How to Use Expert Authority to Stand Out and Sell More Books - BM512

What if expert authority isn’t something you claim—but something the market recognizes?

Many nonfiction authors publish a book and expect credibility to follow. Then nothing happens. The book exists, but doors stay closed.

This week, Christine Blosdale—five-time #1 bestselling author, award-winning broadcaster, and expert authority coach, unpacks what actually turns a book into leverage.

Christine has spent decades in media and marketing. She understands why some authors get invited, quoted, and remembered—while others struggle to be seen. In this conversation, she breaks down how expert authority is built, sustained, and translated into visibility that supports book sales and brand growth.

Relevant takeaways:

Why authority isn’t something you announce
What actually causes the market to recognize you as an expert.

The mistake most authors make after publishing
And how to reposition your book so it opens doors instead of sitting quietly.

The messaging shift that changes how readers respond
Why centering the audience—not your credentials—builds faster trust.

A cleaner way to move past imposter syndrome
How focusing on service dissolves self-doubt without waiting for confidence to appear.

What keeps expert authority from fading
The ongoing adjustments that keep your book and message relevant over time.

Listen to the episode to learn how to position your expertise so your book does more than exist—it works.

Here's how to connect with Christine:

Christine's 10-question quiz 

Free expert authority call

Website 

LinkedIn 

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Transcript

Susan Friedmann [00:00:00]:
Welcome to Book Marketing Mentors, the weekly podcast where you learn proven strategies, tools, ideas and tips from the masters. Every week I introduce you to a marketing master who will share their expertise to help you market and sell more books. 

Today my special guest is Christine Blosdale. Christine's the expert Authority coach and a five time number one bestselling author, award winning broadcaster and and host of the Expert Authority Coach podcast. With 25 plus years in personal branding, magnetic marketing and multimedia, she helps entrepreneurs, coaches, authors and thought leaders become the go to authority in their niche. A former content creator for America Online and Microsoft, Christine blends media savvy with simple, fun and highly effective coaching that gets real results. Christine is here all the way from down under from Australia. It's an absolute pleasure to welcome you to the show and thank you for being this week's guest expert and mentor.

Christine Blosdale [00:01:13]:
Oh, thank you so much, Susan. It's absolute honor to be with you. I've been looking forward to this and I must say I want to carry you with me everywhere in my pocket and have you introduce me whenever I'm speaking because that was gorgeous.

Susan Friedmann [00:01:26]:
Well, thank you. And I have to say that you're not the first person who said that I think I could have a career just introducing people.

Christine Blosdale [00:01:34]:
Yeah, I think so.

Susan Friedmann [00:01:35]:
That's what happens when you're born in England, that you come with this accent. And I never appreciated it quite as much until I came over here. What can I tell you, Christine? We are going to focus on how to use your expert authority to market your business and your books, which is probably one of my most favorite topics. But before we even go into that into detail, because I really want to dig down deep into that, let's talk about how you define expert authority and do that in the most simplest terms.

Christine Blosdale [00:02:12]:
I'll tell you what, it's not. Okay. Expert authority is not. Not how many followers you have on social media. It is not your branding colors or logo or any of the sort. Expert authority is showing up in the world, communicating your message, making sure that that message is clear, but having the confidence to know that what you do matters, that your gifts that you have, whatever they may be, impact people and make a difference, and that you're ready to show up and to tell the world, hey, this is what I do, this is who I help and this is what problem I solve. But more importantly, I love doing what I do.

Susan Friedmann [00:03:02]:
That's so important.

Christine Blosdale [00:03:03]:
Passion. Yes, passion is very important.

Susan Friedmann [00:03:06]:
Oh my goodness. If you don't have passion for what you're doing, why should anybody else have it for you?

Christine Blosdale [00:03:13]:
Exactly. It helps fuel all of those down days. Sometimes it's up and down with business. Right. And the work that we love to do. But I have a mantra, and the mantra is, basically, it's on every page of my website. It's on the very bottom, and it says, remember this, if you're not seen and heard, you're not hired. Now, some people go, well, that's kind of a negative comment.

