How (and why) to build a personal brand to keep your books selling
Would you rather readers buy your book when it launches, or have many continued sales throughout the years?
Hi friends,
I’m so excited to bring a post to you today from the amazing
from . If you’re looking for some additional reading, I recommend these ones:With that out of the way, I’d love to introduce Jessica to you.
Between working at a Big Five publishing house and launching her creative consultancy, Jessica has made a name for herself over the last decade by educating others on how to make a name for themselves, too. Her client list includes numerous bestselling writers, independent bookshops, and two of five globally-recognized publishing houses.
If you want to check out their work before reading this one, I recommend this one, which is the first article I ever read from them.
Authors, let me begin by asking you this:
Would you rather readers buy your book when it launches, or have many continued sales throughout the years?
As a book marketing professional, I’d prefer to see you have consistent sales over time to let retail algorithms, media, and publishers know that your book—and the content within its pages— is still relevant after publication.
Publishers also prefer this, too. Did you know they make their living on their backlists? 80% of annual sales are of evergreen titles that keep selling over time, indicating they also don’t put the heavy weight on presales we assume they are.
But how do you ensure this happens?
Well, when you shift your focus away from a promotion-only strategy during presales (buy my book!), and onto community building, your efforts will actually lead to direct sales and long-term reader support. Let’s go deeper.
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Why just promoting your book isn’t a sales strategy
When was the last time you blindly purchased something? Even at a lower price point, I’m sure a little hesitation and/or research went into your choice to buy. And when the time was right, chances are you didn’t choose something out of impulse—instead you went with something you’ve been considering or eyeing. This comes from your emotional connection to a brand or product.
To stay in the publishing industry here, think about your readers for a minute. What other authors do they read regularly? Are there TV shows, publications, hobbies, or activities they love, generally speaking? If we consider marketing your book with these additional touchpoints in mind, we will start to embed the book into the communities your readers are a part of.
Of course, there are numerous ways to draw attention to your books and get your information in front of your readers, but building a community is a free, daily activity that builds a relationship between you and your readers. And relationships put a face to a brand–or a book–which then leads to connectivity, retention, and support!
When you promote your book as a standalone product, you’re not building that author-reader loyalty or gaining engagement. You may receive a short burst of attention upon launch, but that will effectively drop off because, to put it frankly, no one really cares. You haven’t built the emotional connection with potential readers that will keep your book in their minds or your success as an author in their hearts. Support oftentimes leads to sales.
How to Build (and Become the Leader of) A Community
Step One: Strategize A Personal Brand
There are two common misconceptions I’d like to address:
Being ‘active’ on social media means you need a presence on all accounts, across all channels, to reach all the people.
Having a personal brand means you are or are interested in becoming a public figure, influencer, or celebrity.
You do not have to be everywhere, or be famous, to have a personal brand, but having a personal brand is the first step in community building. A personal brand is how you present yourself as an individual to your audience.
Tip: To understand your target audience, identify their interests, preferences, and the platforms they frequent. Tailor your strategy, content, and conversations based on these insights.
Action Items:
Answer the following questions to start defining the why behind why you’re showing up.
What type of community are you interested in leading?
Who are your dream readers/followers?
What goals do you have aside from book sales(collaborations, promotions, etc.)?
Answer the following questions to start defining the how:
What do these readers/followers enjoy? What type of content do they already love (TV shows, other books, etc.)?
What do you enjoy from both a hobby and content perspective, outside of your author life?
Where do those topics overlap, and how can you start to join the stories around those topics, both through content delivery and conversation?
Step Two: Personalize Your Content
Shift from marketing your book to marketing yourself as an author. Share personal stories, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and the journey of your writing process. This humanizes your brand and makes readers feel more connected. You may also consider involving your readers in your creative process. Seek their opinions on book covers, character names, or even plot twists. This collaborative approach makes readers feel valued and invested in what you’re creating.
Action Items:
Take the topics you’ve listed above, and narrow them down to 3 overarching themes. In total, you should have five storylines, one being your book (promotion), one being your author journey, and the remaining three being these new topics. These are now your content categories for posting.
Ensure you’re posting in the first person, because you are building personal relationships. Also, keep in mind that while a post may check the box of fitting into one of your categories, it also has to evoke something within your audience.
Ex: “I wrote a book!” Fits your book category, but does nothing for your audience.
“I wrote a romantic comedy book that rivals Hallmark Christmas movies in cheesy-ness that is perfect to cozy up with after work” immediately speaks to your audience.
Step Three: Embrace Two-Way Communication and Gratitude
Move beyond one-sided promotion by engaging in meaningful conversations with your audience. Respond to comments, ask for opinions, and encourage readers to share their thoughts. I also recommend regularly expressing gratitude to your readers for their support. This acknowledgment can take the form of shoutouts, exclusive giveaways, or personalized notes. You want to remember your goal is to foster a sense of belonging, which is crucial in a community.
Action Item:
Do not post and ghost, aka, press post and close the apps down. It’s cliche, but you must be social on social media in order for it to work. Ask questions, be present and support your followers/readers the same way you are asking of them to be supportive of you!
Step Four: Be Consistent
Consistency is key in fostering an online community. Marketing experts will range in their recommendations of how often to post, but I’m here to tell you to prioritize consistency and quality. Once you can ensure all of the content you’re producing hits on those factors, increase your cadence.
