This Bestselling Author Is the Entrepreneur To Watch In 2023 J.J. Hebert leverages the connections he has made through his publishing company MindStir Media to put celebrities in touch with authors who would never have been able to join forces previously
By Ritesh Roy
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J.J. Hebert is shaking up the book publishing industry once again, this time by connecting indie authors with celebrities for book promotions. Praised as the "Celebrity Matchmaker for Books" by OK Magazine, J.J. Hebert leverages the connections he has made through his publishing company MindStir Media to put celebrities in touch with authors who would never have been able to join forces previously.
MindStir Media, the publishing house J.J. Hebert founded in 2009 and runs independently to this day, was ranked the best book publisher in Los Angeles by IBT. As a leading book publisher, MindStir Media and J.J. Hebert have attracted Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, and Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington as partners. Those two celebrities also help promote authors' work through forewords and book promo videos posted on YouTube. Other celebrities J.J. works with include Daniel Baldwin and Kate Flannery, Meredith from The Office.
J.J. Hebert is also the brainchild behind Mariel Hemingway's Book Club, which he created in conjunction with Mariel Hemingway earlier this year. The new club is meant to be an alternative to Oprah's Book Club in that Mariel's club welcomes independently published authors and doesn't solely focus on traditionally published books. One of the recent book selections from Mariel Hemingway's Book Club is Change Short & Simple by Chris Masiello. The book was blurbed by Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington with J.J.'s help. Harrington stated that "Change Short & Simple guides us through not only navigating change but also how to invite, accept, and encourage change in our lives." As part of being selected for Mariel Hemingway's Book Club, Mariel Hemingway herself also praised the book: "Chris Masiello's book is an invaluable resource for entrepreneurs (and everyone) to find solace in the twists and turns that happen in business. When you can see all that occurs on our journey (work and otherwise) as an opportunity, you find yourself grounded in the unfolding of success. Chris offers this wisdom in a simple and doable way."
In December of 2022, J.J. Hebert and MindStir Media also helped promote Masiello's book onto The Wall Street Journal bestseller list, a list mostly replete with traditionally published books. As an indie book, Change Short & Simple was still able to land on the WSJ bestseller list as the no. 6 nonfiction eBook. J.J. was the one behind the scenes pulling the strings, running promotions to drive the book up the charts.
Helping independent authors is a common thread in J.J. Hebert's work. As an indie author himself, J.J. knows how difficult it is to break into publishing. In the early 2000s, he signed with a literary agent but ultimately decided to self-publish his debut novel, Unconventional, in 2009 instead. The novel ended up selling over 100,000 copies worldwide. Since finding his own success, J.J. has been helping other authors build an audience through MindStir Media. From celebrity endorsements and videos to a book club and national bestseller campaigns, J.J. has revolutionized publishing for indie authors as one of the leading entrepreneurs in the publishing world. Now a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author himself, as well as a contributor for Forbes, J.J. Hebert is poised to continue making a huge impact in the publishing industry this year and the years to come. For all those reasons, J.J. Hebert is the entrepreneur to watch in 2023.