Christine Blosdale [00:03:38]:
Yes. No, it's a reminder that we need to be seen, we need to be heard, we need to be read. If we're authors, we need to be out there in order for people to want to work with us or to be inspired by us. My job is to make my clients as comfortable as possible, to go out there into the world and to share their gifts and to be seen and heard.

Susan Friedmann [00:04:01]:
Oh, we're going to dig deep into that because the question obviously is, how do you get seen and heard? Let's go down there and see where this leads us.

Christine Blosdale [00:04:12]:
Yes. Well, of course, my favorite thing is to always say, you need reach out to me and I'll help you get there.

Susan Friedmann [00:04:18]:
Of course.

Christine Blosdale [00:04:19]:
But the main thing is that before you're going out there and you're putting your stuff out there, right before you try getting booked on podcast shows, before you start marketing, even your book, it really helps to have your foundation of your business or your brand to have your foundation locked in. And what I mean by that is that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt who you are, what you do, and who you help. And, Susan, you'd be shocked that a lot of people in business, they don't have that down. They don't have it down. If you ask them, hey, so if you had a cocktail party, hey, so what do you do? It's a conversation starter. Sometimes you'll get people say, oh, what do I not do? I do everything. I do everything for everybody. I do a little bit of this and I that and this.

Christine Blosdale [00:05:08]:
Well, if you do all those things, you're diluting the message. And so people really don't know what you do. Right. It's confusing. So we want to be really rock solid. We want to know that Christine is the person that you go to to increase and enhance your expert authority. We want to know that Susan Friedman is the person you go to if you want to really have a great marketing of your book or to publish your book, someone who has the wisdom, you're the expert that people can go to. So we want to make that really clear.

Christine Blosdale [00:05:42]:
And that foundation starts with your branding, with a rock solid idea of, this is who I am, this is. This is who I serve.

Susan Friedmann [00:05:51]:
Beautiful. Why doesn't publishing a book automatically create that authority and that expertise?

Christine Blosdale [00:06:01]:
Because once you've built it and you put it out there, you have to market it.

Susan Friedmann [00:06:06]:
Oh, you mean they're not going to just come?

Christine Blosdale [00:06:08]:
Yes, well, that's the same thing. You know, many of my clients, I help them in many ways get their expert authority out there, and one of them is helping them create a podcast to promote their business or to promote their book. And my thing is as well, same situation as you, I say, just because you build a podcast and you create it and do seven episodes, it does not mean that automatically you're going to be able to retire off of the revenue from that. It takes time, it takes consistency, and it takes someone who understands that that podcast, as well as that book that you've published is a marketing tool. It's a tool that you can use. It's a gem that you can put in your crown of your expert authority. Ness. Right.

Christine Blosdale [00:06:58]:
If you host a podcast, that's great. If you have written a book, that's great. But use it as a tool. So every single time when I sit down to write a book, I look at the end, what's the strategy? What am I going to use that book for? And then how am I going to market it so that I can get it to number one? That's, for me, the most important thing, to get it to that number one spot.

Susan Friedmann [00:07:23]:
So when you're talking about getting them to number one, getting their authority, their expertise out there, it starts with the book, because this is their tool. I mean, it's not a product. It's so much you're using as a tool, as a vehicle. But how do you invite authors to think about their book if they really want to open these doors? What is the mindset, the thinking here?

Christine Blosdale [00:07:54]:
Well, first of all, because I was in their shoes as well at one point, where me too, I hadn't written that book. And you know what, Susan? I was so afraid. I thought it was this unattainable dream. I could see myself on the back cover. I knew what photo I wanted to use, but I thought it was out of reach. I thought it was going to be too hard. I thought I had to sit at a typewriter drinking a scotch, writing a Tom Clancy novel. And I thought, I can't do that now.

Christine Blosdale [00:08:23]:
Probably maybe could, but that wasn't my style, and that wasn't the way that I work. When I wrote my first book, I wrote an itty bitty, tiny weeny little book. And that was getting my foot in the door of going through the process of writing, which I love, and coming up with what the chapters are, the chapter outlines, the COVID all of that stuff. The creative part, which I really love, and then the marketing part came a little bit later. But what I tell my clients is I. I was in broadcasting. I was in radio for 20 years in Los Angeles. I worked in Los Angeles, in New York and Washington, D.C.

