Building Your Author Brand from Scratch

Do you ever wonder why some books, really great books, never actually gain traction? Well, it's not a simple answer. It's often not about the book content. It's about the brand behind the book. With millions of new books being published every year, having a strong brand is often the difference between a bestseller and a book that fades into obscurity. Even the most brilliant ideas can go unnoticed if no one knows who you are. So if you're wondering what you need to do to build an author brand that stands out, well, I'm glad because. Because this video is for you. Hey there. I'm Juliana Book Broad, founder of Book Launchers and author of four books, including one that topped Amazon in print books and was in the top 100 print books for almost 200 days. First, let's talk about why branding matters for authors. Cause I know so many authors who really wanted to just stay behind their laptop writing and didn't want a brand or even to have to talk to people. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that it is only going to be in rare occasions that you can do that. And maybe, just maybe, you're going to be an exception. But the reality is more likely that you're not going to be an exception to this rule. And you have to build a brand to sell more books. Your brand is more than just your book cover or your website or a logo. It's the promise you make to your readers. It's how they perceive you and your work. And a strong brand can elevate your credibility, create trust, and differentiate you from others in your genre. Oh, and by the way, we have a brand new program where we're going to go through 12 modules to help you with your author business. So if you want all that and a lot more, well, just go ahead and fill out this form, book launchers.com apply and just put in there that you want to talk to somebody about. The Author Business Accelerator. All right, let's break down the key components of an effective author brand and dive into some actionable tips to help you build your brand. Starting right, right now. All right, number one, this is something you need to figure out. It is your UVP define your unique value proposition. What makes you different from other authors in your niche? For many of our authors at Book Launchers, this is a personal story that becomes your unique lens that you approach your topic and life with. Another way to uncover this is to look at the thing that you're always talking about that runs counter two commonly held beliefs in your industry. One example comes from My first book, More Than Cash Flow, that was the chart topper. Part of what set that book and my business at the time apart was the fact that I helped people with down to earth practical information that wasn't about hype or huge promises in the real estate industry. Actually, that's what we do at Book Launchers too. But back to that example, the big companies at the time were selling passive income and buying with no money down. And they sold programs to help people do that like crazy. I know because I signed up for some of them. But I was also a little envious of how easy it was to sell people on these programs. But as a result of those programs, I was the not so proud co owner of some problem properties with a property manager that got charged with manslaughter. And at the end of the day, we still had to work with him because he was the only person who would manage our problem properties. Oh yeah, the stories are many and they made for a great book. But my message when I did write my book was, yeah, it's passive income only if you're okay with your property manager robbering rent money from you. And yeah, you can buy properties with no money down as long as you like taking over other people's problems instead. If you want to buy properties in good areas that build your wealth over time, well, here's my guide to buy boring properties. That was my brand. Now, kind of like today at Book Launchers, we never promise you bestsellers or millions of dollars because there really are no guarantees. But if you take the path we lay out for you here, it's one that will help you build an author business that you're excited about over the course of a few years. So you gotta figure out what this is for you. What is your uvp, by the way, this is also part of the hook of your book. And if you've read, self publish and succeed or been around this booklaunchers TV scene for a while, you know what I'm talking about. All right, tip number two. What is your visual identity? When people think brand, they are thinking logos and website and that is part of it. But let's take this a little further and define it as a visual identity for our client, Imani Roberts. He's got some key elements that he's known for. Check this out. Now tell me in the comments below what is part of his visual identity? Because your visual identity of course includes things like your book cover and your website design and your social media graphics, but it's also what you wear for interviews. Consistency is key here. Choose a color scheme, a font, a style that reflects your brand personality, and stick with that across platforms. For me, it's blue or black. If you meet me in real life, I'll probably be wearing blue or black. They're my go to colors. I'm also going to look pretty much like I do here because my brand is me. I don't do a bunch of hair or makeup before my content because if you meet me on the pickleball court or when I'm out for dinner, I I don't really want to look different than I do here. A cohesive visual identity helps you become recognizable, which is essential in building a memorable brand. And it doesn't have to be complicated either. Check out AJ Coleman's website for Keep those feet