The Partnership Playbook: Growing Your Reach and Revenue with Others
(this is a rough draft chapter from my upcoming book Mini Book Marketing which is available for pre-order on Amazon, you can click here to pre-order it)
Author Partnerships
Expanding Expertise
Writing doesn’t have to be a solo journey.
Collaborating with other authors can open doors to new audiences and untapped expertise. Partnering not only multiplies your reach but also deepens your understanding of subjects you may not have tackled alone.
When I partnered with Kagan Blackburn, I discovered the power of author collaborations. His networking prowess was reshaping our industry, and after hours of interviews and research, I distilled his approach into an actionable system. Together, we co-authored a book that became a game-changer for both of us.
Partnering with others allows you to leverage their strengths while contributing your own. The result is a richer, more impactful book that benefits both authors and readers.
(this full article will be available for all free subscribers January 21st. Premium subscribers can continue reading below)
Expanding Reach
Collaboration expands your audience by combining your network with your co-author’s.
It’s a win-win, bringing your message to new people while introducing your co-author to your community. When I teamed up with John Bachmann for The Resume Adjuster’s Playbook and The Insurance Company Adjuster’s Playbook, we merged his corporate connections with my independent expertise. Together, we interviewed industry leaders and created books that resonated with both of our audiences.
Author partnerships not only broaden your reach but also strengthen your credibility in new spaces.
Expanding Impact
Collaborations aren’t just about sharing the workload, but about creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
Partnering with another author allows you to deliver deeper, more meaningful solutions for your audience. When I partnered with John Bachmann to co-author The Resume Adjuster’s Playbook, his connections in the corporate insurance world brought insights I couldn’t access on my own. Together, we interviewed top recruiters and hiring managers, creating a resource far richer than either of us could have built alone. By combining our knowledge, we delivered a book that truly transformed career outcomes for our readers.
Author partnerships amplify the value you can offer, ensuring your work makes a more significant and lasting impact. Working together, you can solve problems more comprehensively and help your audience achieve the results they’re looking for.
Author Giveaways: Expanding Reach Through Collaboration
Author giveaways are a powerful way to combine audiences and amplify visibility. The concept is simple: several authors join forces to offer a shared prize or free copies of their books to anyone who wants them, each promoting the giveaway to their own audience. This pooling effect introduces your work to an entirely new group of potential readers while strengthening relationships with your fellow authors.
The beauty of this approach lies in its scalability. If five authors each bring 500 participants, the giveaway can expose your work to 2,500 new readers in a single campaign. For example, a Mini Book author specializing in digital marketing might partner with authors offering resources on productivity, personal branding, or freelancing. Together, they create a prize package or collection of free books that aligns with their shared audience’s interests.
Giveaways work particularly well for Mini Books because they provide immediate value and showcase your expertise. As readers explore your book, they begin to trust your voice and solutions. This initial exposure often turns casual participants into loyal fans who eagerly await your next offer.
Newsletter Swaps: A Direct Path to New Readers
Building Credibility Through Recommendations
When another author recommends your book to their newsletter audience, it carries a level of trust that no ad or algorithm can replicate.
Readers rely on the recommendations of authors they already follow, making your introduction not just a mention but an endorsement. For example, if your Mini Book focuses on personal finance for freelancers, a recommendation from an author who writes about freelancing basics primes their audience to see your content as the logical next step.
The credibility of their suggestion boosts your visibility and positions your book as a must-read.
The Reciprocity of Swaps
Newsletter swaps are built on a simple yet effective principle: you recommend another author’s work, and they return the favor. This mutual promotion works because both parties gain access to a wider audience while maintaining a personal, trusted connection. When done well, swaps are more than transactional—they’re a shared effort to serve each other’s audiences. For instance, if your audience values actionable marketing advice, recommending a Mini Book about copywriting builds goodwill and trust while introducing fresh value.
Driving Organic Discovery
One of the hidden benefits of newsletter swaps is the organic discovery they generate.
By aligning your book with another author’s audience, you ensure that the right readers find you without paid advertising. Each mention creates a ripple effect as engaged readers spread the word further.
The power of swaps lies in their simplicity—trusted introductions create meaningful connections, fostering long-term relationships between you and your audience.
Influencer Marketing
Leveraging Adjacent Niches
Collaborations with influencers work best when your offerings complement theirs, serving the same audience without directly competing. This synergy allows both parties to provide a broader spectrum of value to their followers, enhancing the customer journey.
