Building a Billion-Dollar Book Franchise From Scratch

In the past, I’ve had my share of successes as an author in niche publishing markets. The Golf Marketing Bible, How to Make $100,000 a Year or More Teaching Martial Arts, The Restaurant Marketing Bible, and The Hotel Marketing Bible have collectively generated over a million dollars in sales over twenty years. But those wins are long in the rearview mirror.

For the last three years, I’ve done very little besides travel the world and write books. A dozen-plus titles later, I can honestly say a few of them are the best work I’ve ever done — though not all have been financial hits.

This summer, I decided to think bigger. Much bigger.

I asked myself: What if I could create the next “Chicken Soup for the Soul” or “For Dummies” franchise? A brand so strong that it wasn’t just a set of books, but a cultural touchpoint. That’s when the idea for Take a Genius to Lunch was born.

What four people, living or dead, would you invite to lunch, and what would you ask them? What questions would they ask you?

The Concept