5 Book Business Success Stories [2024]

Pat Walls

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Updated: November 19th, 2023

Write A Book Business

Here are some real life success stories of starting a book business:

1. EOFire LLC ($1.8M/year)

In 2012, John Lee Dumas, a former tank commander and real estate agent, started listening to podcasts during his long commutes. Realizing the lack of consistent, inspiring content, he decided to start his own daily podcast, Entrepreneurs On Fire. Despite having no online presence or broadcasting experience, he took the leap, hired a mentor, and launched the podcast. It quickly gained traction and led to the creation of other successful products and services, generating over $100,000 in net revenue every month.

How much they make: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
Current team size: 5

The Story Of John Lee Dumas: From Tank Commander In Iraq To Starting A $100K/Month Entrepreneurship Podcast

John Lee Dumas launched Entrepreneurs On Fire, a daily podcast interviewing successful entrepreneurs, and went on to create multiple successful products and services including Podcasters' Paradise, which has consistently generated over $100,000 in net revenue every month for 89 months in a row.

About

John started EOFire LLC over 11 years ago

Revenue

John grew the business to $150K/month

Costs

It cost John $500 to start the business

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2. Most Recommended Books ($12K/year)

Richard Reis, founder of Most Recommended Books (MRB), was inspired to start the business after writing a popular blog post in 2018. With the realization that he had a talent for creating content that resonated with people, Richard teamed up with his best friend, Anurag, to create MRB. The idea came to Richard after reading about how Mark Zuckerberg built various projects before Facebook, leading him to believe in the power of trying different ideas until one gains traction.

How much they make: $12K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0

How Two Best Friends Started A Side Hustle Recommending Books

Most Recommended Books helps you discover books recommended by the world's most influential people, with 500+ experts and 6,000+ books, and garnered 70,000 monthly visitors with the goal of reaching 100,000 to start looking at other ways of making money.

About

Richard started Most Recommended Books over 4 years ago

Revenue

Richard grew the business to $1K/month

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3. Lit League ($36K/year)

Christina, one of the three founders of Lit League, came up with the idea after starting a book club with her daughter and seeing the positive impact it had on her and other kids. With the help of co-founder Lauren, who had experience running book clubs, they created Lit League to provide parents with the tools to run their own book clubs at home and foster a love of reading in children.

How much they make: $36K/year
Current team size: 0

These 3 Momtrepreneurs Started A Book Subscription Box Business For Kids

Lit League is a startup that creates book-themed activity boxes for kids ages 3-12, offering a monthly subscription or individual box options; the company has tripled its growth in one year, becoming an approved materials vendor for 11 different charter schools in two states.

About

Christina started Lit League about 5 years ago

Revenue

Christina grew the business to $3K/month

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