SHOW TRANSCRIPT

This transcript is automatically generated by Descript.  Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

[00:00:00] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I don’t owe anybody any part of that process. Like, I own and, and now understand, like, every step, from the writing to the s- to the, to the ISBN, to the copyright page, to the editing process, you know, I, I owned every aspect of it and kind of learned everything along the way.

[00:00:18] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, like, what came out of it is, like, this baby that I created that is all mine. And yeah, I would, I would absolutely do it that way again. And I think, like, we’re so lucky to live in a time where that’s kind of the obvious option, you know, where you’re not having to, you know, write the book and then, you know, give it to somebody else for approval or disapproval, or whether or not it’s worthy of their investment or…

[00:00:39] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, you can just kind of put it out into the world and, like, trust the universe and your community to, to decide those things for you.

[00:00:52] Jeff Sieh: Hello, folks. Welcome to Creator News Live. I’m Jeff Sieh, and you’re not

[00:00:56] Zac Brown: And I’m Zac Brown, and this is the show that keeps you up to date on the creator economy and [00:01:00] so much more

[00:01:00] Jeff Sieh: You ever been telling yourself for years, that you are going to write that book, maybe build a course, ship the thing, and it’s still sitting in a folder? Do you have real expertise but keep waiting maybe for somebody more qualified to come along and validate it? Maybe you’ve wondered how anyone pays for a project like this before it makes a single dollar.

[00:01:19] Jeff Sieh: If that sounds like you, you are in the right place

[00:01:23] Zac Brown: Our guest today is Lisa DiNoto Glassner, the founder of The Castle Run and a Harvard-educated former corporate attorney who left big law behind to build a business around what she actually loves. Her first book comes out next week, 17 chapters and about 250 pages, whew, published under her own company, funded by partners she brought in herself with a whole ecosystem built behind it.

[00:01:44] Zac Brown: Today, she is showing us how a real book actually gets written, paid for, published, and launched

[00:01:49] Jeff Sieh: So sit back, clear your schedule, clear your mind to get ready for this week’s episode of Creator News Live [00:02:00] There you go, folks. Lisa, I think this is the first time you’ve been on since we’ve been doing custom songs for people, so now you, now you’ve, you’ve experienced it. So there you go

[00:02:24] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I love it, and the animation and everything. It was

[00:02:26] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, appreciate it. So this is gonna be fun. Um, we’ve had Lisa on before. she’s amazing entrepreneur, done all sorts of things, but today we’re talking about her new book, which comes out next week, and I wanna make sure at the top of the show that I tell you guys where you can find it.

[00:02:40] Jeff Sieh: So if you go to thecastlerun.com/book, that’s where you can sign up to get all that information about when it launches, where to pick it up, all the things. So thecastlerun.com/book. And also, I wanna big a shout-out to our sponsors of the show, amazing folks over at Ecamm. You can find out more about them at ecamm.com/jeff.[00:03:00]

[00:03:00] Jeff Sieh: Use the code JEFF15 to save 15% on your first purchase. And they also have the amazing camp coming up. Creator Camp is coming up J- September 28th through 30th. I will be there speaking with a lot of other cool people like Pat Flynn, Michael Hyatt, the Ecamm team, so many people. you can find out more about that at ecamm.com/camp.

[00:03:18] Jeff Sieh: I would love, love, love to see you there. All right, we are gonna just jump right into this because this is gonna be, so much fun. Once again, folks, ask your questions wherever you are watching f- from, and it’s gonna be a rough one. I, I can see Lou in the comments. I’m gonna try to, like, ignore his little sassy comments, but we will, we’ll pull ’em up if they, if they, they’re appropriateso, Lisa, this is something I remember you talking about at Momentum. So you were a Harvard-trained, mergers and acquisitions attorney during enormous deals, and you were, by your own description in the book, pretty miserable. Like, it wasn’t a fun time for you, and your best friend told you to put an actual date on the calendar for getting out, like [00:04:00] quitting your job, doing something different.

[00:04:01] Jeff Sieh: So why did that one piece of advice work when you were just, you know, when you’re thinking, “I just want out of this thing,” when that didn’t work, that piece of advice really hit home for you?

[00:04:10] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, I mean, I think you can want out of something or want change in general, like sort of vaguely without limit forever and never act on it because there’s no sort of point B that you’re moving towards. And I think that the reason that that piece of advice, which I repeat so often when I’m telling the story, ’cause it’s such a central like sort of pivotal moment for me, was because it gave me…

[00:04:36] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and she said, she said, “I don’t care if it’s two weeks from now or two years from now, but whatever it is, like put the date on the calendar.” And, and this was the key to it, the, the rest of that sentence, which was, “And spend the intervening time figuring out, you know, sort of what needs, what you need to wrap your head around,in order to get ready for that moment.”

[00:04:53] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And that wasn’t just a, a financial thing. It wasn’t really a financial thing at all. We were fine. It was more of just wrapping [00:05:00] my mind sort of psychologically around that change because, you know, as much as I was miserable, and I think this goes, you know, this, this through line goes for, for all of us, you know, not, not just me, but as, as much as I was miserable in that role, it was an enormous part of sort of my identity.

[00:05:16] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And as much as I might not want to admit it, an enormous part of probably my self-worth at that point because I had worked so long to develop this like level of expertise and, and the value that I sort of contributed to the world, if that’s what you want to call it, as an M&A attorney, was, was sort of took, it took that form.

[00:05:33] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And so, you know, the date I ended up putting on the calendar was about six months out from that time. It was that August. And so once that date was on the calendar, I could kind of start to wrap my head around, you know, what that identity shift meant in getting to that, you know, getting to that next point.

[00:05:49] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And I think that was what it was. I think like there are certain aspects of creating change that you can’t sort of start to implement until you have an endpoint that you’re working toward, and [00:06:00] that kind of gives you a framework to start to figure out the rest of it.

[00:06:03] Jeff Sieh: Hmm. I love that part about, yeah, your id- so many of us, our job is so much of our identity, and I, I can understand why that was a huge hurdle. I think we all have had jobs where they’ve either s- you’ve had to change jobs or you’ve been fired or you’ve had to leave, and that initial hit is like, “Okay, who am I?”

[00:06:22] Jeff Sieh: Right? Like, you have that question in your head. Like,

[00:06:24] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Mm-hmm.

[00:06:25] Jeff Sieh: time doing this, and then I have to leave. I remember, s- the stuff I’ve had to do with, employers or employees before, I’m like, “Ugh.” It really does take a, a hit. And so, one, I think it was really interesting in that book, you had your…

[00:06:38] Jeff Sieh: You had a, kind of a, those friends that would help you on and ask these questions, like this lady who said like, “Okay, put it on the calendar. Like, put it on the calendar so you have a, a definite date.” So I thought that was a really great piece of advice

[00:06:48] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Yeah. I mean, I, I think so much of it is identity and, you know, I’ve talked before about things like, you know, imposter syndrome and, and stuff like that, and it all kinda gets wrapped up together and sort of where you get your self-worth from. And, you know, it’s a [00:07:00] conversation for another day, but I think so much of the challenge of becoming sort of an entrepreneur or solopreneur, these things that we all try to do, I think so much of the, the challenge of that is kind of stepping away from a world where you have that, like, externally defined validation every day, and sort of metrics to compare yourself against and, like, you know, metrics for self-growth.

[00:07:20] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and I think stepping into a role where that all suddenly becomes self-defined is a lot of the challenge that we don’t expect coming into entrepreneurship, that a lot of us end up facing.

