Write the Book That Builds Brand Authority | Wiebke Tasch

What if the book you keep thinking about is really the visibility tool your business has been waiting for?

In this episode of Marketing, Magic and the Messy Middle: Wickedly Branded®, Beverly Cornell sits down with Wiebke Tasch, founder of Digital Authors, to talk about the brave, strategic, and deeply personal process of turning your ideas into a book that builds authority.

Wiebke shares how she went from leaving her PR agency job in Berlin to self-publishing a bestseller, building a publishing agency abroad, and helping conscious entrepreneurs transform their stories, expertise, and soul work into professionally written nonfiction books. Together, Beverly and Wiebke explore what makes a book marketable, why personal stories matter, and how the right publishing strategy can turn your message into a lasting business asset.

They also talk about the vulnerability of writing, the difference between warm and cold writing, the mistakes many self-published authors make, and why your book needs more than a manuscript. It needs positioning, purpose, design, launch strategy, and a voice that actually sounds like you.

This conversation is for the entrepreneur who knows they have something meaningful to say but keeps wondering if their story is strong enough, if their ideas are ready, or if anyone would really want to read it.

Key Marketing Topics

1. Your Book Can Build Brand Authority

A nonfiction book can do more than share your ideas. When it is positioned well, it becomes a powerful authority-building tool that helps people understand your expertise, your story, and the deeper transformation behind your work.

2. Marketable Books Start With Strategy

Wiebke explains why one of the biggest mistakes authors make is publishing without understanding the market, the niche, or the reader’s expectations. A strong book needs a clear purpose, a smart launch plan, and a cover, title, and structure that match what the right audience is already looking for.

3. Personal Stories Create Emotional Connection

The best nonfiction books blend practical teaching with lived experience. Wiebke calls this the mix of “cold writing” and “warm writing,” where facts, frameworks, and strategy are paired with personal stories that help readers feel seen and connected.

Dare to be Wickedly Branded

Transcript

Beverly 0:00

Did you know that over 80% of entrepreneurs say they want to write a book, but fewer than 1% ever publish one? That's a massive gap between inspiration and the actual impact they can make with their book. Today's guest is someone who helps bridge that gap by helping purpose-driven entrepreneurs turn their ideas into powerful, marketable books that elevate their authority and expand that impact. Welcome to the Wickedly Branded podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Cornell. I'm the founder and fairy godmother here at Wickedly Branded. Today I am joined by Wiebke Tasch, founder of Digital Authors, a publishing agency that helps conscious entrepreneurs transform their ideas into professionally written, beautifully designed nonfiction books. a bestseller. In 2018, Wiebke left her PR agency job in Berlin and followed an intuitive calling that eventually led her across continents, building a publishing agency from scratch while living abroad and helping thought leaders birth books that reflect their soul's work. Wiebke, I'm so excited to have you here.

Wiebke 1:01

I'm so excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me, Beverly.

Beverly 1:04

We were just chatting quite a bit before I pushed record, all about traveling and far off places and I was dreaming from my armchair here at the desk. I know that you said that you are originally from Berlin and you are in Mexico right now. so you have like really traveled with this work. You've been able to take your show on the road literally.

Wiebke 1:24

Yeah. I just stumbled into this lifestyle, because I was like 20-18 when I started writing. I actually lived in the US before and not yeah, more in Canada. And I I dated someone from the US so I was like, for a couple of years, in Canada, in the US And then I came home to Berlin and I'm like, I don't know if I want to do this now. The nine to five

Beverly 1:49

Ooh.

Wiebke 1:50

the typical German lifestyle. Get married, have a kid, have two cars. Do like yearly holidays, vacation in Spain.

Beverly 1:59

Yeah. Fair.

Wiebke 2:00

So I just started Googling, what can I do? I loved writing always. And so there was this plot article and like back in 2018, there were like still a lot of like plot articles. it's today I don't think, it's so common anymore. And I found something, making money online, you can actually write, like writing and, self-publishing. And I just started, writing a book without knowing what I'm doing, to be honest. Yeah. And I just started writing like a nonfiction book. It was like a self-help guide for women, like a how to guide. And I uploaded it on Amazon, had no edit dones. I did the cover design myself and nothing really happened. And then after like maybe five months, I hired like a editor. And somehow I really hit a niche and this book became a bestseller after 18 months. And I'm like, okay. I actually was just brave and I quit my day job at a PA agency and thought, okay, that's it. I'm gonna go travel now. I just live in Asia in a little cabin and keep writing. So this was my dream or, what I thought I'm gonna do next. but then COVID hit. and during COVID, like March, 2020, I was actually in Morocco and yeah, I booked, I was like with this group of women, like an empowerment woman Yeah.

Beverly 3:27

Week.

