After a 1.5-month hiatus, the Beyond the Book Podcast is back 🎉.
I took a break for a good reason. There’s a massive revolution just beginning in indie storytelling.
Now, you can turn your books into movies, shows, animations, and more.
You don’t need the permission of Hollywood. You just need a laptop, a story, and a passion.
This new world is what we call Creatorwood.
I’m working with two great friends from Harvard, one a filmmaker who worked in Hollywood for 2 years and the other a brilliant software engineer.
Together, we have one mission: to help independent storytellers build businesses making movies. We are building the infrastructure that allows you to do this, from charging per episode and season to allowing viewers to interact with your shows in a space that you control.
And it will be completely free to join.
Likewise, we are starting a new podcast and newsletter called Make Your Own Movies to share how you can create incredible fictional films with just your laptop and make a living in this new world.
This is the Kindle Direct Publishing moment, but for film.
As the cost of creation for films goes down exponentially, the gatekeepers of Hollywood hold less and less power. There’s a new way for you to turn your stories into movies and tap into a market 10x+ larger than reading.
By 2030:
Independent storytellers will be making $10 billion+ per year through fictional movies and shows
Tens of thousands of new jobs will exist to help indie storytellers package and market their IP for film
No longer does a movie need to be a big blockbuster hit to be a success. A show that makes $100,000 can be life-changing for the creator (and that creator can be you!). And we are building the platform that makes this business possible.
You can watch the latest episode of the Beyond the Book Podcast here 👇. It may just be the wildest one yet 😊.
I seriously could not be more excited for this. It combines all of my passions: storytelling, empowering creators, technology, and platforms for creative people! And all of my strengths and experience:
I indie-published 12 sci-fi novels between the ages of 15 and 18
I was a full-time YouTuber and livestreamer at 19 (roadtripped the country, living in a school bus for part of it)
I co-founded a platform that helps authors make money through subscriptions when I was at Harvard (also where I met my new co-founders!)
Then I went on and worked for MrBeast, the largest video creator in the world.
Getting to help create this future of indie storytelling colliding with film is kind of just… a dream for me. And it feels like the culmination of the last 8 years of my life. I couldn’t be more excited.
In June, we’ll be launching:
The beta of the platform (it’s ready now, and if you are ready to put in hard work to turn your stories into movies and make a business doing this, email me at hello@authorsidekick.com, and we will let you on and help you for free)
The Creatorwood Book for FREE, all about How to Build a Business Making Movies with AI
The Make Your Own Movies Podcast
The Make Your Own Movies Newsletter
Luckily, I’ll still be going on with our regularly scheduled programming at Author Sidekick.
You can still expect weekly newsletters from me on how to grow your readership and market your book
I’ll be releasing weekly episodes of Beyond the Book (already have 5 new episodes filmed), and our core focus will be on the broader world of Beyond the Book, there’s only one upcoming episode on AI movies in the next few months
I’m still building out the Readers First Challenge for a public launch in a few months, and shipping out Author Decks
Reader Meter, the platform that helps you see when readers stop turning the page on your stories, is still being built.
It might sound impossible to be able to do this all, but I have a superpower: a team of fellow sidekicks and an insane obsession!
I work nearly 24/7 and move extremely fast. And I love every moment of it.
In addition to me, I have an assistant who helps me with everything, Author Sidekick
I have two business partners who are dedicated to working full-time on everything Make Your Own Movies and AI video
I have a contracted team that handles all physical fulfillment of Author Decks and other physical products (if you need fulfillment for your author business, let me know and I’ll recommend you to them)
And no doubt, things will grow more in the future… I quit my full-time job to start this business just 4 months ago (mind you, I’ve been in this industry for nearly a decade now)!
I’m so excited and so grateful to be able to do this. I believe that as storytellers, we will have an amazing future, not because it’s inevitable, but because together we can create it.
Now, in other news, I also made an appearance on two podcasts recently.
I spent nearly 2 hours with the Bookfunnel team talking all about the Author Marketing Superpowers. You can watch the episode here. And grab your Author Marketing Superpowers Deck here.
I was also on the Brave New Bookshelf Podcast with Danica Favorite and Steph Pajonas, chatting all about AI movies. You can watch the episode here.
And that’s it for this one!
Let me know if you have any questions.
You all rock! And I’ll be in touch early next week with another edition of the Author Sidekick.
In the meantime, don’t forget…
Together we are boundless,
Michael Evans
The Author Sidekick
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