[00:07:30] Zac Brown: I think the amazing thing, Lise, is that, you know, at your core, you are a writer. If anybody were to pay attention to all the ventures that you’ve done from your blog, your candles, your photos, the, the string that goes through is story and writing. But there’s a, a leap between I can do this thing to putting out a book.

[00:07:49] Zac Brown: You know, you had no publishing background. You had no agent, no deal, nobody telling you that, you know, you were allowed to do this. So what actually convinced you that you were [00:08:00] the person that should write the definitive guide in your space?

[00:08:04] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So I think it’s wild that this didn’t already exist. Like, the fact that this run- like, this is a huge… Like, there’s so many books on Disney and Disney Cruise Line and, like, you know, all, all of the things. And the fact that, like, this incredibly active, popular, massive space didn’t have a guidebook is wild to me.

[00:08:25] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, all of that being said, you know, I- you can take the, like the girl out of corporate law, but you can’t take the corporate law out of the girl, and I’m still that same, like, hyper-organized type A planner. And, and before every race I would kind of, you know, dissect the information that Disney kind of put together in its, its, you know, its way, which c- tends to be very difficult to navigate, and digest that, and, and for myself.

[00:08:50] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And then over the years I started sharing that very same thing on my blog and on my Instagram, and it became a sort of hub for that kind of information with the through line of a lot of sort of [00:09:00] heart and, you know, all the other… You know, just the way that I tend to present things. And so, you know, I kind of go- I was realizing over the years that so much of what I was putting out there was evergreen.

[00:09:10] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, a lot of it is sort of race weekend to race weekend, and things that change, and the little detailed policies and things like that, but so much of it is evergreen. And so much of it belonged in, like, between two covers of a physical book that you could kind of hold it all in your hands at one time and feel like, you know, you had it all under control.

[00:09:27] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And I think as the runDisney community has continued to grow and bring in so many people to this world of running, like Distance running is becoming so, so popular right now, and the runDisney races are bringing in, you know, people who have never run a race before in their lives. And the whole process, you know, a Disney trip itself is very complicated, but then you layer in, like, all of the details of, you know, of, of a run, of a race.

[00:09:51] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and I think there’s a lot of people out there who wish they could be doing it, who just feel intimidated by the logistics of it all on top of like, you know, the [00:10:00] idea of doing the run. Um, and you know, the ability to put everything between two covers and say, like, “I got you,” like, “If you’ve got this book, I got you,” just was, was a really incredible thing to be able to, to give to the world.

[00:10:12] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And like I said, I can’t believe it didn’t exist, but it probably makes a heck of a lot of sense that I was the one who ended up writing it.

[00:10:18] Jeff Sieh: So it’s, it, it’s– So I am not a runner. Like, the only time I run is when I hear somebody yell, “Fire,” or, “Free food,” or, “The free food’s on fire.” Those are the only times I run, like, those are it. But I thought this book was fascinating because– And I read the whole entire thing, like, I always do that for pe- the guests on my show.

[00:10:35] Jeff Sieh: and I was like, “Oh, a run- a running book, okay.” But I’ve heard you guys talk about it, and I, like, I, I knew enough about it that it was really fascinating how you broke it down. And even for a non-runner, like, learning stuff like, “Oh, okay, I didn’t know they did that,” and, you know, the balloon ladies, and all the stuff that’s part of the culture that you guys have with runDisney, I thought was fascinating.

[00:10:53] Jeff Sieh: And plus, the first and, you know, even the last chapter, I was not expecting a running book to make me [00:11:00] cry, Lisa, and I, I was just– I was going, “Curses, Lisa Glasner,” you know? But, it was a really, really well-written book. I’m not just blowing smoke. But you have done this thing 100 times. Like, you, you’ve done the races, like, I think it was over 100 races that you have done before you even wrote a word.

[00:11:15] Jeff Sieh: So how much does being qualified to write a book is credentials, and how much of it is just having more reps than anybody else, like, in the room, right? Like, so I, I think we all are sort like, “Oh, I, I– They’ve already write- written this book.” Or like you said, there hadn’t been really one on runDisney, but a lot of people have that barrier like, “Oh, somebody else kind of wrote something similar.

[00:11:35] Jeff Sieh: No one’s gonna listen to me.” Like, what do you tell people like that who come to you like, “Lisa, I’m so, I’m so– It’s so good that you wrote a book. I have– I wanna do it, but I, I keep hitting this wall.” What do you tell those type of people?

[00:11:46] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I mean, I think there’s kind of two questions buried in there. The, the first one is, like, I don’t even know what credentials means anymore, honestly. Like, like what does it… Like, what is… Like, I don’t even know, I don’t even know what you mean by credentials. Like, that’s how, like, amorphous [00:12:00] that term has, has become.

[00:12:01] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Because, you know, we all kind of exist in our niches or our, you know, our worlds and our communities, and we’re all just kind of, like, figuring it out along the way. And, you know, it’s, it’s funny, I kind of cringe, like, ’cause the lead-in to every one of these interviews is, like, the Harvard Law attorney who left to…

[00:12:15] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and it is my story. Like, I get it. Like, I understand, but it’s, like, so Like, that nobody, nobody who’s listening to anything that I have to say, you know, as far as I know right now, like, could care less. so, like, I don’t even…

[00:12:29] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, what does credentials even mean at this point other than, you know, my credentials are that I’ve done it 100 times, you know? Like, that’s, that is what it is. And, and, you know, and I was very lucky to be working in a space where, like, the book didn’t exist. But all of that being said, even if you’re in a space that has 100 books already, your version of that story is gonna be different from those other 100 versions of the story.

[00:12:55] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, like, you’re gonna be coming at it from your own, you know, from your own [00:13:00] personal sort of framework, and somebody out there is gonna identify with that who didn’t identify with the first 100. So I think as long… If, if all you’re planning to do is, like, regurgitate a logistical guide, then, like, maybe you do need to think about whether or not there’s already 100 books in this space.

[00:13:17] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But if you’re planning to come at it from a really honest place where you’re willing to kind of tell your own story in the context of the thing that you’re explaining, then there’s gonna be value there, no matter how much already exists in your space.

[00:13:29] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. so you, we kind of joked about the whole, you tell the story over and, like I was, I w- I was a Harvard attorney, yada, yada, yada. But people like Michelle say things like, “Lisa gives me hope that I can escape corporate life.” Like, so,

[00:13:43] Zac Brown: Mm-hmm.

[00:13:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And that’s the value, right? Like, that’s the value of it. Like, that’s why I’ll always tell the beginning of the story and, like, I know, you know, we can talk about chapter one, you know, in, in, in, in that framework if you want to. But, like, to me, like, I don’t tell that story so that you can [00:14:00] be, like, wowed by my credentials.

[00:14:02] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I tell that story because, like, I was that girl who, like, lived in what we jokingly referred to as a culture of misery. Like, it was a culture of misery, and you kind of were just, like, signed on to this club of, like, being miserable with everyone else because that was your people, You know, it’s funny because when I look back, like, I think getting out was really, really ballsy, but at the same time, Like, I wonder how it… I, but I also wonder, like, how it took me so long, you know? Now it seems like it was an easy answer to get out, but, like, I used to be that person who felt trapped, and I’ll always tell, like, that beginning of my story because I think so many of the people who connect with me connect because they’re still in that place, like, in that part of the j- the journey of, of feeling trapped.

[00:14:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, Life is too short to, like, just be signed on to something that everybody jokingly refers to as a culture of misery. Like, you don’t owe your misery to anybody. You really don’t. no community demands that of you deserves your place in it.

