Like many other founders, I had the dream of publishing my own book. I was even happier when a publisher approached me about my content as a feedback doctor on LinkedIn. My exposé for a feedback book was accepted and shortly afterwards I received the contract offer.
My eyes lit up – until I read the contract more closely. Two points didn’t feel right. Conversations with a lawyer and an experienced author confirmed this feeling.
So I made a decision that hurt me: I declined the offer.
After a restless night, my decision was clear: I would publish the book without this publisher.
And this raised a new question: publishing house or self-publishing?
I consciously decided against the next attempt at publishing and in favor of self-publishing. Not just because of the better conditions (25 to 30% instead of 8 to 12% royalty for the print version), but above all because of the control over content, processes and speed.
My goal was clear: I wanted to build this book like a bootstrapped startup.
So do as much as possible yourself, get regular feedback from the community, implement it quickly and work without outside capital.
Three things I learned along the way.
1. Standing out is not the same as functioning.
I wanted a cover that stood out when scrolling on an online platform – and got devastatingly bad feedback on designs that played with film genres. Whether horror, western, fantasy or science fiction: all designs in my LinkedIn test group failed.
The designs that were most classic received the best reviews. So I decided on a classic cover: a mint tone from my corporate design and a lettering that also works as a thumbnail.
2. A product is only finished when the balance is right.
I had a table of contents that I received good feedback on – and a book version that matched it exactly.
And yet something was wrong: the balance. Two chapters were significantly longer than the others. In others, the theory was a bit short or the specific key questions were missing.
So I threw away the finished test print and restructured the book until it felt balanced. Then I ordered a new test print.
3. AI is an accelerator – and sometimes the worst employee on the team.
For my book, AI was a real acceleration in many areas. All cover designs were created quickly and to a good standard. The AI also helped me develop the structure of the landing page and create mockups that I could pass on directly to my IT specialist.
However, when I asked strategic questions about the pre-order phase, she gave me answers that sounded plausible but were simply wrong. I planned on discounted e-books and corporate packages – until I realized that the former didn’t make sense because of a price threshold for royalties and the latter wasn’t even possible on the platform for pre-orders.
And one task drove me crazy: the icons for my product page. I wanted to have existing designs neatly recreated – and instead I got 30 minutes of excuses and results that were at the level of a kindergarten child.
In a real team, I probably would have fired this employee. With AI, I opened a new chat – and ten minutes later got exactly the results I needed.
My launch: 100 books per month – without an advertising budget
My book “ will be published on April 21st, 2026Give and receive feedback safely“ – in keeping with the bootstrapping approach without a large advertising budget.
My goal is to sell at least 100 books every month by the end of the year.
The focus is on two levers: corporate packages and content.
I will play the launch on LinkedIn together with the guest authors from the book. Additionally, I’m starting a TikTok experiment for three months – starting with zero followers.
Offline, I use classic methods such as readings, workshops and notices at cooperation partners with walk-in customers.
In the long term, for me the book is not an end product, but rather the content basis for the next step: an AI-supported feedback app with which you can prepare and follow up feedback discussions in a structured manner in everyday life.
Would I start the book again as a bootstrapping project? Absolutely. Was all the effort worth it? Ask me again in three months. Then we can talk about the first numbers.
Tip: This is how founders build visibility with their own book
About the author
Dr. Marvin Behrendt is a coach, speaker, author and advisory board member. As a feedback doctor, he supports specialists and managers in reflecting on their communication and consciously shaping relationships and processes. He lives with his patchwork family on the Lower Rhine and the Ruhr area.
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