Christine Blosdale [00:09:02]:
and I'll tell you the. The people that came to me who wanted to be on the show, their publicist would say, my client wants to be on your show. Or they themselves would say, hey, Christine, I want to be on the radio. The people that moved to the front of the line were people who had a book, people who have written a book, people who wrote a bestseller. They went very quickly to the front of the line because it gives me something solid as a producer, as a host to look at, to reflect on, to get information from. But it also tells me that you're a professional. It tells me that you're an expert enough that you can put down in however many pages your message, and it automatically gives you that expert authority. That book is so vitally important.

Christine Blosdale [00:09:52]:
Not that you're going to make a gazillion dollars from it, but it's going to open doors for you. You can also, I tell my clients, not only does it help you get booked on shows, but you can utilize that and repurpose that book, turn chapters of that book into a course, turn the book itself into a program. You use it as a speaking tool, use it as a gift for clients that you want to bring into your world. There's so many ways you can use that book, as you know. Yes.

Susan Friedmann [00:10:21]:
I mean, those are the pillars to make money with a book. Because my listeners have heard this over and over again. You don't make money selling books unless, of course, you're a celebrity. But you make money through speaking, training, coaching, creating products. You from the book. Let's talk about a common mistake that weakens author's authority. What do you think that is?

Christine Blosdale [00:10:46]:
It's the same thing that I tell my clients when they are a coach or they're a consultant in their business. When I look at their business and I look at their website and I look at their messaging, it's the same thing. This is happening in the book. And it's the same thing if you have a podcast. It's when it's all about you or when it's too much about you. Okay. Unless it's an autobiography. But we're talking nonfiction.

Christine Blosdale [00:11:10]:
We're talking coaches and consultants, service providers. If it's all about you and not about the people that you want to serve and how you can actually help them with the wisdom that you have, with the steps, the tools, if it's all about you, people get disconnected. And as a society right now, we are hungry for authenticity, we're hungry for relatability, and we're hungry, as a society, for truth. What I always say to people, I say, yes, of course you're going to tell people a little bit about your expert authority, why you've written this book or why you've created this podcast or why you've created these programs to help people. You tell them a little bit about why you're an expert, your experience, but then you go right into how you can help them. What are they struggling with, and how can you help them? Right. Yeah.

Susan Friedmann [00:12:05]:
What does it mean for you? Yeah. Because at the end of the day, everybody listening to this podcast, everybody's going to read your book. They're interested in what's in it for me. Good old radio station wiifm. What's in it for me? Yes, yes, yes. It's remembering that and taking the I out of it and looking at what's it mean to you, because that's what they're interested in. How's your book going to help them? How's it gonna solve their challenges, their problems? You know, whatever they're concerned about, you are giving them solutions, but just telling them you wrote a book, so have millions of other people.

Christine Blosdale [00:12:49]:
Exactly.

Susan Friedmann [00:12:50]:
People don't buy books.

Christine Blosdale [00:12:52]:
People buy people. That sounds weird, but you know what I'm saying is that it's your energy. It's your imprint. Your energy is what's going to draw people. If you're a business and you want to get more attention, pay attention to your energy, pay attention to your imprint. You know, with Susan, the first time I came across you and your content, I was magnetized. I was drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Oh, wow.

Christine Blosdale [00:13:23]:
Right? Part of it is the branding is your photo is the way you come across, but it's also the wording. It's the way you connect with an audience. And my goodness, if I could bottle that up and sell it, I'd be a gazillionaire.

Susan Friedmann [00:13:39]:
Well, thank you. I wish it worked the other way that I.

Christine Blosdale [00:13:44]:
It's a lesson that people really should learn right away. And it makes life so much easier. And you can become so much more successful when you focus on the audience and their needs. A quick analogy here. I tell my clients, I say 99% of business owners and coaches and authors, they are trying to sell the world their stapler. But this stapler is the most amazing stapler. It's the cutting edge and it does so many things, and it's available in black and white. And also the stapler is 50% off in the month of February.

