Authors hesitate to hire public relations firms because PR efforts do not directly translate into sales. But building your brand is a step before the publicity and marketing work! And we can get started today with a strong brand to support your PR and digital marketing strategy later.

This $100 LIVE online seminar includes:

• 2 Hour Introductory seminar sharing theory and best practices for beginning a cohesive author brand.

  • Streamline the aesthetic look and feel of your author brand

  • Choose which sites or apps you want to employ to communicate your author and book brand

  • Learn time management strategy for working on book branding

  • Decide what services you need to hire out and which you can do yourself

• Option to contract for more consulting hours or other work, or get references to colleagues who work in book branding, PR or marketing

• Option to join The Book Publicity Parlor, a cohort of authors meeting weekly to discuss branding strategy, challenges and book marketing in a proctored setting led by Sara Wigal and with access to mentorship from other book publishing professionals

Three weekly virtual author marketing support sessions | $75

You don't have to figure out your author platform alone!

Building an author brand, marketing your books, and maintaining a social media presence as an author can suck the life out of you! Most authors want to focus on WRITING, and book promotion strategies fall to the wayside—especially when you're not enjoying it, feel overwhelmed, or feel like you're figuring it all out alone.

The Book Publicity Parlor is a small-group, professionally facilitated experience led by Sara Wigal. These support sessions help authors strengthen their brands, market their books, and navigate how to best use social media to reach readers.

Meet three weeks in a row with fellow authors for one hour of practical advice, professional insight, accountability, and real-time problem-solving. Bring your questions, share your challenges, brainstorm new ideas, and get feedback on what you're doing—or what you should be doing next.

Whether you're preparing to launch a book, building your readership, trying to make sense of Instagram, hating on TikTok, fighting with Substack, or simply looking for a more consistent approach to marketing, you'll find a supportive space to learn and stay accountable.

You'll make friends, too. And more author friends means more opportunities to get your books into readers' hands.

What you get:

• Three weekly, one-hour virtual group meetings in a month.

• Professionally facilitated discussions led by a publishing industry expert with marketing and PR experience. Sara is also an actively acquiring literary agent who is in the trenches with her clients, seeing firsthand what is—and isn't—working.

• Guidance on author branding, book marketing, social media strategy, book tour, and audience development.

• Opportunities to ask questions, workshop ideas, and get feedback from both the facilitator and fellow authors.

• A supportive community of writers who understand the challenges of building an author career.

Your Investment: $75/month

Your enrollment includes three weekly group meetings (one hour each). Want to keep the momentum going? Renew month-to-month and continue building your author platform with ongoing guidance and support.

Your book is your business. It’s time to learn it. You don't have to build it alone.

Space is limited to keep conversations meaningful and ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate. If participation reaches a tipping point threshold we will open up new day/time sections and/or add additional mentors to facilitate new groups.

Meeting dates: Wednesdays, January 13, 20, and 27, 2027
Meeting time: 6–7 p.m. CST
Location: Online via Teams.

Build an Author Brand That Supports Your Book Marketing

Before you invest in PR, publicity, or digital marketing, you need a strong author brand. Otherwise, you’re spinning your wheels! This introductory seminar will help you build a cohesive author platform and create a brand that supports your books, audience, publicity, and long-term career.

Through a private recorded seminar, Your Publishing Professor, Sara Wigal, will walk you through the fundamentals of author branding, author platform strategy, social media, and book marketing.

You’ll learn how to:

• Build a cohesive author brand and author platform

• Choose the social media sites and digital platforms that make sense for your audience

• Create a manageable author marketing and branding strategy

• Develop time-management strategies for maintaining your brand

• Determine which branding, marketing, PR, and publicity services you can handle yourself—and when to hire a professional

• Create a foundation for future book promotion, PR, and digital marketing

This $50 option includes:

• Private access to a recorded YouTube introductory seminar on author branding and author platform strategy

• A recommended take-home activity to help you put your branding strategy into practice

• The option to contract for additional consulting hours or receive referrals to professionals specializing in author branding, book marketing, PR, and publicity

Build the brand first. Then use it to support everything that comes next.