http://kobowritinglife.libsyn.com/kwl-ep-140-lauren-layne

Lauren Layne, New York Times bestselling author and branding superstar, shares her secrets on cultivating an author brand and mastering trickier social media platforms, specifically Instagram and Pinterest. Lauren demystifies author branding and explains how authors can find their own aesthetic. She also discusses why she chose to limit her social media presence to two platforms and how she has made these platforms work for her. We also discuss the evolution of her newsletter and how it has changed throughout the years.

• Lauren has written 30 books in 5 years! We hear all about her daily routine, as she explains she likes to get the “hard stuff out of the way” first thing in the morning so she can focus on her favourite tasks the rest of the day.
• Lauren talks about her time management between writing and promoting her titles. She’s a big fan of  paper time planners and explains how she prioritizes her tasks. We get a glimpse into Lauren’s favourite Apps and programs for scheduling both her personal tasks and her content going live on social media.
• We hear more about Lauren’s experience in traditional publishing and how she has adapted her promotion game to work alongside advertising by her publisher.  One of her big tips: focusing on new releases but not forgetting your backlist when it comes to working on promos!
• Lauren recently left Facebook and Twitter for some time, so we asked her all about the experience. She tells us about focusing on a couple of platforms, and explains that “people can sense when an author doesn’t love or isn’t comfortable with a specific platform.”
• Lauren is super knowledgeable on author branding! She explains author branding is, misconceptions about it, how to find your own and how to translate that into the aesthetic behind your work, all the way from colour to fonts to graphics. Lauren also shares tools and tactics she uses for creating and enhancing an author’s branding with options for all budgets and needs.
• We hear about her views on follower count vs engagement and she reminds authors to “[Not] underestimate consistency and authenticity.”
• What to expect for 2019: brand new series called Central Park Pact (May 28th).

Links mentioned:

Author Brand vs. Author Identity: https://laurenlayne.com/blog/2018/09/23/author-brand-vs-brand-identity 

Discover Your Author Brand: https://laurenlayne.com/blog/2019/1/7/discover-your-author-brand

Canva: https://www.canva.com/

Planoly App: https://www.planoly.com/

Lauren Layne is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than two dozen romantic comedies. Her books have sold over a million copies, in nine languages. Lauren’s work has been featured in Publishers Weekly, Glamour, The Wall Street Journal, and Inside Edition. She’s based in New York City.

Website: https://laurenlayne.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenlayneauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/LLayneAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_LaurenLayne