You check the Amazon rankings. You scroll through successful authors' Instagram accounts. You analyze their book covers, their posting schedules, their newsletter strategies. You tell yourself you're "doing market research." But really, you're trapped in the comparison spiral that keeps most authors small.

Here's what most authors misunderstand: readers don't follow you just because they liked your book. They follow you because of how you make them feel about themselves. Think about the authors whose newsletters you actually read, whose social posts you engage with, whose content you consume even between book releases. They inspire you to see yourself or the world differently.

Here's what every writing coach will tell you: "Find your voice."

Here's what they won't tell you: Your voice isn't hiding somewhere waiting to be discovered. It's being forged every day through the life you're actually living.

Eowyn Ivey didn't develop her distinctive voice by studying writing techniques or copying successful authors.

She developed it by living authentically in Alaska for decades.

Every time you publish a new book or series, you completely overhaul your website, rebrand your social media, and reinvent your visual identity.

You think you're starting fresh, but what you're actually doing is creating a confusing palimpsest where traces of your old brand bleed through, leaving readers wondering: "Who is this author, really?"

In his book “World Famous: How to Create a Kick-Ass Brand,” David Tyreman shares how every world-famous brand has what he calls "brand DNA." It's the genetic code that makes a brand impossible to replicate, even when competitors try. The same principle applies to authors. Your Author DNA isn't what you write about—it's how you see the world.

Here's what hits you when you land on EowynIvey.com: silence.

Not the bad kind of silence that screams "amateur hour."

The intentional kind that makes you take a deep breath and actually focus on what matters.

Just clean, elegant simplicity that mirrors the very essence of her Alaskan wilderness stories.

Here's the brutal truth: copying what works for other authors guarantees you'll stay invisible. David Tyreman, the brand strategist behind Nike, Disney, and Polo Ralph Lauren, calls this the "vendor trap." It's when businesses study their competition so closely that they become indistinguishable from them. For authors, this trap looks like romance covers with identical fonts and couple silhouettes. It looks like thriller titles that all sound the same. It looks like fantasy worlds that blur together in readers' minds.

Charlotte McConaghy did something most authors fear: she completely changed genres mid-career. Most authors would panic at the thought of such a drastic shift. "Won't I lose my audience? Won't I have to start from scratch? Shouldn't I stick with what's working?" But here's what McConaghy understood that most authors miss: your brand isn't your genre, your series, or your book—it's you.

David Tyreman understands what it takes to become unforgettable. As the brand strategist behind iconic companies like Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Disney, Tommy Hilfiger, and Banana Republic, he discovered something powerful. The brands that become "world famous" aren't the ones trying to copy everyone else—they're the ones brave enough to be authentically different.

Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore hit shelves in March 2025 and immediately became a phenomenon. If you're wondering whether Wild Dark Shore lives up to the hype—or what authors can learn from McConaghy's success—you're in the right place.

"Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be."

This devastating response came from Poet Laureate Robert Southey in 1837 when a twenty-year-old Charlotte Brontë sent him a collection of her poetry, seeking guidance and encouragement.

Southey's dismissal wasn't just personal cruelty—it was the official position of the literary establishment.

But Charlotte Brontë didn't disappear. Instead, she did something revolutionary: she became Currer Bell.

When Lauren Roberts built her massive social media following before landing her traditional publishing deal with Simon & Schuster, she wasn't just marketing—she was surviving.

Roberts understood something that many authors miss: in an era where voices are systematically silenced and stories are under attack, professional author branding isn't about vanity or ego.

It's about ensuring your voice can't be erased.

A literary agent lands on your website, ready to be impressed by your professionalism. Instead, they're immediately put off by typography choices that scream "amateur hour." Before they've even read about your latest manuscript, they've mentally moved on to the next author.

And while reading "Tempests and Slaughter," I dove into Tamora Pierce's online presence and realized — there’s a masterclass in author branding hiding in plain sight on her site. But here's the thing—most authors are missing this goldmine of inspiration sitting right under their noses.

There’s a reason all the biggest companies, influencers, and celebrities spend so much time, money, and effort developing their brand - they know their brand is the essence of how others will perceive them and their work. Your brand is what's going to resonate with your readers and create that connection between you and your audience