The Modern Author
🚀 Want to write like Adam Grant or Brene Brown? The Modern Author gives you weekly templates, prompts & proven frameworks to turn your ideas into books, articles & authority. No fluff—just tactical steps to write with confidence. Subscribe now!
Hey hey hey Modern Authors!A few years ago, I quietly banned two words from my own thinking: Personal Brand. Not because I don't think it matters. Because I think it's the wrong goal. Every time an author told me they wanted to "build their personal brand," the conversation immediately went sideways. Suddenly we were talking about:
Almost nobody was talking about their ideas. And that's backwards. Because people don't hire brands. They hire people they understand. That realization completely changed how I think about authorship. The goal isn't to become more marketable. The goal is to become more understandable. To me, that's the difference between personal branding and Modern Author Identity. And I think it's one of the most important shifts an expert can make. Why "Personal Branding" Feels So UncomfortableA few weeks ago I was talking with an author about his upcoming book. At one point he stopped and said, "I know I need a personal brand... but honestly, the whole thing feels a little performative." I laughed. Not because he was wrong. Because I hear some version of that almost every week. For many thoughtful experts, "personal branding" immediately conjures images of people carefully managing every post, polishing every photo, and trying to look impressive online. Honestly... I don't blame them. If that's branding... I'd avoid it too. Because it feels exhausting. Maybe even a little dishonest. Most experts didn't get into their field because they wanted to become marketers. They became experts because they wanted to solve meaningful problems. They simply hope their work will speak for itself. I understand that instinct. I feel it too. But here's what I've learned. Your work rarely speaks for itself. Other people speak for it. They introduce you. Long before you've had the chance to explain what you actually do. Whether we like it or not... People are already forming an impression. The question isn't whether you'll have a reputation. The question is whether you've helped shape it. Branding Asks One Question. Identity Asks Another.This is where everything started clicking for me. Branding asks: "How do I look?" Identity asks: "How am I remembered?" Those sound similar. They're not. One is about presentation. The other is about clarity. And clarity lasts much longer than presentation ever will. Modern Author Identity isn't about becoming someone you're not. It's about making what already exists easier for other people to recognize. Your expertise becomes easier to understand. Your ideas become easier to remember. Your work becomes easier to recommend. That's a completely different objective. The Airport TestHere's a little exercise. Imagine you're walking through an airport. Someone recognizes you. They tap you on the shoulder and say, "Oh! You're the ______ person." What do you hope fills in that blank? Not your title. Not your company. Not your résumé. The idea. James Clear? Simon Sinek? Brené Brown? Adam Grant? Notice something? They're not remembered because they built better brands. They're remembered because they consistently stood for one memorable idea. That's identity. Visibility Doesn't Create ClarityOne of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming that becoming more visible automatically makes someone more memorable. It doesn't. Visibility doesn't create clarity. It amplifies whatever already exists. If your identity is unclear... More visibility simply spreads confusion faster. You've probably seen this happen. Someone has:
But if you asked five different people what they actually do... You'd probably hear five different answers. That's not a visibility problem. It's an identity problem. Because people can't remember what they don't understand. And they can't recommend what they can't explain. The Identity LadderOver the years, I've noticed that experts tend to climb the same ladder. Stage One People know what you do. "I'm an attorney." "I'm a physician." "I'm a consultant." That's a start. But it's not memorable. Stage Two People know who you help. "I help founders." "I help healthcare leaders." "I help family businesses." Now you're becoming clearer. Stage Three People know what you believe. That's where things really change. Because people don't refer occupations. They refer ideas. The authors who create the most opportunities are rarely the ones with the longest résumés. They're the ones with the clearest point of view. My Own LessonLooking back over my own career... I collected titles. Entrepreneur. None of them were wrong. But together... If you asked me what I did... Ironically... Eventually I realized something. Every one of those roles was serving the same mission. Helping experts use books to create opportunities. Today, if someone asks what I do, my answer is much simpler. "I help experts become Modern Authors." Everything else fits underneath that. The books. They're all expressions of one clear idea. The work didn't become smaller. It became easier to understand. People Don't Hire the Smartest ExpertHere's something I remind myself all the time. People rarely hire the most impressive expert. They hire the expert they understand. Think about the last recommendation you made. You probably didn't start listing someone's degrees. You said something like, "You should talk to her. She's the person who helps healthcare founders build stronger leadership teams." Or, "He's the expert on family business succession." Notice what happened. You didn't explain everything they knew. You explained what they were known for. That's what clarity does. It makes your expertise portable. Someone else can describe your value... Without you being in the room. And that's often where trust begins. Five Questions That Shape Your IdentityWhenever someone asks me how to build their Modern Author Identity, I don't start with LinkedIn. Or websites. Or logos. I start with five questions.
Notice what's missing. Nothing about fonts. Nothing about colors. Nothing about hashtags. Identity isn't built through design. It's built through clarity. Stop Polishing. Start Clarifying.I've noticed something over the years. When professionals feel stuck... They often polish the wrong things. A new headshot. Those things have their place. But they rarely solve the real problem. Because most people don't have a design problem. They have a clarity problem. If I had one extra hour this week... I wouldn't spend it redesigning my website. I'd spend it clarifying:
Because that's what people carry with them. Not your typography. Your thinking. One Small AssignmentThis week...
Instead... Ask three people who know your work one simple question. "When someone asks what I do... what do you tell them?" Then compare the answers. If all three describe you differently... You don't have a marketing problem. And clarity is fixable. Because here's what I've learned after helping thousands of experts become authors. The people who create the most opportunities aren't usually the loudest. They aren't the most polished. And they aren't the most visible. They're simply the easiest to understand. That's what Modern Author Identity is really about. Not becoming someone else. Becoming unmistakably yourself. I'll leave you with one question: What do you want to become known for? Because once you know the answer to that... Everything else, your book, your speaking, your content, your consulting, your website, gets a whole lot easier. Happy writing, my friends. Eric ​ |
The Modern Author
🚀 Want to write like Adam Grant or Brene Brown? The Modern Author gives you weekly templates, prompts & proven frameworks to turn your ideas into books, articles & authority. No fluff—just tactical steps to write with confidence. Subscribe now!