[00:14:58] Jeff Sieh: That’s very well said

[00:14:59] Zac Brown: So as [00:15:00] long as we’re here, let’s, let’s kind of look at this chapter one. Like, your book is not a neutral how-to. You know, you put your father, your grief, the worst season of your life in chapter one of a running book. And you tell the reader that they can skip it, which I think is just delightful. What made you leave that in when the cautious version of that book would probably edit that out?

[00:15:22] Zac Brown: And what did that decision do to make it all connect?

[00:15:25] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, a- and, you know, you laugh and I laugh too. Like, I literally do say, like, if this isn’t what you’re here for, like, feel free to skip ahead to the logistical guide because, you know, nobody’s needs to read my story if they don’t want to. But, you know, like you said, so much of the through line of everything that I do is storytelling.

[00:15:42] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: and to me, like and it also goes right back to my answer to the last question. Like, this just happened to be the first book in the space, and it had value just in being that. But also, like, I come at it with, from my own framework and, and I think so many of us who come to distance running, and so many of us who come to Disney, and then there’s this, like, wild nexus [00:16:00] in runDisney that, like, it’s, we kind of like we’re going through it, and that’s kind of why we need that thing.

[00:16:05] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, a lot of people, a lot of adults who come to Disney, like, at that time in their life kind of need a very heavy dose of magic, and there’s usually a reason for that. And a lot of the people who come as adults to distance running are coming to distance running because they’re kind of going through something, and the running is, just becomes that sort of therapy to get through it.

[00:16:27] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And like I said, like, there’s this nexus in runDisney that’s sort of like that squared, and I think that’s a part of why the community is what it is. but you know, I, I told the story in part because, like, for me, I couldn’t tell the rest of the book until I had told that story, ’cause that’s just the honest version of that for me.

[00:16:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But also I tell the story because, you know, if you choose to read it, my hope is that you come out of it kind of feeling like you’ve got a soul sister out there, and you’re not the only person kind of dealing with, you know, that, that stage of life or that grief or, [00:17:00] like, whatever it is that’s brought you to this, to this place, whether it’s running or Disney or, or whatever.

[00:17:05] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, some people are just in it for the fun and the lightheartedness and all the things, and that’s, that’s wonderful. Like, more power to them. But I think, you know, and my hope is that people kind of leave chapter one feeling a little bit seen in what they’re going through.

[00:17:17] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. It’s a, it was, it’s a great way to kick off, the book. I thought it was re- I mean, it, it drew you in and, anyway, stayed for the whole thing. So it was really great. I wanna know, and and Lisa, I mean, Lauren from Lulu is here. She goes, ” Delighted to tune in just in time to hear Lisa give the most perfect answer.”

[00:17:33] Jeff Sieh: so one of the questions I have, because, you know, Lulu I know helped you with a little bit of this, but where was the specific moment where the book went from someday to I’m actually doing this? Do you

[00:17:46] Jeff Sieh: remember

[00:17:46] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So the book kind of existed in the back of my mind for a really long time. the last chapter of the book has existed in my mind for a very, very long time, and will one day be its own book. but I, I think, like, it was kind of on my to-do list for a little while, [00:18:00] and one day, I think it was, like, early this spring, I was just like, “You know what?

[00:18:03] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, the time’s not gonna find me. I just need to find the time to make this the thing.” And so I literally, and this will probably answer some of your other, other questions or, like, leads into it, I literally brain dumped what is effectively the table of contents. Like, a more detailed version of the table of contents.

[00:18:18] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I just, like, sat down in an afternoon and was like, “All right, so what, w- what’s everything that I kind of would need to cover in this, in this book?” And I kind of built that framework, in an afternoon, and the book was just sort of built from there. And obviously, you know, that evolved and things shifted and, like, a little, you know, thing, a few things kind of grew along the way, a few things kind of fell by the wayside as I started to see the whole thing take shape.

[00:18:42] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: but yeah, I think, like, the, the book was sort of like a vague possibility in my head for a while, and then one day I kind of brain dumped the table of contents, or effectively what became… Like, the outline, the outline of the book. and from there it became a more tangible, like, doable segmented project.[00:19:00]

[00:19:00] Jeff Sieh: Very cool

[00:19:00] Zac Brown: I think it’s fun because you, you had it all, you laid it out. You’re like, “Okay, this is the journey.” You knew your why on the upfront, and then you’re like, “Okay, here’s the path. This is what we need to cover.” And it kind of gave you an approach to how to, you know, go from there

[00:19:12] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Yeah, it was literally like, all right, I wanna sort of tell my s- I did wanna tell my story. Like, I wanted to talk about the history of the races. I wanted to talk about, like, how to choose your race, how to register, like, training, fueling, you know, the, the, the costuming, you know, the, the r- the race week, race morning, like, like, post finish line, like, and then the sort of through way at the end.

[00:19:33] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So I kind of built that framework out and, you know, not to jump ahead, but, like, that w- that also sort of became, that became my day-to-day. ‘Cause I would wake up in the morning and be like… Not wake up in the morning, ’cause obviously I had a million other things to do, but that’s kind of what made this doable.

[00:19:46] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, I’ve got all this other stuff going on, but it’s like, okay, like, kind of given where my head is today, and, like, what I’m thinking about today, and, like, the other things that I have to do today, like, what chapter can I take on today? And some days, like, and, and when, and, you know, and some days, like, all [00:20:00] I had a need was, like, the logistical stuff.

[00:20:01] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: ‘Cause that’s easy. That’s, like, the ro- like, I know it. Like, it’s, you know, it, you check at the things and you make sure you’re up to date and, like, the, that everything’s accurate. But, like, you know, how to navigate expo is not, like, an emotional exercise necessarily. It’s just getting it on paper, and it’s something that I’ve written, you know, in, in some form, you know, times before.

[00:20:19] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: and, you know, some days you’re, you know, up for a mega research project, which the history section was. That does not exist to my knowledge anywhere else, like the history in that f- in, to that deep level of detail. So, you know, some, some days I felt, like, ready to take that on and, And I kind of put off that last chapter for a while because I wanted to be very much in the right head space to write it. It was actually, it actually was the last thing that I wrote. But, you know, one day I was ready to take that on, and that was the day that, you know, and I say day, I mean, obviously it’s, you know, sort of from a creation of the world type day.

[00:20:51] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: it wasn’t literally each, you know, I wasn’t literally, like, whipping these out, like, one a day. But, but it was sort of like, all right, like, what, like, what do I feel ready to take on today? And it, and once I [00:21:00] had the project kind of segmented in an outline that, you know, is more or less the table of contents now, it was easy to kind of wake up in the morning and say, like, “All right, like, which chapter of this do I feel ready to kinda wrap my head around and put, put on paper today?”

[00:21:14] Jeff Sieh: So how long did it actually take you? Like, are we talking months, a year? Like, what, what is your kind of timeline when you decided to write it that you, to the finish point?

[00:21:22] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So I think I d- I brain dumped that outline in like mid-March, and the very, the final draft of the, the, the, we’ll talk the partnerships too, but the, of the, the brand agnostic sort of pre-partnership version was finished in mid-June

[00:21:38] Jeff Sieh: Very cool. So I wanna ask the audience,have you been telling yourself you’re gonna write a book? And, and I wanna know, are you writing it, put it, I’m writing it, I’m still talking about it, or it’s already done and you just haven’t sent it out yet? So which one is it? Is it writing it, is it still talking about it, or already done?

