CEO of Book Launch - Austin, TX

Position Overview · No one has done this role before. · Book launches have a playbook. Publicist, media tour, a few podcast hits, maybe a billboard. We're throwing that out. We're looking for a Book CEO, one person who builds and runs an entire team like a startup launch for our ...

Job description

Position Overview

No one has done this role before.

Book launches have a playbook. Publicist, media tour, a few podcast hits, maybe a billboard. We're throwing that out. We're looking for a Book CEO, one person who builds and runs an entire team like a startup launch for our second book.

You wake up every morning thinking about how to put this book into the cultural conversation, and you have the operational horsepower to make it happen. If this is you. We want you.

Codie's first book, Main Street Millionaire, established her as the leading voice in small-business acquisitions. This one is bigger. The goal isn't just bestseller lists, it's to shift how an entire generation of business owners thinks about scale. Books don't usually do that anymore. This one will.

You'll be the quarterback of a coordinated, relentless launch operation unlike anything traditional publishing has seen. You're not starting from zero. You're inheriting a machine: a PR agency already locked in, a viral stunt agency on deck, a world-class content team, and Codie's full creative energy. Your job is to take all of these pieces and build something the industry will study afterward.

This role sits at the intersection of director-level project management, creative taste, and execution obsession. Think Nikita Bier energy applied to a book launch. No one's combined these pieces at this level before; that's why the role exists. You and Codie will work hand in hand on this launch.

The Opportunity

Codie Sanchez has 12M+ followers across platforms, a top 10 business podcast, and an audience that actually buys what she recommends. The foundation is massive. What we need is someone obsessed with the gap between where we are and where this book should be.

You're not starting from zero. You're inheriting a machine: a PR agency already locked in, a viral stunt agency on deck, a world-class content team, and Codie's full creative energy. Your job is to be the quarterback who takes all of these pieces and turns them into a coordinated, relentless launch operation.

Think of it this way: if you could hire Nikita Biehr on a project management basis for the launch of a product… that's the energy. Director-level project management meets creative taste meets execution obsession.

What You'll Own

Launch Strategy & Execution

• Own the end-to-end marketing plan for the book launch. From pre-launch positioning through release week, and sustained post-launch momentum.
• Build the launch calendar. Define milestones, deadlines, deliverables, and accountability checkpoints across all teams.
• Coordinate and be the connective tissue across every team touching this book: PR, content, social, viral stunts, podcast, community, and events. You'll make sure every team is rowing in the same direction.

Team Building, Management, and Communication

• Hire, manage, and hold to standard a high-performing launch team. You can bring your own people or build from scratch. Either way, you own the quality of every person touching this project.
• Run the team like a company. Weekly standups. Clear deliverables. No ambiguity about who owns what.
• Serve as the single point of contact between Codie and the launch operation. She should never have to chase status updates or wrangle her own teams.
• Provide clear, regular updates to Codie and leadership. No surprises. No dropped balls.You're the person who always knows exactly where things stand.
• Wrangle a lot of cats. That's the job. Do it with clarity, speed, and zero drama.

Viral & Cultural Positioning

• You understand what's happening in culture right now: memes, trends, conversations, zeitgeist moments. You position this book at the center of what people are already talking about.
• Work with the creative and viral stunt teams to develop campaigns that are "tastefully unhinged" (i.e. the kind of marketing that makes people stop scrolling and start sharing).
• This is not "schedule 30 LinkedIn posts and hope." This is "figure out the thing nobody's tried and make it impossible to ignore."

What We're Looking For

• Track record over theory. Proven history of executing difficult projects and getting extraordinary outcomes.
• Launch experience. You've managed complex, multi-stakeholder launches before. Ideally in publishing, media, entertainment, or high-profile brand campaigns.
• Creative eye and taste. You don't just get things done; you get them done in a way that feels culturally relevant and visually sharp. An 80+/100 on the creative scale.
• Viral instinct. You understand what drives book sales, what makes content go viral, and what the difference is between "done" and "done right."
• Operational rigor. You run teams that ship. You hold people to standards. You don't let things slide because the conversation is uncomfortable.
• Based in Austin, TX. In Austin or willing to be. This is an in-the-room role, not a Zoom role.

What Makes You Stand Out

• You've been the person a major creator or executive trusted to own their most important launch.
• You've built and managed a launch team from scratch, and the people you hired would work with you again.
• You can point to specific campaigns or projects where your involvement was the difference between good and great.
• You move between strategy and execution fluidly. You're as comfortable in a planning doc as you are in the DMs making things happen.
• You have a network of exceptional operators, creators, and marketers you can pull in when the moment demands it.

Who You Are

• A relentless quarterback. You treat this launch like it's your company. You don't wait for permission. You lead by data, instinct, and results.
• Obsessively organized without being slow. You bring structure to chaos without adding bureaucracy.
• Culturally tapped in. You know what's happening on the internet right now, not what was happening six months ago.
• Direct and clear. You communicate like an operator, not a consultant. No fluff. No 40-slide decks. Just clarity and action.
• Thick-skinned and low-ego. You can take feedback, kill your darlings, and pivot without taking it personally.

This Role Is Measured By One Thing: Did The Book Break Through?

• Launch week sales performance and online engagement.
• Cultural penetration. Are people talking about this book who aren't already in the audience?
• Team execution quality. Did every workstream deliver on time, on standard, without Codie having to manage it herself?
• Earned media, viral moments, and partnership outcomes.
• Post-launch sustained momentum. This isn't a one-week spike, it's a lasting shift.

Details

• Location: Austin, TX. In-person, dedicated full-time to this project.
• Commitment: This role requires 100% focus on the book. No side projects. No split attention. This is your one thing.
• Compensation: Commensurate with experience. This is a high-trust, high-impact role, and it's compensated accordingly.

Crew Benefits

• 100% company-paid health, dental, and vision
• 100% company-paid short and long-term disability, life, and accident insurance
• Unlimited PTO + 8 paid holidays
• Free access to all Contrarian Thinking courses and flagship communities