About this ebook
You've read Write. Publish. Repeat. You know the foundation: write the next one, publish the next one, do it again.
Iterate and Optimize is what comes next.
Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, and David Wright didn't grow Sterling & Stone into eight imprints, ten podcasts, and millions of words published by swinging for the fences. They got there by iterating — making small, deliberate improvements over years that compounded into a business that mostly runs itself.
This is the playbook for doing the same with yours.
Inside, you'll learn how to optimize:
Distribution strategy — exclusive vs. wide, and when to switch
Advertising and marketing — the spend that pays for itself and the spend that burns money
Conversion levers — covers, descriptions, and metadata that actually move sales
Outsourcing and team-building — how to hire slowly without losing the thing that made you successful
Product funnels — including the changed role of free books for indie authors today
Workflow and systems — what to automate, what to keep hands-on, what to delegate
The writing process itself — pre-writing, drafting, and revising faster without sacrificing quality
If you've already read every "self-publishing 101" guide on the market and you're ready for the level above it — written by people who've actually built the business at scale — this is your guide.
No silver bullets. No magic buttons. Just the small, sustainable improvements that compound into something real.
Includes a free companion workbook with exercises and worksheets to apply each chapter to your own publishing business.
Ready to get serious about the business behind the books? Iterate and Optimize.
About the author
Sean Platt has always been an entrepreneur, but stories were the business he was born to build.
When his wife bought him a laptop for his birthday in 2007, he dropped everything to write fiction.
After a short stint as creative director at a marketing agency — where he learned the kind of copywriting that could turn cliffhangers into an art — Sean wrote hundreds of novels (including international bestsellers), penned Hollywood scripts, and founded Sterling & Stone, an IP incubator where more than two dozen writers turn wild ideas into world-changing stories.
Originally from Long Beach, California, Sean now lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Cindy, and their dog, Fisher — both of whom remind him that real life makes the best stories.
Johnny B. Truant is the bestselling author of Fat Vampire, adapted by SyFy as "Reginald the Vampire" starring Spider-Man's Jacob Batalon. His other books include Pretty Killer, Pattern Black, Invasion, The Beam, Dead City, and over 100 other titles across many genres.
Originally from Ohio, Johnny and his family now live in Austin, Texas, where he’s finally surrounded by creative types as weird as he is. His website at JohnnyBTruant.com features his Creator Diary, additional works, fan extras, behind-the-scenes peeks, early access, and a whole lot more.
David W. Wright is tinfoil-hat paranoid. He’s so paranoid that once we learned that Dave carries a decoy wallet filled with no cash and bogus credit cards, so that when he gets mugged, he won’t take a hit. He’s never actually been mugged, but in Dave’s world, it’s safest to assume the worst.
Sean and Dave are the original odd couple. Dave is Dracula, and Sean is Kermit the Frog. Dave is the reason Collective Inkwell’s fiction is dark, and there’s always at least one child in jeopardy.
Dave is an artist. Left to his own devices, he’d lock himself in his office all day, listen to Tool, drink Diet Coke, and write stories where happy endings are crushed for being the rainbows of fancy they are. Don’t go near Dave’s house during or after the apocalypse. You’ll be shot without hesitation because “It’s just safer that way.”
