Today, joining me is Leif Babin. Leif is a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, co-author of #1 New York Times bestseller Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win, and co-founder of Echelon Front, where he serves as President, COO, leadership instructor, speaker, and strategic advisor. In this episode, we will chat with Leif about how he launched one of the most successful books ever published.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Leif served thirteen years in the Navy. During his last tour, Leif served as Operations Officer and Executive Officer, was again deployed to Iraq for a second time with Special Operations Task Force. He is the proud recipient of the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart. Upon his active duty departure, Leif co-founded Echelon Front, a premier leadership consulting company that helps others build their own high-performance winning teams.
Leif served with Jocko Williams, another author, in sustained combat regions as Navy SEALS. They talked and realized there was a real need for leadership training in companies. “Everything we learned in combat applied to any team in any organization and any situation.” As they started working with companies, many of their clients and followers were looking for a reference manual. “We wanted to get the message out about leadership from Navy SEALS that can humbly speak about this, reflect well on the SEAL teams, and pass these lessons onto others.”
“We launched the Echelon company in 2012, and our book was published in 2015.”
He had talked with people and found out he didn’t want to go with a ghostwriter because once they had given over their story, they completely lost control of the end product. Leif notes two examples of fallen servicemen who were written about as “bravados.” However, in reality, they were two humble men who gave their lives for our country.
On writing their story, “We didn’t want to write a memoir, we wanted to write something that talked about leadership lessons learned and gave the application of those leadership lessons learned so that people could take and implement them in their professional and personal lives.”
Listen in to find out how Leif and Jocko decided to tell their story when they co-authored their book, why you shouldn’t let your ego get in the way, and how Leif and Jocko marketed their book.
Show Notes
[03:38] How Leif decided to write his book and his process of creating Extreme Ownership. [07:34] His experience shopping for a literary agent and sending out their proposal. [10:30] Why Leif decided to write this book himself instead of hiring a ghostwriter. [13:51] The daunting process of pitching publishing houses. [18:33] Co-author process pros and cons for Jocko and Leif. [21:43] How the two authors were able to keep each other’s voice when editing the other’s manuscript. [23:25] Marketing their book and how many months before their sales started to climb. [27:01] When Leif decided to send an advanced copy of the manuscript to the press. [30:26] Publicity elements authors want to consider when marketing their book. [31:46] When did their book make an impact for their business? [34:34] Why Leif feels it's more important to be an Amazon Best Seller than be on the New York Times Best Seller list. [35:01] How his book has increased and expanded his business. [43:48] Stories of readers loving the concept of dichotomy. [46:56] Leif’s advice to upcoming authors.Links and Resources
Visit Self Publishing School Online SPS Free Training Course Circle of Profit Author Advantage Live 2020 for Writers Leif Babin - Echelon Front on the WebSPS 084: How To Write A Book At 8 Years Old That Sells 1,000's Of Copies with Emma Sumner
SPS 083: How To Turn Your Nonfiction Book Into A Children's Book (Advanced Publishing & Fulfillment Strategies) with Ellaine Ursuy
SPS 082: How To Use Guest Posting & Media To Sell Thousands Of Copies Of Your Book with Susie Moore
SPS 081: How To Turn Your Book Into A Movie with Hal Elrod (Miracle Morning Movie Behind The Scenes)
SPS 080: How This Radiologist Turned Sex Coach Launched Her Online Business To $100k in 9 Months Using Publicity with Sonia Wright
SPS 079: CASE STUDY: An Educator's Guide To Writing & Publishing An Award Winning Children's Book with Merideth Tullous
SPS 078: How To Write A Book Proposal That Gets You A Book Deal And A Big Advance with Chad Allen (What Agents & Publishers Are Actually Looking For)
SPS 077: From Writing In Prison To 4x New York Times Bestseller & 1M Copies Sold with Wahida Clark (How To Create Raving Fans With Your Fiction Series)
SPS 076: 0 to 450k Subscribers In 3 Years - Using YouTube To Grow Your Business & Sell More Books with Gillian Perkins
SPS 075: Using Publicity & Influencer Marketing To Sell NEEDTOBREATHE Albums And Grow A Treehouse Business with Seth & Tori Bolt
SPS 074: This One Quiz Funnel Will Sell More Books & Turn Readers Into Paying Customers (Better Than A Free + Shipping Funnel) with Ryan Levesque
SPS 073: Build Your Personal Brand (And Double Your Business) Using A Book with Chris Ducker
SPS 072: Writing Great Fiction Using Beta Readers...And How To Build An Author Platform On YouTube That Sells Books with Jenna Moreci
SPS 070: Keywords, Categories, & Using Amazon SEO + Publisher Rocket to Sell More Books with Dave Chesson
SPS 069: How A Former Circus Performer Unlocked The Author Advantage & Grew A 7-Figure Editing Business with Qat Wanders
SPS 068: Using Publicity & Speaking To Sell More Books & Grow Your Business with Sloane Ketchum
SPS 067: The Most Interesting Man In Book Publishing...25 Books Published, Prolific & Polarizing Writing, And What Kanye Taught Me About Book Marketing with James Altucher
SPS 066: Myers Briggs for Writing A Book: How To Use Your Unique Personality Type (And Strength) To Maximize The Success Of Your Book with Gary Williams
SPS 065: How To Write & Publish A Quality Children's Book That Kids LOVE to Read And Parents Are Proud To Buy with Marcy Pusey
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Aligned Money Show
Gorse Culture PODcast : The H.R. Detective Agency!
HCI Leadership Revolution
The Ramsey Show
Planet Money