[00:21:53] Jeff Sieh: Let us know wherever you’re watching from. I promise, Lauren at Lulu is not gonna take your name down and contact you, but it, it might be [00:22:00] worth it if she does. but one of the quest- Yeah, it would be great. so for the person watching, Lisa, who has expertise but is convinced somebody more qualified should write it, what do you say to them?

[00:22:12] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I mean, if you wait too long, somebody more, somebody n- the, I’ll take the more qualified out of it, but you know, if you wait too long, somebody else is gonna write it, ’cause the universe never lets an idea rest, right? If you don’t, if you don’t take it by the horns. you know, so it, it’ll exist one day, whether you’re the one who writes it or not.

[00:22:26] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: but like I said, I mean, it’s … You know, first of all, like I, I, I think w- the things that we know best are the things, and this is such a cliche, but it’s so true, like the th- and we all know, the things that you know best are the things that you underestimate your own, yourself on the most, because it’s just sort of knowledge that you start to assume everyone has.

[00:22:42] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, the things that I could sit down and kind of tell you about RunDisney, you know, off the cuff, you know, I just assume everybody knows in some way, shape, or form, because it’s just, it’s obvious knowledge to me after having done it so many times. But I think, you know, what we need to remember is that feeling that way is probably the first [00:23:00] sign, sign that you are the expert, or at least an expert.

[00:23:03] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, you know, pair that with, you know, the willingness to tell your story in an honest way. And, you know, maybe you’re not the only person who should write the book, but you’re one of

[00:23:11] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. I, like I didn’t know that you could use petroleum jelly for chafing, and I knew that now from the book. And like, I always wondered why Lou was carrying that around in Momentum, but, you know, we won’t go there. But a lot of people are chiming in saying, like, you know, they’re writing it.

[00:23:25] Jeff Sieh: Like Michelle from Fun and Curious says, “Writing it, but not as fast as I should be.” Don says, “Long ago dreamt of writing a piece of fiction.” So Don, what’s holding you back? Why, why are you not, finishing that up? I think, I think a lot of us say that, and we’re like, “How can we get done?” Like, that’s my problem, getting it finished and out the door to at least let somebody read it.

[00:23:43] Jeff Sieh: I- and Zac is the same way. Like Zac, I remember he was writing. He sent me his first chapter. he’s got an amazing book out, so it’s kinda cool to have two authors on the show, that, uh, we are able to talk to. But, the next part we’re gonna talk about, like, publishing kind of a gut check. Like, would you go self-publish or would you chase a [00:24:00] traditional deal?

[00:24:00] Jeff Sieh: ‘Cause it’s really interesting, both Zac and Lisa self-published, and so I wanna talk about this because a lot of people I know are like, oh, they’re chasing after, like, you know, submitting it. I remember back in the day it was everybody was submitting it to these big publishing houses and getting all these rejection letters back, and then like there’s all these famous authors who’ve gotten like, 50 rejection letters and that was that one thing.

[00:24:20] Jeff Sieh: I mean, even Lou talks about it, like he sent his first book off and nobody would do it except for this small little publishing house, and he’s forever grateful to them. But, you had 17 chapters, three appendices, and they’re amazing, an index, and b- like h- before you wrote everything, you mentioned brain dumping the table of contents.

[00:24:39] Jeff Sieh: Like, how did you keep that scope narrow? one of the things that I know a lot of people have problems with, and I have the same problem too, is like the scope keeps growing. you know, it’s like, oh my gosh, this is gonna be a tome. Like, it’s gonna be huge if I keep going.

[00:24:53] Jeff Sieh: How did you know where it was done and it was like, okay, I’ve got all the chapters done. Now I just need to, you know, [00:25:00] kind of finish it. how do you stop scope creep, I guess?

[00:25:03] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I think I just had to trust that this was the first book, not the book. And so, like, you know, to the extent that there was more I had to say, it could come in other forms later. Like, like I said, the last chapter of this book is, you know, it’s, it’s the heart of the book for me, and it’s, and, you know, it, it, for the, the 100% of people out there watching who don’t have it in their hands yet, it’s, you know, it’s, it’s sort of a dozen life, life lessons learned from a lifetime of distance running.

[00:25:30] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Take it as, like, the, if you remember the old book, like, Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, like, it’s that, but running instead of kindergarten. so, that chapter could have, I could have sat on that chapter, like, forever and ever and ever, because it could have kept growing.

[00:25:43] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, there’s no end to what I could have put into that chapter. But I also knew that that chapter was gonna be its own book, literally, one day. And so, you know, I just kind of had to say, “Okay, like, let’s kind of, let’s put where I am in my own head, like, in this chapter down on paper right now.” [00:26:00] And, you know, even now, like, when I reread that chapter, I’m like, “Oh, I could have included this,” or, “Oh, this sentence could have been different.”

[00:26:04] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Or, like, and I just have to accept the fact that, you know, that’s gonna be its own book one day. And so, you know, and there’ll be other editions of this book. And also just remembering who your audience is and why you’re writing it. Like, I was writing this book both as a love letter to the runDisney community and, like, a voice to the veteran, but, you know, also, you know, first and foremost as, as a guide to the newcomer, and that person doesn’t need a 600-page book.

[00:26:28] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: That person needs, like, point A to point B. Like, hold my hand, get me there. And the whole point was not to make it feel overwhelming. So, like, you kind of wanted it to be as succinct and straightforward, at least in the, you know, the middle of the book, as possible. So I, I think, remembering your audien- remembering that, that there will be other books and remembering who your audience is are probably the two ways that you can best prevent scope

[00:26:50] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, I love that, knowing that you don’t have to put it all in one big book. Just like, okay, we’ll c- talk about this later. And you even d- you even mention it in your book. You’re just like, “This will be for [00:27:00] another book,” which, you know, kinda gives you a,

[00:27:02] Jeff Sieh: a, a, a little kick in the rear you have to write another

[00:27:05] Jeff Sieh: one

[00:27:05] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Yes

[00:27:06] Jeff Sieh: right?

[00:27:06] Jeff Sieh: So yeah, that, that was pretty cool

[00:27:08] Zac Brown: And I love that you did this, like you did this yourself. I mean, knowing you as I do, I expect nothing less. But putting it under Castle Run, you know, your own company, your own imprint, your own ISBN,

[00:27:18] Zac Brown: walk us through what that was actually meant practically for you, and knowing what you know now, would you do it that way again?

[00:27:27] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I mean, absolutely I would do it that way again. It’s kind of like when you get married, and at the end you’re like, “It’s a shame I’m not doing this twice,” because, like, the, the … it was sort of like an exponential learning curve, and now I’m at the top of that, and I’ll never be able to use that information again.

[00:27:40] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Well, with the book you will, so that’s good. I think yeah, I would absolutely do it this way again. I mean, would it be … You know, will, would I lean into a little bit more help along the way now that I understand all the steps? Like, sure, maybe. But, you know, the fact that I own every step of this process, right down to my, like, Bowker ISBN, you know, it’s, it

[00:27:58] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, I, I own [00:28:00] everything about it. I don’t owe anybody anything. I don’t owe … I’m not getting a … You know, it’s … I don’t owe anybody any part of that process. Like, I own and, and now understand, like, every step, from the writing to the s- like, like, to the, to the ISBN, to the copyright page, to the editing process, to, you know, short of having, you know, an incredibly wonderful, like, designer who actually, like, did the InDesign layout for me because, like, I needed at a certain point to be like, “Okay, Lisa, you c- you can’t, like, have your hands on every single aspect of this,” you know, I, I owned every aspect of it and kind of learned everything along the way.

