What REALLY Happened to Scribe Media? w/ Eric Jorgenson (LST #137)

Update: 2025-11-17

Description

Learn Speak Teach Episode #137 with Eric Jorgenson.

Scribe Media, once a top name in the publishing world, fell from industry leader in 2021 to bankruptcy by May 2023. Its collapse left hundreds of employees and freelancers jobless, authors who had paid in full with nothing in return, and investors defrauded of millions.

In this episode, Eric Jorgenson shares how he stepped in as CEO of Scribe Media during its most turbulent chapter and the ongoing journey to rebuild the company’s reputation, trust, and future.

Eric breaks down Scribe’s carefully designed process that helps authors turn their ideas into published books. He also reveals the secret to selling a million copies and discusses the drawbacks of relying on AI for writing.

Beyond Scribe, Eric talks about his book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, the evolution of audiobooks, and his venture fund, Rolling Fun. Tune in for amazing insights!

During this episode, you will learn about:

[00:00 ] Trailer

[00:49 ] The Lost episode

[05:19 ] Scribe Collapse & Recovery

[08:33 ] Becoming Scribe’s CEO

[16:51 ] Book writing process

[27:46 ] Selling a Million Copies

[29:44 ] AI Tools

[32:42 ] The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

[35:14 ] Audiobooks

[44:28 ] Venture fund

• Website: https://www.rolling.fun/

[51:28 ] Connect with Eric

• Website: https://www.ejorgenson.com/

• Podcast: https://www.ejorgenson.com/podcast

Key Takeaways:

• “Being particular with your customers is a massive advantage.” ~Eric Jorgenson [15:45 ]

• “Almost every writer has experienced writer’s block, but no human being has ever experienced talker’s block.” ~Eric Jorgenson [17:46 ]

• If you want to sell a million copies of a book, don’t try to sell a million copies in a category that has never sold a million. Instead, go to a category where a million copies are sold once every few years when there is a hit. ~Eric Jorgenson [27:46 ]

• “You aren't advertising to a standing army; you are advertising to a moving parade." ~David Ogilvy [28:02 ]

• AI writing tools deny writers the full experience of writing. ~Eric Jorgenson [30:34 ]

• There is wisdom in the things you hear over and over again. ~Eric Jorgenson [34:20 ]

• Most people are now audiobook consumers. ~Eric Jorgenson [36:22 ]

• The best thing a human being can do is help another human being know more. ~Eric Jorgenson [43:18 ]

• The acquisition of wisdom is a moral duty. ~Eric Jorgenson [43:22 ]

People Mentioned and Other Resources:

1. Tucker Max

2. Timothy Ferriss

3. David Ogilvy

4. Elon Musk

5. Peter Thiel