Growing Entrepreneurs and Businesses to Benefit All Mankind
We help busy entrepreneurs, CEOs and professionals grow their business by becoming the Authority in their field.
Our Story
Launched in founder Adam Witty’s spare bedroom, Advantage|ForbesBooks was founded in 2005 under the name Advantage Media Group. Adam’s mission was to demystify and democratize book publishing. Given his passion for entrepreneurship, he quickly realized that business owners were the people that could benefit most from a book. By partnering with local writers and graphic designers at the time, he pioneered a done-for-you system that made publication an effortless experience, even within the demanding schedule of a business owner.
Advantage could write, design and distribute books that told the stories of its authors—whom Adam warmly referred to as “Members” of the “Advantage family.” The process appealed to hundreds of entrepreneurs nationwide. The idea gained steam and spawned imitators.
After growing to a team of more than 20, Adam took note of something critical: once Members were armed with a published book, they still needed guidance on how to market and leverage the newfound “authority status” the authorship afforded. He adapted the company to meet this need.
Adam understood that a published book amounts to a marketing tool. Every business owner who published suddenly had more clout in their industry. Some Members even became celebrities on the strength of their book. Many were able to beat out competitors, because their book “tipped the scale” in customers’ minds.
He realized that a published book lends authority to its author. With a book, they can turn their name into a fully realized brand. Adam polished the foundational principles and processes of this idea and called it Authority Marketing®. Thereafter, Advantage would not only publish books, it would help authors use the book as the foundation to build authority. With authority status, authors leverage that currency to grow their business.
Adam set out to build a world-class marketing team of strategists, writers and web developers, whose gold-plated credentials matched the writers and designers he already had on staff. Adam’s in-house marketing agency took on its own life. It is now staffed by a team of consummate Authority Marketing experts. The suite of marketing products that emerged became known as the Authority Marketing System.
As Advantage’s star rose, business media juggernaut Forbes took notice. Although Forbes had dominated the magazine market for decades, they had yet to make a foray into books. Advantage’s track record and entrepreneurial target market made Advantage Media Group the perfect match for Forbes’ budding ambitions for a book publishing imprint. In 2016, Forbes partnered with Advantage Media Group to launch ForbesBooks. Advantage dropped ‘Media Group’ from its name, and joined its new sister imprint to form a single company: Advantage|ForbesBooks.
ForbesBooks is positioned as the company’s premium imprint, for leaders that truly are “The Best in Business.” Once their book is published, authors are given access to publish thought leadership content on Forbes.com, receive game-changing visibility in Forbes Magazine print ads and much more. The imprint publishes a distinct and selective list of business book titles each year. ForbesBooks Review, a supplement to Forbes Magazine, is mailed to Forbes massive subscriber audience twice a year.
The Advantage Family has become the leader in Authority Marketing and offers publishing imprints and marketing products united by a singular core purpose: growing entrepreneurs and businesses to benefit all mankind.
Core Values
Create An Environment That Breeds Greatness
Advantage|ForbesBooks is a place of energy, enthusiasm and fun. Our team is comprised only of “A” players who collaborate and honor teamwork. We believe that positivity breeds productivity and with a great attitude and an open mind, anything is possible.
Make a Difference
Our Team Members are driven by the “why” of what we do. The right content, in the right person’s hands, at the right time can change the world forever. We believe in growing entrepreneurs and businesses to benefit all mankind.
Build the Advantage Family
We consider every Team Member, Member and vendor an extended part of our family. These men and women are the reason we exist. We strive to serve with excellence so we may build and maintain lifetime relationships that contribute to their success.
Take Initiative and Be Resourceful
At our core is an entrepreneurial spirit that drives our team to constantly innovate. We rely on creative individuals who aren’t afraid to defy the status quo, experiment with new ideas and introduce bold solutions to the challenges of our time.
Commit to Lifelong Learning
We seek to uncover and promote the leader in every one of us by encouraging all Team Members to follow a path of personal and professional development. We believe that increased knowledge, experiences and skills lead to a more fulfilled life.
Advantage Impact
Advantage Impact is dedicated to helping worthy non-profits share their stories with the world. Advantage Family publishes one book per quarter at no cost to a selected non-profit. The program was created based on two strong beliefs of the Advantage Family. First, the right book, in the right hands, at the right time can change a person’s life, forever. Secondly, a book is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to directly promote a cause, raise community awareness and garner support.
Our Headquarters
The state-of-the-art corporate headquarters of Advantage Family is located in the historic Peoples Building in the French Quarter on Broad Street. Boasting some of the best panoramic views in the Holy City, the third and forth floors of Charleston’s first and only “skyscraper” are where our editorial and marketing experts work to make business leaders the authorities in their fields. An anchor of Charleston’s tourism district, and nestled among America’s most historic and treasured buildings in beautiful Charleston, S.C., the Advantage headquarters combines new world innovation with old world history and charm.