Wiebke 3:28

And then COVID hit and, I decided to stay and write my second book. And but during COVID, a lot of people came to me and asked, how do you do this? How do you write books? How do you publish? And I started coaching people and I really liked it. And so this was the beginning of my, what I'm doing today, like running a company, like a publishing agency. And, and I absolutely love it. And so this was the beginning on how I ended up doing what I'm doing. and to be honest, why I also left Germany was cost of living, I was like, okay, I'm gonna go full in now. doing like coaching people, helping people which de develop later and like a service done for you. And so I decided, okay, I need to live somewhere where like the cost of living a little bit cheaper than in Germany. and the weather's a little bit nicer. And so I just, followed my heart to, to keep going.

Beverly 4:26

I think when I hear your story, I'm an accidental entrepreneur, so I never planned to be an entrepreneur either. accidental writer feels the same way, right? Somehow because of a situation you wrote it. And when you're an accidental anything, I feel like you make all the mistakes because you have not this big grand plan that people have thought about for years and years. But I also feel like that made me braver because I didn't really think about, like what I was getting myself into per se. And so I didn't get in my own way. Do you feel like that kind of maybe was the same thing for you because. I think there's so much mindset in being a female fund or so much mindset in writing a book. There's so much that we have in our heads that kind of are counterintuitive to some of that. What do you think helped you quit your job, move halfway across as a woman too, by yourself? there's a lot of bravery in there.

Wiebke 5:18

I just knew I don't wanna do this German lifestyle. I just knew in my bones and so this sounds very traumatic right now, but I had a feeling I'm dying if I'm going to, if I stay, like a part of me is dying. I can't, I don't wanna do this and so this like keep me going to do something else. Yeah. You know what I mean? For me it was like there's no way back. I don't know where I'm going to go, but I'm just like, keep going. And then what was really helpful was this women group. I ended up in Morocco. It was like an empowerment couple of weeks workshop stuff.

Beverly 5:55

Yeah. Yeah.

Wiebke 5:57

Those women were all like self-employed and coaches and therapists. And that really helped me to get like confidence in myself. And I remember this one woman, she said, I, I asked her like, do you think I can do this? And she said, when you put your energy into it, like the rest follows. but you have to like do the work, like keep going. and I did it and it was hard, it was not just a little walk in the park. It was like, there was, there were times it was really hard. And, but I knew I don't wanna go back and I knew I'm young enough to, if I fail, I feel like a good education. I speak multiple languages, then I just get a job, whatever. it was like, I had something to fail back. but, and I, sometimes I saw. Just one more year. like, how long can I do it? Just one more year. And I knew, I pictured myself when I'm in my forties, I wanna have this free lifestyle. I wanna be in Europe, I wanna be in the us, I wanna be where I am or like where I want to be. Like if my sister, have a baby, I just wanna be with her for a few months. I wanna, I want to create this very independent and freedom lifestyle. And so this kept me going, like this vision of now it's hard and maybe it's hard for five years, but the rest of my life going to be so amazing. If I like continue doing this, I'm gonna be so free and I gonna, I can support my family and the people I love, but now it's shit. And it's okay. So this vision kept me going for sure.

Beverly 7:38

But was it really that bad?

Wiebke 7:40

ki yeah, a little bit. just, I don't know. I had always this itchy feeling of ugh, I need to, I do this same, this German thing, like this German lifestyle, this, everybody's a little bit grumpy, like long winters. And it's like you have to follow a certain plan and always the same old, same. And

Beverly 7:57

like you said, for five years it might be hard, but the rest of your life will be easy. So is it really that hard the five years? or was it really that, have you gotten past that? it's 2026, so if that was 2020, like where are you at in that? was it really that hard? 'cause I feel like looking back on, on the bus, on the business that I have, I've worked really hard and I spent a lot of time in woo some blood, sweat, and tears for sure. But it wasn't really that hard. Now looking back,

Wiebke 8:22

no. Some, No, some experience were hard where I questioned my choices for sure. Not everything, because I always loved my work, like what I'm doing.

Beverly 8:34

Yeah.

Wiebke 8:34

but also I needed to learn so many skills and before, and sometimes I felt like overwhelmed, Uhhuh. and for example, to save money, it's four years ago or three years ago. So I shared like an apartment.

Beverly 8:50

this was actually

Wiebke 8:51

in Mexico already. It's like when I came here, also four years ago, shared an apartment like with students and I'm already in my thirties, and the kitchen was shit. And I'm, this was hard, And I like, why am I doing this? All my friends are married, having career, Yeah. Killing it, having their own house. And I'm like living with. Mexican students who are like 18 and the first time living on their own and the kitchen is horrible. They're doing parties and I'm like working my ass off. For example, like this one afternoon I had a, call with someone and in the background, there was this couple, a couple who, fooling around with each other and I could hear them and having this call and I'm like, hopefully nobody used my background. And it was like, it was just a few months. yeah. And this was hard, like not everything, but like those few moments and like few months where I decide, okay, I need to like save money. I am like super on a budget and I, Did those choices, to keep going there, there, those moments were really hard. But others,

Beverly 10:02

but don't you think those moments helped, fortify you? they, they gave you grit and they gave you resilience and they gave you, like they gave, I've, those are character building moments

Wiebke 10:15

for sure.

