How to Write Non-Fiction: Author-centred marketing
“A personal brand business is the last pivot you’ll ever need to make.”
—Chris Ducker, Rise of the Youpreneur
The author-centred marketing approach can suit non-fiction authors well, particularly if you develop an ecosystem and business model that ties all your income streams together.
This concept is the basis of my business at TheCreativePenn.com, which I started in 2008 and grew to a stable multiple-six-figure, one-person business. My ecosystem consists of multiple books, a weekly podcast, and an active email list, plus my website content and social media.
Like everyone, I started with nothing, but the compounding effect of a personal brand means that — if you keep creating — it keeps growing over time, independent of the vagaries of an algorithm or paid ads, so you can continue selling books, products, and services sustainably over time.
Why you need a personal brand
It’s the best time in history to be an author. You can write and publish whatever you like. You can reach people globally from your laptop or phone and make a living from your writing through multiple streams of income.
But we also live an increasingly competitive marketplace where everyone can be an author, every niche feels saturated, and new voices add to the noise every day.
We also live in an era of generative AI where increasing amounts of content are generated by AI tools, which improve with each new model release.
I use many of these AI tools myself, as indicated within this book, so I don’t have a problem with the technology. But I know it makes our jobs more difficult when it comes to standing out in a crowded market.
We cannot complete with the machines, so we have to be different, and the only way to stand out is by being you.
Tell your story. Share your face, your voice, your smile, or, as I often say, double down on being human.
People want to connect with people, and they want to do business with humans they know, like, and trust.
There will always be someone cheaper than you, faster than you, and yes, better than you — but no one else can be you.
This doesn’t mean making up a story or a brand to fit the book (or product or course or whatever) you want to sell. It means being honest about who you are and what you want to create and bringing all your flaws and humanity to your writing — and your marketing.
Who are you?
The answer to this question should not sound like your LinkedIn bio.
It should tell us who you are at a deeper level.
To find your answer, you must figure out what you want to share, what aspects of your life might connect with others, as well as where your boundaries are and what level of disclosure is sustainable for you long-term.
Here are some questions to consider:
• What key moments in your life stand out in your memory? What are your core human experiences that might resonate with others?
• What are some of your failures as well as your successes?
• What words would you use to define yourself? How would other people describe you?
• What do you enjoy? What are you attracted to? Consider books, movies, images, colours, games, places, events, sports, food. Really think about it. Every single thing you’re interested in is a niche that will help you find other people interested in those things, too.
• How can you bring all these aspects to your writing and marketing?
You might also spend some time investigating what kinds of marketing might suit your personality. I recommend the Myers-Briggs personality test (I’m INFJ), and also the CliftonStrengths, both of which have given me personal insights that have helped creatively and in business.
Make it sustainable for the long-term
You don’t have to wait to launch your book until you have a fully formed personal brand.
Just be you and learn along the way.
If you share your journey authentically, your personal brand will grow and change as you do.
If you keep creating meaningful work consistent with your values, people will be attracted to your books and your business because of what you put out into the world. They will be happy to buy from you because people love to support creators who share their story and resonate with the same values.
Don’t fake anything.
It’s unnecessary and you won’t be able to sustain it, anyway.
Just be yourself and share what matters to you; this can become a sustainable basis for your business over the long-term.
I know this works because it’s how I’ve built my business. I’ve shared my journey from first book to making a multi-six-figure income as a writer, and I continue to share my lessons learned along the way even as the industry shifts and I change, too.
Perhaps you bought this book because you listen to my podcast, or watch my videos on YouTube, or read my blog, or follow me on social media. There are lots of books on writing non-fiction. Why did you buy this one?
If you didn’t know me before, since you’ve made it this far through the book, you certainly know more about me now!
You might go on to buy my other books or listen to my podcast or audiobooks, or join my community, because you’ve heard my voice and my story, and (hopefully) it resonated in some way.
Setting boundaries — a curated version of you
There are some people who seem to share everything online — and I mean everything! But don’t worry, you can set boundaries and still have a genuine personal brand.
I share aspects of my life around writing or the research topics around my fiction. I share pictures from my trips on social media and my weekly creative musings on the podcast. But I rarely share pictures of my husband, I keep my family private, and I don’t talk about politics!
I also curate my feelings on the rollercoaster of the author life. I’m honest about the writing journey, but everyone has hard days. In those moments, I don’t go online and moan or rant. I choose to be a positive voice in the author niche, so I put boundaries around what I share when I feel down. Of course, I’ve shared my fears and anxieties in order to help others in The Successful Author Mindset, but if I’m having a bad day, there’s no need to talk about it in public.
Set your boundaries, and then share honestly within them.
“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real. The choice to be honest. The choice to let our true selves be seen.”
—Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
Author-centred book marketing
There are many ways to market a book. The main question is what suits you and your book, both for the initial launch and into the years ahead.
Start with where you are.
• What do you already enjoy? What do you make time for as a reader or consumer?
• Do you listen to podcasts or watch YouTube videos?
• Do you scroll TikTok or Instagram, or do you prefer X or Bluesky?
• Do you read articles on LinkedIn or Substack?
• Do you prefer in-person or online connections?
• Do you have affiliations with specific organisations or charities or community groups?
• Do you read specific magazines or newspapers you might want to pitch?
Each of the platforms, modes of content, and different social media sites have their own rules. If you’re already active in particular places, you’re more likely to have success marketing there as well.
Of course, you have to try new things.
I started podcasting in 2009, back in the early days of streaming digital audio. I wanted to meet other authors, learn about the industry, and build my platform along the way.
After many years and many hundreds of episodes, I’m still the host of The Creative Penn Podcast, one of the longest-running shows for independent authors. It’s become the content hub of my non-fiction business and a substantial income stream in its own right through corporate sponsorship and Patreon subscriptions, as well as affiliate income, and of course, marketing my books.
I’m also an avid listener of other podcasts, and in terms of my marketing outreach, my preferred mechanism is going on other people’s podcasts to talk about aspects related to my books, both fiction and non-fiction. (If you have an established show, ask me on!)
While I do use limited social media, I mainly use the sites to double down on being human, sharing photos of my cats, book research trips, and me with my books.
For book marketing, start with you and what you already enjoy, then investigate how you can use those interests to market your book.
Once again, ChatGPT can help. Tell it about your book, or upload your draft if you’re happy with the terms of service and then ask, “Please give me 20 different ways to market my book on Instagram” (or whatever site you want to use). You can then ask follow-up questions on each suggestion to get more granular help.
“You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (PR). You can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free.”
—David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing and PR
Questions:
• Why is a personal brand important to you and the business you want to build?
• What key moments in your life stand out in your memory? What are your core human experiences that might resonate with others?
• What are some of your failures as well as your successes?
• What words would you use to define yourself? How would other people describe you?
• What do you enjoy? What are you attracted to?
• How well do you understand your personality? What can you do to further those insights?
• What are your values? How do they shape your life and your business?
• In terms of content and social media, what do you already enjoy? What do you make time for as a reader or consumer?
• How could you expand those interests into sustainable book marketing?
• What boundaries will you set around which aspects of your life you will share, and how will you maintain them long-term?
Resources:
• Rise of the Youpreneur: The Definitive Guide to Becoming the Go-To Leader in Your Industry and Building a Future-Proof Business — Chris Ducker
• The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are — Brené Brown
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR — David Meerman Scott