Action Item:
Determine a posting schedule. Start with a few posts per week, and work up to more as you feel yourself hitting your posting cadence with minimal hiccups. Monday, Wednesday, Friday is a great starting point!
And Step Five:
Utilize Your Network, and Always Invite New People In
Remember, when something starts to feel repetitive for you, it means it’s finally starting to make sense to your community. That is…the community that’s been with you for a while. Repetition is key to nurturing your community while simultaneously inviting new members in. Discovering creative ways to succinctly get the same point across regularly is a hidden key to success.
Consider this: which purchase would you be more excited to make? the book that was marketed directly as “buy my book” 12 times, or the one that showcased a peek into the main character’s brain, the cover art, the story inspiration, the comps, the tropes, etc.?
Additional efforts you may consider (once your bandwidth is determined):
Start a Book Club: Create an online book club centered around your titles. Engage readers in discussions, host Q&A sessions, and provide exclusive content. This not only builds a sense of community but also keeps readers invested in your future releases.
Offer Exclusive Content: Reward your community with exclusive content such as short stories, character backstories, or alternate endings. This adds value to their reading experience and encourages them to stay connected.
Host Virtual Events: Organize virtual events like author interviews, live readings, or interactive sessions. These events provide a platform for direct interaction, strengthening the bond between you and your readers.
Create a Newsletter: Start a regular newsletter to update your community on upcoming releases, personal anecdotes, and exclusive offers. This direct communication channel ensures that your readers stay informed and engaged.
Pitfalls of a Personal Brand Community
Over time, I’ve gotten very used to the pushback I receive when I talk about personal branding. Let’s go through two of the big ones:
“I don’t want to be present/active online 24/7. It’s draining.”
A common misconception is that to be active online, you must be active all the time. I am here to tell you that just because the internet is available 24/7, does not mean you need to be available 24/7. I have two practices to share with you to shift your mindset and online behavior.
Action Items:
Think of the brand we’ve build around yourself as a business, and your active platforms (remember, you do not need to be everywhere) as business tools. For example, the door to a bookstore is not unlocked 24/7, and the business of you does not need to be either! Set business hours, and really hold yourself accountable for showing up for your community within those hours only.
How I do it: I implement something called Show Up Time a few times a day. Block 30 minutes off your calendar, and use that time to check in, post organically and weigh in on your industry and follower updates. Start with once a day and work up to three times, if you have the bandwidth!Remember your content categories. The personal brand we’ve built for you is essentially your character. This character is one piece of you, and we represent them with content in certain categories only. You as a human have many more interesting facets of your life. They do not (and should not!) be present in your branding. Stick to the categories you outlined above, and keep the rest of your life to yourself. Not only does this help with brand consistency, but it also allows for you to live without the stress of plugging in, and viewing every moment of your day as a content segment.
How I remember this: When I first started my personal brand, I wrote my content categories down with a few examples of what type of photos would help bring that category to life. I made it my computer desktop and phone background, until I memorized it. When I’d go to take a photo for social or to post, I’d be reminded to consider whether it fit the plan or not, which was helpful until it became ingrained in my mind!
“Can you just do it for me?”
I get this one quite often, and the answer is I can, but I won’t. As a personal brand, no one can represent you the way that you can represent yourself. It’s important that your content comes from you, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it all alone.
I will define your brand and walk you through all of the steps above, but it’s your responsibility to bring it to life.
I can descriptively provide you with your audience personas, but it’s your responsibility to create connections with them.
I can make you a content calendar and even help with your graphics and copy approvals, but it’s your responsibility to press post.
However, I know all too well how overwhelming and time consuming it seems to manage a personal brand. The best thing I can do for you is teach you different techniques for being present on social media without it overtaking you. I don’t believe any facet of your business should be the entirety of your life, but if you are going to overcommit your time to one thing, it should be your writing–not your marketing. I can help you stay accountable to time prioritization.
If you would rather outsource, you can. I’d recommend first building your brand, so anyone else you bring on your team has a blueprint for who you are, who you’re connecting with and over what topics. You can then start by outsourcing community management (aka, someone to run your Show Up Times), and/or content creation. Creators can help you bring your strategy to life in a cohesive way.
To wrap it up, the publishing world is competitive. A shift in your mindset from merely promoting your book to building a community of readers is crucial for long-term success. By understanding your audience, personalizing your brand, and actively engaging with readers, you can create a dedicated community that not only supports your current work but eagerly anticipates your future releases. Embrace the journey of building meaningful connections with your readers, and the dividends in terms of direct sales and fan loyalty.
If you liked this one, make sure to check out
and . Here’s another one I think you’ll like over there.So, what do you think?
Are you excited about developing a personal brand?
Do you have any questions about building a community?
Let us know in the comments.
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This was so helpful! I wish I had this guide before I got started creating an online presence, some 15 years ago.
Still, it's going to be extremely useful for building an audience for my contemporary romance novels. I love the categories of things you cover on social - and how you stick to those. It's brilliant!
I love these questions. I just wrote out my answers to them and I came up with a couple of surprising threads that I had dropped lately, but that I always used to include in my old newsletters. I'm going to have to see what happens when I bring them back. I think even just from a logical standpoint, I can see the difference it might make for connecting with my readers.