Christine Blosdale [00:14:21]:
It's for you. Listen, you're trying to sell a stapler when your clients or your audience is saying, I just want a sandwich. I don't need a stapler, but I've got the stapler. You see, we're trying to push something that they don't need and want. And once you dial in what it is that they need and want the most and you focus on that, you're gold. You're gold.

Susan Friedmann [00:14:46]:
Yeah. I mean, the sandwich just feeds right into it because they're hungry. They're hungry for something. You're right. A sandwich is going to give them much more satisfaction than the stapler. Although I love my stapler, but.

Christine Blosdale [00:15:02]:
Me too.

Susan Friedmann [00:15:05]:
Talk to us more about this whole concept of embracing being an expert authority. Because I often find with authors is they have a hard time wearing that mantle saying, I'm an expert in this area. I'm an expert authority. And especially. And you said your main clientele are women. And I feel particularly with women that it's hard sometimes to toot your own horn. Talk to us about that.

Christine Blosdale [00:15:44]:
Yes. This is a big thing. Some of it arises through imposter syndrome, which happens to a lot of people. Funny enough, it happens mostly to overachievers. Imposter syndrome is for those who were always trying to be the head of the class and learn and get these credentials. And overachievers. Actors are notorious for having imposter syndrome. That's why they're so great at playing a role.

Christine Blosdale [00:16:09]:
They can play a character much better than playing themselves because there's this fear of being found out. Right? It's this fear of being compared. What are people going to think? What are people going to say if I claim I'm an expert and I slip up or I fall or I stumble? The key things that I do when I work with my clients, I said, we got to get rid of that. Because if you have that holding you back also, it's an energy stink. It's a stinky poo poo. That's a technical term for you that's true.

Susan Friedmann [00:16:41]:
I love that technical term.

Christine Blosdale [00:16:43]:
People can smell it, just like we can smell a lie. We can smell when someone's desperate, when someone has a lack of confidence. If you're in a business where you're trying to gain business, we're trying to get people into your world and pay you for your services. If you have that lack of confidence, you know, nobody wants to jump aboard the Titanic. It's really important to understand what the imposter syndrome, where it comes from and address the issue. My solution is to have people. I say, don't focus on yourself. Don't be so selfish.

Christine Blosdale [00:17:19]:
My clients look at me like they're shocked. Like, what do you mean? It's not about you. It's about the people you want to serve. It's about the people you want to help. It's not about you. It's not about how you look. It's not about how people are going to be talking about you. It's about the people you serve.

Christine Blosdale [00:17:35]:
And if you don't show up, they don't get helped. Right?

Susan Friedmann [00:17:39]:
Yeah.

Christine Blosdale [00:17:39]:
So when you focus on them and not yourself, it helps. It helps a great deal.

Susan Friedmann [00:17:44]:
Yeah. And that's brilliant perspective, because as soon as you start focusing on somebody else, the whole energy changes and you don't even think about you, your expertise. What are they going to think of me? Have I got, you know, done my hair right? I've got the right makeup on? Have I got the right dress or sweater? Or does this color look good on me? You know, stupid stuff that goes through your head, you know? Yeah, but I love that. Yes. Just focusing on the other person and what their concerns are. And once you can get into that mind frame, that already is beginning, as you say, to get over that imposter syndrome of worrying about what people are going to think. And you're right. I mean, I've been through it multiple times.

Susan Friedmann [00:18:36]:
I remember when I first started my business, I was like, who am I to sell these training programs and to talk about this stuff? Thrilled that you've got that.

Christine Blosdale [00:18:46]:
Great tip.

Susan Friedmann [00:18:48]:
Yes.

Christine Blosdale [00:18:49]:
All of the best people do go through it. And that's the thing. Don't beat yourself up if you do have that. And maybe you don't call it imposter syndrome. Right. Maybe you just go, oh, I'm being called in to do something that I'm not comfortable with or I've never done before. It's a big challenge. It's a big stretch.

Christine Blosdale [00:19:07]:
That's when it comes up. Right. And when you actually walk through that Fear. And you go, okay, it's a big stretch, and I may succeed, I may fail, or I may stumble. It's okay. It's the process. As a parent, if every single time your child was going to make a mistake, you stop them and you said, no, no, no, let's put you in a plastic bubble so you don't get hurt. Right.

