The 5 AM Miracle is Going Pro . . .
I Just Signed a Book Contract!

Bucket list? Check!

Three weeks ago I received an email out of the blue from a book publisher who wanted to know if I was interested in writing a book about productivity and early mornings. Well, that sounds like my favorite kind of email.

Photo Credit: Jeff Sanders

I could have easily assumed this random message was junk mail and simply deleted it. In fact, I was highly suspicious of it when it first arrived. Who gets offers to write books in their inbox?

Turns out, this kind of thing actually does happen.

The 5 AM Miracle is Going Pro

Pardon me while I scream a little . . . Whoo Hooo! Book deal! Book deal! Book deal! Yeeeaaahhh!

Ok, enough of that. Let’s get to the good stuff. The 5 AM Miracle, my eBook turned podcast is now making the next leap into a traditionally published book thanks to the wonderful people at Ulysses Press in Berkeley, California.

In the back of my mind, for years now, I have been planning for this day. You could call it randomness, dumb luck, or coincidence, but offers like this happen for a reason.

It wasn’t random.

The Journey to the Contract

I have been building websites since 2008, including my first, TessaAndJeff.com, which I created for my wedding. Though it’s not around anymore, that little site was my beginning into the world of blogging, web design, and, yes, even podcasting.

The day after I got engaged Tessa and I returned from our trip to Cape Code and we were talking about how to share our wedding news. Tessa suggested I create a website and I was off to the races. It amazes me now how excited I was about it, but looking back I realize it was my beginning.

I saw an opportunity to create something, to experiment with my own creativity. In reality, I just wanted an excuse to have my own website.

Within a year I had developed a full site, complete with a plenty of pictures, blog posts, and a podcast named “Gibberish” that lasted 3 episodes and was the most rambling, incoherent audio program I could imagine.

In 2009 I started “Graduated and Clueless,” my first professional blog that would quickly turn into a self-published 220-page eBook and 6-hour audiobook (which is no longer available publicly).

In 2012 I transitioned my website at GraduatedAndClueless.com into JeffSanders.tv, which later transitioned to my current site here at JeffSanders.com.

I literally spent thousands of hours developing these sites without making a penny. It wasn’t until the last two years that I have been monetizing my work through coaching and product sales.

I think it’s accurate to call my work a labor of love. I am in love with the creative process, seeing something appear out of nothing and knowing it only exists because I took action to create it.

100% Self-Taught

I didn’t go to school to learn how to code websites, write how-to articles, or produce productivity podcasts. Over the years, in combination with thousands of hours of consuming online videos, articles, and audio programs, I have taught myself everything I know about online business and content creation.

I have learned (at least enough to be dangerous) HTML, PHP, CSS, SEO, WordPress, graphic design, blogging, book writing, podcasting, video production, audio production, coaching, product development, sales, marketing, social media promotion, organizational skills, productivity, and business finance.

The vast majority of this learning took place on nights and weekends when I wasn’t working my full-time job or running marathons. Today I work for myself, but that wasn’t always the case. For years I was squeezing every extra minute out of my day in order to figure out the next step in the process.

Making time for your passion is undeniably one of the keys to living a life of fulfillment, and in many cases that time will transform into benefits you could have never predicted.

I will also note that I work alone without any employees or virtual assistants. Everything you see on my website, read on my blog, and listen to on my podcast is somehow tied back to me creating it.

God help me, this will NOT be my future, but this is how I have worked up to this point. I definitely plan to hire help in the future, but not until I’m ready.

The Difference Maker

20-page eBooks like The 5 AM Miracle rarely turn into traditionally published books.

Podcasts almost never make that transition. But, if you have followed my online brand that I have been building here for the last few years it may appear to simply be the next step in the journey — a natural progression — the inevitability of consistency, passion, and thousands of hours of free labor.

The now sacred first email that I received from my editor said that she was doing research on the topics of productivity and waking up early. She was hoping to publish a book on those topics and had run across my podcast.

Note that she didn’t say she found my website or read my blog. She specifically referenced the podcast as the sole reason she was reaching out to me and that’s exactly what I had been hoping for since day one.

Hence, the power of the podcast.

Podcasting, Passion, and a Personal Touch

I have conducted numerous surveys of my audience in the last few years and I love reading amazing thoughts like these:

“I don’t remember how I found your podcast but I have been listening since the beginning. THANK YOU!!”