Beverly 10:15

So I feel like, and it's also like the fire in your belly, excuse me. you don't wanna be there again. So I, I wanna do that. it's like the strength comes from the experience in many ways.

Wiebke 10:27

So true. And and when you do those moments, it's gonna go better. And like I said, I always had this vision like in my forties, it's like it's all worth it. doing those moments when I questioned myself, why I am doing this, Yeah. I hate living low budget. But it was like, yeah, it really, it's also really trained me to be consistent and go through it and just don't take it too personally. Or don't

Beverly 10:52

Yeah.

Wiebke 10:52

Like run away from it. Like stick with it for a few weeks or a few months and then it's like the next turns coming and it's just a time period at the moment. For sure. Yeah.

Beverly 11:02

The next turn is coming. That's pretty powerful. this is just a moment.

Wiebke 11:05

Yeah.

Beverly 11:06

You will get through this.

Wiebke 11:08

And I feel even if you had a job and starting, a family or living, a more traditional lifestyle, you always have those moments. Doesn't matter what you're doing, we always go through like cycles. and it's gonna be hard no matter what. And I feel you can choose your own heart.

Beverly 11:25

Yeah. I never thought I was gonna be a mom. I had, we ended up adopting a child at 40. I was 40 years old. And, it was hard, like when you're 25, you have a lot of energy. When you're 40, you don't have the energy of a 25-year-old. And I also was going through some midlife stuff, like what, around 45, 46 and, hormones, changing things like that and not sleeping and had a young one to take care of too. it's a lot, And so you And I feel and I feel like you, you would be the same way. I feel like I can do anything. if I can get through COVID doing that, through deployments, ugh. I can do anything. But I feel pretty empowered now that there's not much that could come my way that I couldn't figure out. I have a thing on my poster over here that says, yet, like, I might not know the answer yet,

Wiebke 12:15

yet. I love this.

Beverly 12:17

So it's coming though, like around the corner. I love the idea. But around the corner is that other thing that you've been looking for? yeah. And life is hard. You're right. there's moments and, and seasons of our lives that are just more, more challenging, more energy draining, more everything. And like you said, I'm 50 now, I feel like now it's getting easier. I worked really hard and now it's getting a little bit easier.

Wiebke 12:41

Yeah. And you know what? Also in the hard moments for me, I always somehow met people who wrote books and then suddenly had a new client and everything, kept moving again. And I'm not kidding, like I always, people came to me wanna write and, publish a book. And this also showed me is that I am on the right path. So even in the hardest moment, I always connected with authors and writers like my clients and I kept going. And it's for me, like the universe really showed me, okay, you are doing the right thing for you. So just like one step after another. Absolutely. until you reach this point where everything is just flowing.

Beverly 13:22

yes. And even in business, like it's ups and downs, right? Yeah. So there's times where there's lots of flow and sometimes it's a little bit harder. And I, when I talk to my clients, a lot of 'em feel the same way. They're the CEO of everything. 'cause they're doing all the skills, they're learning all the things. They're overwhelmed. Absolutely. A hundred percent. I've been there, I know how exactly how that feels. but there are like seasons and cycles in, in a business. Or I feel like with marketing and branding, maybe not so much, but I feel like, we're slow around Christmas and we're really slow, like maybe in the middle of the summer, like when most of our clients are taking vacations, like we're not as busy. Like I'll

Wiebke 13:56

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

Beverly 13:57

So we talked about the hard times. What about the most joyful, what's the things that make you the happiest?

Wiebke 14:03

Everything, honestly, like really working with people. I work mostly with women. I work with coaches, therapists, entrepreneurs, and I really work with people who have something important to say. And the whole process. From a to that, from, we start with a market analysis for the books. then we do helping with editing, proofreading. we actually, you like help with the outline and everything. then we do layout cover, helping with the book launch, doing ads, preparing for the book launch, explaining what's important for the book launch. And after this whole process, I became friends with everybody. You get so close because it's also like a six months workload. It's not just, it's a book. it's takes time. We could do it faster, but it's important to have some time for the book launch. This is so important. and after this process, like I said, we like such a. we, I build with my clients such a close relationship and it's so transformative and it's, this is really what's keep me going, like amazing people. I also have a thing for book layouts. I'm obsessed with like good book layouts and a good design part. And also like the market analysis. I really love the whole process.

Beverly 15:25

Yeah.

Wiebke 15:25

And over the last years I build up a team, which is amazing. I have a background from like the Bowhouse University in Germany. I have like my master, I did a master degree there. And since then I am, I'm just obsessed with like good designs and like something like clear, Powerful, transformative and, yeah, like the whole process. I just love it. I really love it.

Beverly 15:51

That's amazing. I love marketing and the transformation I witnessed with my clients too. I, I feel so completely honored to be on that journey with them, to see them and I gotta, I have to believe this only because of the experience I have. I have worked with a couple of publishers and what I love about my publishers is that even when I doubt myself, they believe in me and the work. 'cause they know the work is good or whatever. Yeah. And so sometimes we need somebody else to be a cheerleader for you. you need to, because I will say this, putting my work out there is really vulnerable. putting my words on paper and my thoughts and my perspective and my experiences on paper and sharing it with the world is not something that. Easy. that's like a pretty vulnerable experience and yeah.

