A college professor handed out Play-Doh and popsicle sticks, gave everyone 10 minutes to build a prototype, then banned them from looking at it or explaining it. In this episode, Steve J Larsen uses that lesson to break down the three reasons books fail, and the difference between a process book that expires in six months and a framework book that outlives you. In this episode: The professor who ran IDEO’s human-centered design process on a classroom using Play-Doh and construction paperIDEO invented the computer mouse for Steve Jobs and knew nothing about computers. The end user is the only source of data.Why a blank Google Doc is gambling, and what a 25 to 50 person room gives you that a packed one never willIf you have to explain your own book, the book did not do its jobThe two apple trees that never fruited until Steve pruned 100 shoots off each, then overproduced so hard the branches crackedRyan Holiday writes 500,000 words and deletes down to 50,000. Annie Grace: most authors write multiple points instead of one.Process vs. framework, settled by the five-day challenge: if moving the pitch from day five to day one breaks it, you built a processThe buddy who spent $150 million on Facebook ads, and why his book could not be about Facebook adsThe delete drill: 100,000 words spoken on stage in two days, and StageBook cut from 55,000 words to 38,000The number one reason authors rewrite a book they paid a ghostwriter $50,000 forTimestamps: 00:00 The fastest book to write, and the strongest 00:53 The professor who ran marketing for Pizza Hut and Denny’s 01:19 Play-Doh, popsicle sticks, and 10 minutes 02:16 Hand it over. Do not look at it. 03:13 Rule two: you are not allowed to explain it 04:35 IDEO, the computer mouse, and your toothbrush 05:29 The end user is the only source of data 06:22 A book is a permanent way to be wrong 07:41 Visionaries live in the future. Readers live in the present. 09:02 The book I rewrote three times from scratch 09:54 Why we run small events on purpose 12:32 The book I proofread and thought, what was the point of this 13:24 The client I made livestream his speeches first 16:28 A good book has one point 17:20 Offer Launch went from 16 chapters to 8 17:48 Yard manager: contracts, invoices, and net 30 at 14 years old 21:45 Two apple trees and 100 shoots 22:40 The year the branches cracked 23:06 More is not better 24:30 Ryan Holiday deletes 90% of what he writes 25:30 Annie Grace on the one-point book 25:58 35,000 words that land beat 90,000 that read like a dictionary 27:24 You do not fill your own wallet 28:46 Reason three: the process book 29:43 $150 million in Facebook ads, and the book he could not write 31:09 What is the 20% that still works after 20 years 31:41 Sequence vs. principle 32:14 The five-day challenge test 34:20 Go one layer deeper and the book stays true 35:55 When a flash in the pan book is the right call 37:00 The moment the room does not react the way you expected 38:40 Confidence changes how loudly you market it 40:37 StageBook: 55,000 words cut to 38,000 41:06 Why ghostwritten books get rewritten 41:38 The delete drill 42:42 The David is already inside the marble 43:50 Beat My Funnel: two case study spots open Links: Beat My Funnel, two case study spots (start with an author interview): https://thestagebook.com Get StageBook: https://stagebookbook.com Record a question for the show: https://thewealthyauthor.com Pursuit of Profit Publishing: https://pursuitofprofitpublishing.com
