How to sell your book in 2025

A case study on Sahil Bloom marketing “The 5 Types of Wealth”

I didn’t know who Sahil Bloom was before January.

Then, suddenly, I couldn’t escape him.

It started at Ali Abdaal’s Productivity Spark summit. Sahil made us take a quiz that spit out an insightful spider chart assessment, his version of the Wheel of Life. My “social wealth” score came out 19 out of 20. Interesting.

He had a sign-up link to his book, The 5 Types of Wealth, so I subscribed.

The next week, I got an email breaking down a tip from one of the five types of wealths from his book: time, social, mental, physical, financial. Then I got another email the next week. And the next. At no point did I unsubscribe because I wanted to “collect” whatever wisdom he was going to share in the future.

Then he went on The Prof G pod. Then other podcasts. Then LinkedIn. Then Instagram. He was posting daily, publicizing his morning cold plunges, runs, spending time with his little boy.

His book wasn’t even out yet. And I couldn’t wait.

By the time my pre-order auto-downloaded to my Kindle, I devoured it, driven mainly by anticipation from all the teasers he put out. The book was great. But what really left an impression was how inescapable his book felt even after I finished reading.

Then I saw it shoot up the charts. #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. 100,000+ copies sold within a month.

How did he do it?

Sahil didn’t follow the traditional book marketing playbook. No old-school book tours, no publisher-led promotions. He played the game differently, having also built his online following consistently over the last few years. He leaned far into the social aspects of the internet and it worked out wonderfully for him. Since I’m working on my own book, Bite-Sized Creativity, I wanted to learn how Sahil pulled this off.

This is how Sahil Bloom rewrote the book-marketing playbook:

1. He borrowed other people’s audiences

Sahil wanted his book to reach a million people. To do that, he proactively tapped into larger, complementary audiences:

• He spoke at Ali Abdaal’s summit (110,000 registered and 20,000 live attendees)

• He went on a podcast tour before launch (The Prof G pod is a popular business podcast)

Takeaway: Leverage your network and connections. Ask to speak at events or guest on podcasts that align with your audience.

2. He sent early copies to the right people

Sahil cold outreached billionaire investor Bill Ackman after Bill shared one of Sahil’s X posts. That led to lunch, where Sahil told him about the book he was working on. He sent Bill an early copy. Bill posted about it, and the powerful public endorsement boosted Sahil’s book to #2 on Amazon.

While sending advance copies isn't new, the digital landscape amplifies the potential virality.

Takeaway: Keep your people (your friends, family, network) in the loop. When it’s close to launch time, send them early copies. Would recommend doing this out of genuine interest in deepening relationships and not out of strategic need to get an audience.

3. He used one story to break the internet

Sahil’s book opens memorably: “You’ll probably only see your parents 15 more times before they’re gone.” He’s repeated this story in interviews, newsletters, podcasts. And it hits hard, especially for his audience of ambitious folks who sacrificed family time for career growth.

Takeaway: A single powerful story > 100 forgettable facts. Find your anchor story. Repeat it often.

4. He built hype slowly and deliberately

He could’ve easily sent a 30-minute video condensing his book’s takeaways. Instead, he segmented it into digestible weekly emails, each focused on one of the five types of wealth. Each one was even filmed in a different setting. It felt like it was deliberately done, that he wasn’t just batch-filming his whole promo.

For those of us looking to binge (just me?), he included a link to his website that hosted all five videos. For other people? They got a weekly reminder from Sahil.

Takeaway: Don’t dump content all at once. Drip-feed it. Keep them coming back. (But also maybe give the bingers an option)

5. He made buying the book feel like a steal

If you bought The 5 Types of Wealth, you didn’t just get the book. You got a 50+ page downloadable PDF workbook. If you pre-ordered, the workbook arrived during launch week. (A personal note: I turned his workbook into a Notion page. Sahil and his team are aware. DM me if you bought the book and I can share the Notion page).

Takeaway: Bonuses work. A simple PDF can tip someone from “maybe later” to “I need this now”.

What this means for my own book

I don’t have 800,000 newsletter subscribers. I have 400. But Sahil’s strategies highlighted that my strength is social connection. I can absolutely leverage my network.

Here's how I plan to apply his lessons:

1. Ask for feedback early

After finishing the first draft of Bite-Sized Creativity, I shared it with 30+ friends who said that they’re open to providing feedback.

My friend Kevon Cheung told me: “When people give feedback, they become invested.”

2. Create useful resources, e.g. a workbook (PDF + Notion)

Everyone drools over “downloadable PDF” (just me?). I might do a workbook as a PDF plus a “Bite Sized Creativity Hub” on Notion (because who am I without the app??).

3. Send personalized early copies

Bill Gates sent Scott Galloway an early copy of his book “Source Code” with a handwritten note: “I also recorded a short excerpt that I thought you might like”. I loved that early readers not only get an early copy, but also a personalized note. It made me think that if I recommend a particular chapter or passage that might resonate with them, it will make them more inclined to read at least that part of the book.

How I can do it: Send the book to friends with a note like, “Hey, I think you’ll like the chapter on passion vs pocket”.

4. Pre-market by sharing the value of the book

Sahil shared book snippets, the insightful paragraphs from his book, the anecdotes and tips, all in his newsletter before launch. He basically showed his audience what they will get if they buy the book. I can do the same, but shift that sharing to before the book is out, not after. All those early impressions stack up. Frontloading sales also means the book charts faster.

I can share some ideas online and not be worried so much that publicizing knowledge will cannibalize my sales. If Sahil is any demonstration, his many, many true fans still flock to buy his book.

5. Focus on stories

Frameworks and case studies are great, but what ultimately resonates is a story that is relatable, personal, and powerful. When sharing bits about my book, I should lead with the story. The lessons can follow.

The author is the marketer

Sahil’s way of marketing his book shows that in 2025, book sales don’t just happen. We gotta activate the existing network we worked so hard to build through our online following. Tell a story that sticks. Build hype. Get our work in front of our own audiences and others’. Offer real value before and after launch.

Sahil Bloom played this game masterfully.

If you're launching a book, remember: the most influential marketer is you.

So uh… what does a girl need to do for you to feel compelled to drop your email? (And did someone say Notion page?)

Thank you to friends who gave early feedback to this essay:

Rik

,

Ved Shankar

, and

Karena

.

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Update log:

• 📨 Figuring out email sequencing after reading this post from

  Nicolas Cole
  and
  Dickie Bush

• 💬 Chat with

  Danny Oak
  who tried really hard to convince me that I have stuff that deserve to be behind a paywall. It’s very cool to have friends like him <3

• 📞 Chat with

  Linart Seprioto
  about his bite-sized creative project, which is (drumroll) himself!

• 📤 I hit 400 subscribers on Substack! That’s so wild. Thank you for giving any form of attention at all to this little corner of mine.

• 🎙️ Did a spontaneous karaoke session on Saturday. Singing Breaking Free felt like the start of something new.

• ⛰️ Hiked Violet Hill with a friend that’s visiting Hong Kong. My physiotherapist asked me the next day what I did and I completely forgot I went on a full-blown hike.

Book a call: Have a bite-sized creative project you want to start? Let’s figure out the systems to get that going. I promise to be your earliest fan - https://calendly.com/beckyisj/

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