Taylor Swift will generate $80 Million from her Self Published Book
Taylor Swift is this generation's Ownership GOAT and this weekend her much anticipated The Eras Tour Book is finally out. Could you self publish a book?
Taylor Swift, at 34, is redefining what it means to be a music mogul. In 2023, she became the first musician to achieve billionaire status purely through the power of her craft—songs and performances. Forbes puts the value of her music catalogue at a jaw-dropping $600 million, while her tours and royalties have raked in another $600 million. Adding to her empire, she holds an impressive $125 million in real estate. The game-changer? Her record-smashing Eras Tour, which kicked off in March 2023 and runs through December, proving that storytelling and strategy can turn artistry into unmatched success.
In my essay - Always Ask For Equity, I put Intellectual Property as the final piece of the wealth puzzle all women should own and Swift has been leading the way. Ever since she won back her Masters from the men who once controlled her career she has been vertically owning her art from idea to performance. Someone once told me that she even owned the tour buses she lives in for months on end.
I REALLY recommend you read the Wiki article on this legal battle as it set the foundation for her to own the equity in her creativity.
I'm not remotely a Taylor Swift fan. I genuinely thought Shake It Off was a random song sung by a housewife pig but I am in awe of her business acumen. Many artists, like Beyonce, Dolly Parton and Madonna have had full ownership and creative control over their art, leading to them all featuring on the Forbes Richest Women list.
Parkwood Entertainment, Beyonce's production company generated $579 million for the Renaissance Tour and the epic production also included a movie, which has yet to get streaming distribution. Her Coachella Tour was on Netflix so I'm guessing this is just a deal issue. If she charged £19.99 to watch it on her own website, I would pay. She would be getting my money with no middlemen. Which is why I'm so fascinated by Swift's book deal.
In collaboration with Target, The Eras Tour Book represents a strategic alignment between a popstar and an ailing retailer. Target is a sort of middleman but a necessary one. Here's what I know...
- They're printing 2 Million copies (for context, the top selling book last year, Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us, sold 1.3m copies)
- It retails at $39.99 and will not be discounted.
- Quick math = $79,980,000
- It's self-published. She owns it.
Instead of going through one of the big publishers, being on Amazon, and sitting on a table in a bookstore, she going to make it, distribute it and pocket the majority of the cash.
The 256-page hardcover book will be a must-have for Swift's dedicated fanbase. I believe it will sell through. It includes over 500 images, behind-the-scenes content, and personal reflections written by Taylor herself. The timing of the release, coinciding with Black Friday (in stores November 29 and online November 30), is poised to capitalise on peak consumer spending. It's smart.
Many New Methods readers and Stack Members want to publish books. Many moguls have generated their wealth through publishing, but is it possible for ordinary folk to self-publish and get a single key distributor?
I think self-publishing and creating content to drive traffic to sales is tough unless you're already a big influencer. I also think that if it's your dream to be a famous author, then having a literary agent and a publisher gives you the halo effect for your overall brand.
However, if you just want to write and make money, then I think CREATIVITY + DEALMAKING is an option for anyone. You just need to make something people want and get a partnership deal to distribute it.
So let's take some of the principles of Taylor Swift / Women & Ownership (my next book) to help you think about how to get the highest margin on your printed intellectual property: