Art of the Brand: Author Edition

How do I get an online follower from point A to point B? How do I turn an online follower into a reader of my books? 

You’ve been working hard on your book, and you’re ready to launch it into the world. There’s only one problem: how do you sell it? 

One amazing tool that helps you convert an online follower into a loyal reader is by working with a designer who does author website design.

So you put it online, and the online world will automatically find it!...Right?... 

Right, guys? 

Not really. 

Just because you’ve now put your book into the world doesn’t mean that Google will start sending online users to your site. There’s a lot more that goes into it than that. So let’s jump in, learn about our guest-- Michelle Pontvert--a bit, and hear her awesome knowledge about websites that convert.

In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• How Michelle became a brand and web designer
• Her website builder of choice
• How to convert online followers into long-term fans (aka ideal readers)
• The importance of using brand colors on your site
• Michelle’s top tips to building websites that convert
• Where to connect with her online
• AND a great product that will make building your website easier

Resources mentioned:

• Connect with Michelle
  • Website: www.michellepontvert.com
  • Instagram: @michellepontvert
  • Facebook: @michelle.ponvert
• Michelle’s Free Training: 
• The Rosie Template Kit: https://www.michellepontvert.com/rosie
• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

1. (https://mcveytyson.com/mistakes-authors-make/) Top 3 Mistakes authors make when DIY-ing their websites

LET’S CONNECT!
Instagram: @annamcveytyson
Blog: https://mcveytyson.com/blog

So I know that for many of us, friend, these past 18 months or so have been hard. Thanks to a little pandemic that’s affected the entire world.

And we’ve still had to carry on with everyday activities, like paying the bills, taking care of our families, working, and, hopefully, fitting in time to write. 

So how do you make time for a brand strategy? 

 Well, sometimes you just can’t make time. 

Instead, what you need is a break. 

This week’s episode isn’t directly about brand strategy, but it is about resting and taking care of yourself. Which is going to allow you to create and implement a brand strategy more effectively than if you’re burnt out and feeling harried.

I’m interviewing my good friend, Ramon Chaparro, a licensed counselor based in Denver, CO. He’ll walk us through what he has generally observed as a mental health worker and provide some resources on how to care for yourself in the hardest times. 

Keep listening to hear what he has to share. 

Resources mentioned:

• Online counseling services:
  • Talkspace
  • BetterHelp
• To search for a local counselor:
  • psychologytoday.com
  • goodtherapy.org
• Books about mental health:
  • The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
  • Mindsight by Daniel J. Siegel
  • Trauma Stewardship by  Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk
  • My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem
• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

LET’S CONNECT!
Instagram: @annamcveytyson
Blog: https://mcveytyson.com/blog

Did you know that the average person has about 6,200 thoughts a day?  

How many of those thoughts are negative? 

I’m just speculating here, but I’m going to estimate a good third are negative. (Sorry, I didn’t find a statistic for this during my research.)

So with that in mind, can we say that many of those negative thoughts are also limiting beliefs?

Let’s define a limiting belief. Alissa Finerman wrote for Wharton magazine, “Does the belief help us move forward or limit our potential?... Be honest. Is the belief or story we are telling actually true?”

If it’s a thought that holds you back from pursuing a goal, it’s a limiting belief. 

We don’t want those limiting beliefs determining our actions, especially if it's a goal to be a successful author. 

Maybe some negative core beliefs are holding you back from branding your author platform. 

Today, we’ll be debunking the 3 common limiting beliefs that I’ve heard authors give for not creating a brand or a strategy. 

In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• What is a limiting core belief
• Belief 1: I’m not creative enough
• Belief 2: It’s gotta take a lot of time and energy and learning a whole bunch of new stuff!
• Belief 3: This doesn’t really matter to me. I write books!

Resources mentioned:

• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom | Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

1. (https://mcveytyson.com/imposter-syndrome-got-you-down/) Imposter Syndrome Got You Down?
2. (https://mcveytyson.com/brand-strategy/) 5 Important Reasons That Authors Need A Brand Strategy
3. (https://magazine.wharton.upenn.edu/digital/the-impact-of-limiting-beliefs/) Wharton Magazine
4. (https://rdcu.be/cyHjW) license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ TBD Tseng, J., Poppenk, J. Brain meta-state transitions demarcate thoughts across task contexts exposing the mental noise of trait neuroticism. Nat Commun 11, 3480 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17255-9
5. (https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/discovery-thought-worms-opens-window-mind) Queen’s Gazette
6. (https://positivepsychology.com/false-beliefs/) Positive Psychology
7. (https://www.fastcompany.com/40528587/why-your-brain-clings-to-false-beliefs-even-when-it-knows-better) Fast Company
8. (https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/the-fluidity-of-time) Association for Psychological Science

Hey guys, Anna here with Art of the Brand: Author Edition. I am changing my publishing schedule to bi-weekly. So every other week, simply because I do these shows completely solo and I'm reworking the way that I make them just a little bit. But they take a long time. There's a lot of research that I get into and I still want to continue doing it, but to not get burned out, I'm going to be changing that.