Wiebke 16:42

I'm so glad you say this because this is so on point. when I wrote my first book, I had the same, I felt like I'm stripping myself, Yeah. I'm like making myself naked for the world, and it's Just, it's like a coming out of your own stories and you're so afraid of like critics and people like spreading you, but it's also so powerful, if you like share your stories. Especially nonfiction, like if you can put those stories together with something like what helps other people, like with a step by step guide with like in how to like, how nonfiction works. It's such an amazing process to know my own story can actually transform other people's life. And I had this with my first book I got I, to this day I get emails from women from Germany thanking me for my book and like this one woman even, She founded like a self-help group and I think it was Mont, in from Germany, helping women based on my book. And it's oh my God. This is the biggest compliment.

Beverly 17:48

Absolutely.

Wiebke 17:49

You can get. Yeah. Yeah. And this is the power of nonfiction.

Beverly 17:53

I was just looking, my, my friend is an author. she said to me when she read my book, the first book, she said, I've been so reinvigorated since reading your book. I'm having so much fun now making content for my new book based on your book. Like she had gotten in her own way, and. She was like, this has changed my whole perspective. I was over social media and now you brought the joy back into it and she's a writer. And I was like, how did I do that? so there is this, it is like such positive proof that you're making a difference. And I have said, I'm writing the book for me 10 years ago, this new book that I'm writing. And if one woman has that kind of experience, then I've done something good because at least we will help someone.

Wiebke 18:34

Yeah.

Beverly 18:34

I hope it's more than one woman, but I really want, the impact for that. And I've had people even from this podcast, they, she said, they say, I listened to your podcast about confidence and I did a thing that was really hard and it worked. And like that to me is like my voice matters. The stories matter for people like you because they are pushed to maybe try something they wouldn't have done before because of it. So it does matter. It, but it is, it matters. It is like stripping yourself naked. It is absolutely. A hundred percent.

Wiebke 19:09

Yeah.

Beverly 19:09

Like stripping yourself naked for the world to see. And if your book is good in the sense of I have a really clear perspective, you're gonna piss off some people.

Wiebke 19:17

Yeah.

Beverly 19:18

cause it is a clear perspective.

Wiebke 19:20

Yeah.

Beverly 19:20

And you have to be fortified for that too. And because I'm writing for women, I feel like there are certain people who don't want that out there. So there's like a whole movement right now about quieting women's voices. And and I, the book is all about empowering the woman to have a voice. So yeah, it's counterculture to what's happening right now. And so I know that there's a piece of people who are gonna be pissed off about the book and, maybe that's good for it because some bad PR might not be bad. I don't know.

Wiebke 19:53

This is saying actually every PR is good pr,

Beverly 19:56

right? Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, I don't always agree with that. I've had client, I have done PR for clients who had bad pr, and I don't, I would never recommend that to any of my clients. But, yeah, there, I do feel like if you stir the pot a little bit though, there can be a conversation and that can be interesting, from, feedback or whatever. But I, I do think that there's something about that is, it is, it's very vulnerable. I just remember even the first blog post I wrote and put out there how I felt, and there's a lot of blog posts I put out there that I still feel that way. I push publish, and I, it's Something in my soul is like, oh, this is, this one means something, Yeah. And that's, but that is when I know it matters.

Wiebke 20:35

That's beautiful. and when I, so when we start like working with someone, like we always do like a market analysis to see where the book stands, which is so important because a lot of people just When they write a book and think okay, I just self-publish it and then let's self publish it without understanding what the market wants.

Beverly 20:57

Yeah.

Wiebke 20:57

And what I there can deliver to match the market. So we do like a market analysis in the beginning to check like the competition to search volume, like how many people actually like searching for it, how many people from those are willing to buy your book. And then also checking what are you doing? is your business fitting this market? And then find a perfect niche. Niche for you.

Beverly 21:23

Yeah.

Wiebke 21:24

From there, we do the book outline or helping redefine the manuscript. And one thing is so important in the manuscript is like telling a personal story. Like sharing your own story and don't be too awake or too like general and scratching the surface. it's important to not tell everything. Like also be comfortable like what you're sharing, but don't be afraid to share your story. And don't think, and I think a lot of women think who cares? who actually wanna know? is it important for other people? And it's I, like every manuscript I go through Doing give, sorry. Giving a development feedback. I always tell, can you go deeper in here? do you know

Beverly 22:08

Yeah.

Wiebke 22:09

Tell your story. Yeah. Say what was it, what was the turning point? Why are you afraid? Or, what kept you going? And and then really creating a great book. And I always say there's, there's a perfect cocktail in writing out of I call it warm writing and cold writing. And so the cold writing is like the data, the facts, the background. You know what's important, like how to do it. And warm writing is your personal story. Like how did you do it? Like how did you felt, how did you keep going? Like. How was it transformative for you? What can we, we the reader, learn from it? How can this information like help us to do like the right decision and transform our life and go there where we wanna be, where you've been through, So this is so powerful. And also in a age of ai, I also say don't

Beverly 23:04

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Wiebke 23:06

Ai. Because first of all, like the language is shit. Sorry. But the sentence structure is

Beverly 23:12

it is weird. Yes.

