Two weeks ago, I submitted my book to a publisher.

To celebrate, my mum visited me in Valencia. We ate a few too many tapas and drank a few too many cocktails.

Then, I flew to Tangiers, Morocco, to be the best man at my friend’s wedding (the second in four weeks—a lot of speeches!)

It’s been great to celebrate, but damn does it feel good to be back to proper work, especially with a target in mind: the book launch. In this email, I’ll explain the plan. First, a question a lot of readers have asked:

Traditional publishing vs self-publishing

Initially I was pretty torn.

Traditional publishing gives more reach, self-publishing more control. Financially, the advice seems 50/50. You retain the full sale as a self-publisher, but will likely sell fewer books.

For most of my life, I would spend hundreds of hours overthinking this decision—listening to every podcast, asking everyone’s opinion. But after realising that both are good options, I decided to go self-publishing.

Why?

Because it seems more fun.

I have been using joy as a decision-making filter more and more recently. It is a great way to cut through overthinking loops when you have two viable paths.

It’s my first book. I like to learn. I do not like to answer to people. I want to have complete creative and marketing control. Self-publishing seems the better route, but you can always sell the rights later. I also plan on writing more books, so I can test other paths then too.

Tentative launch date

To self-publish, I am using Scribe Media.

Scribe is an all-in-one self-publishing company. Like traditional publishers, they are involved in every aspect of the book, but you get 100% of the profit. It cost $30,000. Scribe is known for top quality production. I do not want to half-arse packaging after spending almost two years writing.

I chose Scribe because I like Eric Jorgenson, who became the CEO several years ago. I am a massive fan of Eric through his books, so the company choice felt like a no-brainer. This is a good example of the long-term ROI on writing. Earn an audience’s trust, and the potential return is massive.

The estimated launch date is Jan 26, 2027.

I appreciate that business rarely goes to plan, but I am buzzing. I thought it would be much longer, but four months is the perfect distance to prepare for the launch. If anything, it may even be a little rushed!

How I plan on launching a book

First, it means saying no.

The older I get, the more I accept that I am not that impressive. I cannot do several things at once, not to a high standard. My main advantage is the ability to focus. When I consider what would lead to a bad launch, the answer is obvious:

Distraction.

This means saying no to other projects.

This is a little sore considering I have turned down opportunities to write the book, but business is a game of risk and delayed gratification. Most people are not comfortable with either, which means when you find the opportunity to practice them, you have a chance to position yourself against the crowd. Much like in creating content, you must shoot for outlier results.

It also means slowing down on travelling.

I am in Colombia in November, and my plan was potentially Costa Rica and another Central American country before Mexico in February. But every move is a day killed, and it is exhausting setting yourself up in a new place.

So it looks like I will be monk-moding in Medellin, but it will sure as shit beat being stuck in the UK for the winter.

The good news is I feel pretty confident about the launch. I’ve run five six-figure launches now and consulted for much bigger ones. But this is the most excited I have been, for one reason.

Sell something you believe in

I have loved everything I have built, but this book is another level. I’ve spent eighteen months trying to write the best book I can. It’s not often I say stuff like this, but I think it’s the best on the market for building a business through writing online.

I see it as my duty to get it into as many hands as I can.

Pride in your product determines long-term success. I’ve met entrepreneurs who do not enjoy their offers, and they never survive. You simply cannot compete with someone who loves their service.

This is good advice for whatever you build: make things you are proud of.

Now, there are two overall strategies behind launching well.

1. Tension
2. Connection

I’ll briefly explain both.

Elastic-band marketing

Most people think the success of a launch happens at launch, but 90% of the work is in the build-up. If someone is surprised when you launch, you have failed at marketing.

The prelaunch phase is about making as many people aware of and excited by your offer. Think of it like pulling an elastic band—the longer and harder you pull, the bigger the snap.

How do you build tension?

By talking about your offer!

It sounds simple, but I guarantee you are not promoting yourself enough. People are bombarded with thousands of posts per day. If you only promote yourself twice over two months, you are like a mouse squeaking in a room of elephants. Instead, you must use every channel and opportunity to reach the people you serve.

The mistake brands make is thinking that marketing is about them. It is not. It is about the people you serve.

The best strategy is a combination of storytelling and education, with soft promotion throughout.

This email is an example. And over the next month, I will release a special newsletter series with lessons from writing the book. I will also shift my lead magnets to free book chapters, and the welcome sequence will only promote the book waitlist.

There are already 1,418 people on the waitlist, which is crazy considering we have not begun the marketing push. It is awesome to have such a strong core of supporters, and this leads me to the second aspect of a good launch.

Connection is key

My next goal is to get as many people as I can to trust me.

Trust is often the missing ingredient in a brand’s success. Especially these days, where most brands are stuck in short-form content loops that are great for reach but suck for relationships. Do not underestimate how much trust is required for someone to invest in you—even for small purchases.

My plan is to give as much content as I can.

I’m excited for this. I have always tried my hardest to be generous, but I’ve struggled to maintain a good volume of deep content while writing the book.

My focus will be on newsletters, essays, free trainings and challenges, and YouTube. I considered adding short-form video, but I feel like it could be a distraction. Instead, I’ll build on what I know, and perhaps add this lever after the book is released.

By the way, my friend Jay Clause wrote an excellent series on building trust as a creator—if you haven’t read it, you can sign up here for free.

But connection is not just about content. It is about conversations.

I’m good at speaking with my audience. I have replied to almost every email over the past five years.

But I am terrible at reaching out to peers.

I’m introverted. Shit, I can make an introvert look social, and often the last thing I want to do is interact with people, especially after work. But relationships are key for getting what you want from life. So I am building the habit of sending more messages and hopping on calls.

But I am not kissing arse because I want help—networking for personal gain gives me the creepy-crawlies.

Instead, I am doing it to learn and connect. There are a lot of people I have been super curious about, and I’ve made fantastic friends online, so I will use this as an opportunity to ask questions and hear cool stories. If it leads to more support, great. But if not, all good too.

Anyway, let me leave you with one final lesson about product success.

It ain’t about what you can do in a week

While there is a lot of appeal behind running a massive launch (especially after seeing someone like Hormozi break the world record for books), there is an underlying message from authors:

It is not about how many books you can sell in a week. It is about how many books you can sell in a decade.

For example, Stephen Pressfield sold 8,000 copies of The War of Art in his first year. 24 years later, it has now sold over a million copies.

I have no interest in being a flash in the pan. I would love for Magnetic Writing to become a top recommended book for people who want to write and monetize their ideas. So in 2027 and beyond, I will commit to showing why the book is worth investing in.

There is no guarantee of success. But the longer you stay in the game, the more you tip the odds in your favour.

Anyway, I am grateful to have your attention.

It is crazy to think that just over five years ago, I was drilling teeth and dreaming of being a writer. None of this would have been possible without you. I hope that you get as much value from reading the book as I have from writing it. For now, I hope you enjoy the build-up.

To your freedom,

Kieran