My partnership with Mathew Allen of AdjusterTV exemplifies this perfectly. While Mathew focused on helping independent adjusters break into catastrophic property adjusting—a challenging niche dependent on specific weather conditions—I provided a practical entry point to the industry through auto adjusting. Together, our products and content created a seamless progression for adjusters, guiding them step by step from getting started to scaling their careers.
By partnering with influencers in adjacent niches, you can create a collaborative ecosystem that addresses multiple stages of your audience’s journey. This alignment amplifies the value you both provide, establishing trust and loyalty among your shared followers.
Building Relationships Before Asking
Influencer collaborations don’t start with a pitch; they start with authentic connections. Taking the time to understand and engage with an influencer’s work shows you’re genuinely invested in their mission.
When I first connected with Mathew Allen, I didn’t immediately propose a partnership. I watched his videos, commented thoughtfully, and shared his content with my audience. Over time, this built trust and a sense of camaraderie. When he reached out about my Mini Book, it was because he saw my work as valuable and aligned with his mission.
By investing in the relationship first, our eventual collaboration felt natural, not transactional. Influencers want to work with people who understand their audience and add meaningful value, not just those looking for exposure. Building relationships authentically ensures partnerships are built on trust and mutual respect.
Crafting Win-Win Collaborations
The best influencer collaborations create value for both parties and their audiences. The goal isn’t just exposure—it’s to make the influencer’s audience better off while achieving mutual growth.
Mathew and I created a win-win dynamic by addressing different stages of the same customer journey. His expertise in catastrophic property adjusting was a natural next step for adjusters who started in auto, thanks to my Mini Book. Our audiences overlapped without competing, which allowed us to offer a comprehensive journey for aspiring adjusters.
We also designed practical ways to share the benefits. Mathew hosted interviews with me on his platform, introducing me to his audience, while I promoted his channel as a critical resource for my readers. By focusing on shared success, we built a partnership that worked for everyone—me, Mathew, and our shared audience.
Successful collaborations stem from shared goals and clear mutual benefits. When influencers see the value for their audience, they’re eager to partner in ways that amplify both missions.
Identifying the Right Collaborators
Choosing the right collaborators—whether they are influencers, fellow authors, or complementary businesses—can make or break your strategy. The best partnerships are built on alignment, mutual benefit, and a shared audience that naturally transitions from one offering to the other. Typically, you’ll want to collaborate with someone at a similar level of success, or slightly ahead or behind, ensuring that both parties can bring something valuable to the table.
For example, when I partnered with Matthew Allen of AdjusterTV, we discovered that our audiences were perfectly aligned but not directly competitive. He helped people enter the challenging field of catastrophic property adjusting, while I focused on helping new adjusters break into auto claims—a more accessible starting point. This complementary relationship allowed both of us to provide value to our shared audience without overlapping or undermining each other’s offerings.
Don’t aim for partners far out of reach, like someone with 10,000 more email subscribers or significantly more influence. Instead, seek collaborators who are “one niche over,” offering services or solutions that naturally lead to or follow from your own. This strategic alignment ensures that both parties benefit equally while creating a seamless experience for your shared audience. A good collaborator doesn’t just promote your book—they extend your credibility and value to their audience in a way that feels authentic and impactful.
Sorting and Segmenting for Success
Collaborative strategies like newsletter swaps and giveaways can bring a surge of new subscribers, but not all are equally engaged. Sorting and segmenting your email list ensures you maximize the value of these new connections while maintaining the quality of your audience.
Start by tagging new subscribers based on how they discovered you—whether through a giveaway, newsletter swap, or influencer promotion. For example, tag participants from a multi-author giveaway with the campaign name or note which influencer or partner referred them. This creates a clear record of their entry point, allowing you to tailor your messaging to their needs and expectations.
Once tagged, create a dedicated welcome sequence for these subscribers. Readers who join through collaborations often need extra nurturing to become loyal fans. Use this sequence to introduce them to your brand, showcase your expertise, and deliver value immediately. Share your Mini Book or an exclusive bonus resource to establish trust and engagement early on.
Segmentation also helps you refine your strategies over time. Monitor engagement metrics like open and click-through rates, comparing organically acquired subscribers to those gained through collaborations. This data will help you identify which partnerships and campaigns yield the best results, allowing you to double down on what works.
By tagging, segmenting, and tailoring your approach, you ensure every new subscriber, no matter how they found you, becomes a valuable part of your audience while optimizing your long-term growth.