So I apologize for not publishing for about two weeks, but I will be back next week with a full episode. And until then have a fantastic week. And yeah, I'll be back with you soon.

I really have to add that to my to-do list now?

I know that it might be hard to justify spending time on a brand strategy when there are other priorities you’re already worried about. 

You’ve got the cover design, your book launch, gathering reviews, etc. to focus on. 

Yes, this is one thing to add to your plate, but the return on investment for creating a brand strategy will have long-term benefits.

Impressions Are Made So Fast!

It takes less than one second for someone to create an impression about you. Just one. At least that’s what Phil McAleer, from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, found in a 2014 study.

So the fact of the matter is that how you present yourself to someone matters more than you might want to accept. 

So you say to yourself, “Okay, cool. I’ll get done.” 

“Great!” I say. 

But if you’ve been listening to my other episodes, you’ll know that having a defined “Why” is an important first step of any strategy. 

So if you don’t know the “Why” behind your own brand strategy, then it’s really not worth doing it. 

Because there’s no real reason to feel invested in getting it done if you don’t have a reason to care.

But, of course, I also want to help you find a reason to care about building the best strategy for yourself.  

So in today’s episode of the Art of the Brand: Author Edition, I’ll list five reasons that a brand strategy is going to help you make the best first impression. You’ll be able to put your best face forward, impressing your ideal readers. 

Tune in and find your “Why” from today’s episode.

In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• Impressions Are Made So Fast!
• A Brand Strategy Influences First Impressions
• Reason #1: It creates connections with your readers
• Reason #2: A cohesive brand makes you look professional 
• Reason #3: It helps get your book in front of future readers
• Reason #4: Literary agents and/or publishers are more likely to take a chance on you
• Reason #5: You’ll make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Resources mentioned:

• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

For a full list of the sources used for this episode, please visit mcveytyson.com/brand-strategy.

LET’S CONNECT!
Instagram: @annamcveytyson
Blog: https://mcveytyson.com/blog

A few months ago, I was speaking with authors to learn what questions and struggles they had about building a successful brand. But you know what question came up ALL the time: “What is a brand?” 

And honestly, I forget that sometimes not everybody knows what a brand is or how it will help them get closer to their goals as authors. 

Obviously, that’s a “Duh!” moment for me. 

So here is the short and sweet definition: A brand is a gut feeling a reader gets when they think of you.

Awesome! You now know what a brand is!

But that doesn’t quite answer the questions: “What is a brand going to do for me? And how do you put together a successful brand?” 

So, I found a simple way to define a brand and explain its benefits.

In today’s podcast episode, I’ve laid out the simple recipe to build a successful brand 

It’s short and sweet because you just need to know how it’s going to help you and the basics that make up a successful brand.

Give me a few minutes today and I'll give you the 4 simple ingredients that will answer what a brand is and how it will help you get one step closer to your writing career goals. 

In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• Reminder: The Definition of a Brand
• Ingredient 1
• Ingredient 2
• Ingredient 3 
• Ingredient 4
• Mixing It All Together

Resources mentioned:

• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course
• Download the Recipe Card:  https://view.flodesk.com/pages/615c746cf88d548e68f5c3a2

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

1. (https://mcveytyson.com/branding-author-platform/) Branding Her Author Platform
2. (https://thestorytelleragency.com/goodreads/50-best-quotes-for-storytelling) The Storytelling Agency
3. (https://jenniferbourn.com/brand-core-values/) Jennifer Bourn
4. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA) Simon Sinek
5. (https://www.martyneumeier.com/zag ) Marty Neumeier

LET’S CONNECT!
Instagram: @annamcveytyson
Blog: https://mcveytyson.com/blog

How To Make A Successful Brand Strategy Like The Pumpkin Spice Latte

It’s time to create a brand strategy that positions you as a genre-defining author, so you can feel confident putting yourself out there.

‘Cause one day you’d like to be the image that comes to a reader’s mind when they think about your genre.

And, maybe, you're starting to see that a brand strategy is a good way to become that author.  But you can't figure out how to make a strategy that does that ... and the nuts-and-bolts of branding!? It's beyond you.

Honestly, there are all kinds of tutorials on Youtube that can help you create a strategy like that.