Wiebke 23:13

Just this little short sentences,

Beverly 23:15

absolutely. Yeah. Nothing, yeah. Yes. Yes.

Wiebke 23:19

And it's so important. Find your own voice. It's a little bit more work, but it's so worth it. And people wanna read other stories. Yes. People don't wanna read like TTP generated, content. People wanna like connect with you, like with your book, with your content, with your voice. And so it's so important. Put a little bit more time into it, write your own stories.

Beverly 23:41

I got ready to fire chat GBT.

Wiebke 23:43

Yeah.

Beverly 23:44

it, it does go rogue. And it does. The sentence structure is really not what I, and I'm very good at prompting, so I will say, no, do it like this, or do it like that, or whatever. But it always kinda reverts back to that crap. Yeah. And so you have to like, keep it on course. And while it can save a little bit of time. what it's really helped me with was ideation. I wanna develop this idea out. What are some ways that I can do that? that's been really helpful. but yeah, it's interesting. So my first book I wrote in seven days, and I did write, it was ai, but this was right when AI first came out, like when it was, this was three years ago. Published it. It was good. It was okay. it wasn't horrible. But now that I have evolved and I've found my voice more, I don't think that's the voice that I want to leave out there. Yeah. So I am more careful about it now for sure. So there's a lot of ways you can do a, use AI to be helpful. That is not just the writing side of it. It's, I think the ideation. Ideation and like the. the complexity of the thought could be explored a little bit, so you can go a little deeper that way. But I use not only, one thing that Carrie, my, my friend who read the, my, my first book that I just revised, she said, I love your client stories. So it's not just my story, but it's also people that I've worked with and their stories and how they experienced something and then What clicked for them. And I really feel like doing this podcast has helped me find my voice, which is really interesting.

Wiebke 25:08

I love this so much. And yeah, like you said, like stories stick with your readers. Like

Beverly 25:14

yes,

Wiebke 25:15

people remember stories and like anecdotes From your clients. Also show your authority, show. Okay. I helped other people like going this way. here's some proof actually. And yeah, like people remember stories and this is why it's so important to write a good book. Like putting some time into it, collecting those stories from your clients. Or success stories. Maybe also some failures, to

Beverly 25:38

Absolutely. Yep.

Wiebke 25:39

To see okay, is this way, it's not really a good way.

Beverly 25:42

And you have to, sometimes you have to learn the hard way, which is sad, but it is the thing for sure. I agree with you. I, we don't talk about niching as a brand. We talk about, narrative resonance. And that I think is so important, especially for books, narrative resonance of this, this is why I say I want, I wanna speak to myself 10 years ago because I want the story to connect with her so that I can help her get there faster than I had to get there. but this narrative residence of. that narrative nce, that story connection that can happen can build trust so powerfully before you even talk to them. just to sell them something, right? They're already like in, they're bought in because they connect so powerfully to your story. So being really like warm and detailed. I try to do all five senses when I tell a story. So how do I, how do my body feel? what, what was outside? I wanna, I wanna connect all of that. to them. But yes, there's this whole, it's such a great responsibility Yeah. To treat them down that road. to, to that. is happening. so the book is Wickedly Branded Claim, your Voice, visibility and Leadership in a World Not Built For Women.

Wiebke 26:53

Oh, it's powerful. I love the title.

Beverly 26:55

Thank you. I really like it too. the idea though is that, we have been given a container built by men in post-industrial era times of how men work when they had a woman at home to support them. And now women are doing the support and the working.

Wiebke 27:09

Yep.

Beverly 27:10

And I was like, so I'm a category creator in some way, which is very scary, from a, from that perspective. But every woman I talk to resonates with the story, with this concept. So I feel like there's something there for sure. But I talk about legacy load, about the idea that, we're the first women that get to have businesses.

Wiebke 27:29

I think so too. I feel like there were. W women in the nineties, which was very rare to,

27:36

that

Beverly 27:36

was the working woman.

Wiebke 27:38

Yeah.

Beverly 27:38

And now we're in the founding WO female founders era.

Wiebke 27:42

Yeah, for sure.

Beverly 27:44

Yeah.

Wiebke 27:44

it's

Beverly 27:44

just naming the container we've, we've been living in, and then, encouraging them to keep what they want that has serves them well, because there're certain things that do serve us well, but also to lay down things that don't serve them well. I literally have a permission slip in there to give yourself permission to build the exact business you want.

Wiebke 28:01

This is such a good structure of a nonfiction book. it reminds me, like the latest client I have. I. She also do a lot of like worksheets. she shares her story. Then puts in like the concept behind it and then asks, okay, now it's your turn.

