3 secrets, 2 links, 1 book

Reader,
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Just 3 secrets today 🙂

3 Secrets

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​1. Just make the ask already!

A BIG thank you to world-renowned violinist and newsletter reader Anthea Kreston for sharing her story with me.

After mentioning to me that she’d toured with Yo-Yo Ma, I asked her if it was worth asking him for a blurb.

She wrote back that she wasn’t sure he’d go for it, but that she’d send him a galley and make the ask anyway.

“I took your advice and reached out to Yo-Yo and he gave me a terrific quote for the cover! Yipee.”

This is your sign: today, make the ask you’ve been talking yourself out of.

Pre-order Anthea’s book here and follow along with her book launch here.

And thank you, Anthea, for letting me share your story 🙂

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2. Providing value to influencers and mentors

When you’re starting out, it can be very hard to hear people tell you, “find a way to provide value to the person you want to connect with”.

Oftentimes I found myself saying “If I knew how to give value to them I wouldn’t need their help”.

BUT that’s actually NOT true.

The way you give value doesn’t have to be in the same category as what you need from them.

For example, I will often offer to teach authors how to surf as a way to enrich their life and build that connection. It’s a unique skill set and something a lot of people want to learn.

What is it you’re good at in your personal life? Pickleball? Spanish? Comic books? Cooking?

Don’t try to provide value in the same category — provide it in a way that’s unique to you.

OR learn what the influencer needs help with in their personal life, then either help them yourself or find someone who can.

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3. Systematic Recommenders

Find systematic recommenders who will recommend your book to readers.

Katrina Ubell just did this with How to Lose Weight for the Last Time.

She worked with a few doctors who got value from what she teaches. They started recommending the book to other doctors, who in turn recommended it to their patients.

For Before The Bestseller, we offer to ship publishing companies boxes of free copies to pass along to their authors.

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2 Links

1. I recently did a four-part live presentation (20 minutes per part) summarizing what I’ve learned about book marketing over the last 7 years. Part 1 just dropped on our YouTube channel. How To Market Your Book: Fundamentals of Book Marketing | Ed Rush’s Top Gun Author Live 2026.​
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2. I know I’ve shared it before, but I felt the need to share it again today, as it saved me from doomscrolling even while writing this newsletter. News Feed Eradicator.​​​

1 Book​
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Funny enough an ex-girlfriend recommended this book while we were dating.
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I’m pretty skeptical of self-help these days as most isn’t actually based in science.
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So despite her multiple attempts to get me to read it, I declined.
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Fast forward a few months after we’d broken up and my podcast producer, Zia, booked her to come on my show Before The Bestseller without me knowing.
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Despite my best attempts not too, I now HAD to read the book.
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And I’m glad I did.
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2 takeaways/things I found interesting or didn’t know before:​
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How therapy is viewed and approached from the therapists side. Gildiner talks through her thought process for how she approached each patient which I found helpful in knowing how I can be more helpful in helping my therapist help me.
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When I’m annoyed with someone I *think* I know – I found this to be a useful reminder to not be so judgmental as you really just don’t know what they’ve been through. I’ll work to assume I never know what someones been through again or what hurdles they’ve had to overcome to even just be present in a social setting.
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Alex
​BeforeTheBestseller | ShelfLife​
alex@getshelflife.com
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P.S. Know someone who needs help marketing their book? We offer a $500 referral bonus 🙂
P.S.S. Did someone share this 321 with you? Sign up here.