Book Review: Your Book, Your Brand

Your Book, Your Brand

By Dana Kaye

This is THE most helpful book of all time! If you're a regular reader of this blog, you likely know that I've been on a business-self-help-book kick for the better part of a year. I'm trying to find ways to turn my writing into a business, to mix the creative with the entrepreneurial. My passion is not just for building worlds and characters, but also to build brands around my work and myself as an author. 

However, I sometimes struggle with business self-help books, since they can often turn out a bit vague. Authors occasionally discuss strategies for building self-confidence without really discussing the steps you need to take. Or they talk about their decisions to make certain investments, but don't go into detail about how they came up with the money. Or they provide more motivation and cheerleading for readers than step-by-step marketing tips and practical solutions.

Dana Kaye's book does not fall victim to ANY of these problems. I gained so, so much from this book. I read this book with a pen and a highlighter in one hand, and a stack of post-it notes in the other. I made marginal notes, highlighted important tips and phrases, and stuck post-it notes on pages I knew I'd need to revisit as I continued my journey of expanding my reach as an author.

This book is all about how to gain publicity for your book and build a stronger reader base. It has tips for all types of authors, whether independently published, traditionally published, or anywhere in between. It also gives step-by-step instructions for how to approach all kinds of different channels for publicity and marketing. It gives tips on how to best structure emails (down to the subject line and email body paragraph structure) when pitching to a news source. It gives tips on how to build your social media, and breaks down each different platform and what its best uses are. It gives tips for when to follow up with sources, when to call on the phone rather than email, and how to leave the best possible voicemails. There is very little that this book neglected to cover. 

After I finished reading this book, I immediately started brainstorming ideas of outlets I could pitch to and brands I could partner with. I started drafting emails according to Kaye's advice and formulas. It not only motivated me to try new marketing strategies, but it armed me with the knowledge I needed to go about this process.

I recommend this book for all authors out there who are looking to gain more publicity!

My only regret is that I cannot hire Dana Kaye as my actual publicist. I cannot even come close to affording her. But I'm glad she shared all of this knowledge with everyone!

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it? Does it sound like a book you'd want to try reading? What are your thoughts on books that give business and marketing advice? Let me know in the comments below! 

Happy writing!
Love,
Savy