How Daniel Hurst Turned a Flop into a Bestseller

👋 Hey there!

Last week on The Publishing Performance Show, I sat down with Daniel Hurst — bestselling author of 75+ books (and counting — even he’s lost track). He went from office job to full-time thriller writer and shared some absolute gold.

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🎙 Podcast Pick of the Week:

Daniel Hurst: From Flop to Bestseller

Daniel told me the story of one of his earlier books that totally flopped. Barely any sales. But instead of quitting or doubling down on ads, he decided to go back to the drawing board.

The breakthrough?
He reworked the title, rewrote the blurb, and crucially — he changed the cover.

Almost overnight, the same book started selling. It even got picked up by readers who left rave reviews. That single book went from being a quiet embarrassment… to one of the best-performing titles in his catalogue.

The lesson?
Sometimes, it’s not the book — it’s the packaging. And a small pivot can completely change your publishing trajectory.

🎧 Listen here

FUN Bonus Episode You Can’t Miss:

David P. Perlmutter: The Shameless Self-Promoter

David isn’t a fan of spending on ads — he prefers being cheeky on social media.

And guess what?
It works.

He’s sold thousands of books by being bold, fun, and relentless online — no marketing degree required. We also bonded over bad football teams (although at the time of recording Crystal Palace hadn’t yet won the FA cup, so we’re not so crappy any more!), so this episode’s full of laughs and solid gold tips.

🎧 Listen to the full episode

💡 Best Self-Publishing Advice (So Far)

When I asked Daniel how he writes so many books, he gave a ridiculously simple but powerful answer:

He doesn’t wait for inspiration. He doesn’t spend 6 months agonising over a plot. He writes every day, edits quickly, and hits publish. And guess what? He’s built a six-figure income off that discipline.

The main thing I have seen that seperates the prolific and successful writers from everyone else, is they have a routine for writing and they stick to it.

Most of them get up early to write before doing their normal job (like Dan) or learn how to write wherever they are (Michael La Ronn), but the main thing is they are all consistent.

That mindset — don’t get stuck, just keep it moving — might be the best advice I’ve heard on this show.

✍️ Writing Tip of the Week

Struggling with your blurb? Steal one from a top-ranking book in your genre. Not literally, obviously. But copy the structure, tone, and pacing. Readers scroll fast — your blurb has to sell.

This is how I do it - find a blurb of a similar, best selling book, and put it into AI as an example. Tell gpt that you like the format and the pacing, then give your pdf manuscript to gpt to create a blurb.

Beat procrastination immediately.

📚 Teddy’s Book Club - Free Book of the Week

Bit of a different book this week, to show you that you can be successful by thinking a little bit outside the box. This book has sold 4000 units this month 🤯

Want to feature your book here? Reply to this email! I have a 44% open rate so you will get lots of downloads.

🎯 What did you think of Daniel’s approach — ruthless or genius?
Hit reply and let me know.

Until next time,
Teddy
@teddyagsmith