Jeremy Burrows Sold 40,000 Copies of His Niche Book and Increased His Speaking Fees by 10x

Jeremy Burrows spent nearly two decades as an Executive Assistant, but his path wasn’t always smooth. After his executive was fired, Jeremy found himself burned out, unemployed, and sitting on a mountaintop in Colorado wondering what to do next.

He realized he wanted to help other assistants avoid the burnout he had experienced. He started blogging, networking, and coaching, slowly building a reputation in the industry. But as his influence grew, he hit a ceiling.

“I was having the same conversations over and over again. I was sharing the same advice to groups of assistants at different companies. I realized that if I really wanted to help as many people as possible, I had to get this down into a scalable version.”

Jeremy had the content—he had written nearly 75,000 words on his blog—but he needed a way to package it that would establish undeniable authority in his field.

Jeremy Wanted a “Bestseller” Look Without the Traditional Publisher

Jeremy considered his options. He had seen friends work with traditional publishers and knew the reality: they wouldn’t do the marketing for him, and they would take a massive cut of the royalties.

He wanted to own his intellectual property and keep the ability to sell directly to his audience. However, he refused to compromise on quality.

“I knew I wanted to write it myself, but I wanted it to look like a bestseller. Even if the book sucked, I wanted the cover and the interior to look professional. I didn’t want any typos. I wanted it to stand side-by-side with traditionally published books.”

Jeremy chose Scribe to handle the publishing, cover design, and interior layout, ensuring his self-published book had the polish of a major house release while allowing him to retain full control.

The Launch: A Family Affair and $10,000 in Pre-Sales

Because Jeremy retained ownership, he was able to get creative with his launch. He created a “Super Fan Bundle” for his most loyal followers, which included a signed hardcover, a t-shirt, stickers, and a coaching call for $100.

His goal was to sell 100 bundles to recoup his initial investment. To track it, he hung a chart on his refrigerator.

“I had my kids, who were young at the time, color in a square every time I sold a bundle. When we sold 10, we’d go get ice cream. It was amazing to have them cheering me on.”

He sold out all 100 bundles, generating $10,000 in revenue before the book even officially launched.

The Result: 40,000 Copies Sold and a Career Level-Up

Since its release in 2020, The Leader Assistant has become a phenomenon in the administrative professional world, delivering tangible results that far exceeded Jeremy’s expectations.

1. Sold Over 40,000 Copies In a niche market, Jeremy has achieved massive volume. Between ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks, he has sold over 40,000 copies, averaging about 10,000 copies per year
2. 10x Increase in Speaking Fees Before the book, Jeremy was speaking for free or for small honorariums of $300 to build experience. The book completely changed his perceived value in the marketplace
3. A Consistent Lead Generation Machine The book has become the primary way corporations and event planners find him. Jeremy notes that nearly every inquiry for a keynote speech or corporate training session starts with, “We read your book.”
4. Viral Amazon Success During his launch week, Jeremy reached #167 on the overall Amazon Best Sellers list, a rare feat for a business niche book. He has since amassed over 1,200 reviews, creating a flywheel effect that keeps the book visible to new readers every day.

By combining his industry expertise with Scribe’s professional publishing standards, Jeremy didn’t just write a book; he built a brand that allows him to work full-time as an executive while running a thriving speaking and coaching business on the side.

“As soon as I had the book out, I started asking people for their budget, and it was suddenly thousands of dollars. It’s like taking your thought leadership to a whole other level. The book is the credibility pillar…It’s an investment to publish a book—money, time, energy. But I was lucky enough to make most of my money back after about a year, and the indirect benefits of networking and speaking have been incredible.”