In early 2016, Harriman House editor Craig Pearce reached out to a financial blogger he had been hearing about on social media.

The writer, Morgan Housel, had developed a following for posts about investing that showcased historical anecdotes and pearls of wisdom.

After a post called The Psychology of Money went viral, Craig persuaded him to expand it into a book which came out in September 2020 during the midst of the pandemic.

Housel’s engaging and recognizable style of storytelling was a hit.

The timing was also fortuitous as it coincided with a Covid-fueled surge in interest in investing. Robinhood and other investment platforms were also attracting attention.

The book has since sold more than 4 million copies.

It’s an illustration of a profound change in the industry. Publishers are looking for authors who not only have a story to tell and write well, but an online following to help marketing.

Harriman House was founded in 1992 by Philip Jenks and Stephen Eckett. It focuses on financial publications including personal finance and technical guides.

The success of The Psychology of Money helped bring the firm visibility and it was acquired in September by the Pan Macmillan publishing group.

Some of the imprint’s better-known books include The Naked Trader by Robbie Burns, The Choice Factory by Richard Shotton, The Behavioral Investor by Daniel Crosby and How I Invest My Money by Joshua Brown & Brian Portnoy.

Craig said he became an editor because the job is both creative and analytical.

These days he gets lots of inquiries from people whose dream is to publish. Many of them, however, have never written a word, much less published a blog or hosted a podcast.

He looks for five traits in a potential author: “a talent for self-promotion, adaptability, work ethic, authenticity and conviction.”

Craig suggests would-be authors would do better to just start writing. Find your voice and your lane and develop an audience. It’s a build-it-and-they-will come approach.

It’s certainly worked for Housel who is on the verge of publishing his second book: Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons in Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life.

In the meantime, Housel continues to blog. Recently he published short snippets of quotes collected under the disarmingly straightforward title: Smart Things I’ve Read Lately.

His most recent post contained this quote from author David McRaney: “Until we know we are wrong, being wrong feels exactly like being right.”

It’s the kind of observation I expect to see in Housel’s third book.