Anthony Paustian

Book Excellence Awards Program

How author and educator raised his credibility

Meet Anthony

Dr. Anthony Paustian is an award-winning author, speaker, entrepreneur and educator. He is a multi-talented individual, having transitioned from a role in the Air Force to a corporate leader building national brands.

With decades of experience in strategic leadership and planning, Anthony was given an uncommon opportunity in life––to design and build a technology-focused college campus from scratch. Since its opening, the campus has appeared in national media and won numerous awards including being recognized as one of the nation’s most innovative organizations.

Anthony used his expertise and applied it to his book, A Quarter Million Steps, which was named a Book Excellence Award winner in the Management category.

Offering a successful blend of business insights and stories from the Apollo Moon Program, the book outlines the many small steps it takes to achieve anything great in life.

With practical tools and actionable strategies, readers will learn how to harness their creativity to generate meaningful innovation and shape new frontiers. Very notably, the foreword of Anthony’s book was written by Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred Worden.

Challenges as an Author

Like many authors, Anthony realized how challenging a task book marketing could be. He knew that if he wanted his books to be successful, he would have to take the lead.

“I realized early on that if I wanted the book to be successful, I was going to have to take control of the marketing aspects related to my book.”

Using his experience as a marketing and branding executive, Anthony created a comprehensive marketing plan for his book. His primary goals were to increase his credibility as a speaker and his visibility as a host for iHeartRadio. He also wanted to broaden his audience so he could positively impact the lives of others by inspiring them to strive for something greater. For this reason, Anthony chose to include book awards as a part of his overall strategy.

“ knew that the book needed third-party credibility…There are lots of so-called “best-selling” authors who have found ways to game the various systems, but an award is truly third-party validation.”

The Book Excellence Awards judges books based on their design and layout, quality of writing, and overall market appeal. Anthony entered the Book Excellence Awards because he knew that if he was named a Winner or Finalist, his book would gain the international recognition he was looking for.

Becoming a Book Excellence Award Winner

When Anthony was informed that he had won a Book Excellence Award, he was:

“Extremely excited. It’s one thing to think your own book is good, but entirely another for someone else to think that.”

The Book Excellence Award win helped Anthony increase his credibility in the eyes of readers as a true testament to the high quality of his book.

“Once people saw that I had received an international award for the book, it immediately raised the bar of its perceived credibility.”

Anthony’s Success

Anthony’s success lies in his unique ability to inspire creativity and imagination in the lives of those he touches. Anthony’s book released to rave reviews, receiving endorsements from a variety of celebrities and professionals including Captain Gene Cernan (Gemini 9, Apollo 10 and 17 astronaut, and the last man to walk on the Moon), Kari Byron (co-host of “MythBusters” and Netflix’s “White Rabbit Project”), Howard Berger (Oscar and Emmy award-winning make-up and effects designer), Dr. David Gallo (Oceanographer and Co-Expedition Leader to the wreckage of the RMS Titanic), Jon Wellner (Actor in CSI Las Vegas and Oceans Thirteen and co-founder of Entertainment Research, Inc.), Dr. Niall McCann (explorer and host of NatGeo’s “Biggest and Baddest”), Gabor George Burt (Global strategy and innovation pioneer, and author of the best-selling book Slingshot), Cassie Kloberdanz Lee (Former NASA aerospace engineer , commercial spaceflight executive, writer, and co-founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program) and more. Positive reviews of the book continue to pour in, stating:

“This highly readable book is peppered with entertaining personal and historical anecdotes that provide a how-to guide to unlocking your imagination, creativity and leadership potential.”

and

“A Quarter-Million Steps could easily be considered an instruction manual for helping creative souls become the great leaders and innovators vital for our future. We need this book now more than ever.”

With highlights like these, it’s no surprise that Anthony’s loyal and engaged following on social media continues to grow, along with the sales of his book. To extend the reach of his book, Anthony developed and currently hosts a successful podcast on iHeartRadio called A Step Beyond. Featuring world-renowned experts, authors and business professionals, the podcast is designed to help listeners jump-start their creativity and imagination. Anthony is also a dynamic and engaging speaker and regularly travels across the country to speak at different events. Engagements for his book include multiple signings at Barnes & Noble, NASA, the Kennedy Space Center, BookExpo America, and the American Library Association.

As a trailblazing individual, Anthony has been recognized for his leadership and strategic vision with numerous awards including the Des Moines Business Record 40 Under 40, the I.T. Leader of the Year by the Technology Association of Iowa and the 17 in 17: People who made a difference in Des Moines in 2017. His work has been featured by major media outlets including CNN, CNBC, Wired, USA Today and NPR.

To get in touch with Anthony, you can visit one of the links below.

To purchase A Quarter Million Steps, visit Amazon.

Anthony’s Advice

For authors who are thinking about entering the Book Excellence Awards, Anthony recommends applying.

“Definitely do it! If you win, it’s a huge feather in your cap and serves to build immediate credibility.”

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