Christine Blosdale [00:19:32]:
That child would never grow. You can't protect yourself from those things that might happen. Could happen what people might think. It's so beautiful and liberating when you actually go out there into the world and you do it from a place your heart is pure and your intention is good. So I just. I wholeheartedly. I'm excited for people when they do get over that little bit of imposter syndrome. They get up there.

Christine Blosdale [00:19:58]:
Yeah.

Susan Friedmann [00:19:58]:
And they've got so much value that they can bring. Now let's talk about the sustainability of building authority and expertise over time. Because I had one author say to me, how long do I have to keep marketing this book? And I was like, well, okay, how long do you want to keep selling it? You don't sort of suddenly become an expert and an authority, and then that's it. I don't have to do anything anymore. So talk to us about sort of this ongoing that's comfortable, that isn't pressured, and that you have to get stressed out about.

Christine Blosdale [00:20:37]:
Yes. No. Especially when you don't want to have that stress associated with your business or your brand or your expert authority. What I tell my clients is that I'm constantly growing and adapting and changing. I'm constantly looking at my website and the words that I use to frame things, and I go back over it and I massage it all the time. The same thing with my programs, the things that I offer, I go back and I massage it. Even my podcast, I go, I need new theme music. You know, I like to constantly be creating my brand, and that is not something that just rests.

Christine Blosdale [00:21:16]:
You're not a McDonald's Golden Arches. Okay. Or the Coca Cola can. You are a human being that is growing. Hopefully, you're growing and you're expanding, and you're going to take along your clients with you. The potential clients that are there, you're going to bring them along. If I look at my very first book that I did, and I look at today, I'm working on my sixth book right now, I'm in the process, which is my favorite thing is to be in the process of writing the book. But when I look at that first one, I could go back and beat myself up and go, oh, my gosh, look at that.

Christine Blosdale [00:21:51]:
But listen, you have to start somewhere and moving forward, every single step that you take. It's the same thing with my podcast. The first episode I did, I was like, oh, that didn't sound great. I didn't have the best technology or equipment or. But you're constantly growing and getting better and getting better. And your audience, your clients, your potential clients, they're going to see that. And if they see that, they're like, I want to work with this person. I want to be with this person because they're willing to learn.

Christine Blosdale [00:22:24]:
You don't want to be a guru at the top of the mountain. You want to be somebody who people can relate to and who can be inspired by. I think that's really the most important thing. But, yeah, you're never going to just rest on your laurels as being an expert authority. And I'm done. I can put a flower on it.

Susan Friedmann [00:22:38]:
And go, yeah, done that. Been there, done that. Yeah, yeah. When I read what I've wrote in some of my books, I'm like, I have no recollection of ever writing this. You know, it's like. And some of it, I sometimes say, oh, that's really good. I wonder who wrote that.

Christine Blosdale [00:22:58]:
Right?

Susan Friedmann [00:23:01]:
And then that first podcast, I mean, we're on 500 and something episodes now. And that first one, oh, it was so dreadful. And I purposely had somebody who I thought would be more of an attraction because he was a name. And between him not having good equipment and me being nervous as hell with it. I mean, it's out there, but I'm embarrassed by it.

Christine Blosdale [00:23:28]:
But you had to start.

Susan Friedmann [00:23:30]:
I had to start.

Christine Blosdale [00:23:31]:
And listen to you now. Look at you now, girl.

Susan Friedmann [00:23:34]:
I know, I know. I mean, now I just sort of let it go. I mean, I just want to have fun with it. And I allow myself that now. And I'm hoping that it goes down better with listeners as well, because it's a fun conversation and I've got questions, but I never know where it really is going to go because, you know, I'm putting it out there. But then my guest, wherever they want to go, and we go in these different directions, but as long as it's around the same theme and we have fun with it, I'm good with it.

Christine Blosdale [00:24:11]:
Yes, it's organic and it's lovely. It is. As someone who has been radio for 20 years and my own podcasting experience for 10 years, the audience loves it because they can feel you. They can't see you. Right. If it's an audio podcast, they can't see you. Same thing with a radio program. They can't see you, but they can feel you.

