Nicholas Sansbury Smith on Building a Hybrid Publishing Empire with Audiobooks and AI

From Author to Entrepreneur

• 💡 Storytelling is a business, a realization that took Nicholas Sansbury Smith two books to fully grasp.
• 🚀 He emphasizes the need to go beyond just writing and create a business by understanding Amazon, distribution, and various formats.
• 📚 Smith is a hybrid author, balancing self-publishing with traditional deals, and strategically chooses which path to take for different formats.

The Power of Audiobooks and Narrators

• 💰 Audiobooks are highlighted as a significant and growing source of revenue for authors today.
• 🗣️ Nicholas emphasizes the importance of great narrators, mentioning RC Bray, Bronson Pinchot, and Ray Porter, who bring stories to life and expand reach.
• 🎧 Traditional publishers are often preferred for audiobooks, with agents helping to navigate the complex landscape of audiobook publishers.

Execution, Discipline, and Quality

• 🎯 While ideas are plentiful, execution is the hardest part of the writing process.
• 🏃‍♂️ Disciplined practices, like training for triathlons and Iron Mans, helped Smith develop the focus needed for writing and editing.
• ✨ The core challenge is ensuring each book is better than the last, focusing on character development, plot, and introducing unique elements like science into genres.

Navigating Criticism and Adapting to Change

• ✍️ Negative reviews, while potentially hurtful, can be valuable if they offer legitimate feedback that can be used to improve future work.
• ⚠️ Smith views the rapid shift in the market, particularly with AI, as a "storm" that requires proactive risk mitigation and adaptation.
• 📈 He is not afraid to try new things, create new intellectual property, and build new teams to reach new markets and audiences.

The Future of Publishing and Aspirations

• 🤖 AI is seen as both a potential threat and a useful tool in the creative world, particularly for editing, but its future impact on writing is uncertain.
• 🌟 Smith's greatest aspiration is to continue creating businesses around his core strength: writing.
• 💼 He also enjoys investing, but ultimately wants to stick to writing for the rest of his career, while mitigating risks associated with technological shifts like AI.