Building Your Author Brand: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make

March 29, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Branding plays a surprisingly important role in your author business.

Every time someone sees your name, lands on your website, reads your book or listens to you speak, you’re reinforcing what you want them to know about you and your work.

And whether you actively shape it or not, with every touchpoint or seemingly ‘insignificant’ interaction, your brand is being formed.

That’s why it’s critical to decide upfront what story you want to tell.

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Clarify what personal branding is, and why it’s essential to incorporate into your writing business if you want to stand out from the crowd.
In this post (post #2), we’ll cover the most common mistakes writers make when building their author brand.
And finally, in post three, we’ll focus on brand strategy and how you will connect your work and writing to the people who will be most inclined to read and appreciate it.

[Read more…]

Personal Branding for Authors: What It Is And Why It’s Essential

February 20, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Personal Branding for Authors: A Simple Definition

Personal branding can be a vague term…

It isn’t just a website, a font choice or a clever tagline. It’s a blend of your skills, talents, values, interests, and beliefs reflected through your writing, online presence, and offline interactions.

For authors, it’s often a mix of professional and personal branding which includes what you do, why you do it and who you do it for.

It’s also an indicator of your value to your readers, industry professionals, influencers or other key players in your topic area or genre.

What Makes You Different?

It’s not enough just to be good at what you write.

You must be able to easily and clearly communicate your vision or the purpose behind your work, and coherently voice its importance to others.

This is why effective branding is such a big and significant part of developing and growing your writer platform.

In this three-part series we’ll:

Clarify what personal branding is, and why it’s essential to incorporate into your writing business if you want to stand out from the crowd.
In post two of this series, we’ll cover the most common mistakes writers make when building their author brand.
And finally, in post three, we’ll focus on brand strategy and how you will connect your work and writing to the people who will be most inclined to read and appreciate it.

[Read more…]

Writing in Multiple Genres: How It Impacts Your Platform and Book Sales

July 23, 2018 by Kimberley Grabas

Today I’m going to answer one of the top questions I get asked: “I write in multiple genres (or hope to), how does this influence my platform and potential book sales?”

We’ll look at traditional vs. self-published authors, the impact on your author brand, your readers’ expectations and how genre-hopping ultimately plays out in terms of your writing career.

So, if you’re thinking of writing in multiple genres, watch the video below, and I’ll share exactly what you need to know. [Read more…]

Build An Epic Visual Strategy for Your Author Brand

August 8, 2016 by Kimberley Grabas

The visual trend in marketing is inescapable.

Short attention spans combined with an unparalleled surge of information (and distraction) requires a medium that can convey a message, a story, your entire essence, all at once.

And if a picture is worth a thousand words…

A strong visual strategy is an essential part of developing a powerful and successful author brand.

The right visuals will help you communicate ideas that get remembered, boost interaction with your growing fanbase, help tell your brand story, and make it much easier for readers to like, share and respond to your work.

If you are not yet focusing on visual content in your book marketing and platform building strategy, it’s time to get started. 🙂

In this post, not only will you learn how to create essential brand graphics, but you will get key tips on how to implement them, the elements they should include to be effective, and the best places to get free and paid resources to enhance your visual strategy. [Read more…]

2 Must-Dos to Make Your Book Marketing Infinitely Easier

November 9, 2013 by Kimberley Grabas

Why is it that your book marketing is falling short?

You’re trying to implement as many of the tricks and tips that the ‘experts’ recommend, but few of your marketing tactics are gaining traction.

Sure, you haven’t tried EVERYTHING yet, but you’ve tried enough to move the needle at least a smidge, right?

There’s no question that building a strong platform takes time, and gaining momentum–even with a sound marketing plan–requires the patience of a saint.

But something just isn’t jiving.

You’re Building Your Platform on Sandy Soil

A solid structure needs a strong and stable foundation, and what many authors do is rush to build their platform without first laying a proper footing.

Each time you add another tactic, another strategy, another layer of your marketing plan, the framework becomes more unstable and things start to fall apart.

Methods that should make an impact, produce less than stellar results.

Effort wasted and wheels spinning, frustrated authors conclude that it’s not marketing, but luck that produces standout success for bestselling authors.

Fair assessment?

No. And here’s why: what you’re missing is the first brick.

You may get a bit of a push from your marketing as it stands, but without that first brick, without developing a solid underpinning, there will be little strength or support for anything that comes after. [Read more…]

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Personal Branding for Authors: A Simple Definition

What Makes You Different?

In this three-part series we’ll:

You’re Building Your Platform on Sandy Soil

Authors with Platforms Sell Books.