This week, worlds collide as we welcome one of Ariel’s Sourcebooks authors, Jeffrey Mason, the creator of the Hear Your Story series. Jeffrey shares his journey from self-publishing his first book in 2018 to selling millions of copies and becoming a bestseller on Amazon (and USA Today!). He talks about how his initial inspiration came from his father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and his desire to know more about his father’s life. Jeffrey explains the evolving success of his journals, which are now available in major retailers and translated into multiple languages. He also discusses the significant impact TikTok has had on his sales and marketing strategies. His story highlights the legitimacy and potential of self-publishing, emphasizing the importance of creativity, persistence, and leveraging social media for success. Plus, Jeffrey leveraged a successful self-publishing enterprise into a partnership with Sourcebooks that is making waves across the industry.

00:00 Introduction and Special Guest Jeffrey Mason

01:42 Jeffrey’s Journey with Hear Your Story

03:01 The Impact of Personal Stories

09:38 From Passion Project to Real Business

12:58 The Legitimacy of Self-Publishing

17:21 Navigating the Publishing Landscape

23:02 TikTok Success and Future Plans

25:06 The Viral TikTok Success Story

26:16 Handling Viral Demand

27:00 TikTok’s Impact on Book Sales

28:40 Expanding to New Markets

29:58 Creative Content Creation on TikTok

36:19 The Power of Print Books

39:53 Future Vision for Hear Your Story

42:17 Partnership with Sourcebooks

Jeffrey Mason has spent twenty plus years helping individuals, couples, businesses, and organizations achieve goals, build their relationships, and create positive impacts. He is committed to the idea that optimism, effort, and resilience can conquer every challenge, forgiveness is the ultimate gift we can give others and ourselves, and hearing each other will lead to a more positive world. His current focus is family, writing, and helping others tell their stories through Hear Your Story Books.

You can contact him at [email protected]. He would love to hear from you.