moving. The purple from the COVID is tied to the website. It works. Or Roger Hernie by the photos you choose for your website. You start to feed this into your brand now. Bonus points if you can carry over that look and feel and colors into the content you create for all platforms. All right, element number three your story Readers connect with authors who are authentic and relatable. We have had clients resist sharing their own story in their book, as they feel like that's not what a reader is there for. But I am sure you've heard the old saying that people will do business with the people they know, like, and trust. Well, how can anyone like or even know you or or trust you if they don't know your story? In EO Entrepreneur Organization, we have a practice that whenever someone joins our smaller group, called a forum, we share a lifeline, which is essentially a short presentation of all the pivotal moments from your life, good and bad. These are the things that have shaped you. And once you know someone's story, you never look at them the same because you know what shaped them into who they are today. When I wrote More Than Cash Flow, I was scared to share the mistakes we'd made that led to fire code violations and a crack house we ended up owning. But it was those stories, the things I figured people would judge me harshly for, that people actually related to and made. Investors want to invest with us and students want to get coached by us. You don't have to tell everyone all the skeletons in your closet, but share your journey, your challenges, and your successes because this builds a deeper connection with your audience and and strengthens your brand. People are going to relate to what you've gone through so much more than just seeing that you're a massive success and hearing your tips. All right, Tip number four engagement. And no, it's not about putting a ring on it, it's about not ignoring your people. Even if your audience feels small. Remember, it's an absolute privilege to have an audience, so show up for them. When you comment on this video, I will comment back, so go ahead and test me. And when you comment the day a video is released, you get entered to win some of our noboringbooksssssswag or copies of one of my books. So be sure to subscribe to the channel so you know when a new video is out. But let me tell you, until I started commenting back on every comment and rewarding my YouTube besties, you know, cool people like ScullyPop, Darla Mondragon, Kevin Hall, Quizmaster Law, Bruce Stiles. Thank you for your comments, shares and support by the way. But it wasn't until I started commenting back and even rewarding my audience by sending them swag and books that I really started to see the growth in the book launchers, TV brand and channel. Consistently interact with your audience, whether it's through social media, an email newsletter, YouTube videos like this one. Regular interaction keeps your audience engaged and your brand top of mind. Hey, speaking of newsletters, are you getting ours? Go to booklaunchers.com newsletter so you are and you'll get exclusive invitations to our monthly Deep Dive training sessions. Your brand gets its strength from your audience, so be sure to treat them like the fertilizer and fuel that they are by giving them some of your energy and attention. Tip number five to this fabulous author brand. What do you think it is? Collaborate. Make friends, partners and collaborators. Brand building can be a little slow, especially if you do it all alone, so tap into the power of partnerships to get your brand building going on. This is essentially the same thing I suggest authors do to sell more books, which is put you and your book in front of other people's audiences with content that connects to their audience. Collaborating with other authors, influencers, or even businesses in your niche can significantly boost your brand visibility. Look for opportunities to co host webinars, guest blog or co author content. Nick Hutchison of Book Thinkers helps authors with a bunch of brand elements like video production for social media. We helped him with his book Rise of the Reader and we've collaborated on projects together. He had an event where he invited speakers and he invited me to be one of them. We've had clients work with him and he sent us people to work with on their book projects. It's a great collaboration because we have similar audiences. There's a little bit of overlap in what we do, but most of what we do is different for the same audience. Find people like that. I've also partnered with book award programs to get the word out about what we're doing and vice versa. And I'm doing a lot with Author Nation, a live event happening here in Las Vegas in November. Let me know if you're coming, because we've got a great group that's going to be there and they are doing lots to support us and our authors. And I'm speaking at their event too. So make a list who would be a good fit for a collaboration or partnership. These partnerships not only expand your reach, but they also lend credibility to your brand. Building a standout author brand does take time and consistency, and if you don't want to do it alone over the next year, join us in the Author Business Accelerator. Or if you want full service support for your book project, Book Launchers can help too. Let's chat. Book launchers.com apply now. One of the most important pieces of your brand is your website, so hit this video up for tips on making a great one for your author business. And if you're wondering how all of this fits into your entire marketing plan, well, this book Marketing priority list is a must watch as well. Click on over. I've got my coffee and my hashtag noboringbooksmug and I'm waiting for you.