Book Is the Hook

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.
Podcast Description
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
Episodes
May 8, 2019
May 8, 2019
31 min
In my today's podcast you have the chance to hear story of Alana Muller - a networking coach, consultant, workshop facilitator, keynoter and lecturer. Like she would say - she loves to connect with people around the world and to share stories on topics such as networking, entrepreneurship and women in business. She has been a contributor to Forbes, The Huffington Post, CNBC and other publications and was a featured speaker at TEDxOverlandPark.#creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein #CNBC #forbes #huffingtonpost #TEDx
May 7, 2019
Creating Creativity | Tina Seelig
May 7, 2019
May 7, 2019
32 min
"Do things with no right answer."
Tina Seelig is an award winning Stanford University professor, serial author and speaker focused of creativity. And for her this "problem" was one that she didn't truly discover until she was a doctoral student working in the field of Neuroscience. Like most of us, she'd been learning how to find the right answer - and excelled at each step of the way.
But she quickly realized that the most powerful way to learn is when things *don't* have a right answer. Discovering is where we are the most vulnerable and experience the most growth.
In this intriguing discussion, Tina shares her insights and experiences teaching creativity (yes it can be taught and learned) and offers a unique look into the emerging science of creativity, discovery and learning. She offers a powerful framework to unlock our creativity - something that had me pondering for days after our chat.
#creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein
May 6, 2019
Becoming The Product Guru | Jeff Morris Jr
May 6, 2019
May 6, 2019
44 min
What are you waiting on?
Jeff Morris Jr. is one of the top voices on building products as the director of product revenue at Tinder and investing in them through his own VC fund. But less than five years ago he couldn't get high potential startup companies to give him a second look.
So he decided he'd learn to code through a General Assembly program.Only issue was the program didn't start for a few months... so he needed something to do. He thought he'd put this extra time to work and try to build a few things *without* knowing how to code. Over the next two months, those little mini-experiments resulted in him launching three #1 rated products on Product Hunt. Oh and he never wound up taking that coding bootcamp.
On our fascinating conversation (as you'll hear, I am a huge huge fan of him), Jeff and I talk about our time together at Zaarly, Inc, his transition through the startup ecosystem and how through it all he's found a way to create his own path rather than waiting for someone to give him permission. #creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein #tinder #dating #app #venturecaptiral #vc
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May 3, 2019
The Un-Networker | Scott Gerber
May 3, 2019
May 3, 2019
44 min
I royally screwed up the start of my interview with Scott Gerber. Thankfully he's a friend and a nice enough guy that he used it as a teaching lesson.
My gaffe? I called him "the ultimate networker."
He politely corrected me... "Does anyone *want* to be known as networker?"
And he's right. On our fascinating conversation we dive into the very question -- how you can build real connection and collaboration today, something Scott has done with The Community Company. Today more than ever before it's about rising above the noise, being authentic and trying to judge your 'network' on the number of people who'd really go to bat for you based on what you've done together, not how many tweets they retweeted.
#creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein #networking
May 2, 2019
The Startup Weekend | Marc Nager
May 2, 2019
May 2, 2019
34 min
Startup Weekend legitimately changed my life.
Yes, a single weekend did that. (I *did* just happened to do many many of these weekend events because I loved the experience so much). The experience was powerful because of the people and community I met. Startup Weekend let me truly collaborate with people who changed my entire trajectory - Scott Case, Shane Mac, T. A. McCann, Brad Feld, Bo Fishback, Ian Hunter, Greg Gottesman, Steve Case, Mary Grove, Nick Seguin, Adam Hofmann, Franck Nouyrigat and many more.
At the center of the experience was a way to create and build something with others - in a safe, collaborative & educational way. And for me it's what actually inspired my goal to teach through creation (like books, podcasts and more). #creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein
In this conversation, I chat with Marc Nager who lead the charge to transform entrepreneurship around the globe by building Startup Weekend into the force it is today. We talk about why creating something *together* is at the core of this DNA. (Full conversation linked in the comments.)
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May 1, 2019
May 1, 2019
56 min
Tiffany Norwood is a global serial entrepreneur with a career spanning 30 years, seven start-ups, two IPOs and a patent. In her 20s, she raised $670 million to fund a global satellite radio start-up called WorldSpace, within a couple of years XM Radio was born and still exists today as part of Sirius XM. Tiffany is considered one of the pioneers of digital broadcasting. She personally did some of the first ever digital content licensing deals in the 1990s with Michael Bloomberg (Bloomberg News) and Phil Kent (CNN). Also, she was an early collaborator with the Fraunhofer Institute and their MP3 and MP4 technologies, spending many nights at their labs in Germany more than 20 years ago. Check out her story! #creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein
Apr 30, 2019
Rocket Man | Evan Loomis
Apr 30, 2019
Apr 30, 2019
35 min
"I basically wrote a children's book so my kids could meet Elon Musk."
Evan Loomis is the definition of an entrepreneur in everything he does. From founding multiple companies, investing in emerging startups and being a leading voice in Austin's startup scene, he's committed to the entrepreneurial life.
When his kids began to get old enough to read bedtime stories, Evan realized that there weren't enough stories of real people that could inspire his children. And in particular he found there weren't any stories about entrepreneurs to teach his kids to dream bigger.
So he decided to write one about Elon Musk, the ultimate big-dreamer. "Elon Musk: This Is a Book About Rockets" has received tons of praise and excitement from parents, plus gave him a project to collaborate on with his kids. Hear how it turned out to be WAY more work than he thought, what Elon said (or didn't) and what he learned along the way. Find the link to our conversation below.
#creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein #elonmusk #rocketman
Apr 29, 2019
The Podcast Prof | Kate Waldock
Apr 29, 2019
Apr 29, 2019
43 min
On today's show I talked with Katherine Waldock - she's an Assistant Professor of Finance at the McDonough School of Business and holds a courtesy joint appointment with the Georgetown Law Center. She and Luigi Zingales are co-hosts of Capitalisn't, a podcast about what's working (and what isn't working) in capitalist societies. She received a Ph.D. in Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University. Her primary research interests are in corporate bankruptcy, law and finance, small businesses, and financial institutions. Also, Kate has worked as an intern for Lehman Brothers Inc. and the Office of Financial Research, and as a consultant to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Her writing has been featured in the Huffington Post and WalletHub. #creatorinstitute #entrepreneur #content #podbean #podcast #spotify #itunes #podcasting #soundcloud #youtube #podcasts #stitcher #podcastlife #applepodcasts #radio #podcaster #radioshow #radiopersonality #googleplay #podcasters #music #tunein