“Keep up the great work Jeff. I know in the online space it’s sometimes hard to feel like you are making a difference, but your podcast has made a big difference in my life.“

“I LOVE your podcast and your mission! Everyone I have recommended you to has become a subscriber. Keep hosting amazing interviews and inspiring us all to be more productive!“

What stands out to me the most is that few people go out of their way to discuss other parts of my brand like my blog, website, facebook group, coaching services, or products. The podcast ALWAYS gets the attention.

There are many reasons for the podcast taking center stage, but here are a few of the top contenders:

1. Passion: In the first 60 seconds of every episode of my podcast you can hear the most important aspects of my brand: my voice, passion, energy, and enthusiasm. That’s what attracts new listeners and keeps them returning to hear more.
2. Intimacy: It’s hard to get to know someone from a distance, but it’s quite easy when they are literally in your ears. Podcasting has been my greatest vehicle for delivering my message directly, without many barriers like reading long text or having to sit and watch a lengthy video.
3. Transparency: In case you haven’t heard many of my episodes, I tend to share quite a bit about my life. In fact, there’s not much I hold back and that level of authenticity creates trust that otherwise could only be earned in person (or possibly on video).
4. Consistency: I have a very high bar when it comes to delivering every episode on time, every Monday morning, week after week. Listeners know they can expect a dose of inspiration and action every 7 days, without fail.

A famous definition of sales is “the transfer of enthusiasm.” That is exactly how I view my podcast and that is why I believe it is the most popular aspect of my business.

When you have an effective means of sharing with others what moves your soul, you have a wild success on your hands. That’s what podcasting is to me and that’s why I believe it is the greatest factor that lead to my book contract.

It also helps that my podcast has millions of downloads and that it has ranked #1 in Apple Podcasts in both the Business and Self-Help categories. But, those are simply side effects of doing the hard work over and over again.

The Inevitability of Hard Freakin’ Work

It would be too easy to simply say that a podcast is the ticket to a book contract, because that’s simply not true. There are hundreds of thousands of podcasts in existence today and the competition is more fierce than ever.

There are also many reasons why book deals are offered to anyone (audience size, celebrity status, niche market domination, etc.).

As many successful people have said, and as I’ve read over and over again in dozens of books, consistency is king. The person who never gives up is the one who eventually wins the race.

Likewise, hard work never goes out of style. Busting your butt is a great strategy to hone your skills and (to steal Steve Martin’s words) “become so good they can’t ignore you.”

Though I can’t say with certainty that any publisher would have ever offered a book contract to me sometime in the future, I can say that opportunities always show up if you’re on the field playing the game.

That has always been my strategy and it will continue to be so. Whenever I am striving for a goal that matters to me I know the only surefire way to reach that destination is to jump in feet first.

I Plan to Share My Journey

In case you were wondering, yes, I will be discussing my book writing journey in great detail over the next year as this project unfolds. I have until July 15, 2015 to finish the manuscript and the tentative launch date is January or February of 2016.

In the mean time, I have a lot of writing to do!

I won’t bore you to death with unnecessary details, but I expect to take my own productivity to the next level with this project. In turn, that should provide a whole new platform from which I can glean new insights and help you reach your own next level of success.

As always, if you have any questions about what I’m up to, feel free to email me. If your question fits the bill, I may even share it on the podcast.

You Deserve My Thanks

As a reader of my blog, listener of my podcast, and follower of my highly energetic message, I cannot thank you enough for sticking me with. It means everything to me that you would take the time out of your day to consume my content and make me part of your life, if even just for a short time.

This business is my livelihood, my life, and, in many ways, my calling. I believe that my greatest work is yet to come and I’m thrilled that I get to share this journey with you.

Though I cannot guarantee my book will be a New York Times Bestseller or that it will blow your socks off when you read it, I can guarantee you that I will put every ounce of effort I have into this work because this is for you.

A book doesn’t mean much without readers, so believe me when I say that I will be thinking about you a lot more in the next few months (but not in a creepy way, I promise).

I Will Need Your Help

I have only just begun the planning stages of the book but I already know that I will be collecting success stories from people just like you. So, if you have been transforming your life in the shadows in recent months, I may be asking you to share your story in a more public setting.

I’ll dig into more details later, but for now just be thinking about what message you have for the world based on your own journey of waking up early to dominate your day before breakfast.

Thanks so much! I’ll be in touch.