Beverly 28:16

Activations. I call them activations. Activ. Yes. Okay.

Wiebke 28:19

And she even answered with writing your own contract with yourself. Yep. To do this, It's so empowering. I have a

Beverly 28:26

manifesto. I have a manifesto. Yeah.

Wiebke 28:28

I love this so much. Yeah. And also like from the design standpoint, you can like, create so amazing designs, like layout designs. Yes. for those little worksheets and like own contract or writing amount of manifesto. I love it so much. Yeah.

Beverly 28:43

Also

28:43

books

Beverly 28:43

really pretty, I, I'm, I have custom illustrations that I've hired an illustrator for. 'cause I don't think that adult books have to be boring. They can have pictures in them and be fun too. Yeah. but yeah, that's all part of it. Nice. but it's because it is it's a lived experience too. it's my lived experience. I think you said something earlier about it's a, it is two things. it's the vulnerability, but it's also like this amazing, almost like caterpillar to butterfly feeling. bringing this to life. Yeah. Because it is affirming that. What I have experienced is not an isolation. Yeah. That there's a whole generation of women that are experiencing this. So I feel so much less alone in my journey. but when I talk about some of this stuff, like when I talk about how this makes me feel when I talk about the, should I have a should suitcase that we carry as mothers, as daughters, as wives, from church culture, from the patriarchy. There's a lot that we carry. I get a little emotional. And it's because it matters. it's so deeply matters and this I feel is legacy work vi. I don't think this is like super, the first book's a little superficial. This is legacy work. And that's where it's scarier because. It matters more. it matters so much to me to leave this work behind.

Wiebke 30:03

I love this so much and this is so important to everybody who has like something to say. Yeah. And especially as women and something very important transformative for other women to hear. Don't hide behind, traditions or I'm not allowed to say it or my husband wouldn't agree or I don't know, my family wouldn't be behind me. But if it's important for other people to hear, it's important you tell your story.

Beverly 30:32

Yeah.

Wiebke 30:32

And also just a little if you very much afraid to tell your own story because I don't know, maybe your family is like in the public or there's so many reasons. You always can write and publish your book under pen name. sometimes. Your story and your voice is very important. And if you can't say it in with your own name, always use a pen name. That's interesting. If it's about, yeah. If it's about the message, for sure.

Beverly 31:01

Yeah. I love that. So what's the biggest mistake people make with your books,

Wiebke 31:07

first of all? so there's a lot of mistakes, but

Beverly 31:10

I meant a lot with my first book, so I could probably spend a whole episode talking about all the mistakes that I make, but

Wiebke 31:15

yeah. so people, the biggest mistake, people have no idea about the market, and it's hard, like who knows about market analysis, I get it. but just like publishing blindly without understanding a niche. And if there's enough space for a first time author Just publish blindly, then have no. Cover design will be done professionally. Like worst case did it in Kanbar. and then the c

Beverly 31:46

don't tell all my secrets.

Wiebke 31:48

And then this is also very big mistake. Don't understand like a genre. And so do like genre confusion in the cover design, which means, and I saw it so many times, like people publishing in a specific genre and using design elements from a different genre. Oh,

Beverly 32:06

like

Wiebke 32:07

fiction or and then people think it's a totally different book. Yeah. Than it's so you, you are attracting the wrong readers. Another mistake. You just publish your first draft, you don't even talk to confusing. It's a stream of

Beverly 32:23

consciousness. It's it's not necessarily, yeah.

Wiebke 32:25

Yeah. So very bad idea. you need to work with an editor proofreader. What we do, for example, we always do two rounds, like After the market analysis we do, We give like the outline for the book and based on the data we found, and usually we have to redirect in the right position. So we help to position the author in the book and then from this writing, like the outline. And then we go over it like development feedback and, go very deep into the manuscript. And so he also works this in. And after this we do a final proof reading, which, we have an in-house. It's for grammar

Beverly 33:06

and things like that.

Wiebke 33:07

Grammar and everything. And so like our in-house proofreaders, Carol, she's from New York,

Beverly 33:14

speaker probably is a little bit better, especially who is a proofreader or editor.

Wiebke 33:18

Yeah,

Beverly 33:18

absolutely. And

Wiebke 33:19

yeah, and it is like Carol, for example, like this her profession and you usually have a training behind you, et cetera. And like, why I choose, a native English speaker is also sometimes there's some saying or some slang, it's depend on the book. which can like a second. A nuance.

Beverly 33:34

Nuance. Yeah.

Wiebke 33:35

Yeah. It's like the nuance is like someone with a second language don't get it sometimes. Yeah. 'cause it's not like the word sometimes. It's it's yeah. Nuance and the

Beverly 33:42

whole concept has a nuance. Yeah. There's a lot of, idioms and like phrases we use that are very unique. And it could be even regional, right? Yeah. It could be like a Midwestern thing or a southern thing. Yeah. there, there's a lot of like nuance in the language Yeah. Here specifically For sure. I feel like. Yes, for sure. And And I'm like, Aish, what

Wiebke 34:03

is that? Yeah, something like this. Yeah. Yes. I have a friend from New Orleans and I remember the first time we were sitting outside, we met in Costa Rica sitting outside at the beach and uh, he's talking and I'm like. What you saying? because you like ended up in like some slang.

