Interview With Entrepreneur & Author Michael Yang

  

1. What inspired you to write this book?  To share my story of motorcycle travels across North America and my journey from the war-torn country of South Korea to Silicon Valley as a 14-year-old teenager, culminating in becoming a successful Silicon Valley tech founder.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? It's about a Korean American tech founder who discovers himself on the open road while traveling across America on a motorcycle. It is written for Korean Americans, motorcycle travelers, and anyone looking to get more out of life.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? To step out of their comfort zone and embrace life's adventures.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? An editor at Greenleaf Book Group (a hybrid publisher) suggested the title after reading my manuscript. I wanted to use the photo of me and my adventure motorcycle carrying the Korean and American flags in front of the Dead Horse sign at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost motorable point in North America on the Arctic Ocean.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  Be very clear about why you want to publish a book and consider all factors—such as time requirements, financial resources, effort, and marketing—before deciding to publish. Publishing and selling a quality book requires significant time, money and effort to move more than a couple of thousand copies. 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?   Book publishing industry seems stagnant or growing slowly.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  I think my enjoyment of reading autobiographies helped when writing my memoir. Also, my experience as a dotcom founder and CEO helped me market and promote my book.   

8. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? English is my second language because I was born and raised in Korea until I was 14 years old. I didn't know how to speak English when I came to America so I had to learn the new language, culture, and customs. Also, I majored in electrical engineering and computer science, and business administration in University and graduate school so I had no training in creative writing.   

9. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? It's an intriguing story of a Korean American motorcycle traveler, entrepreneur, and adventurer who overcomes many failures and obstacles to succeed and discover his identity.  

About The Author: Michael Yang is a Korean American author, entrepreneur, investor, and adventure motorcycle traveler. He founded a Silicon Valley tech startup, which was successfully acquired by a large corporation. See more information here: https://prbythebook.com/experts/michael-yang/ 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 6,200,000 page views. With 5,600+ posts over the past 15 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2026.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum