I Accepted a Job: CEO of Scribe

I accidentally manifested my dream job.

Secretly, I started two weeks ago.

Here is what happened:

When I was 17, I read Tucker Max’s blog and laughed. When I was 25, Tucker read my blog (I don’t think he laughed.) But we did stay in touch.

In 2020, I tweeted that I completed a manuscript for the Navalmanack, but I had no idea if it was possible to publish it, or any inkling of what do to next.

Tucker Max gave me a pep talk (in his own way) and Scribe Media helped me publish The Almanack of Naval which changed my life creatively, financially, and gave me some very nerdy street cred.

The team and publishing service at Scribe was incredible. I became a fan referred friends, and hired them again for The Anthology of Balaji (coming October 24).

Suddenly in May, my author buddy Jimmy Soni whispered rumors of turbulence at Scribe. People said they shut down. I didn’t believe them. So I called the CEO.

He said the company wasn’t shut down, but had financial troubles and was open to new ownership.

Luckily, I have friends who buy companies. (I recommend having these.) Enter Sieva Kozinsky and Xavier Helgesen of Enduring Ventures. We met on Twitter, and had hung out previously at Berkshire and Capital Camp.

When I brought them the idea of buying Scribe, they sprung into action–called lawyers, flew to Austin, and started digging in.

The team, services, and business model were strong. But financial infrastructure was nonexistent and spending was out of control. Leadership had made some bad decisions.

Enduring Ventures fronted salaries and expenses for the team to take care of authors, and (very fortunately for everyone involved) bought Scribe.

Then I got a very surprising phone call.  

All I wanted was for Scribe to survive so good people kept their jobs… and I could publish books. My GRANDEST hope was to be a small investor.

But… they asked me to join the team as CEO.

After 3 years of solo writing, investing, and podcasting, this was a big change. My beautiful empty calendar!

I soul-searched, wife-talked (thanks Jeannine <3), and emerged VERY excited to join this team and carry this flag.

Scribe is the pioneer of the entire category of Professional Publishing, which is what today’s authors truly need. (They are also the biggest and best in the industry.)

To me, the future of publishing is clear – authors deserve the full financial benefit of their work, and the full creative freedom to create and use their books AS THEY SEE FIT.

Traditional publishing is resting on laurels that have wilted into a fragile wisp.

The next generation of authors sees that they don’t need to be anointed by old-guard gatekeepers – they serve readers their own way and earn 4-5x more doing it.

I already started work @scribemediaco, and this team is crushing. We’ve got over 150 authors’ work in progress, new books coming, new authors signing… and THRILLING opportunities ahead.

What started as trying to do right by good people turned into an incredible opportunity to lead a new chapter for Scribe.

I guess Karma is real.

As CEO of Scribe, my job is to help you publish your book, your way. A book can build your reputation, spread your ideas, be your ticket to podcasts or stages… it might even make you a bit of money.

If you have ever considered writing a book, take a look at Scribe. We ensure you publish a book of impeccable, world-class quality. We can also make it a minimal time investment. We would love to brainstorm what a book could do for you, and show you what we can do. Schedule a consult session right now.

Join us on the Shelves…