Nathan Baugh

World Builders

Founder / Writer

Senior Consultant

Clemson University

Tutor

Teach For America

Accelerate Fellow

Consultant → writer. I study the best storytellers ever and share with you what I learn. Writing fiction and writing to 77K storytellers every Saturday. Join us 👇

Founder

Roast my potential book covers. 

What do you like? What don't you like? Which would get you to pick it up off the shelf?

Ghostwriter. Exploring the art and science of storytelling. Debut fantasy novel this fall. Building something new.

A few years ago, I went to a $15 open mic in Austin. First comedy show I’d seen.

Dude gets on stage. The crowd goes nuts. It’s Shane Gillis, one of the most popular comedians in the world.

He pulls out a notebook and a pen, grabs the mic, and starts telling jokes.

When the crowd gives one of those loud, genuine laughs, he jots down a note. When the crowd looks at each other, confused, he jots down a note. When the crowd stares at him, expecting more, he jots down a note.

You get the idea. He’s testing jokes. Making a note of what’s connecting and, even more importantly, what’s not.

Then, I imagine, he cuts or changes the parts that don’t connect. Tests them again another night. And repeats the process until the joke, his story, is tight and compelling throughout.

He made me realize:

This is how you can treat Storytelling, too.

Your story is flexible. You can constantly test, get feedback, improve, repeat. Like Shane, what you’re looking for is moments of connection:

- Your boss starts nodding along.
- Someone leans forward in their chair.
- Your beta reader leaves a great comment.
- There’s a spark of interest in your partner’s eye.

You get the idea. You’re searching for that visceral reaction in your audience. When you see it, you double down.

Stories are iterative.

I've created 2 new landing pages over the last 6 months. One converts horribly while the other converts incredibly well. Some weird stats:

- The horrible converting one is priced at $99.
- The incredibly well converting one is priced at $499.

The obvious answer is an audience mismatch -- people expect story related stuff from me, not 'grow your writing business.'

Sure that matters but let's be real not a <1% to 18%+ jump.

So what's the difference?

Very simply -- I ran the second LP through 🇺🇦 Eddie Shleyner's entire Transformational Landing Pages training... and haven't put that effort into the first.

One idea that -- in my opinion -- made the biggest difference:

Fascinations

Eddie says a fascination is "any sentence designed to conjure intense curiosity and compel action, in that order."

Capture the attention, then direct it.

I loved the idea. Loved the entire course.

Eddie's running a crazy BFCM sale. From $999 to $249.

This is my affiliate code, which I'm proud to share: https://lnkd.in/gbKDPAqr

Hands down the most effective course I've taken all year. If you'd like your landing pages to convert more people, it is a no brainer.

PS. Here's the LP that actually converts: https://lnkd.in/gZwScNBr

LinkedIn constantly shocks me how helpful people are. So many people took time to share great feedback on the covers for my novel.

Thank you thank you thank you.

To keep up w the project - just monthly notes - plop your email here for the waitlist: https://lnkd.in/gTeaFfwE

Alex Wiec 📚

Content Writer

Simon & Schuster

Working on my first book with Simon & Schuster. Stay tuned!

Author

Alex & Books

Content creator focused on non-fiction books. Grew the brand organically to 1,000,000+ followers across multiple social media platforms.

Find @alexandbooks_ on Instagram, Twitter, and all other social platforms.

Content Creator

Podcast Notes

Freelance 

-Worked as a brand ambassador and represented global brands at events (clients: Samsung, Adidas, American Express, and others).
-Worked as a production assistant for Eventage, CRONY Creative, McKinney, and several other event marketing agencies. 
-Assisted with event set-up, organization of materials, and breakdown of event equipment.
-Cultivated positive relationships with key stakeholders and staff members, and engaged customers to increase brand awareness.

Brand Ambassador/Production Assistant

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

-Pitched and covered local events, politics and businesses in North Brooklyn.
-Conducted interviews with business owners, professional athletes, and government officials.
-Fulfilled multifaceted duties that included researching, fact-checking, proofreading and headline writing.

Freelance Reporter

The Ticker

Contributing Writer

Penguin Random House

• Researched competitive book publishing companies’ social media presence at events using Brandwatch and presented results to VP of the department.
• Compiled monthly reports of PRH’s verticals using Adobe Analytics for the Partnerships team.
• Supported the creation of PRH’s loyalty program by researching vendors and existing loyalty programs.

Apps, Partnerships & Events Intern

• Supported the creation of new personalization programs by participating in discussions, performing initial research and planning process steps.
• Responsible for web analytics reporting, analysis, and building new dashboards.
• Built thorough and well-designed PowerPoint presentations to educate audiences on upcoming programs.
• Wrote and posted well-written and thoughtful blog posts to regularly update personalization stakeholders and the larger SAP Digital community.

