Mario Simonyan Has Distributed 10,000 Copies of His Scribe Book Without Running a Single Ad — and Is Now Planning His Second
"The book is here to help the business generate leads and get qualified leads. That's really what we use it for."
— Mario Simonyan, Founder, ESQGo
Mario Simonyan never wrote his book to sell a million copies. He wrote it to walk into rooms full of Amazon sellers and become the only intellectual property attorney in the conversation. Three and a half years later, his Los Angeles firm ESQGo has handed out close to ten thousand copies, runs cold mail campaigns with the book tucked inside the envelope, and just celebrated its eighth anniversary on June 1. Mario is now planning book two with Scribe.
A specialty so narrow that one book corners the entire niche
Mario practices in a corner of law where, by his count, two or three other attorneys in the world do what he does. ESQGo helps brands with an ecommerce presence remove copycats and unauthorized sellers from Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, and eBay. The book, On the Corner of IP and Amazon, is essentially intellectual property 101 for Amazon sellers, told through the war stories from his firm. When a brand owner searches for help with the most existential threat to their livelihood, Mario is the one person who literally wrote the book on it.
"I can't pound myself on the back too much, but I think we're one of the best at what we do. Once we remove infringers from Amazon, they don't magically disappear. They go to Walmart, then TikTok, then eBay. It's not getting any better. But at least there's people like us who can help these brands recover."
— Mario Simonyan
The book as business card, not revenue source
Mario has run zero Amazon ads on his own listing. He has never optimized the book for sales rank. His use case is the opposite of bestseller chasing. When his sales team is on a consultation and a question comes up, they tell the prospect, "Mario covers that in chapter three. Want a physical copy mailed, or the PDF in your inbox?" When the firm runs a cold outreach campaign to brands that need help but have never heard of ESQGo, the USPS package contains a printed copy of the book. At a conference in Brooklyn, the organizers placed Mario's book at the welcome desk as part of every attendee's welcome gift. Weeks later, a stranger emailed Mario holding the book in his hand.
"When was the last time you threw a book away? You may donate it. You may give it to a friend. You'll never throw it away. Where if you go to a conference and you're handing out business cards, how many of those have we stuffed in a bag and thrown away when we got home? The book is the artifact that lasts."
— Mario Simonyan
Year-to-date in June: about two thousand copies in the hands of prospects
Mario tracks distribution, not retail sales. Through June 2026, ESQGo has put roughly two thousand copies into circulation, on pace for more than four thousand by year-end. Mario does not run reports correlating book distribution to revenue. He doesn't have to. The firm has been "blessed" with growth year over year, and the book is a permanent fixture in how the firm acquires and qualifies clients.
Why the second book targets a more sophisticated client
Mario is now planning book two with Scribe. The first book was IP 101 for newer Amazon sellers. The second book will be focused on brands doing $5 million to $100 million in revenue, a more sophisticated clientele that has outgrown the entry-level conversation. Mario already has the outline forming. He sent his CEO a document with the origin story he is working out. "I see the outline in the book already," his CEO replied. "Yeah, that's exactly what I see too," Mario said back.
"I do feel like with my first time, not enough of my personality and my background and some personal facts came in. With the second book, I think including a lot more of that, but then really focusing on brands doing five million to a hundred million. So the goal is to get to a ten by the end of this year."
— Mario Simonyan
Why a first-time author trusts the process the second time around
When Mario went looking for a publishing partner, Scribe was the only company he interviewed. He had heard the founders on a podcast back when the company was still called Book in a Box. He knew the first book would feel like climbing a mountain. He also knew that doing it alone would have left him still writing it. ESQGo is the firm Mario built after passing the bar and exiting the two Amazon brands he created in law school. He is mature enough in business to know when to hire professionals.
The book is a tool. Mario uses one specific lever: authority and lead qualification. He estimates there are a million other ways an author could use one. His advice to first-time authors echoes how he ran his own process. Know exactly what you're going to use the book for, the day you start writing. Once that's clear, the rest is on rails.
"Number one, understand what your objective is. Why are you writing a book? Mine was never to sell a billion copies. It was to use as an authority piece. And that's how I've been using it four or five years later. So understand what you're going to be using it for. Once that's done, the rest is very easy."
— Mario Simonyan
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