Described by David Perell as “like Rick Rubin for writing,” Ellen Fishbein is an author, writing coach and founder of Altamira Studio, an independent publisher specializing in short-form books. She joins the show to discuss how traditional publishing disrespects intelligent readers, her advice for aspiring authors, what she’s learned from Shakespeare’s sonnets, and MUCH more!

Important Links:

- Altamira Studio - https://www.altamira.studio/
- Writing.coach - http://Writing.coach
- Muse By Mail - https://www.altamira.studio/muse
- Ellen’s Website - https://www.ellenrhymes.com/
- Ellen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/EllenRhymes?ref_s...

Show Notes:

0:00:00 Intro
0:00:52 Main podcast
0:01:41 The Caves of Altamira
0:03:16 The New Book Deal
0:11:34 Using Shakespeare’s Sonnets as a Writing Guide
0:21:47 The Author’s Compass
0:27:04 The Storytelling Magic of Herman Hesse
0:35:22 Zero to One & Writing as Personal Communication
0:42:00 How Traditional Publishing Disrespects Smart Readers
0:53:47 How the Legacy Publishing System Results in Regression to the Mean
0:59:00 AI in the Writing Process
1:12:33 Cutting Out the Middle Man
1:16:08 Muse By Mail
1:25:51 Advice for Aspiring Authors
1:29:41 Writing Coaching & Working with Big Publishers
1:37:28 Ellen as Empress of the World

Books, Articles & Films Mentioned:

- The New Book Deal - https://artisanal-creator-3254.ck.pag... by Ellen Fishbein
- Future of Publishing: 10 High-Conviction Views - https://x.com/EllenRhymes/status/1780... by Ellen Fishbein
- What makes Zero to One a masterpiece - https://www.ellenrhymes.com/zero#:~:t... by Ellen Fishbein
- Have you found your “bible”? - https://www.ellenrhymes.com/have-you-... by Ellen Fishbein
- ASK ARISTOTLE - https://www.altamira.studio/ask; by Vishal Sharma and William Jaworski
- MEMES MAKE MILLIONS - https://www.altamira.studio/memes; by Jason Levin
- SPACEFARING - https://www.altamira.studio/store/p/s... A contribution to Earth’s archives; by Ellen Fishbein
- The Glass Bead Game; by Hermann Hesse Hesse's
- Demian: The Story of a Boyhood; by Hermann Hesse
- Siddharta; by Hermann Hesse
- Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future; by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
- What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time; by Jim O’Shaughnessy
- How to Retire Rich: Time-Tested Strategies to Beat the Market and Retire in Style; by Jim O’Shaughnessy