Publishers' business model under pressure

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An early internet writer turned entrepreneur, Daniel DiPiazza has been building audiences since the blogging days of MySpace and university-only Facebook. Long before “personal brand” was a buzzword, Daniel was clawing his way into Huffington Post, landing interviews with Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner and steadily growing a newsletter that would eventually reach 170,000+ subscribers.

His traditionally published book, Rich 20 Something, wasn’t an accident—it was the culmination of years of audience building, strategic networking and relentless follow-up. In this episode, Daniel walks through the unlikely chain of events that led to his book deal, from cold-calling publicists to pursuing his literary agent for nearly two years while building his platform in real time.

But what makes this conversation especially compelling is what came after the book.

We get into the myth of traditional publishing, why ego—not economics—is often the biggest draw, and how Daniel ultimately reframed authorship as an authority engine rather than a revenue stream. Today, as founder of New Wave Press, he helps entrepreneurs use books not to sell copies—but to consolidate expertise, build frameworks and lower their customer acquisition costs.

We also dive deep into the future of publishing: AI, digital distribution, the erosion of backlist revenue and why legacy publishers may be stuck in a model that no longer serves authors—or readers.

Episode Highlights

• How Daniel’s early blogging career, Huffington Post contributions and strategic networking led to a traditional publishing contract for Rich 20 Something
• Why he spent years growing his newsletter and social following before landing a deal—and how those numbers became leverage
• The realities of creative control, marketing support and why most authors feel disappointed after the deal is signed
• Why being “chosen” by a publisher feels validating—and why that emotional payoff often outweighs the financial one
• Why books shouldn’t be treated as profit centers but as assets that consolidate expertise, codify frameworks and increase conversion
• How a book can lock you into a narrow identity if you don’t plan your next move—and what Daniel would do differently
• The surprising reality that authority in one niche doesn’t automatically carry into another
• Why more than half of Daniel’s company’s recent sales are audio and digital—and what that signals about reader behavior
• How large language models, shifting copyright rulings and lack of first-party customer data may force legacy publishers to rethink everything
• Daniel’s prediction that publishing will split in two—one camp returning to human-crafted classics and another embracing fully AI-driven content ecosystems
• Why writing a book is like buying a stock—it appreciates over time if nurtured and aligned with your broader career vision