[00:28:36] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, like, what came out of it is, like, this baby that I created that is all mine. And yeah, I would, I would absolutely do it that way again. And I think, like, we’re so lucky to live in a time where that’s kind of the obvious option, you know, where you’re not having to, you know, write the book and then, you know, give it to somebody else for approval or disapproval, or whether or not it’s worthy of their investment or…

[00:28:58] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, you can just kind of put it out into the [00:29:00] world and, like, trust the universe and your community to, to decide those things for you. So yeah, I would absolutely do it that way again. And, and, and thank God for… I mean, we don’t- I know you talk a lot of AI, but, like, thank God for, like, s- tools like that because I literally can go into chat, you know, wheth- whether it’s that I’m working out, like, how to do, like, the, the tax set up on WooCommerce or, like, Rec- Like, all the things, like, that aren’t the writing.

[00:29:27] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, all the things that are, like, the, like, the tech side of it, like setting up all this, like, all the… We even… Like, the stuff on my website that I had to create, that’s… A lot of it’s not live yet, but some of it is. Like, just teaching myself how to do that aspect of things. Like, being able to sort of go into chat and be like, “Talk to me like a very intelligent five-year-old,” is what I always say.

[00:29:47] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I’m like, “Talk to me like I’m a very intelligent five-year-old. I have no idea. Like, this is not my… Like, I can, I can understand it if you explain it to me, but this is not my wheelhouse. Like, just walk me through it and hold my hand.” Then it’s like, “Click this. Now [00:30:00] click this. Now click…” And it’s, you know, it kind of gets you from point A to point B.

[00:30:03] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and, you know, I think that kind of has leveled the playing field in so many ways because, like, I’m a… You know, I, I think I’m a good writer. I’m confident in my writing skills, and I’m confident in my knowledge of RunDisney, but I’m not, like, necessarily, you know, as confident in, like, in my WordPress skills, you know?

[00:30:19] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But now I have a tool that can kind of walk me through that, so it’s very doable.

[00:30:23] Jeff Sieh: So that’s a perfect segue because I actually used AI to do something that is part of the show now. But you can go to jeffsieh.com/cheatsheet, and you’ll have a cheat sheet of all the stuff that we talked about today, next steps, all sorts of stuff, and there is no way I’d be able to make this happen without AI, and it’s really, really cool.

[00:30:42] Jeff Sieh: I’d love for you guys to go kick the tires on it, and let me know if there’s any issues. But, uh, we’ve been using it for the past couple weeks, and people have really, really liked it. So jeffsieh.com/cheatsheet to go check that out. but, this is the thing that I think is so brilliant. I’ve seen a lot of people kind of, you know, [00:31:00] do Kickstarter or something like that for their book.

[00:31:03] Jeff Sieh: But you invited companies that you already trusted to partner on the book, and they supported it with flat sponsorship fees. It’s not affiliate commissions, and you disclosed all of it because, you know, ex-lawyer kind of a thing . It was very well done. I saw that throughout the book. But how did you structure that?

[00:31:20] Jeff Sieh: Did y- I mean, how did you pitch it, and how do you protect the reader’s trust in a deal like that? And for those of you who haven’t read the book, and I was lucky enough to get a advance copy, is that she did a very, very… You never felt like it was, like, a sponsorship deal or like, hey, you know. It was very organic inside of her telling the story of why she used this particular thing, and then even some friends who we’ve had, on the show before, Stephen, Cabebe, who is,at Momentum.

[00:31:47] Jeff Sieh: He’s been on the show. You mentioned him and his services. So very organic, but I just, I wanna know how this came about because I think it’s a model that a lot of people don’t think about but could be something that they could use.

[00:31:57] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Yeah, this was a wild process. [00:32:00] We could do a whole show about this. so I think as I was finishing up, like, the actual just kind of, like, writing of the book, which I had very sort of purposefully done in a brand agnostic way, I started to realize, and it kind of grew and grew as I kind of started to think about it more and more, that this was an opportunity not only to create this, like, logistical guide to the process of RunDisney itself, but also to kind of problem solve all of the questions that come along with being on a RunDisney Disney vacation.

[00:32:31] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: and so I, I kind of started to think about all of the different solutions that I’ve found all over the years from different brands that I personally use and trust,and would feel comfortable putting in front of my own audience in that way. And so as I was wrapping up the writing of the actual kind of brand agnostic book, I started to slowly reach out to different services that kind of filled those buckets.[00:33:00]

[00:33:00] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So a travel agency, like the service that gets you from the airport to the hotel, like a grocery delivery service, in-room childcare so that you could go do the run at 3:00 in the morning while your kids were still asleep in bed. You know, stroller rental, like, and all the, you know, several different gear, gear companies, costuming companies, anti-chafe companies.

[00:33:21] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, the company who makes the metal hangers that you can like use to celebrate after the fact. Like, all of those kind of were like these buckets that I wanted to fill for the reader with companies, or at least be able to offer that to the reader, to be able to kind of answer all of those questions along the way, in addition to kind of giving you the nuts and bolts of how to get through the process of runDisney itself.

[00:33:45] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And so I started to reach out to these potential partners, many, many of whom I already knew very well, ’cause that was sort of the point, like these were people that I already use and trust, and in a lot of ways have worked with before. Like Stephen, who is my, he’s [00:34:00] my partner, physical therapist. Like, there’s a strength and conditioning coach that I know very well, who’s also very much embedded in the runDisney community that, that I’m working with.

[00:34:08] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And I started to reach out to them with what was, you know, a, a very attractive pitch, which is like being able to get them in front of this audience kind of at the very, very beginning of their planning process. And the, the people who these are, like a lot of, you know, a lot of our listeners, like those of us who do Disney podcasts or things like that, like we’re kind of preaching to the choir, and these people kind of already know all of the ins and outs of the answers to those questions.

[00:34:35] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, you know Kids Night Out is like the obvious go-to childcare. You know that Kingdom Strollers is the obvious go-to rentals, whatever. You know that, you know, MEI is a phenomenal travel agent. But if you’re coming into all of this fresh, like with this book in hand, you probably don’t know any of those answers yet And you definitely don’t know the answers if they’re not kind of what’s already on the shelf at Target.

[00:34:57] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, like, to be able to go to an anti-chafe company that [00:35:00] usually caters to ultra-marathoners and say, “You know, I can put you in front of… Like, the product that you make is better than Body Glide,” and everybody is sort of assuming to buy Body Glide, ’cause that’s what’s on the shelf at Walmart. Like, but these runDisney people need you at least as much as these ultra-marathoners with their crazy costumes and their park days, and, like, their challenges and all the things.

[00:35:20] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: so I was able to get in front of, like, these partners that were already the companies that I used and say, like, “I can put you in front of these people, like, at the outset when they have no knowledge.” And then all of a sudden you’re their default go-to going forward, and, like, you’re using the anti-chafe when you’re walking around Epcot, and you’re using the stroller company when you’re on a normal trip, and all the things.

[00:35:40] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, you know, from that end of things, it was, it was a very easy, very real, like, value add for them that I could offer up. and I wanted the flat fee and not the affiliate deal, in part because I, you know, I, I wanted the partnership, so it wasn’t gonna be free. Like, you have to value your own work and, like, value what you’re, you’re giving to them, and I wanted it [00:36:00] to feel mutual, and I never wanted to resent the work that I was doing for them.

[00:36:04] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So it had to be, you know, a meaningful flat fee. But at the same time, like, I wanted it to be a partnership. Like, I had no interest whatsoever in spending my year chasing affiliate fees or looking at their accounting, or questioning whether or not they were giving me my due, or, like, having them look at, like, my sales buttons and seeing, like, if my turnaround was worthwhile.

