So you’ve published a book – now what? If you think you’ll have to spend the rest of eternity cycling through writing, publishing, writing, and publishing – think again! Becoming a published author can be the first step in building an influential career as a thought leader. From podcast features to online courses to speaking engagements, there are so many ways to take your existing material and turn it into a powerhouse personal brand that inspires the masses. Ready? Check out these 6 ways to grow your brand as a thought leader.
1. Get speaking engagements
First, if you’re a published author, becoming a professional speaker is a no-brainer. The words that fill your pages can easily be transformed into a powerful keynote talk for a live audience. Take the common themes or chapters in your book and turn them into the contents of your keynote. Curious about pursuing a speaking career? Mic Drop Workshop is the perfect starting point to get you from the sidelines to the stage.
2. Develop a personal brand
One of the first things you should ask yourself before publishing a nonfiction book is, “what do I want to be known for?” The moment your book is on shelves, the world will associate you with your book’s overall theme and premise. No pressure, right? This makes it easy to build a personal brand around the overarching message of your book. Lean in and embrace this as your platform. The more you embrace and own your specialty, the easier it will be to find audiences that crave your message, identify you as a thought leader in your field, and build a following.
3. Be a guest on podcasts
Just like books, podcasts are another form of media that audiences consume for insight, information, and inspiration. Guest starring on podcasts is a great way to share your expertise as an author and promote your book at the same time. Find podcasts that align with your brand and pitch yourself to the host. Be prepared to speak in-depth about your book and touch on some of the key takeaways so that listeners are inspired to find your book and add to cart.
4. Coaching and consulting
Turn your readers into clients and channel your expertise into a coaching or consulting business. The pages of your book are filled with knowledge and philosophies that you can transform into live one-on-one or group coaching. Through coaching, you can expand on the concepts you wrote about to help people in a more personal, hands-on way. Consulting is another income-generating avenue to leverage your expertise and help brands through the content you’ve already written about.
5. Host events or retreats
Meet your readers face-to-face by hosting events or retreats related to the theme of your book. A book launch party is a great starting point, but think about how to continue that relationship with your top readers and grow your community. Host a meetup, training, conference, or retreat to dive deeper into your subject matter and include other thought leaders with similar specialties for added value.
6. Sell products
Publishing a book takes a significant amount of time, effort, thought, and content. The more you can repurpose or repackage your book contents into other digestible, income-generating avenues, the better. Another great way to grow your brand after publishing a book is to sell products. These don’t have to be branded hats or umbrellas – your products could instead be courses, ebooks, subscriptions, or digital workshops.
As you can see, publishing a book doesn’t have to be the end of the road – it’s just the beginning. There are so many ways to keep the momentum going after your book hits the shelves. From creating an online course to becoming a keynote speaker to hosting a conference, the possibilities are endless. Take Tracey, for example! After publishing her book, Tracey turned to podcasts when speaking gigs were on hold to keep the momentum going for her brand.
If you’re ready to grow your platform as a thought leader, Mic Drop Plus has everything you need to get started. Learn how to land a book deal, get paid to speak, build a platform, and make an impact with your words all in one place.
