{"id":841,"date":"2025-03-13T10:49:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/booksprout.co\/fivestar\/?p=841"},"modified":"2025-03-13T10:50:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:50:14","slug":"how-to-build-longevity-as-an-author-insider-publicity-tips-from-isabelle-knight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/booksprout.co\/fivestar\/the-story\/how-to-build-longevity-as-an-author-insider-publicity-tips-from-isabelle-knight\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Build Longevity as an Author: Insider Publicity Tips from Isabelle Knight"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the most overlooked aspects of book publicity is how your Author Brand<\/strong> directly impacts who reads your book<\/strong>\u2014and, ultimately, the reviews you receive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By crafting a clear Author Brand Story<\/strong> you\u2019re setting the right expectations for readers. When readers know why<\/strong> you wrote your book, what they can expect from it, and how it aligns with their interests, they\u2019re more likely to connect with it emotionally. And readers who feel connected to your book are the ones who will leave genuine, enthusiastic, and positive reviews<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to share some insight on how authors can take control of their careers and build true longevity in publishing their work. To explore this, we sat down with Isabelle Knight, a seasoned publicist who has worked with bestselling authors and major publishers. She shared her expert publicity tricks\u2014honed over years of guiding successful authors\u2014on how to develop a lasting career, attract the right readers, and establish an author brand that stands out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Book Launch: Sustaining Your Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What happens after that exciting moment, once your book hits those shelves, or digital selling platforms?  Once you\u2019ve let all of your friends and family know that you’re a bona fide writer. After you\u2019ve posted across your social media channels that your new book is now launched. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it time to crack open the champagne? You\u2019ve definitely done some hard work by this point. But, is that all? Have you figured out how you are going to entice readers to your book, your position in the marketplace and what your marketing and publicity strategy is going to be?
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The Power of Story in Publicity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first thing we do in professional publicity is to establish \u201cwhat\u2019s the story\u201d, in the same way that journalists do when they\u2019re in the newsroom. The story, as you\u2019ll know if you\u2019re a writer, is the driver; it\u2019s the thing that gives a book or an event or an action its reason for being in the first place. Stories are what connect us as humans to other people, places and things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may have heard marketers say before that people don\u2019t buy objects, or things. They buy feelings. They buy stories; or in other words, what the things signify, the emotional attachment that they have assigned to the thing. The story that we believe about the thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the same with books. We\u2019re buying what we believe the book is going to give us, emotionally. How the book will make us feel. This might be to feel cosy, warm, transported to a fantasy world; or to leave us feeling that we have really expanded our minds and learned a new perspective, or gained a new insight into a part of the human experience with which we weren\u2019t already familiar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on Connection, Not Just Description<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is the principle concern before embarking on publicity for your book. It\u2019s not a simple paint by numbers game of piling up reviews or the number of Reels you post. You want to get to the heart of your book and from there to the heart of your readership. Because no two books are the same, no two authors are the same, and no two stories are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the big mistakes I see authors making is that they spend a lot of time and energy trying to explain to potential readers what their book is about. Authors can often go into minute detail on their social media accounts of plots, characters, viewpoints, arcs and motives. This of course is absolutely essential to have figured out when you\u2019re writing the book. But when you\u2019re trying to compel potential readers to go ahead and order and buy it? Not so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telling your potential readers or social media audiences what your book is about in great depth, is far more likely to have them switching off your Reel in favour of going back to watch cat videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Your “Why” Matters More Than Your “What”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What you want to be able to convey to your potential readers is WHY you wrote your book and therefore what it means to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n