Cernovich Launches MAGA Mindset & Wins Big

So, Mike Cernovich just launched MAGA Mindset, and it is already a #1 bestseller in multiple key categories on Amazon. Mike's got a post on the reception already.

I'm not talking about the politics of this book. I'm talking about the business of it. Mike wrote this book, as he did Gorilla Mindset, with alacrity. Just a few weeks, really, and that's in fits and starts as he also did all of his livestreaming via Periscope, audio podcasts via Soundcloud, and all his family/personal stuff during this time. As this is a book he's doing through Castallia House, and Vox Day edited it, he's turning in manuscripts and then getting that turned around and published quite fast- lightning fast by the standard of dying Big 5 publishers.

Look, it's not a long book. He already had most of that manuscript in mind with his first draft, and I don't think much in terms of editing was needed before turning it around to publish it. Artwork had already been lined up for the cover, and a back cover will be added to the second print run presently. In short, Mike Cernovich turned this book around FAST, and he used his blog and social media to promote it while he wrote it.

That's noteworthy. Not many successful authors are so diligent with self-promotion, especially genre fiction authors (Scott, dammit, you really ought to know better by now.) He did this entirely solo with Gorilla Mindset, so it's not publishing with Castallia House that's the trick here. The thing is that Cernovich knows how to sell, and he does it very well. Most authors, be then traditionally published, independent, or whatever need to come to Jesus (as it were) and get on with selling if they want to get the most for their efforts and that means rethinking how they relate to their audience.

Cernovich uses his site, his blog, his podcast, his Periscope streams, and his public appearances as marketing for his books. That's why he's so big on putting them out there; he gets that an author's brand is him and his persona- not his books. The books are what he sells to generate the revenue he needs to pay his expenses. If the author isn't sufficiently engaging, charming, or otherwise compelling--is not charismatic--then his audience reach will suffer, and so will his professional success in this business. If you don't take your own side, no one else will.

So, first lesson learned: Be Your Own Hype Man.

Cernovich said repeated at his blog and his Twitter feed that he's run A/B testing and found that an insignificant number of people really care fine-tuning in terms of editing, so he lets a lot of mistakes that many people read over and ignore go through. That's surprising, but you can't argue with the results; most readers really do gloss over typos and the like, so unless you're writing has to be accurate and precise for technical reasons you'll be okay. Instead, he makes sure that he knows what he wants to say when he puts hands to keyboard and then goes over what he writes to make sure that he said what he meant to say; that's his process, as much as he's talked about it. He gets away with it because his authorial voice is solid in its authenticity; you're not getting the feel of this being hack work.

So, second lesson learned: Speak Truly, Write With Authority

Because Cernovich starts each book from a position where he's coming out of what he knows to be true, and he trusts himself and his audience to comprehend what he's saying, there is no worry over what he's saying or how he's saying it. He knows himself, and he knows his audience, so he does not fear the result of a thousand book launches. That confidence comes through in his promotion, and you seen it again when you read the work. This is a power in presence that many of his detracts notice, and cannot deal with; they know he's for real, and such substance is repellent to his opposition- and like ambrosia to his audience. That's how he can tell the haters from the loyal, and dismisses the haters- Mike already knows that they are fakers so they are irrelevant.

So, third and final lesson learned: Know Your Work Before You Write & Fear Not Where It Goes

That's how you know Mike walks what he talks. Without cracking open the books, you can see the tells signifying the very mindset he advocates- which feeds back to the authenticity he builds upon and projects his confidence from. He knows he's for real, he's not afraid of those who hate him for it, and that's why he's able to write and publish as fast as he does and succeed where so many others fail. Mindset matters, and Mike's mindset is present where you can see it in action; that's another way to sell his books, and he knows it. So yes, buy this book and Gorilla Mindset- he's living what he's saying.