For the most successful authors, their cumulative work becomes a brand. People search for their books by author, not title; people pay special attention when they see or hear that author on media; people bring preconceived expectations when they approach that author’s work. These master communicators have trained their audience to expect a certain type of information or explanation or point of view, a type their fans appreciate and value.
Have you developed your brand? Are you seizing opportunities to promote, deepen and enrich that brand? Are you leveraging your time and effort to deliver maximum benefit to your brand? This involves far more than the books you write; it includes everything you write, every media interview you give, every speech you make, every organization you ally with, every cause you associate with. Your market is watching – they want to trust you, they want to follow you, and they don’t want to be taken by surprise.
Whenever I’ve published a book with a high-profile author, I know the author’s name is what sells the book. At the same time, I know it’s critically important for the subject, the title, the jacket design, the tone and the timing of that book to reinforce the author’s brand. And it can be devastating when a celebrity goes “off-brand,” wading into areas in which they have no obvious expertise, expressing opinions that seem at odds with the values of their target market, ignoring or abandoning the subjects and issues on which their brand has been built. During my 35 years in publishing and marketing, I have worked with celebrities to protect and nurture their brands; I have worked with issue experts and budding media stars to carefully and strategically establish, articulate and build their brands. As President of Regnery, I have also been responsible for cultivating and strengthening (and protecting) the Regnery brand. As such, I have been the primary spokesperson for this venerable, 70-year-old publishing house. Along the way, I have developed a robust set of high-leverage strategies for building your brand, as well as a critical list of do’s and don’ts for brand spokesmen.