What is Author Branding?

Real branding is not a logo, a marketing plan, or some fake persona you make up to sell books.

Now that we know what a brand is NOT, let’s get into what an author brand actually is and then we’ll define branding with the “ing.”

For the basic definition of author brand, I’m going to start with a quote from the awesome Jane Friedman:

“Brand is about how you and your work are perceived. In a word. Brand is expectation.”

While that definition is accurate, I think it helps to break the concept into a few more specifics. We encounter brands every day and we generally know what to expect of them.

For instance, if I buy a Coca-Cola, I have expectations for what it will taste like and look like. It’s highly unlikely that I’d pick up a Coca-Cola and suddenly it tastes like a Sprite and looks like Green Tea.

We know we can count on certain qualities of the brand. So how does that translate for authors though? Does having an author brand mean only writing one kind of book? (No, don’t worry.)

Here’s my definition of an author brand:

“A great author brand is a deeply informed and consciously crafted public persona that helps guide people’s expectations while deeply resonating with your ideal readers and beyond.”

Your author brand is made up of various elements:

your books and body of work,
what you stand for/ or your values,
who you serve and how,
your name and reputation,
how you communicate, your voice,
and yes your visuals like logos, website, etc.

In other words, your personal brand is the public way that you are showing up in the world as a whole.

SO What is BrandING?

(with that “ing” at the end)

Branding is the work we do to create, build, and maintain your author brand in a way that is in alignment with you and your audience.

I do that with my clients through research, ideation, and gaining deep insights into:

Who you are as a human being and writer—your goals, your values, your aspirations, etc. as well as the unique value you bring to the world.
Who your Ideal Readers are—the ones who are destined to become your Superfans—and what they desire.
What’s going on in the industry and the world so we can get the kind of insights few dare to find.

Brand Strategy & Positioning

Once we understand that, we can start to put figure out how to position your brand in the marketplace. And then we can get into strategy and planning. Then and only then, can we create informed marketing and brand-building plans that work and are not just tied to trends or short-term gains.

We get strategic in order to understand more about your market and how you can show up in ways that others aren’t, so you can build relationships with readers like few can.

From there we create strategic plans to put those strategies into action. That might look like a marketing plan or a brand-building plan, or a website plan, or maybe a content marketing plan–all sorts of things uniquely tailored to help you put all the pieces of your brand together.

With great branding, it’s all geared towards helping you find your people and vice versa, without sacrificing who you are,

wasting your time on the latest marketing trends, or cringing while you pump out “content.”

Learn about my Brand Strength™ author branding system.

My 3-phase Author Brand Strength™ Method is designed to clarify, design, and launch (or re-launch) your author brand, so you can attract more readers & build a fulfilling, lasting career.

Learn More

Your Ally & Trusted Advisor in Author Branding

Andrea Guevara, The Author Brand Expert

One of the most common misconceptions about personal branding is that you have to become something you’re not. That you need to fake it, or mass-produce social media content, or do some other cringey things to promote yourself.

This is simply not true. Yes, you do have to put yourself out there, but there’s a better way, I swear.

There’s a method to get out of the madness of marketing. It’s something I’ve developed in my years as a brand strategist, entrepreneur, and writer.

I’m here to help make sense of it all and be your best branding buddy through the process. I’ll help you tap into what makes you and your work so irresistible to your Ideal Readers™ so you can grow your readership while remaining true to who you authentically are.

“Working with Andréa is a profound experience. While most brand strategists offer mass-produced, superficial advice, Andréa challenges you to dig deep into your creative identity, articulate your unique gifts, and communicate them to your target audience. Don’t be surprised if this work on your brand spills over into all aspects of your life—getting to know who you are and what you really want to achieve is a powerful invitation to make all kinds of positive changes. Andréa’s warmth, sincerity, and good humor make her a joy to work with. She is the real deal and worth every penny!”

Kelly O’Connor McNeesAward-winning author of Undiscovered Country, In Need of a Good Wife, and The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

“Working with Andrea is a fantastic experience. She brings the perfect balance of strong expertise and insight and an intuitive, client-centered approach. The consistency of my website design and branding with who I am and what I do makes me confident to invite people to look at my work, knowing that it’s an authentic representation. Andrea went on the branding journey with me, and was patient and thoughtful as we went through the process. For all of my design and troubleshooting needs, I go directly to Andrea because I can’t imagine working with anyone else.”

Alicia A. WallaceActivist, Public Educator, Writer

“People ask me, ‘How did you write a book that landed on The New York Times best seller list?’ It’s not even about the book. It’s that I positioned myself for success before I wrote the book.“

—Jessica Knollauthor of the New York Times bestselling novels, Luckiest Girl Alive and The Favorite Sister– in "Get That Life: How I Became the Bestselling Author of ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’" (Cosmopolitan)