Personalization Intern

Citrin Cooperman

• Assisted partners with preparing for client meetings by providing necessary paperwork and research.
• Created and assembled marketing materials for company events and conferences. 
• Assisted in maintaining overall cleanliness of databases on a daily basis.

Marketing Intern

Discovery Communications

•	Responded to AE/Sales Planner requests for client specific data analysis and strategic   positioning ideas.
•	Developed sales positioning one-sheets and presentations to sales staff using Nielsen data.
•	Tracked network and program performance in relation to audience estimates.
•	Attended executive speaker series and company network events.

Ad Sales Research Intern

Creator of Alex & Books | I share book recs and tips to become a better reader. | 750k+ followers

My name is Alex Wieckowski, but most people know me better as Alex & Books.

Over the past 8 years, I've built a social media following of 1+ million people who enjoy reading books and my content has been seen by over 100+ million people.
 
• 500,000+ followers on Instagram
• 340,000+ followers on Twitter
• 110,000+ followers on TikTok
• 110,000+ followers on Threads
• 20,000+ followers on LinkedIn
• 20,000+ followers on YouTube

Here are 3 ways I can help you:

1) ALEX & BOOKS NEWSLETTER

I write a newsletter where I summarize the best books I've read and the most impactful lessons from them. It's read by Fortune 500 executives, VC investors, NYT bestselling authors, and countless more people.

→ Join 50,000+ readers here (it's free): alexandbooks.beehiiv.com/subscribe 

2) THE ART OF READING [DIGITAL COURSE]

Access a proven system for building a lasting reading habit, finding time to read, taking notes in books, and becoming a productive reader. Join 650+ students in this self-paced course. 

→ Check it out: alexandbooks.mykajabi.com/taor-new

3) SPEAKING + WORKSHOPS  

Want me to speak at your next conference or run a workshop where I'll teach your employees how to read more books and become better readers?

→ Email: alexwiecblog@gmail.com

Content creator focused on non-fiction books. Grew the brand organically to 650k+ followers across multiple social media platforms.

This is one of the useful reading guides I've ever come across.

The author shares 40 powerful strategies that will help you remember more of what you read.

It includes strategies such as:

-Being an active reader instead of a passive one
-Practicing spaced repetition and active recall
-Taking highlighting to the next level with progressive summarization

And many more useful strategies.

It's from a Substack writer called PolyMathInvestor (full credit to him and check out his work).

Have you used any of these strategies?
–––
For more reading tips, follow Alex Wieckowski 👈 

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Alex Wieckowski

Creator of Alex & Books | 1M+ followers on social media | Follow me for book recs and reading tips

A simple yet powerful reading tip:

Always Carry a Book with You.

–––
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

If you're a billionaire, having a mega-library is much cooler than having a mega-yacht. 

This 38,000 book library is owned by Jay Walker–the billionaire founder of Priceline.
–––
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Alex Wieckowski 📚

Creator of Alex & Books | Follow me for book recs and reading tips | 1M+ followers on social media

Last week I had a 2-hour lunch with the brilliant author and ghostwriter Tahl Raz.

Here are two insightful lessons I've learned from him.

For context, Tahl is the co-author of multiple bestselling books including:

- “Never Eat Alone” with Keith Ferrazzi
- “Million Dollar Weekend” with Noah Kagan
- “Never Split The Difference” with Christopher Voss

And has written many more incredible books. 

Now the lessons:

1) A Great Book Title Says The Opposite 

If you write a book and tell people to do something they already know, that book will fall flat.

BUT if you write a book that tells people to do the opposite of what most people say, that book will catch people's eyes and ears.

For example, most negotiation books tell you to might in the middle. But "Never Split The Difference" tells you to do the opposite.

Most business books tell you building a million dollar business takes decades. But "Million Dollar Weekend" tells you that you can do it in a weekend.

If you want to write a book that catches people's attention, think about what is the standard advice people give, and if the opposite is actually better and true. If so, you might have a bestselling book idea in your hands.

2) Spend 70% of Your Time Researching & 30% Writing

Most writers spend 30% of their time researching and then 70% of their time writing.

Tahl recommends people do the opposite.

Spend 70% of your time researching and then 30% of your time writing.

Befofe Tahl even starts writing a book, he'll spend an entire year or more just doing research.

For instance, he'll order the 25 most popular and relevant books in a category and read through them all, taking deep notes on each one.

Without great research, there's a ceiling to how great your book can be. The quality of your inputs determine the quality of your outputs.

You can be a master at writing, but if you have the same stories, stats, and studies, as other books in the market, you'll bore your reader.

Another perk of doing a ton of research is that you'll never start with a blank page. You'll have dozens of quotes, stories, and facts to choose from to start each chapter.