Christine Blosdale [00:24:33]:
They can feel your intention and those pauses and everything. So it's just juicy, yummy audio candy.

Susan Friedmann [00:24:40]:
Yay.

Christine Blosdale [00:24:41]:
Yummy.

Susan Friedmann [00:24:41]:
Well, this is a great segue, Christine, for you to share how our listeners can find out more about you and your services and tap into your brilliant audience.

Christine Blosdale [00:24:52]:
Oh, thank you. First of all, I want to encourage your listeners, don't be shy, don't be scared, don't be shy, and don't say someday I should do this or that. If you got those little goosebumps by listening to Susan and myself today and you get inspired, take action. Do something. And if it's connecting with me, great. If it's connecting with Susan, great. Just take action. Don't sit on it and let those dreams just flyby.

Christine Blosdale [00:25:20]:
So for people, if they want to find out more about me and if they want to have a free strategy call consultation, they can go to expert authority coach.com that's expert authority coach.com and I would love to offer also your listeners an expert authority quiz that they can take. It's 10 questions they should be asking themselves anyway and it's a great way to see where you are on your expert authority scale. It's not a pass or fail. It's a fun, fun 10 question quiz and they can access that at free expert authority call you can get all that stuff at the main website. It all takes you there. But that way they can actually check out the quiz and have fun with it.

Susan Friedmann [00:26:07]:
Oh, that's so generous. Thank you. And all those links will be in the show notes, Christine and listeners, just in case you don't have anything to write with at the moment. So, yeah, everything will be there. And Christine, as you know, we always have our guests leave our listeners with a golden nugget. What's yours?

Christine Blosdale [00:26:28]:
I'm going to go back to my mantra. I think that's really, really important to remind you. And I'll add one thing. Maybe I should add this to my mantra. Remember this, if you're not seen and heard and read, if people aren't reading your work, you're not hired. So get out there, be seen, be heard and be read. I don't even think that's a correct terminology.

Susan Friedmann [00:26:55]:
No, no, no. But it sounds good.

Christine Blosdale [00:26:57]:
It sounds all right. Okay.

Susan Friedmann [00:26:58]:
It sounds perfect. And audiobooks, as we know, are just one of the fastest growing parts of this industry. Now the publishing industry. So more and more people are consuming via audio, me being one of them.

Christine Blosdale [00:27:14]:
I mean, I love audiobooks.

Susan Friedmann [00:27:16]:
I love audiobooks. I think they were made for me. I'm a slow reader, and I was always embarrassed by that because I could never keep up. And then when I found audiobooks, I was like, oh, my goodness, I can listen to books that people can consume. I can't consume hundreds and hundreds of pages, but listening to audiobooks, much easier.

Christine Blosdale [00:27:38]:
They're so important. And again, it's connecting you through the audio senses. And it's a very powerful medium. Very. Mary, we didn't even get talking on the audiobooks. Girl, you're gonna have to have me back one day. Yeah, we can talk about audiobooks.

Susan Friedmann [00:27:53]:
There are lots of things we could have you talk about. We'll have you back many times, I think. Yes. Well, thank you for sharing your wisdom. Yeah, it's been amazing, fabulous. I love the energy between us, and I think the audience will, too. Then, listeners, if your book isn't selling the way you want it or expect it to, let's you and I jump on a quick call together to brainstorm ways to ramp up those sales. Because you've invested a whole lot of time, money, and energy, and it's time you got the return you were hoping for.

Susan Friedmann [00:28:25]:
So go to bookmarketingbrainstorm.com to schedule your free call. And in the meantime, I hope this powerful interview sparks some ideas you can use to sell more books. Until next week, here's wishing you much book and author marketing success.

Here's how to connect with Christine:

Christine's 10-question quiz 

Free expert authority call

Website 

LinkedIn 

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When Visibility Feels Hard, Podcast Guesting Changes the Game

If you know your book deserves more reach but visibility feels like a struggle, podcast guesting can open the right doors.

Podcast Connections gets you in front of the audiences who need your message and your expertise.

Contact them at PodcastConnections.co

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