How to Build a Powerful Author Brand in the Age of AI (Without Losing Your Humanity)

Everyone is saying the same thing right now. Be more human. And I've said it too. But what the heck does that even mean? If you've been wondering that and how to make it work for you as you build your author brand, well, good news. This video is for you. Hi, I'm Julie the Book Broad, founder of Book Launchers and your host here at Book Launchers tv. Book Launchers is your first choice for all things related to writing, publishing and promoting nonfiction book. If you think being more human means showing up messy, chaotic, or oversharing on social, that's not it. Now, we all have bad days, and you can certainly share a bit of that on social media, but that's not exactly what I mean when I say being human is going to be your edge, your way to stand out in this world of AI content. Being human is about real connection. And yes, real connection comes from not always pretending life is perfect because. Because nobody's life is perfect. But it's not about raw, unfiltered sharing of all the things. It's about sharing your journey, the good and the hard parts. It's about vulnerability and empathy. And most importantly, it's about building trust and community in a world increasingly filled with automation and AI generated noise. So let's break that up into things that you can actually do to be more human as you build your brand. Shall we? All right, first of all, know your reader. It is not enough to just have a good book with AI tools, making content creation easier than ever. The market's flooded. And your audience, well, they're smarter, they're faster, and they're more skeptical. In my free community on school, someone shared a video from Neil Patel on the death of SEO. And someone said, well, that's not him. He used AI to make that video. And someone else said, if he did, it's really good because I followed him for a long time and I swear it was him. My point is just to say people are skeptical and they're questioning whether anything they read or see is AI. We feel like we can't trust our eyes or our ears anymore. So whether you're using AI or not, you need to know your reader and their heart and their soul, because otherwise, how are you going to talk to exactly what they care about? How will you know what parts of your story to share to create that connection? Because you really have to connect with them right away so they know you get them. Now, I have been talking about that since I started Book Launchers eight years ago. But when you open your book, the Content at the beginning should not be about you, but it should immediately speak to that reader. So they go, oh my gosh, this person read my mind. They get me. They know me. And when you do that, there's no thinking, oh, this person used AI. They're thinking, whoa. How are they reading my mind? That is key because nobody is craving more content. Nobody's thinking, oh my Gosh, I hope there's 25 more articles I can read today. They crave connection. They crave results. And you have to cut through the noise and quickly be able to have them know you're saying, hey, I see you, I understand you, and I created this just for you. All right, next up, once you know your reader, what does your brand stand for? Start by asking yourself what makes you and your brand unique? What values do you stand for and who are you trying to reach with those you can't resonate with everyone. And I hope you're not trying to now check out this book review of my book, Self Publish and Succeed. You know I've nailed my brand and how I speak to my ideal reader when I get a review like this. This reviewer found it far too light hearted for the subject. Well, my brand is not necessarily light hearted, but my goodness, let's have some fun along the way, shall we? And sometimes you never reach your destination, so why don't we enjoy the journey? Plus, how many people want to slog through serious books? I did that enough in university. I want to be excited about what I'm reading, even if I'm reading it to learn and to grow. Now, I always provide practical guidance. But serious? No, not me. And I talk way too much about business, is one of her other comments. Well, guess what? Being an author means you're starting a business. So for my audience, this matters and they get it. Period. Now, for most nonfiction authors, not all, there is an even bigger business vision for the book. It might be to be a consultant or maybe a coach. Or maybe you want to sell coaches. You want to sell coaches. Maybe you want to sell courses or be a speaker or write more books. All of these things mean you have a business. It's a business. So hooray. Her review tells me I nailed it. I'm sorry she was disappointed in my book, but I'm also thrilled because I've nailed my brand and my voice. And this review confirms it. Your author brand starts with understanding the problem you've solved for your reader and how your lived experiences gives you the credibility and the lens to help them with it. Then it goes into how you'll package it up and share it. So what are the values that you have around what you do and the tone your brand takes and how does it feel? Now with all of that complete, let's own your story. Not just the highlight reels, the setbacks, the fears, the mistakes. That's what makes you relatable. That's what makes you real. Now with all of that done, the final step is to show up as the defined you online for your reader. Consistently. Now that you know who you're talking to and why and what content you're going to bring them and what tone to use when you do it, it's time to bring that brand to life online. Optimize your website and social profiles so they reflect your voice, your content and your promise to your readers. Share valuable content that feels like a conversation. Collaborate with others in your niche, authors, influencers, brands, anyone that shares your audience. You'll see me do that with dale L. Roberts IngramSpark Kit. Get authentic book reviews and so many others. They serve the same audience as I do and they do it with shared values. So it just makes sense to collaborate. Now, of course you can post that stunning filtered photo of yourself from time to time, but what creates real connection is the consistency of showing up and serving your reader. Go go back to the brand list above and think about what your reader might be feeling right now, what might have just happened in their life, what win have they experienced or roadblock have they hit, and what's the message you would want to hear if you were them. And now go create that for them. Now for the supercharged bonus piece. Engage with the community you're building. By the way, it's me commenting back to you on these videos. So go ahead and comment on the video and subscribe. And when you comment the day a video is released, you get entered to win some of our hashtag noboringbookswag, like that mug or a journal, sometimes T shirts. When you join our communities, whether it's our free one@book launchers.com school or our author business accelerator, it's me and my team you're getting access to now. You can also access my bot, which is not me personally, but it's been trained on me and all the content I've created in the last eight years. And frankly, some people think it's better than having direct access to me. It's okay, Laura, it didn't hurt my feelings that much when you said that my bot is better than me. And I'm not worried because My bot is just another way and another tool to help you, and that's what matters to me. And she can be there for you when I can't. But ultimately I am also going to be there because I know that's a core part of being human and connecting and creating a community where it's not just connection with me, but with other humans in that community. The community. The true impact in brand building is in community, not follower count. That means humans you should reply to comments. Humans you should invite interaction like I do here and on our live streams, which are every other Tuesday. By the way. Hope to see you on one soon. You should ask your readers questions and actually listen to their answers and pay attention. I shoot videos for people when they ask questions that I haven't answered before. Let people feel like they're part of your journey by sharing behind the scenes and taking note of what they've said and acknowledging it. Finding Final thing to consider is adjusting and measuring what you're doing. It's a data driven world and the more you measure, the more you'll be able to lean into what's working and what connects. It's not a set it and forget it and automate everything because if then you aren't tracking what's working, whether it's social engagement, email opens, book sales, and then you can't adjust to what people want. Be curious. Stay current. The only brand that lasts is the one that keeps evolving with its readers. So if you're serious about building an author brand that stands out and builds real connections in a world of bots, please subscribe to this channel. Your book has the power to change lives, but only if readers can see and feel you in it. I'll see you next time.