"I could hardly form the words. My mouth wasn't working. My heart hammered in my ears and pins and needles burned my hands and feet. I squeezed my fists as hard as I could to get them to stop hurting as I stumbled into my office and fumbled through my laptop password, pulling up the message that had thrown me out of bed:

"Nat, someone found a way to hack us. It sounds bad. All of our funds might be at risk."

This was the absolute worst-case scenario. The one I'd pushed to the back of my mind. The one I pretended was impossible so I could sleep at night. I'd always accepted the risk that I could lose all of my money. But if I lost a hundred million dollars of other people's money…"

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! Today's episode is extra special as we talk all things Crypto Confidential, a brand-new book by our very own co-host, Nathaniel Eliason. Join us as Nat shares the behind-the-scenes journey of writing and launching his book. Whether you're a seasoned crypto enthusiast or just curious, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of crypto through Nat's insightful storytelling.

We cover a wide range of topics including:

Nat's journey of writing Crypto Confidential
Differences in promoting fiction vs. nonfiction
How Nat learned from other successful book marketers
Challenges of book promotion and strategy
The creative process behind book cover design

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

Crypto Confidential early release in Toronto (1:56)
Brandon Sanderson signing 5,000 copies in 3 hours (8:37)
Brandon Sanderson advice and lectures (8:56)
10 Things I Learned Losing 10 Million Dollars (18:30)
Olympus (50:55)
Outside the System: Crypto Confidential with Nat Eliason (58:55)

Books Mentioned:

Crypto Confidential
The Founders (22:24)
Zero to One (23:23) (Nat's Book Notes)
Red Rising (25:08)
Atomic Habits (26:49) (Nat's Book Notes)
The Three-Body Problem (28:33) (Book Episode) (Nat's Book Notes)
The 4-Hour Body (36:11)
The 4-Hour Workweek (36:26) (Nat's Book Notes)
Trust Me, I'm Lying (38:48)
The Obstacle Is the Way (40:40)
Ego is the Enemy (41:00) (Nat's Book Notes)
Deep Work (41:40) (Nat's Book Notes)
Elantris (42:32)
Endurance (43:58)
Empire of the Summer Moon (44:09)
Kitchen Confidential (59:00)

People Mentioned:

Brandon Sanderson (8:37)
Jimmy Soni (22:21)
Peter Thiel (23:43)
James Clear (26:50)
Eric Jorgensen (32:04)
Paul Millerd (32:17)
Tim Ferriss (36:03)
Ryan Holiday (38:32)
Cal Newport (41:39)
Cormac McCarthy (43:47)

Show Topics:

(0:00) In today's episode, we delve into Nat's upcoming book, Crypto Confidential, set to release on July 9th. Get your copy here! Nat discusses the book, the preparations for its launch, and the surprise of finding an early-released copy in a Toronto bookstore.

(4:01) We explore the process of how bookstores order books, what it takes to keep them on the shelves, and the criteria for returning unsold copies.

(7:40) Signed copies of books, and how authors get creative in distributing their signature across a wide number of publishings.

(12:52) Nat shares how he balanced promoting Crypto Confidential to his existing audience while also attracting new readers. He reveals his strategy of getting pre-ordered copies into readers' hands early to generate online testimonials by the release date, despite disagreement from his publishers.

(19:38) We talk about how the promotion strategy may change after the book release. At what point do you take your foot off the gas?

(24:16) The effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing and why it's such a powerf...

117: Winning and Losing Millions in Crypto Confidential