I see a lot of authors wrestling with the idea of a "brand."

The advice they get is often tactical: Pick a niche. Find your aesthetic. Post three times a day. It sounds like another project plan, another system to manage.

But what if your most powerful brand isn't something you build, but something you excavate?

I shared my story recently—from a 20-year corporate IT career to becoming a publishing partner. I didn't invent a new personality for this chapter of my life. I simply found the thread that connected the two worlds.

The project manager who wrangled complex systems is the same person who now guides an author’s manuscript through the beautiful chaos of publishing. The skill set wasn't replaced; it was repurposed.

That’s the secret. Your authentic brand lives in that translation.

It’s not about creating a persona. It’s about answering a simple, profound question: "How does who I've been make me the perfect person to write what I write?"

Think about it:

• The former lawyer writing legal thrillers doesn't just have a "brand"; they have a deep understanding of justice and loopholes that bleeds onto the page.

• The stay-at-home parent writing children's books doesn't just have a "niche"; they have a PhD in toddler psychology and the patience of a saint.

• The history teacher writing historical fiction doesn't just have an "aesthetic"; they have a genuine passion for the past that makes their world feel lived-in.

Your history isn't a footnote; it's your source code. It’s the unique lens through which you see the world, and it's the reason no one else can write your book but you.

So, stop trying to build a brand from scratch. Look at the blueprint you already have. Your past career, your passions, your deepest-held beliefs—that is your foundation.

Your brand is simply the story you tell about how all those pieces led you here, to this book, for this reader.

My question for you is, what's the thread in your own life that you've woven into your writing?