Beverly 34:19

Yes.

Wiebke 34:20

And then like I understand like 70% what you just said, like

Beverly 34:23

Yeah. But that's funny. So I love this, concept too, like this idea of market analysis. Obviously as a branding and a marketing person, we like to look at market. We actually are the nerds that look at that as well, and that's reasons why I went to the bookstore and did some of those things, and I've done some searching on Amazon myself. is that, if you don't have a need for it, then why do it? Are you just doing it to redo it? do you actually have a perspective? there's a lot that you have to consider in all of that, for sure.

Wiebke 34:48

and also be clear on your intention. What do you want with your book? do you wanna use it as like a client magnet, Which, converting readers into your audience and from there, and to paying clients. So it's very important to understand what are you doing? It's not just a hobby, it's not just writing poems and then publishing it. it's a different kind of writing. It's like you have a purpose with it. It's, you have a responsibility with it. So be clear on your intention and there's

Beverly 35:16

things like, there's things like I. I have interwoven into my chapters about like, when we work with a client, this is what happens. Or when I'm speaking at an event, this is what happens. I am positioning myself as an authority throughout the entire book to show the kind of work we do. So you have to be very intentional about that so that they see you as a potential vendor for them at some point.

Wiebke 35:41

Yeah.

Beverly 35:41

Or they recommend you for, to somebody who Because the work that we do, the branding work that we do specifically appear. I see the vanishing, vanishing finish line. we make goals and then we push the goalpost again and again. And we never sit in our glory ever. we never do that, and we never feel successful because of that. Like We're our own worst enemies in this, And The first book, I wrote it in seven days. I was all by myself first copy man, second copy. I've done all this work with this book, so I use that knowledge to inform the revision. I didn't use a publisher per se, but I did have it proofread and some of that kinda stuff, so. and I do think that matters. And if you want a legacy book that is going to have your name on it for a long time, which book do, then I feel like you need to spend the extra time and effort and money to do that. Yeah. With someone like vk.

Wiebke 36:28

One thing which is so important, and like most people don't understand in the publishing world, is you have only five days when you publish, which decide if your book's gonna be successful or not. Like during your book launch, because the algorithm, the online algorithm Remembers the first five days, how much traffic were you able to bring together to your book, if it's growing, if it's falling. and this is why it's like a blueprint, like a stamp, like the algorithm stamps your book, and it's decide whether later on when people searching something in this niche, the algorithm, like on Amazon and novel, et cetera, going to suggest your book to people who searching like in this niche. Or it's just a dead trough, somewhere on page 120. And so a very, the biggest mistake someone can do is just publish a book and then tell people later about it because you are missing.

Beverly 37:35

Were you there when I launched my last book? You talk about all the mistakes that I have made, but the point of the first book for me, and this is okay, if your point of the first book, if your idea of the book is to give it away as a PDF

Wiebke 37:48

mm-hmm.

Beverly 37:48

To potential as a lean magnet. Then you don't really, it doesn't really matter what she's saying. You know what she's telling you right now. But if it matters that your book does well and you want to be a bestseller, then you need to have a blueprint. Absolutely. Absolutely. A

Wiebke 38:01

strategy. You need to understand like how it's like the publishing, what is working and like Amazon and Bot and Nobert and et. Yeah, for sure.

Beverly 38:10

Okay, so I have a couple, one more, like one more big question then I I have a magic wand.

Wiebke 38:16

I love it because

Beverly 38:17

I branded. And if I could wave my magic wand and solve one marketing issue for you today, for you, your business, what would be the question? What would be the thing that's been on your mind?

Wiebke 38:29

Huh? one marketing issue for me? For like digital authors?

Beverly 38:33

Yes.

Wiebke 38:34

How, I dunno, how to get more amazing people to. Start writing and publishing books.

Beverly 38:41

Ooh, wow. that's so hard because you have to, they have to get over themselves first, right? So I think it's really talking about the things that get in the way, the things that get in the way in your podcast. maybe it's like you don't know where to start. Maybe it's I would name all the things that are getting in the way and give them tips and tricks on to do that, to get over that. speak to the pain points. that is like the thing that I would always say. Do you go, are you on LinkedIn actively? I see you have LinkedIn profile. I, I went to your LinkedIn profile. I would follow people who are your ideal clients and ask them if they've written a book or be curious, like when they share really amazing posts. Gosh, this could be a really good book.

39:25

Oh,

Wiebke 39:25

I love it.

Beverly 39:25

Really be human with them and be like, I'm so impressed this, I would read a book about this. Have you thought about writing a book? I would be a little bit more, forward in that. And I will say this, I don't think anybody's gonna be upset that someone said that what I said was profound enough to be in a book. I would never be like, how dare she? I'd be like, thank you. I feel so good about myself.