[00:36:23] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, y- it was like the… My, my pitch going in was like, “You’re in it with me or you’re not, and I don’t wanna cut of your sales afterwards. But, like, either you see value in me or you don’t. And if you don’t, I will move on, no hard feelings. I’ll still use your brand. I used it before. I’ll keep using it. But, like, you know, but if, if you see the value in this partnership and you trust me with this partnership, then, you know, then, then let’s do this flat fee and let’s go forward.”

[00:36:49] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And, and so on that end, a flat fee made sense. And then on the other end too, like, I wanted in no way, shape, or form for my community to feel like I was benefiting if they decided to buy.

[00:36:57] Jeff Sieh: Hmm. Yeah, yeah.

[00:36:58] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, like, I, I [00:37:00] don’t want any cut of your… Like, if you decide to use the grocery delivery service that I recommended, I don’t want any part of that money.

[00:37:06] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I don’t. So, you know, and I don’t want you to feel like that’s why I recommended them. So, you know, so I went to the companies that I already trusted with this ability to put them in front of this awesome, like, very new, very novice audience from the start. and, you know, and it was a flat fee because I, I wanted that trust from the start.

[00:37:25] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I don’t wanna be cha- chasing their accounting all year. I have other things to do with my time. and I didn’t want my community to feel like I was making money off their backs.

[00:37:32] Jeff Sieh: Did you just, when you were making these deals, ’cause I know there’s a lot of people, we’ve had Justin Moore from, who wrote Sponsor Magnet and a lot of the brand deals things. was the flat fee just for the book? There wasn’t any of your… ‘Cause you have a big Instagram profile as well. Was it, was it any sort of like you get this and, or was it just you’re just in the book?

[00:37:50] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: No. So it’s with one exception, there’s nothing kind of ongoing about the relationship as far as… Because that’s a separate bucket. Like, to me, like, me [00:38:00] being, like, a creator who’s, like, you know, showing you to my Instagram audience in the form of a reel is very different from, like, this value add. So those were two different buckets.

[00:38:09] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: there’s one relationship that’s, that’s not in the book. I have a brand relationship with Fit To Run now the store, and that’s a more digital relationship that will actually have an Instagram presence, and that was structured very differently. They’re not in the, the book for other reasons. but other than that, so the, the buckets that they’re getting, that these partners are getting are, they’re, they’re in appendix C of the book.

[00:38:28] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So the last appendix of the book is a resource guide that’s ex- it’s, it’s literally like a white pages of the companies that I trust the most that’ll kind of click all those buckets for you. So they exist there. in, in certain cases, they became where, where they were organically relevant, they’re now, they’re mentioned in the body of the book.

[00:38:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So when I’m talking anti-chafe, I mention Squirrels. When I’m talking about travel planning, I talk about MEI. When I’m talking about, you know, physical therapy related issues, I mention Stephen, et cetera, et cetera. So, like, organically in the book, they’re mentioned as appropriate in addition to being in this appendix [00:39:00] C.

[00:39:00] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: there’s also, and we’ll touch on this in other ways, but there’s a companion hub that will go live with the book. There’s a, there’s QR codes to it in the book, and they’ll live there as well. So kind of the biggest thing on that companion hub is a version of that appendix C that kind of lives and is a live version of that with clickable links and all the things, you know, on that companion hub.

[00:39:18] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So there’s, there’s a… So that’s a page on my website where they also live, and that’s a thing that I will be linking in all of the articles that I write throughout the year that are relevant, and it also will live on my Instagram bio as a link. So they, they’re on my Instagram, but just as a, as a bio link,to that, to that page.

[00:39:36] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And then the final piece of all of this, which we don’t have time to get into today, and I haven’t even started trying to wrap my head around the logistics of, is that there will be a limited series podcast that launches on the heels of the book that kind of is a… It’s kind of like an audio book, like my take on the audio book of it.

[00:39:51] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, like, w- it’ll be like a, a sort of pretty much per chapter, and there’ll be guests where relevant. but they’ll, the, there’ll be a limited series podcast that [00:40:00] sort of does a deep dive into each chapter-ish of, of the book, and they’ll be organically mentioned on that as well. And where I felt like there was a value add to it and it made sense, a part of the contract was also that they would be a guest on the relevant episode.

[00:40:13] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So for example, when I’m talking about travel, I’ll have Becky from MEI on. When I’m talking about recovery, I’ll have Stephen on for that episode, and my friends at Sparkle Athletic will be a part of the costuming episode, et cetera. So there was, there’s the book existence, the website existence, and then, mention and a potential guest appearance on the podcast.

[00:40:32] Jeff Sieh: See? So smart. When people say, “Well, I don’t know how to make money,” talk to Lisa, ’cause she can figure it out. So that’s very, very cool. Thank you for those, all, all those great ideas

[00:40:39] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Yeah

[00:40:39] Zac Brown: It’s not a book, it’s a franchise.

[00:40:41] Jeff Sieh: That’s

[00:40:43] Jeff Sieh: right. That’s right

[00:40:44] Zac Brown: Lisa, I’m gonna, I’m just gonna go ahead and just ask for your forgiveness because I’m gonna ask you to put your lawyer hat back on for just a moment, ’cause this applies to everybody watching this. You wrote an entire book about a brand that you do not own. How do you think through fair use [00:41:00] trademarks and disclaimers, and what does a creator making content about a platform or a company that they do not control need to understand before they hit publish?

[00:41:09] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: When I saw this question, I was like, “Oh, man.” This is like the third rail of Disney writing. so I, I mean, so I will start by saying that, like, while I’m very lucky to have an attorney’s background, and I was very lucky to have an attorney’s background when I was negotiating all these contracts with partners and things like that, and I wrote them all and all the things, being an attorney is a blessing and a curse because y- you kind of understand it, but you’re i- like Questions like this are, are kind of like very much front and center, needless to say, as you’re writing probably more so than for the average person.

[00:41:41] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And so I, I wrote the whole book hyper-aware, hyper-aware of, you know, of IP and kind of, you know, what my rights were and kind of where I stood on things and, and how to best approach it. So I think, you know, setting that aside, I think that, you know, from a, from a trademark perspective, I mean, I think you’ll [00:42:00] see the book is very carefully orchestrated.

[00:42:02] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, the… It, it says The RunDisney Companion on the front. RunDisney is not in the trademarked font, they do not use the trademark. Like, the actual picture of me that’s on the front of the book, I mean, it’s, it’s a rendered version of an actual pic- an actual picture of me, but I have a RunDisney tank top on in the actual picture, which was sort of taken off of the black tank top.

[00:42:23] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Um, the medal that’s around my neck, it says Marathon Weekend. It does not have a dopey on it. It does not say anything. Like, everything was very carefully orchestrated in that way, and I think short of like one friend of Mary who’s in a picture, there are no characters in it, so, um, who I call a friend of Mary for that very specific reason.

[00:42:41] Zac Brown: Mm-hmm.

[00:42:42] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So it’s, it’s all orchestrated, you know, sort of very carefully from that perspective. And I mean, the disclaimers are hilarious, like I’m such a lawyer if you read. And you’re welcome to use them. You’re welcome to like look at them and like take them for yourselves if you’re in this space as well. But I mean, my copyright page is a riot.

