the chance to inspire you, too! 

You might be surprised to hear that despite running a publishing school now, Chandler was a C-level English student and college dropout who hated writing. But it was through his failure and struggles that he found a process that worked. As he points out, the best students are often the worst teachers. Today, he’s used his process to help thousands of people write and publish books.

Tune in to learn all the reasons why you should write a book… and a big reason you shouldn’t. Chandler believes that just about any reason to write a book is a good reason. One of the only bad reasons is to get rich fast, he explains, because that probably won’t happen. With that said, there are plenty of ways to monetize your book, and we’ll talk about several options.

I’m always amazed by Chandler, because he’s so skilled at business even though he’s so young. We’ll spend a few minutes chatting about how he managed to develop his skills and knowledge at his age, which he credits to his mentality as a lifelong learner, being addicted to feedback, and willingness to fail. As he puts it, failure is just paying tuition to the school of life.

Tune in to learn about the importance of systems and processes, how you can make sure that you’re failing forward, and why you should start writing your book. If you don’t know where to start, you’re in luck: Chandler also shares a 15-minute inspirational exercise that he wants you to do as soon as you finish listening to this episode!

Highlights

[00:47] – This episode is brought to you by Elite Blog Academy! Right now, you can grab your FREE copy of Ruth’s bestselling book How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul)!
[01:51] – Ruth introduces Chandler Bolt, today’s guest.
[04:02] – Chandler talks about who he is, what he does, and how he got to where he is today.
[06:51] – Did Chandler always know he would be an entrepreneur, or did he stumble into that too?
[08:55] – What’s a good reason to write a book? And what’s a not-so-good reason?
[12:16] – Chandler jokes that wanting to get rich quickly isn’t a good reason to write a book. He then talks about how to make money from a book.
[15:06] – Make sure the book is good, Ruth emphasizes.
[16:50] – Why self-publishing instead of traditional publishing? Chandler and Ruth both have strong opinions about this!
[21:19] – If you feel compelled to write a book, go for it, Chandler recommends. He then shares a brief exercise to do immediately after this episode.
[23:44] – Chandler talks about how his mentality around building a strong company is helping him now, and how he’s treating his business differently these days.
[28:53] – By doing things the right way, and in a sustainable way, Chandler’s business has been relatively unaffected by the crisis.
[29:44] – Ruth shares her thoughts on what Chandler has been saying.
[32:25] – A lot of people who don’t follow the fundamentals are getting hit hard, Chandler points out.
[34:27] – Chandler talks about how he got to be good at business at such a young age, and how he got the vast majority of his education on the topic.
[37:39] – Ruth agrees with Chandler’s points about failure, and emphasizes the importance of paying attention to the results.
[38:10] – We hear about confronting the brutal facts, with Chandler sharing an example of his own.
[41:56] – What does Chandler know now that he wishes he had known when he started his business?
[44:40] – Chandler talks about what he’s working on right now that has him super fired up.
[45:55] – What is the best piece of advice that Chandler has ever received, and why?
[47:53] – Facebook is the best place to find Chandler personally. He also lists some of his sites and projects.
[49:35] – Be sure to check out Ruth’s TED Talk: Conquer Your Fear Instantly–Here’s How. And if you have any questions, ideas, or guests you’d like to hear, send Ruth an email at ruth@livingwellspendingless.com or message her on Instagram.