Why Personal Brand Matters for Authors

I had no presence of any kind. I was even afraid to sign up for my own author website, let alone talk about my book. It was only when my husband set up a simple website for me that I realised: I had to step into the light. Being invisible wasn’t going to help the people I wanted to reach.

As an author, your personal brand helps others recognise and trust your message. It brings clarity to your platform, consistency to your visuals, and character to your writing voice. Readers start connecting with you, not just your book.

While others focus on marketing books, I prefer to help authors market themselves first. Why? Because putting yourself in the right light helps your message—and your books—stand out and sell. This is author brand strategy 101.

My early challenges? No platform. Just a blog and Twitter account (back in 2009). I was overwhelmed with how to make my personal brand more cohesive. So, gradual improvements to it were more my thing. So, here’s where I now advise authors to start:

Step One: Get the Shot

A professional photo builds instant credibility. Set modesty aside and book a shoot:

• Head Shot – studio portrait
  
• ‘Doing’ Shot – presenting, writing, working
  
• With Book – if it’s printed
  

   

“Cookie cutters are for baking, not branding.” — David Brier

Step Two: Create Your Brand Identity

Define your brand values, design style and colour palette. These set the tone for your website, book covers, and graphics.

Work with a designer or use a tool like Canva to assemble your brand style guide. This typically includes:

• Brand colours (CMYK for print, HEX for web)
  
  
• Logo in square, rectangle, and reversed-out formats
  
  
• Chosen fonts/typefaces
  
  
• Slogans or tagline
  
  
• Sample of your tone of voice
  
  

You can then design a personal banner for your website and socials. These are different to logos—they’re elongated and slim, around 200px high. You can put them onto LinkedIn as a profile background. 

What I did:

• I created a brand kit with my colours and some fonts (still not great at following the fonts) and bought the navy top for use in my photograph.
• I made sure my tone of voice was similar everywhere. 
• I also ensured that new books would be modern and match my writing brand; workbooks match the Business Author Academy brand.
• And, I’m representing more of my personal values in conversations and trying not to downplay my strengths. 

Step Three: Find Your Angle

Being broad won’t help you stand out. Niche it down. Who are you serving? What belief or approach makes your work unique?

Valerie Khoo is a great example—melding story, colour, and creativity into a powerful brand for Power Stories (2012).  A few magazine articles she put out at the time and media photos signified her work in publicity during the book launch.

Most authors build their social media followings by being influential in the world of business, consulting or coaching. Few have ‘instant luck’, pronouncing they are going on some sort of mission and get the media limelight. However, if you plug away at making media connections, making blogger friends, them eventually… you’ll get some free publicity!

Step Four: Work the Author Brand

Once you’ve got your brand set up, make it visible and consistent:

• Stick with your mission and personal values (see the exercise on this in My Personal Brand).
  
  
• Keep to your brand colours and fonts
  
  
• Reach your market through new ways: guest podcasting, book reviews, industry chats, mockups, reels
  
  
• Sharpen your pitch: make it clear who your message helps
  
  
• Be bold—share views that aren’t mainstream, or that challenge assumptions
  

Bonus: Create a Brand Story

(Excerpt from the book)

You might be tempted to hide your personality behind generic statements about excellence. I’ve seen this often as a copywriter. But if you want to connect with your readers—you have to share your backstory and values. Empathy builds bridges.

We explore creating a media kit—including elements and design—in the Media Kit section.

A Timely Reminder of Being Clear

In a one-hour coaching session, Bob Gentle (an expert & personal branding podcaster) advised me on updating my Media Kit, which he calls a one-sheet. Also known as Book Summaries. The benefit of preparing this media kit is to have it ready for podcast hosts or media contacts. (You can read more about author media kits here).

He also gently prodded me to be clearer about what my specialty is… and how I now help with the business behind the book. His words sparked this thought:

Helping an author with their lead magnet and courses is going beyond the book!

This, dear readers, is absolute gold. A lead magnet is the free bonus you offer readers of your book—so they join your list for future contact.

Questions to Ask About Your Personal Brand

Reflect on these when shaping your author presence:

• Are you clear on what you represent through your writing?
  
  
• Do you have a one-sentence summary of why you want to empower your audience?
  
  
• Do you have one or two brand colours to use in photos, book covers and logos?
  
  
• Is there an icon that visually reinforces your brand’s meaning? (Optional)
  
  
• Do you have a personal story behind why you educate/empower?
  
  
• Is your style funny, stylish, edu-taining, or creative? (Especially important for video.)
  

Well, have fun with making your personal brand strategy and media kit. I’ve put all my knowledge about this and included experts’ knowledge in the concise book, My Personal Brand. Paperback is available direct or at Amazon.