Why Authors Need a Personal Brand to Sell More Books

When my recent TikTok post about this bookshop went viral—the comments confirmed everything I already knew.

A few weeks ago, I posted a video about saving my favourite Black-owned bookshop from closure.

They needed people to buy 1,000 books before the close of April.

I expected people to care about the cultural importance of this one-of-a-kind bookstore with the biggest collection of Black Authors in the UK, but I didn’t expect the video to reach over 50,000 people, and I definitely didn’t expect what happened in the comments thread:

People in the comments weren’t just showing support for the shop.

They were buying the recommended books, naming and praising authors, tagging other authors, and—importantly—buying books they had discovered in the comments.

As an author myself, I found the way this unfolded more interesting than the virality itself.

It made me reflect on the way that readers are actively looking for ways to discover books and connect with authors, but how the actual ecosystem for that discovery is still fragmented and siloed.

The Reality of Being An Author

The reality of being an author is that you’re expected to build visibility around your work independently but you’re rarely told this before you’re `in it` and its about three to six months too late. The hardest part of the work really isn’t finding an agent, or getting comissioned. Its not even writing the manuscript itself - it’s getting eyes on it.

It’s building a brand around yourself as an author that can enable you to build an audience around your book. One that provides a case that makes sense to you publisher for the next book and most importantly - one that provides a readership for the next one after that and and the next one and so on and so on.

The publishing industry has changed dramatically over the last decade:

• Social platforms are now one of the most important tools for book sales.

• Authors are expected to market themselves as opposed to rely on a publishers marketing budget and marketing plan.

• And readers increasingly discover books through creators, and conversations happening online rather than through traditional media alone.

Yet despite this shift, many authors are still entering publishing with very little understanding or guidance on how to build an author brand and their audience, how to develop a social media strategy that works, and how to position themselves online, or create sustainable visibility around their work.

And I can attest to the fact that - while the ability to take things into your own hands creates opportunity, it also creates pressure.

Most authors are now balancing:

• Writing the book

• Building a platform

• Creating content

• Managing social media

• Growing an audience

• Networking

• Promoting launches

…and often without support.

The biggest problem is that visibility is still treated as an afterthought by many authors and dare I say it - their publishers too.

The Biggest Problem That Authors Face Is Marketing

Writers are told to focus on the manuscript, but once the book is complete, they’re suddenly expected to know how to market themselves without the infrastructure or strategy ready to do it effectively.

If I wasn’t a marketer that would be genuinely terrifying to me.

Readers on the other hand want recommendations and community to discuss their favourite book finds with. They want conversations around books and they want access to authors beyond a press release or publication date. But there are still very few spaces intentionally designed to bridge that gap consistently.

That’s why the comments section on the viral posts were such an interesting read.

Part of the issue is structural. Traditional publishing models were built around a chain of events and a process revolving around: major retailers, commercial mainstream media outlets, industry literary coverage, and institutional promotion. But digital culture has changed how audiences behave.

Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Substack being key places for reader discovery mean that the burden of visibility has been shifted onto authors, who are now expected to be creators themselves.

Authors are now expected to become:

• Content creators

• Personal brands

• Community builders

• Digital marketers

…most often without any training or support. They’re told to get involved in #booktok — but the question is, how?

And while publishers do still provide value, the reality is that many authors, especially emerging writers, independent authors, and diverse voices cannot rely solely on traditional systems for discoverability anymore. Writing the book is only part of the process now. Whether authors like it or not, discoverability directly impacts opportunities, readership, speaking engagements, partnerships, and long-term career sustainability.

Why Authors Need To Build Community Through Social Media Strategy

What happened in my comments section proved that people trust people. Recommendations, conversations, and genuine engagement still outperform polished marketing when it comes to books.

But authors need to be strategic, because.

Posting constantly without direction leads to burnout.

What authors actually need is a sustainable brand strategy that helps them build audience and community around their work, because the traditional publishing ecosystem is no longer enough to guarantee visibility.

Readers are actively looking for new authors and meaningful recommendations—and there’s a real opportunity for authors who understand both storytelling and visibility.

How to Build An Author Brand: Social Media Marketing & Promoting Your Book

This is exactly why my co-founder (a social media strategist with over 15 years experience growing lifestyle brands and communities both online and offline) and I decided to create a live session to help authors grow their communities and their personal brands.

How to Build An Author Brand: Social Media Marketing & Promoting Your Book

In the session we’re breaking down:

• What actually works for author visibility right now

• How to build an audience without burning out

• What publishing often doesn’t explain about promotion

• How to position yourself as an author online

• Ways to create discoverability beyond your launch week

We promise - no fluff and no generic advice - just practical strategies and proven pathways to building that authors can actually use.

If you’re trying to figure out how to build visibility around your book(s) - this session is for you!

We’re looking forward to seeing you there!