CFD 375 – Selling for People not to them with Steve Alten

May 4th, 2017

Many know L.A. Knight as the first pup born to a litter of four, who managed to escape from several disobedient schools in Philadelphia and then relocated to South Florida where he went into heat over a gorgeous poodle. In reality, L.A. Knight is the pseudonym for NY Times best-selling author Steve Alten, who penned 16 thrillers—one of which, Meg, is being made into a Warner Bros. movie to be released in 2018. Knight penned Dog Training the American Male as a means of dealing with the sorrow of his father’s passing. The initials L.A. are his Dad’s initials, the KNIGHT signifying his father’s role in their family—a “knight in shining armor.” A portion of the proceeds from Dog Training the American Male will be donated to Paws4Liberty.

Talking Points

  • How he went from a struggling writer to landing a seven-figure book advance

  • A new publishing trend: How he started his own publishing business and why he believes it’s better business for a writer

  • The argument with his wife that sparked the idea to pen a comedic novel about training men like we train dogs.

  • Why he believes the phrase “men are dogs” is true – and why it’s not such a bad thing.

  • L.A. Knight, his pseudonym, as a memorial to his father, who was a “knight in shining armor” in his eyes.

  • The latest Hollywood buzz about the feature film currently in production based on his

  • bestselling sci-fi thriller, Meg, starring Jason Statham and Rainn Wilson.

  • How he launched Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide non-profit program designed to encourage students to read, and why he believes providing teens with books they’ll love is paramount to their success.

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