Why Rachel Rodgers Traditionally Published Her Book

In 2018 I met a phenomenal woman who became one of my favorite clients and biggest supporters. Rachel Rodgers is a business coach, multimillionaire, and the bestselling author of We Should All Be Millionaires, which came out last year. (You may have seen it at your local bookstore, in an airport or at Target).

I remember talking with Rachel way back in the day about why she wanted to pursue a traditional book deal instead of self-publishing like some of her peers.

These are the three biggest reasons Rachel talked about —

1.Her book could be EVERYWHERE.

Rachel wanted to see her book at bookstores . . . but also in the airport and at big-box stores like Target. Having a traditional book deal allowed her book to be distributed widely — to small independent bookstores, including Black-owned bookstores; to big box stores like Target, Walmart and Costco; into smaller retailers like Anthropolgie; and to airport stores. That isn’t possible with a self-published book even if you sell thousands of copies.

2.Getting a book deal is fancy AF.

Rachel — and the majority of my clients — want the seal of approval that comes with having a literary agent and a publisher. From announcing that she signed with a literary agent on Instagram to having…