Wiebke 39:47

Yep.

Beverly 39:48

to get there.

Wiebke 39:49

I love it. Thank you so much. It's

Beverly 39:50

an

Wiebke 39:51

amazing, of course. Yeah.

Beverly 39:52

Awesome. Okay, so the last question I ask every single guest is, what does it mean to you to be wickedly branded and how do you show up as Wickedly branded?

Wiebke 40:02

Okay. So I actually love, I'm a big astrology fan, and with every client who wants to, I'm not forcing anybody. And if I have a feeling they're not into it, then it's okay. Sure. But, I actually check the astrology for the best book launch. and I had, I trusted a client, we did it, and she published in, February 3rd of February. And. We talked last week and she said she had an amazing, magical experience with her book launch. it's worked out so well. And so what I did, we were sitting down and I checked her birth chart and then, astrology, and then we just figured like a perfect date for her book launch. And I really believe, like there are energies and powers. We have no idea how it really works. So why not use it, to our advantage and not publishing on like Mercury retrograde or when it's like a square from Uras and Mars or something like, and really use the astrology to find the perfect book launch date. So

Beverly 41:05

I'm putting in a chat right now. I'm wondering like, what, so I'll try to do it really fast while you were talking, at 11. 50 am I'm just curious what it comes up with.

Wiebke 41:16

I can check it for you if you want.

Beverly 41:18

yeah, I want you.

Wiebke 41:19

it, yeah.

Beverly 41:20

I'm so curious. I was trying to get it done before my 50th first birthday because this 50th year has been really powerful for lots of reasons. My, but my birthday is April 30th. It's not gonna happen. I don't think it's gonna be done in time. but, it's interesting, and it's funny because I'm a Taurus Sun, so you know, you're a son, your name is Sun. I just wondered if it said it window May to June.

Wiebke 41:42

It's soon.

Beverly 41:43

Yep. Second window would be September, October. So if I need to

Wiebke 41:48

Yeah. But it careful after October 3rd. It's Venus in retrograde. So you don't wanna publish on Venus.

Beverly 41:55

Yeah. Windows to avoid July to August.

Wiebke 41:57

Yeah.

Beverly 41:58

Interesting.

Wiebke 41:59

And LA next year is also I think 20, 27, January to March there's Mars in retrograde. So it's also, we

Beverly 42:08

don't wanna do anything with that, that terrible retrograde.

Wiebke 42:10

I know. But it's also depends on your chart. if you have a eight mar retro create somewhere in, in a publishing house, this is good. But yeah,

Beverly 42:20

so I love this idea of women working in S cycles and seasons and even the stars, those are ancient ways. We have determined things over the years. It's not something that's new, like weird. It is something that's been used for centuries to determine certain things. And when I go outside with my son, we always look for Orion and then we kinda find the Big Dipper and we are centered in the season by the stars, So I feel It's just one cool way to think about what's best in that energetically, what's aligned in that. it's very cool. I love that. So how do you show up as wickedly branded, do you think?

Wiebke 43:00

I think it's just as myself.

Beverly 43:03

Yes. Absolutely. It's a hundred percent ent AAU authentic to you. And that is, yeah. And it's very visible. you either feel comfortable or you don't in your voice and visibility and how you talk and what you share and all of that. yes, auth authenticity is huge. Absolutely. Yeah. I love that. what's a bit of advice you would give to a listener to be more wickedly branded?

Wiebke 43:26

I think trust their own inner voice. don't listen to other people and don't listen. when other, like naysayer tell you that this and this. Couldn't work or can work or there's no way. Always listen to your own power, your own voice, your own. What I learned over the last years as well is like connecting with my own soul. trying to really fulfill my soul purpose. And so nobody else understands this, not even you fully. So try to connect with your inner voice, your intuition, and follow your dreams. It's so important. It's so important.

Beverly 44:04

Oh, we are, we're taught to, to cover our voice and to go with the society and everything else. So the whole book that I'm writing is about that. And there's a whole chapter on trust. So I love that you said that. 'cause when you trust yourself, you can trust other people. And when you trust other people, you can trust systems and processes. Yeah. And that's what's gonna help you scale is doing those kinds of things. Yeah. So a hundred percent trust is huge. I love that so much. For

Wiebke 44:29

sure.

Beverly 44:29

This has been a great conversation today. Thank you so much.

Wiebke 44:32

Thank you so much for having me.

Beverly 44:34

I hope that today's episode a little bit of a fire under you. My listeners gave you some new ideas and most of all maybe inspired you to write a book because here's what I know. Your message deeply matters. Your work matters and the world needs to hear what you have to say. Marketing isn't just about visibility, it's about the impact you can make. It's about connecting with people in a way that feels absolutely a hundred percent true to you. So I want you to keep showing up, keep sharing your brilliance, and keep making magic in the world. And if you ever feel stuck, are both here. We don't want you to do it alone. You can have help with branding, have help with marketing, have help with writing a book. We're here to help you turn your spark into a wildfire. But until next time, I want to dare you to be wickedly branded.