[00:42:58] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: if you, if you wanna spend some [00:43:00] time with it, you’re welcome to. if you can fall asleep reading it. but, but that’s, you know, that’s, that’s all very much there for a reason, and it’s, you know, I’m… And, and, and I think that, not to tangent, you know, too much, but I, I, I think that like I chose to frame the book as a positive in that way, and like if you…

[00:43:16] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: The, before the first chapter, there’s a page that’s like basically what this book is and what this book is not. and you know, in that, on that page, I’m very clear that it’s not affiliated with or endorsed by the Disney company in any way, shape, or form. But then I kind of spin that, and it’s real to, to the positive, which is what this book is, which is, you know, a how-to guide by somebody who like really went through it.

[00:43:37] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And this isn’t like Disney sponsored. This isn’t like Disney like endorsed or approved. Like, this is me being free to talk to you like one-on-one as somebody else who’s actually in it. So that’s how I chose to kind of, you know, present that disclaimer in a positive light, which I think it very much is. and then, you know, all that being said, like what this all boils down to, right, is fair use, and You know, [00:44:00] the, you know, Disney legal is Disney legal, and they, the, what they choose to do or not to do is sort of, you know, we’re beholden to it.

[00:44:06] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But, you know, I do understand fair use very well and, and, you know, w- fair use allows us the limited use of copyright, you know, for a- among other purposes, you know, commentary and education. And so I, I think that you need to, you know, when you are working in a space that’s owned by another company, whose IP is owned by another company, you have to be very, very careful in making sure that to the extent that you’re using their, you’re co- you know, or referencing things or, you know, or, or making, you know, talking about those things, you know, along the way, that you’re doing it in a way that serves a purpose above and beyond, like, their bare existence.

[00:44:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: You know, and so in my book, I’m very confident that, you know, that I’m fine from a fair use perspective because when I’m talking about these things, I’m talking about them to teach. Like, and, and, and as, as, as sort of necessary examples to, like, make the things that I’m teaching clear. Like, I couldn’t talk [00:45:00] about RunDisney without talking about RunDisney.

[00:45:02] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, I couldn’t mention PhotoPass without mentioning PhotoPass. Like, you know, all of these things that sort of they own, like, I’m not just talking about them because they’re Disney popular things and I know they’ll get eyes. I’m talking about them because they’re just a part of what I’m teaching. And so, you know, I think that you just need to make sure that you’re adding value.

[00:45:20] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: It’s all about value add, right? Like, that’s just, like, the theme that goes through all of this. But I, I, you know, from a legal perspective as well, you know, especially when you’re in a space like Disney’s, you have to make sure that, you know, you’re doing the things that fair use requires, which is the kind of u- that you’re using the IP in as limited a way as you can and with a, with a further purpose.

[00:45:40] Jeff Sieh: so, our friend, Sean from But Mostly Disney says, “Tell me about it. I love my brand name, but I might have not picked it in retrospect.” very, very, very true. And then Lauren says she y- loved the idea of p- of a podcast. She’ll want to be able to listen to this while doing running and training, which is super smart, that I never even thought about for a podcast, is like that, of course.

[00:45:58] Jeff Sieh: Why would… That would make [00:46:00] perfect sense for a runner, to listen to a running book while they’re doing that. So, so Lisa, you and I have known each other for, quite a long time. Like, I was trying to think of how long, but it was way back, I think, at Social Media Marketing World. You were there with Lou doing some stuff.

[00:46:13] Jeff Sieh: and I was thinking, you know, I don’t know if the Lisa that I met there would’ve been able to do this book. But I’ve s- I went back, even looked at m- the old podcast you came on for a little bit, and I’ve noticed how much, even between then and now, your confidence has grown. Just from like, I think it’s because of, like, you had a candle business that was super successful.

[00:46:30] Jeff Sieh: You had all these other things that you have done that have been, been successful. So how much does the past success and, and failures contribute to knowing that, “Yeah, I can make this book. Like, I know it’s gonna be hard. I know it’s gonna be difficult. But listen, I’ve done a candle business. I’ve done a pop-up shop that was, went bonkers.

[00:46:48] Jeff Sieh: I know all this stuff.” So how much does you think your past success/failures contribute into the confidence to write a book?

[00:46:56] Zac Brown: Hmm.

[00:46:56] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: I mean, I, I think, like, what the [00:47:00] throughway is through all of it, and, and, like, the version of me that you met, like, back in whatever

[00:47:05] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: it was, 2017, 18, like, back in social media marketing, that was- it was social med- that first Social Media Marketing World. And I remember, and I told you afterwards, I remember, like, sitting at that table at Nobu feeling, like, so out of my element.

[00:47:14] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And so… ‘Cause I was. Like, I was coming in as, like, I used to be this expert and this, like, respected person in this very different part of the world, and I had sort of uprooted myself, and all of the sudden I knew nothing in this new world that I was in. I think, the lesson learned through all of the things is, first of all, like, every project that I’ve done, there has been sort of a commonality of, like, the storytelling and the things and, like, the sort of the, the skills that I’ve been honing very purposefully through all of these seemingly very different projects.

[00:47:44] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And then there’s also sort of very practical things that I’ve learned along the way. Like, I, I learned WooCommerce and marketing and all the, like, things related to that in candles, and I also learned that I never wanna deal with a physical product again in my life,

[00:47:55] Jeff Sieh: That’s right, yeah

[00:47:57] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, so, you [00:48:00] know, I’ve sort of, like, taken the education of each of these things and kind of brought it into the next thing.

[00:48:05] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But I think, like, the confidence that it’s, it’s inspired more than anything, and, like, what k- sort of came into the book is just knowing that, like, I can learn it. Like, I can f- like, the confidence of just knowing that, like, whatever our… Like, I’m, I’m a good writer and I know all of the things about Run Disney, but there’s a gazillion things about, like, this book publishing process and, like, all of the stuff that has come up around it that I knew nothing about going into all of this.

[00:48:30] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And I wouldn’t even have known the questions to ask. Like, I didn’t start writing this book with an eye toward, like, a podcast and partnerships and all of these things. That’s sort of all come up around it. And, and I, and I think, like, the f- the thing at the outset that gave me the strength and confidence to do it is just knowing that, like That I can figure it out, and that, like, I have a community around me of experts that I can go to, like, like when it’s time to tackle, like, the logistics of the podcasts.

[00:48:57] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, I know a guy, you know who [00:49:00] kinda might be able to help a little bit, you know? And then, and, you know, we joke about the AI tools, but, like, there, there is a tool there that, like, in the middle of the night when, like, there’s a reCAPTCHA issue on my site that’s, like, blowing up and making an issue, which happened a few days ago, you know, that I can literally say, like, “Click me through.”

[00:49:15] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like, “Show me, like, the things to do.” Like, “How do I fix this?” And, like, just being patient and just trusting the process and, and knowing that, like, as long as you kind of build enough time in to figure it all out, that, that you can figure it all out. I’ve been working around the clock, to say the least, for the last few months. Um,but, like, but, but figuring it out. Like, just figuring it out along the way. And so, like, I… No, I, I didn’t know, like, a lot of the things that I would’ve needed to have known, like, going into all of this. But I, what I had was the confidence that I could figure it

[00:49:45] Jeff Sieh: Yeah, you, you n- nail- knocked it out of the park. It was… It’s a great book, so you should be very, very proud. Um,So one of the cool things about Lisa’s book is, one, she’s an amazing photographer as well. She’s super talented. And like even Sean says, “Has Lisa ever failed?”

[00:49:59] Jeff Sieh: [00:50:00] We won’t talk about that now. But, um, but she’s an incredible photographer and, and the pictures that are in the book are awesome. Like, as, as a not runner, seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff of, of the, the track and the race day and all this stuff is really, really cool. And Dan, I, I h- I don’t know if you got an advance copy yet, but that last photo was what made me cry.