The more hard work you do upfront, the easier the rest of the book will be.

– – –
Have you read any of Tahl's books? 💬 

PS: If you want more content like this, follow Alex Wieckowski 📚 👈

We should bring back these classic READ posters.

Maybe that would inspire more kids to pick up a book.

Do you remember seeing these in school?

After reading 700+ books, I put together a list of the 100 most impactful books I’ve read:

✅ Short summary of each book
✅ 20 different genres to choose from
✅ 100% chance you'll find an amazing book

Download the full list (plus get a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE  👈

PS: If you found this post helpful, please repost it so other readers can benefit from it! ♻️

Alex & Books - 100 Books

A great reading tip from psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant:

"Speed reading is a way to consume more content while gaining less insight...A great book should be savored like a gourmet meal, not inhaled like fast food."

You wouldn't watch an amazing movie at 2x speed or listen to your favorite music album on 3x speed. Treat books with the same respect. 

What are your honest thoughts about speed reading? 💬 
–––
PS: For more reading tips, follow Alex Wieckowski 👈 

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Whatever you do, please don't stop reading.

Read for entertainment. Read for education. Read for enlightenment. Read for empowerment.

Just keep reading.

A great reading tips by Adam Grant:

You shouldn't finish every book you start.

Abandoning a book is not an admission of failure—it's a sign of wisdom. You've decided to let go of sunk costs.

The purpose of reading is to be entertained and informed. If a book doesn't bring joy or insight, it's time to move on.
–––
For more book tips, follow Alex Wieckowski 📚 👈 

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

10 Amazing books you probably haven't heard of:

1) "Lying" by Sam Harris
2) "The Dip" by Seth Godin
3) "Letters of Note" by Shaun Usher
4) "Ignore Everybody" by Hugh MacLeod
5) "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
6) "A Calendar of Wisdom" by Leo Tolstoy
7) "How to Talk to Anyone" by Leil Lowndes
8) "The Forgotten Highlander" by Alistair Urquhart
9) "The Man’s Guide to Women" by John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
10) "Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t" by Steven Pressfield

Have you read any of these books? 💬 

–––
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

If you feel like your attention span has shrunk, you're right.

According to psychologist Gloria Mark, our attention spans are shrinking. 

In 2004, the average attention duration was 150 seconds. 

By 2021, that number dropped to 44 seconds. A massive 70% decrease.

Fortunately, here's a helpful guide I found with 20+ powerful strategies that will help improve your focus and concentration.

It's from a Substack writer called PolyMathInvestor (full credit to him and check out his work).

Have you used any of these strategies?
–––
PS: For more reading tips, follow Alex Wieckowski 👈 

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

If you're shopping this Black Friday, make sure to buy some books for yourself or friends.

Here are 25 awesome books in 10 different genres:

Self-Improvement: 💪

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
4. Mindset by Carol Dweck
5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson

Health 🥦

1. How Not to Die by Michael Greger
2. The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner
3. Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
4. Breath by James Nestor
5. Food Fix by Mark Hyman

Money  💰

1. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
3. I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
4. Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
5. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

History 📜

1. Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
2. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
3. The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant
4. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
5. 1491 by Charles C. Mann

Investing 📈

1. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
2. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
3. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle
4. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher
5. One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch

Biography 📖

1. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
2. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X & Alex Haley
3. Educated by Tara Westover
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama
5. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Marketing 🗣️

1. This Is Marketing by Seth Godin
2. Contagious by Jonah Berger
3. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
4. Influence by Robert Cialdini
5. Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath

Economics 📊

1. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
2. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
3. Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
4. The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford
5. Misbehaving by Richard Thaler

Philosophy 💬

1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
2. The Republic by Plato
3. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
4. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
5. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Psychology 🧠

1. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
2. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
3. Influence by Robert Cialdini
4. Quiet by Susan Cain
5. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman

——
PS: Want more awesome book recommendations?

Get a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

If you are overthinking, write.

If you are underthinking, read.

——
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Yesterday Jonathan Goodman and I hosted two incredible author meetups in NYC.

We had an author who sold 4+ million books, an author who spent 2 weeks in North Korea and was kicked out of China, an author who's book will likely be made into a TV series, and many more amazing people.

An absolute pleasure to chat with and learn from:

- Susan Cain - Bestselling author of "Quiet"
- Nick Milo - "Linking Your Thinking"
- Geoffrey Cain - "Steve Jobs in Exile"
- Dr. Sunita Sah - Bestselling author of "Defy"
- David Moldawer - Book agent at Writer's House
- Tahl Raz: Cowriter of "Never Eat Alone" and "Never Split the Difference"
- Anjanette “AJ” Harper: "Write a Must-Read" and cohost of "Don't Write That Book"

Have you read any books from the authors here? 💬 

–––
PS: For more content like this, follow Alex Wieckowski 👈

What a beautiful quote by James Baldwin:

(Life Magazine 1963)

Carl Sagan beautifully describes the power of books:

–––
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

I hosted 2 fun author meetups in NYC this week!

