Most people think a book is the finish line.
Modern authors know it’s the starting point.
Book Is the Hook breaks down how thinkers, founders, consultants, and creators use books to build authority, open doors, and create real leverage.
Host Eric Koester is an award-winning entrepreneurship professor, author, and founder of Manuscripts, where he’s helped thousands of professionals turn ideas into published books and high-impact platforms.
Each episode explores one core question:
How do you use a book to change your trajectory, not just your bio?
You’ll hear behind-the-scenes conversations, frameworks, and case studies on:
- Turning a book into clients, speaking, and paid opportunities
- Using writing as a low-risk, high-upside career bet
- Building a platform while the book is still being written
- Why most “author brands” stall and how modern authors avoid it
This isn’t a podcast about writing better sentences. It’s about using a book as leverage in a noisy world.
Episodes
Sunday Mar 26, 2023
Sunday Mar 26, 2023
Riley Sager didn’t break out by writing more books.
He broke out by writing differently.
After three novels that barely sold, Riley changed his approach to story, structure, and momentum. Final Girls became the inflection point, and it started with one decision most writers avoid, designing the ending first.
In this conversation, we go deep on the craft and the business of writing thrillers: outlining, twists, revision cycles, and the pen name strategy that reset his career.
This episode is especially valuable if you’re early in your author journey and trying to build real momentum, not just finish drafts.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
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How Riley went from obscurity to bestseller
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Why he outlines heavily (and when he breaks the rules)
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How to design plot twists with emotional payoff
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The revision process behind a publishable thriller
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What most writers misunderstand about publishing
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How to keep writing through imposter syndrome and perfectionism
If you want a behind-the-scenes look at how commercial fiction actually gets built, this is the blueprint.
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