Conversation Summary
Cole Hastings went from fitness content to self-help to debut sci-fi author, all while bringing his audience of 900,000 followers along for the ride. We talk about what it takes to shift your platform, build trust through the transition, and why the relationship with your audience matters more than the niche that brought them to you.
Table of Contents
00:00 Introduction to Cole Hastings and His Journey
01:42 Identity Shift: From Non-Fiction to Fiction
05:32 Engaging an Audience: Transitioning Content
09:02 Marketing Strategies for a Debut Novel
12:40 Balancing Writing and Community Engagement
17:45 The Importance of Consistency and Community
22:56 Elliot’s Journey: Identity and Transformation
29:03 Conclusion and Where to Find Cole Hastings
About Cole’s Book, Echoes Across Infinity
Twenty-one-year-old Elliott Herten is an anxious, lost young adult—a product of a post-pandemic reality. After the upheaval derailed his formative years, his passions dwindled, his friendships faded, and his video game addiction tightened its grip. Then, after the sudden loss of his mother, Elliott starts seeing things he shouldn’t.
Through the trauma he endures, he experiences uncontrollable visions of a foreign world, questioning his sanity and driving him deeper into isolation. Eventually, a mysterious man tracks him down, revealing the truth of his condition: Elliott is seeing into a parallel reality, and with the right training, he can learn to access it on command.
As Elliott begins to take control of his mind, body, and beliefs, he reshapes his identity and alters the way he sees the world.
With this newfound ability, he explores the city of Prevnar, home to immense Renaissance-like structures, holographic currency exchange machines, and inhabitants with wide-set eyes and bushy eyebrows, all with one goal in mind: to find what he lost.
A thought-provoking blend of sci-fi and self-discovery, Echoes Across Infinity is a story about grief, identity, and the gravity of the small, everyday choices that shape who we become.
Buy Cole’s Book:
About the Author
Cole Hastings is a YouTuber, videographer, and writer. He began posting content while attending college in 2017 and followed that path into a career. Since then, he has amassed over 900,000 followers across social media platforms, transitioning from general fitness and self-help content to cultural commentary. When he’s not making videos for his YouTube channel, he’s usually working out, playing Old School RuneScape, or reading. He lives with his wife in Austin, Texas.
How We Met
Cole and I connected through our mutual friend Tom Stefaniuk, whose agency SmallScreen Marketing represents Cole.
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Jessica Sorentino is an author brand strategist with over a decade of experience, including time at both Simon & Schuster and Macmillan Publishers. She believes nothing promotes a book better than a passionate reader, and works with authors to position their books as the next recommendation on every reader’s list.