[00:50:19] Jeff Sieh: So that’s, that’s why. So, um, you guys go check that out. It’s a, it’s a great… And even, you know, people still are talking about your candles. Your scents are amazing. Are your candles there? Wanting another pop-up shop already, Lisa. That’s why they’re here. anyway, but the- seeing your, your prog- progression in this book and then finally being able to read it was just so cool.

[00:50:37] Jeff Sieh: I, I’ve known you for, such a long time, so it was very, very well done

[00:50:42] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Thank you. I’m super proud of it. Like, and I’m super proud of, like, everything that’s growing around it, and the community reception to it has been so incredible. Like, just above and beyond. Like, that, that afternoon where I was just like, “All right, let’s just write an outline and start doing this,” like, what that has grown into since, [00:51:00] like…

[00:51:00] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But, and, and, you know, in part just, like, this physical thing. Like, like, like, this thing I can, like, hold in my hands, like it’s real, you know? But, but then this, like, whole ecosystem that’s growing around it, and, like, the community love, and, like, all of the things, it’s been absolutely incredible, and I’m so lucky to have taken it on and been a part of it.

[00:51:16] Zac Brown: I love what you just said, and you, you literally just glossed over it. You went, “I just decided to sit down and write the outline.” Like, how many people just don’t make that step, that it’s seemingly so daunting or so nerve-wracking or f- you know, the power of the idea that this thing could fail, but it’s like, oh, but what if it doesn’t?

[00:51:35] Zac Brown: You know, that you were just like, “I’m gonna sit down, I’m gonna write the outline, and we’re just gonna see what happens.” I think that’s

[00:51:39] Zac Brown: great

[00:51:39] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: And it’s a full, it, we just came full circle on the conversation, right? Because the first question was like, what made having a date on the calendar be, like, make it real and make it something that you actually acted on. And like so often it’s, it really is just like making, taking that first, like, tangible step that, like, gives you kind of your mind sort of something to kind of start to mold itself [00:52:00] around.

[00:52:00] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Like whether it’s like a date on the calendar that is sort of like a, a throughway to like figuring out like what your new identity’s gonna be, to, you know, brain dumping an outline one afternoon so that you had something to kind of take on each morning when you woke up of like a, of a segment of this thing.

[00:52:15] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: you know, just kind of like making it tangible is the first step so often.

[00:52:19] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. So, we are already running short on time. This has been so great. But, let’s talk about your launch day. Like, what do you have planned for launch day? It’s next week. What day is it gonna launch? I can’t remember off the top of my head. Friday.

[00:52:34] Jeff Sieh: So, So, talk about a little bit what’s happening, what people who wanna get this book…

[00:52:38] Jeff Sieh: And I’m telling you folks, even if you aren’t a runner, but you love Disney and you lo- Or even just finding out how to put a book together and all the s- the cool stuff, if you have a brand that you wanna kinda talk about someday, like Lisa’s book is just the, the, it’s so good. but talk about where people can find you, and all the stuff you’ve got going on on launch day

[00:52:56] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So yeah, so on launch day, it, the book [00:53:00] will go live,on Amazon in its tangible form, in its paperback form, and then on my website, in its paperback form and also as, as an e-book. and I’ll be reaching out to my partnership, um, should they wanna share, that it’s gone live so that they can do that on their socials and such, so they’ll all have graphics and links and all that stuff that morning.

[00:53:18] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: Um, and then more importantly, like to my own readership, both my sort of warm audience that’s actively signed up for updates on the book will kind of get the first wave email, with the links to purchase. and then my larger email list will get, you know, kind of the wave of, of, of emails after that, you know, later that morning.

[00:53:34] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: and I’ll be directing people to purchase on Amazon initially because you have to feed the beast. so the, the, the reality, you know, as much as I would love to direct people to my own website from day one, you know, the reality is that, you know, I want this to hit as wide an audience as possible, and the way to do that is by ranking on Amazon on day one.

[00:53:51] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So, all of those UR- URLs and all of the social shares and stuff will be directing to Amazon, you know, as of that first day, and that’s a big reason why that QR code for [00:54:00] that companion hub is on the book, because I’ll be able to capture my audience, you know, whether they come in through Amazon or otherwise because that QR code for updates and such on the back of the book will bring you into my ecosystem regardless of, of where you buy.

[00:54:11] Jeff Sieh: See, that is so genius, folks. Just, I mean, the way she’s put this together, the sponsorships, I just think it’s fascinating. I think it’s amazing. make sure you go out and support her on Amazon. Will there be eventu- I’m a big Kindle guy. will there be eventually be… I know you mentioned a podcast, kind of a audio stuff or that.

[00:54:25] Jeff Sieh: Will it be an audio or a, or a Kindle version of the book coming in the

[00:54:29] Jeff Sieh: future?

[00:54:30] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: absolutely. So I don’t wanna dilute or distract on day one, and so the Kindle version is set up and, and ready to go. that, that’s sort of the last piece of what my designer’s working on right now. so I, I’m loosely planning for August 14th or so for the Kindle version of the book.

[00:54:45] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: so there’ll be the, the paperback on August 7th on Amazon, and about a week later, I’ll, you know, plan to, to make the Kindle version of it live. And then on my website from day one, there’ll be, um, there’ll be both. So you can purchase And I’ve l- And [00:55:00] Lulu will ful- ful- fulfill the– Just to disclose the back end of things, Lulu will, fulfill the, the hard copy of the book.

[00:55:06] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: But Lulu Direct actually unfortunately doesn’t support e-books, so I’m going through BookFunnel for them. So you can buy the hardback on my website, or the hard copy as well on my website, um,through Lulu will, will be doing fulfillment, and they do a beautiful print job. Like, it’s a full color, gorgeous print.

[00:55:21] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: and then there’ll be an EPUB and PDF version that’s sold through my website that’s fulfilled through BookFunnel, and then you can buy it as a bundle, which was trickier than you would expect to set up. But you can buy it, you can buy it as the bundle on my website, like where for a deeply discounted price you can get both,through the website.

[00:55:38] Lisa DiNoto Glassner: So and that’ll be live from day one on the website. You’ll be able to get the e-version as

[00:55:42] Jeff Sieh: So folks, wh- why even mess around? Just buy the bundle. Go to thecastlerun.com/book. Check that out. thank you so much, Lisa, for this. It’s been amazing. a- and I, I hope… I, I know you’ll have s- huge success, and I’m already looking forward to your second book that I know you’ll be writing soon. thank you so much.

[00:55:59] Jeff Sieh: [00:56:00] Somebody else who’s got a book. Where can people find out about the amazing, incredible Zac Brown?

[00:56:04] Zac Brown: Uh, you can follow me on, and the socials, Zac Brown Creative. Got a podcast, “The Zac Brown Show.” A new episode dropped today with the fabulous Katie Fawkes. It was a fun conversation. I’d love for you to check that out wherever you get your podcasts

[00:56:18] Jeff Sieh: Yeah. That’s awesome. And by the way, Katie and I will be actually carving and she’ll be crocheting. We’re gonna have a bunch of fun, at 1:00 today at The Maker’s Table. You can find us at The Maker’s Table everywhere. But thank you so much for Ecamm for sponsoring the show. You can find out more about them at ecamm.com/jeff.

[00:56:32] Jeff Sieh: Thank you so much to our amazing chat room, But Mostly Disney, Dan Boyle, Lisa, everybody who, left comments. You are awesome because you are

[00:56:54] Jeff Sieh: Thank you so much everybody. Have a great weekend. We will see you next time. Thanks Lisa. Bye [00:57:00] everybody