In this week’s episode (37) of The EAT, CAPTURE, SHARE Podcast, I’m talking to Fiona Humberstone, author, CEO and founder of The Brand Stylist, whose mission it is to empower entrepreneurs to create incredible brands. Fiona has self published two wildly successful branding books and speaks candidly about what it really takes to self publish with style. Here’s exactly what you can expect from this week’s episode …

Fiona introduces herself
Fiona shares how she knew there was a need for her book
Fiona explains why she decided to self publish her books rather than pursue the traditional publishing route
Fiona notes why she decided NOT to send her book proposal out to countless publishers
We chat about how many books most authors really sell (this may shock you!)
Fiona talks about why her self published books are better self published than if they had been traditionally published
We discuss whether having an audience on social media or a mailing list is essential, with Fiona sharing her exact instagram audience and mailing list size at the time of writing her break out book, How to Style your Brand (you’re in for a surprise!)
Fiona mentions how she worked through her imposter syndrome and fear during the book writing process
Fiona shares the incredible amount of books she sold in the first 6 week of her book’s release, how many she sold in its first year and how she made it onto the Amazon Bestseller List!
We discuss whether self publishing is second best and how to ensure it isn’t!
Fiona notes what some of the key benefits are to working with a traditional publisher
We chat about the realities of publishing books in today’s digital age
We speak about how to know if you’re an expert in your field
Fiona shares WHY writing a book is worth it
Fiona notes how much money it realistically takes to self publish a great book
Fiona explains why print on demand for self published cookbook authors may not be the best option
Fiona outlines key questions to ask yourself when you’re thinking about writing a book (self published or not!)
Fiona highlights some of pitfalls she encountered on her self publishing journey
Fiona shares how she made her book a roaring success
Fiona notes why taking your audience on your writing journey is key
We speak about how small or large your mailing list should be if you’re considering self publishing

LINKS MENTIONED:

Find Fiona's website and instagram
Decorate and Decorate Workshop
Jo Copestick
Chronicle Books
All Fiona’s blog posts about self publishing
Martha Collison
The Empowered Entrepreneur
My instagram
Find the full show notes with more links HERE