The authors who get the most from their books give them away. They mail them to the people they want as clients, hand them over in first meetings, and put one in every seat. This is the playbook, proven step by step by Scribe authors who did it, in their own words and on camera.
Every step below is backed by a Scribe author who used a free copy of their book to win clients. Every number on this page is theirs.
Email me the free playbookThe full checklist PDF, plus the giveaway math worksheet. Free, sent to your inbox.
First, proof that a free book wins clients
Before the how-to, here is what giving the book away actually did for these Scribe authors. Every number is their own.
Clients sign up within 62 days
Cameron Herold mails hundreds of copies a week. His average client signs up within 62 days of receiving the book.
Cameron Herold
The best lead magnet they have
Michael Erath mails 75 to 100 books a month to targeted lists. In his words, "without a doubt the best lead magnet that we have."
Michael Erath
A seven-figure landing page
Shaan Patel offers his book free, just pay shipping. He calls that page "a seven-figure earner for us."
Shaan Patel
Leads worth three to five times more
Shaan's math: a lead who asks for the printed book is worth three to five times a lead who downloads a free PDF.
Shaan Patel
One client pays for a thousand books
At about $10 a book and a client worth around $14,000, one signing covers a thousand copies.
Cameron Herold
Booked by the people she mailed it to
Two people Rachel Williamson mailed a free copy to hired her: one to speak, one for a consulting project.
Rachel A. Williamson
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It depends on one number: what a client is worth to you. If one client is worth more than a few hundred copies of your book, a giveaway almost always pays. Run your own numbers in the calculator below.
It also depends on the book. A giveaway only works when the reader thinks better of you on every page. If you would hesitate to hand your book to your best prospect, fix the book first.
If both answers are yes, here is the playbook.
The playbook: 7 steps to a book that brings you clients
Work them in order. Each step is the principle, then a Scribe author proving it.
1
Pick who gets a book
Do not send it to everyone. Send it to the people you would most like to work with: past clients, people you have worked with, and the companies you admire. Make a real list, and keep it.
Rachel A. Williamson
Author of 30 Days to Running Great Stores
Rachel built her list from people she already knew in retail, plus the brands she wanted as clients. Two of the people she mailed a copy to booked her: one to speak at their event, one for a consulting project.
Clip · Rachel Williamson on mailing the book to get booked · 0:27
Read what Rachel A. Williamson said
I've mailed a free copy to. It's not that big of an investment. The shipping is twice the cost of the book itself quite honestly. So there's a little bit of an investment there, but I've had a couple people I sent a free copy to who have booked me for two different things. One to talk at an event that they're hosting and giving away books and talking about retail and then the other one is a consulting project that's coming up.
"I actually had a strategy for sending books to people I knew in the industry, either prior clients, people who I had worked with across my retail career, many different brands, and then as well, brands that I admire"
Rachel A. Williamson, on Author Hour
Michael Erath
Author of Five Obsessions of Elite Organizations · Next Level Growth
Michael's team mails 75 to 100 books a month to targeted lists, and logs every send in the CRM so they can see who later becomes a lead.
"We give away books all the time. We mail books out to targeted lists."
Michael Erath, on Author Hour
Richard Shaull
Exit planning advisor
Richard runs outbound campaigns to the clients he would most like to have, offering to ship them the book for free.
"it's just been about how do we get the book in as many qualified people's hands as possible."
Richard Shaull, on Author Hour
2
Make it a gift, not a brochure
A book in a padded envelope is mail. A book with a handwritten note, wrapped like a present, is a gift, and people remember who sent it. Add a personal note to every copy.
Nicholas Capman
Author of The Passionate Workforce
Every new client of Nicholas's firm gets a branded box with a ribbon and confetti, his book, an engraved bottle of wine, and a thank-you card. In the clip he explains why he added the wine.
Clip · Nicholas Capman on the box every client gets · 0:57
Read what Nicholas Capman said
For our new clients, what we do is we send them an FDA Group box, right? It's got like the FDA Group logo and it's got a ribbon and all that and you open it up and it's got confetti. And what I put in there is I wanted to send out my book, but I didn't want to be pretentious. So I also included an FDA Group engraved bottle of wine. It's really, really pretty. It's engraved and it says the FDA Group. And so we have a bottle of wine and then we have my book and then just a thank you card for working with us. And so that's actually how I use the book.