We had an author who has ghostwritten 35+ celebrity books, a Wharton professor, a Big Five editor, and many more amazing people. 

- Ada Calhoun ("Why We Can't Sleep")
- Dorie Clark ("The Long Game")
- Douglas A. Boneparth, CFP® ("Money Together")
- Jacob Surpin (Executive Editor at PRH)
- Hansen Shi ("The Expat")
- Judd Kessler ("Lucky By Design")
- Rob Henderson ("Troubled")
- Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg ("What's Your Problem")

These meetups are basically a safe space for authors. 

You can ask anything and everything. There are no stupid questions. We're all here to help one another write better books and sell more books.

We covered a wide range of topics including:

- Book agent recommendations
- Should you hire an outside PR company
- How much should you charge per speaking gig
- The difference between writing fiction and nonfiction books
- What book marketing strategies worked for you vs what didn't

And much more.
 
If you're an author in NYC (or planning to visit sometime) and want to join a future meetup, DM me!

PS: For more content like this, follow Alex Wieckowski 📚 👈

Earlier this month I was on stage at an author conference in Boston.

Nearly 200 people were staring at me.

I was on a panel with 3 other big book influencers.

We talked about book marketing, turning books into content, and how to grow a following on social media. 

The talk went great, but several weeks leading up to the event I felt a massive sense of dread, anxiety, and stress.
 
However, minutes before I got on the stage, something weird happened. 

I remembered a lesson from the book "The Upside of Stress" by Kelly McGonigal.

In her book, she talks about that impact your mindset can have on your body. 

Specifically, she mentioned how you can reframe nervousness into excitement.

If you're experiencing an elevated heart-rate and heightened sense of alertness there's nothing wrong with that, what matters is how you perceive it. 

If you like roller coasters, you would be excited to go on one. If you disliked roller coasters, you would be nervous. But either way, you would experience the same symptoms.   

So, I chose to interpret my feelings as excitement, not stress.

After all, I was just was talking to people–something I did throughout the conference already. The only difference was now I had a mic in my hand and more people were listening. 

When I got off stage, the first thought that popped into my mind wasn't "I'm glad that's over" it was, "That was a fun and cool experience."

Here are two more lessons I realized during the conference:

Lesson 2: Face time beats FaceTime.

There were several people at the conference that I've chatted with before, but it was all via online communications–emails, DMs, Zoom calls, etc. However, until you meet someone in person, that relationship just doesn't feel "real" yet. 

I'd go so far as to say that 1 hour of talking in-person is worth 10 hours of FaceTime or Zoom calls–maybe even more. It's worth spending time, energy, and money to meet people in person to develop true and deep relationships.

Lesson 3: Work harder and think bigger.

One of the best parts of going to a conference is meeting and learning from people way more successful than you. Not only that, they inspire and encourage you to work harder and think bigger.

For example, the legendary author Steven Pressfield gave a talk and mentioned how he wakes up at 4am every morning to workout and then writes for several hours. He's 82-years old yet works harder than 99% of people in their 20s. Hearing his story in person has motivated me to work harder and take the craft of writing even more seriously.

To conclude, conferences and events are awesome and I hope you consider going to more of them.

PS: I'm looking to do more speaking in 2026.

If you're looking for someone to talk about being a full-time content creator, becoming an author, or helping your people to read more books, I'd love to chat. 

Feel free to comment below or DM me → Alex Wieckowski 📚 👋

A meta-analysis of 71 studies and 98,000+ people has confirmed what everyone's been feeling:

Consuming short-form content (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts) leads to a shorter attention span.

If you want a longer attention span, consume more long-form content. AKA read more books.

–––
PS: Want to read more books but don't know where to start?

Grab a list of my 100 favorite books (plus a new book summary every week) for FREE here: https://lnkd.in/eBFYc3xE 👈

♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.

Last week Jonathan Goodman and I drove to Philadelphia to host 2 author meetups.

We hung out with a Wharton professor, a top LinkedIn course creator, an award-winning health journalist, and several other awesome authors. 

-Shanna Hocking ("One Bold Move A Day")
-Dan Mall ("Design That Scales")
-Selena Rezvani ("Quick Leadership")
-Alex Imas ("The Winner's Curse")
-Corinne Low ("Having It All")
-Catherine Price ("How to Break Up With Your Phone")

Have you read any books by the authors here?

–––
PS: For more content about books and authorship, follow Alex Wieckowski 👈

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