Happy Summer, friends. Wow, it has flown. Today I want to share some great news about client successes and also a practical thought on how to adapt as you and your personal brand change.

3 Client Books Launched in July!

In July, I experienced a first: three clients launched their books within a week of each other. Two of the books were published on the same day! What fun. :)

About a week later, one officially became a USA Today Bestseller, and the other two were among the top-selling new releases in their categories on Amazon!

You know why? These authors put in the work. They wrote great books which is a feat unto itself, but then they went the extra mile to get their brands dialed in, and marketing plans in place, and worked hard to get their books and themselves out there. Congratulations ladies! You're doing it!

Maybe you're thinking, okay Andrea but sometimes authors put in the work and still don't get results like this. And of course, like life itself, there are almost no guarantees. BUT as Seneca is credited as saying:

That preparation is the kind of work we do around here: getting authors ready to give themselves and their work their best shot at success, for the long term. A quick reminder too--this author branding work IS NOT just about the quick win (aka sales), but about building the career you want, beyond just the book.

I hope you'll check out these incredible women and their books! They are all worth reading and following. And again, congratulations!!

Susan Kaiser Greenland's ​Real-World Enlightenment​

Gila Pfeffer's ​Nearly Departed​

Melanie Sweeney's ​Take Me Home ​

Your Brand is Bound to Change--And That's OK!

One of the primary concerns authors have when it comes to branding themselves--especially authors who write in more than one genre--is that they will have to squeeze themselves into an ill-fitting identity box that doesn't feel like them. And because of that, they feel like they'll be doomed to stay in that box FOR-EV-ER. Because of this sometimes unspoken fear, authors commonly do one of two things:

1) pour themselves into promoting only their book and leave their personal brand as somewhat of an ethereal side note, or

2) jump headlong into becoming known only as "the author of that book or that type of book."

The problem is that readers who love their books want to connect with them as authors and human beings. When there's no clear and authentic author brand it's much harder for those readers to develop a "long-term relationship" with them. This is because:

1) they don't fully know what to expect,

2) they likely have to work too hard to find the author or connect with them, and

3) there are so many lost opportunities to get to know the author and become their superfans.

A few weeks ago, my photographer friend offered to do a last minute brand photography shoot for me in San Francisco. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity! My previous brand photos were shot 5 years ago and I'd been thinking about revamping my photos soon...just as soon as I'd come up with ideas and lost some weight (eyeroll, I know).

As a brand strategist/ recovering perfectionist/ overthinker extraordinaire, having only about a week to figure out location ideas, wardrobe, etc. was, ahem, challenging. I KNOW how crucial great headshots and brand lifestyle shots can be. They can go a long way to communicating implicitly what words take longer to get across. So I was freaking out (a lil) over my lack of cute clothing options (I hate shopping), my shorter-than-usual hair (bad haircut nightmare corrected), and my roots growing out. I thought about canceling.

On the morning of the shoot, as I packed up to make the drive down to San Francisco, I got a text from one of my besties:

Doh. It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. I took a deep breath and grounded myself. What am I here for? To look perfect? Bah--impossible, also gross.

I am here to show up as my whole self, a person who helps authors be themselves so they can expand their dreams; I am a mom, a woman, a survivor; just me and the gifts I was born with and the skills I've worked hard to gain; SHOWING up so I can help others do the same. In that moment, I felt the energy shift in my body, from small, tight contorted fear to expansive, warm, light. I decided to hold on to that feeling and go into that photoshoot as full-on me.

I got the photos back yesterday. I love them even more than the photos my photographer did for me 5 years ago. They look like me. Real me, this current best version of me. Me, the one who is passionate about changing the world through words and authors. The me of this moment--despite the weight gain, less energy, and night sweats that perimenopause has bestowed--is actually more me than ever. And that shows up in my business too because the more I am me, the more aligned clients and opportunities come to me as well. And guess what? I'll keep evolving and changing and so will my brand, but the core is the same. I didn't suddenly change my values or mission.

So let me be your Brand Bestie today:

You are wonderful. Your personal brand will change, just like you will change over the course of your life. And that is fucking beautiful and exciting, and sure sometimes scary, confusing, you name it. But know this:

Your readers need you to show up as your whole self. That doesn't mean they need to know every detail of you, but when you bring your true spark, intelligence, passion, obsessions, talents, and gifts to the world, it's better for all of us.

Embrace who you are my friend. I for one can't wait to see what you'll do next!

Best,

Andrea

P.S. you can see a few pics from that shoot over here on Instagram. :)