Rachel A. Williamson
On packaging
Rachel's mailer is part of the message: a card with a personal note, die-cut stickers of the Mini Cooper from her cover, and envelopes printed with the book's cover.
"I sent them a book and I had cards made with a special note that went inside each book. I had vinyl die cut stickers made of the Mini Cooper"
Rachel A. Williamson, on Author Hour
Brandon Pipkin
Autobahn · Rock Your Business
Brandon's plan for his top relationships: a copy of the book and a handwritten note for each.
"100 or so VVIPs in our network that will all get a book. And I think a handwritten note to go along with it."
Brandon Pipkin, on Author Hour
3
Hand it over at the first meeting
Your book is the best leave-behind you will ever have. A prospect who reads it arrives at the second meeting already knowing how you think, and nobody throws a book away.
Jake Falcon
Author of Retiring Right · Falcon Wealth Advisors
Jake gives a copy to every person at the first meeting. To him, the book has replaced the website.
Clip · Jake Falcon on the book as the new website · 0:27
Read what Jake Falcon said
You can think of it as a more robust business card, a deeper website. To me, it's the new website. If you want to put yourself out as a professional that truly believes in my situation, enhancing financial literacy, it's the way that I get to accomplish that. I give a copy to every single person that I meet with on that initial meeting.
Mario Simonyan
Author of On the Corner of IP and Amazon
Mario calls his book his business card, and he mails hard copies to potential clients. In the clip he explains why a book outlasts a card.
Clip · Mario Simonyan on books as business cards · 0:48
Read what Mario Simonyan said
This was going to be my business card. All right? And that's really what I've used it for. Any book you give, you give to someone, right? They're not going to throw it away. Like if you think about it, when was the last time you threw a book away? You may donate it, you may give it to a friend, but you'll never throw it away. Where if you go to a conference and you're handing out business cards, how many conferences have we been to and how many business cards have we stuffed in our pockets or in those bags and just you get home and throw it away, right? We've used this book as if we're mailing out to potential clients, providing a copy of that book, a hard copy in there, or giving away just emailing the PDF to potential clients that aren't in the US. So that's what we've used it for, our business card.
Harris Nydick
Author of Common Financial Sense
Harris wrote his book as a business card for new clients, and he hands it to prospects.
"I don't know how many of the clients that became clients because I handed them the book wouldn't have become clients if I didn't hand the book. Maybe it's the same, but I got to tell you, it made the whole process a lot easier"
Harris Nydick, on Author Hour
4
Do the math once
Know what a book costs you to send and what a client is worth. When one client pays for hundreds of books, you stop rationing them.
Cameron Herold
Author of Second in Command · Founder, COO Alliance
Cameron mails hundreds of copies a week, shipping included. In the clip he walks through the math: about $10 a book, a client worth about $14,000, and clients signing up within 62 days of getting the book.
Clip · Cameron Herold on mailing hundreds of books a week · 1:12
Read what Cameron Herold said
Right now, one of the things we're doing for the COO Alliance is we're giving away copies of our book, The Second in Command. I'm mailing them, I'm including shipping. And we're sending out hundreds of copies a week because the more people that read the book, the more that are signing up for the COO Alliance. Right now, we're finding out that the average client is signing up for the COO Alliance within 62 days of receiving the book. So my lifetime value for a client's around $14,000. I can send out a thousand books at $10 each. If I convert one people, I make more than my cost. So like the numbers are just really, really working for us.
Michael Erath
On the cost per client
Michael's all-in cost is about $16 a book. One client for every 50 books is a cost he is happy with.
Clip · Michael Erath on the best lead magnet he has · 0:25
Read what Michael Erath said
When I look at this from a customer acquisition cost perspective, it's because of the amount of context that the book provides the reader, it's without a doubt the best lead magnet that we have. And they spend hours and hours learning about you in like a high prestige medium in like this really well curated experience.
"my total cost is about $16 per book that I send out right so so so sending the books out relative to if you know if one in 50 books ever turns into a client. the customer acquisition cost is, is perfectly fine"
Michael Erath, on Author Hour
5
Let strangers pay the shipping
For people who do not know you yet, offer the book free and ask them to cover shipping. A stranger who pays a few dollars for your book is a far better lead than one who downloads a PDF.