But you’d still be wasting your time sifting through all the content there to find a great guide.

And this is where the strange connection between the pumpkin spice latte and a successful brand strategy comes into play.

I started loving the pumpkin spice latte (aka PSL) back in 2005, my very first semester at university. 

For the past few weeks, I’d been wondering, “How has the pumpkin spice latte become THE defining drink of fall? And how has it stood the test of time? 

And so since I am a brand strategist and designer,  the more research and thinking that I did, I began to make connections of how these strategies might work for authors. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn how you can create a brand that will last the test of time and position you as THE defining author for your genre and area of expertise. So let’s have a little fun today.

Grab a cup of PSL, or your preferred Fall drink, and let’s get into it. 

In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• Discerning the PSL's useful brand strategy that authors can use
• The struggles of brand strategy
• A quick history of the pumpkin spice latte
• Lesson 1: Defining the thing that sets you apart
• Lesson 2: Identifying the feeling that you want readers to feel
• Lesson 3: Know who you’re talking to 

Resources mentioned:

• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course
• The Free Infographic from Today's Episode: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6152944cbc3eea86ee42f409

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Transition Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTom Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

• Please, visit mcveytyson.com/3-useful-brand-strategy for a full list of the sources used in this episode.

When is the right time to focus on author branding? 

Do you think that you need to be published before you start? 

You’re ready to be taken seriously as the author you’ve always wanted to be. 

You’ve been sending out your books to publishers and literary agents, and you’re just waiting to hear back.

What every aspiring writer needs to know - 

If you’re trying to get published traditionally, publishers want to ensure that you have some sort of following before taking a chance on you. So it really does need to be a priority beforehand. 

As Leona Brits, from the Writing Cooperative writes, “A new author is a high-risk one for publishers. However, if you have evidence that you already have fans (meaning: potential buyers), your chance of being published by a traditional publisher will be enhanced.” (Source)

An author brand will help you expand your author platform, it makes you instantly recognizable to your audience and helps you build your authority as a writer. And when you do publish your book, you’ll already have a loyal audience that’s looking forward to buying from you.

And your book, it matters! So expanding your author platform before you publish is the perfect time to brand yourself. 

In short, an author brand is important for the unpublished author.

“So, cool,” you think. “I’ll just get started on that right now!” 

But slow your roll, friend! 

Have you wondered how you’ll do it? 

You could totally get started on that ASAP, BUT...big BUT here--have you thought through the steps to get started? 

Just because you’re aware that it’s important doesn’t mean you know how to do it. 

Swipe my 2 brand hacks to start branding yourself.

And why waste precious hours learning how to get to it, when you could just learn why it’s important. And can't stop won't stop—how about I throw in two brand hacks to start your own author brand in today’s episode?

In today's episode, we'll be discussing: 

• When is the right time to focus on author branding? 
• Identifying your ideal reader
• Communicating the transformation your book offers
• How this all relates to branding
• A recap of the episode

Resources mentioned:
The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Background Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTomCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Sources:

• https://writingcooperative.com/why-you-need-an-author-platform-and-how-to-build-it-17f684dff9f2
• https://greenleafbookgroup.com/learning-center/book-creation/how-to-identify-your-books-audience

Sources Consulted: 

• https://www.tlu.ee/~rajaleid/montaazh/Hero%27s%20Journey%20Arch.pdf

What is the best platform to build your author website? 

How are you supposed to choose? 

There are so many different options to choose from: Wix, Wordpress, Squarespace, Showit, and so many more that seem to be popping up all the time. 

So it can be overwhelming to know which one to choose. 

Well, I think I can help you out with that.

In today’s podcast episode, I cover the best platform--in my opinion--which one to choose and which one not to choose. 

Because, yes, there is one that I’m not such a huge fan of after using it for years.

And you’ll learn the top three reasons why I switched to my new favorite website platform. 

Want to learn more about the best place to build your website? 

Check out the newest episode now.

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: 

• Why you need a website as an author
• Why Wordpress is NOT my first choice
• Showit is user-friendly
• Creating a blog is simple
• Taking your author platform to the next level
• Showit for your site: Showit.co
• The 3-Step Framework to Jumpstart Your Author Brand: https://mcveytyson.com/free-course

Music Credits: 

• Introduction Music: https://audionautix.com/ Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com
• Background Music: Naya by HaTom https://fanlink.to/HaTomCreative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/naya-hatom Music promoted by Audio Library Naya – HaTom (No Copyright Music)
• Outro Music: Modular Ambient 04 | Royalty Free Music  

Thank you so much for joining me today. If you enjoyed this episode, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast here. And if you're feeling extra inspired, leave a review here. I will be forever grateful to you.