In
the business world, being an author adds credibility to who you are and your
brand. But in the world of influencing the media or consumers, how does an
author establish credibility?
You
may know your book is great and believe in yourself, but how do you go about
convincing others of this? Merit,
testimonials, style, persona, bullshit, values, social media, and substance
will all play a part.
Let’s
start with merit. Determine what your tangible credentials are – schooling,
training, work history, related volunteering work, experiences, etc. Did you
win any awards or rank high in something? Highlight who you are.
Next,
third-party validation: Did anyone of notoriety or positional authority say
something positive about you or your book? Compile these endorsements and share
them publicly.
Style
has to do both with how you present yourself – in person, on your site, your
social media, etc. It’s how you look and sound as well.
Persona
– different from style, this is about your personality and actual messaging.
It’s how you come off to others and the image you project. Are you in
character? Confident? Funny? Assertive?
Informative?
Another
thing that establishes your credibility is your ability to charm, persuade, and
bullshit. Not lie but bend the truth to fit your voice.
Values:
This can go both ways. If you express certain views, or values, especially on
subjects like religion or politics, that don’t relate to your book – or that
end up turning people away – you can lose out before you convince others of
your credibility.
Social
media: People will check you out
online. They look at number of
followers, level of engagement, what your posts say, who is connected to you,
and what your social media footprint reflects about you.
Substance:
This counts a lot. You need to be real, honest, and filled with integrity. Your
ability to passionately convey great ideas, uncover interesting facts, or
display a skill is very important. Substance and character count a lot but they
can’t get you to the finish line unless you add in the other things referred
above.
Needless
to say, credibility also comes in many forms to many people. Maybe just bonding
or connecting with another is all that you need. "You’re from Brooklyn? Me too!
You like dogs? So do I.” Or those things can cause a lack of bonding
when someone is the opposite of you.
As
you can see, there are many ways to establish your credibility as an author, and
you can’t expect two people to react the same way to you. Play up your
strengths and seek to find something that resonates with another person.
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and
interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of
his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2020. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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