Shaan Patel
Author of Prep Expert Digital SAT Playbook · Prep Expert
Shaan runs ads that offer the book free, just pay $5 to $7 shipping. He loses money on each book and makes it back on what readers buy next.
Clip · Shaan Patel on the free book offer · 0:18
Read what Shaan Patel said
So being able to actually, you know, fulfill a free book, even though I'm losing money on that book, I usually make it back in upsells and order bumps, etc. So if you can make it work, it's one of the most powerful, I would say, lead generators for businesses out there now.
"The lead is worth, I think, when we calculated out like five times more, three times more than just someone who's going to download a free PDF."
Shaan Patel, on Author Hour
Jeb White
Author of Breaking Into College
Jeb offers the book free for the cost of shipping, and gives it to every student when he speaks at a high school.
"They actually can get a free copy of the book there, just cover the shipping, I’ll ship your book anywhere and I speak to high schools across the country and I give books to all the students who are in attendance."
Jeb White
6
Follow up like a person
The book opens the door; a person walks through it. A short, human check-in a week or two after it arrives turns a reader into a conversation.
Gino Barbaro
Author of Creative Cash · Jake & Gino
Gino's team followed every free book with a simple question from a real person.
"a setter would reach out and say, Hey, have you enjoyed the book? Is there anything we can help you with? Would you like to set up a call with one of our team members?"
Gino Barbaro, on Author Hour
Deb Gabor
Author of Branding is Sex
For Deb, the free copy was the reason to reconnect.
"sending them free copies gave me an excuse to get in touch with people I hadn't spoken to in too long."
Deb Gabor
Jorge Newbery
Author and investor
Jorge offers his book free on podcasts. Listeners read it, and many became investors.
"It gains some trust right away because they read the book and they say, 'Hey, I really know this guy.'"
Jorge Newbery
7
Put it in every room
Every talk, every new client, every partner: everyone gets a copy. When the whole room has read your book, you are speaking the same language.
Erik Huberman
Founder, Hawke Media
Every client, employee and partner of Hawke Media gets a copy. When Erik spoke to a Chamber of Commerce board, he brought one for everyone in the room.
Clip · Erik Huberman on the Hawke Media Bible · 0:26
Read what Erik Huberman said
I thought it'd be a good long-term credibility tool. And what it did that I didn't foresee is now every client, every employee, every partner, we give a copy of the book to, and now we're all speaking the same language. So it became the Hawke Media Bible. And in that way, like I spoke at the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce today to the board of like 20 people, and they asked me to come speak on marketing and how they can learn about marketing and help the community and all that, and I brought them all a copy of the book.
Mario Simonyan
On the welcome desk
At a conference where Mario spoke, every attendee got his book at the welcome desk.
"we actually had the books given away to all the attendees at the welcome desk as part of their welcome gift. And a few weeks later, someone emailed me goes, I didn't know you wrote a book, but I have it in my hand"
Mario Simonyan, on Author Hour
Cameron Herold
On every talk
Cameron does not give a talk without books for the audience.
"Every single time I’ve spoken for the last seven or eight years, everyone gets one of my books."
Cameron Herold
Run your giveaway math
Step 4 says do the math once. Here it is, with the numbers two authors shared on Author Hour. Change the numbers to yours.
~$10
Cameron Herold's cost per book, shipping included
~$16
Michael Erath's all-in cost per book
1 in 50
Books that become a client, a rate Michael is happy with
~$14K
What one client is worth to Cameron
Where a book gives you a head start
Every other lead magnet asks for an email and gives a few pages back. A book gives a stranger hours with your thinking before you ever meet. That is why Michael Erath calls it his best lead magnet, and why Cameron Herold's clients arrive having already decided.
Know your number before you mail a single copy. If the books you can afford per client is bigger than the books it takes to win one, mail more books. The worksheet in the free PDF walks through it line by line.
Figures shown are what each author said on Author Hour. The calculator is simple division, not a promise of results.
★ Free PDF Checklist
Get the whole playbook as a checklist
Every step on this page, plus the deeper how-to details, as a checklist you can actually work through. Includes the full systems from Cameron Herold, Michael Erath, and Shaan Patel, plus the giveaway math worksheet.
The master checklist: every step on one page
Cameron Herold's mail-it-out system
Michael Erath's targeted-list system
Shaan Patel's free-plus-shipping funnel
Bonus: the giveaway math worksheet
Bonus: the gift mailer and follow-up tracker
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