Building Your Author Authority

Tiffany A. Greenhood introduces the Publishing Black Chamber of Commerce, a groundbreaking organization advocating for self-published Black authors who are building legacy brands and ownership on their own terms. She shares powerful strategies for authors to position themselves as authorities in their field rather than remaining hidden after publication.

• Chamber officially launched at publishingblackchamber.org with founding membership available for $97
• Self-publishing a book automatically makes you a publisher – you don't need millions of sales to claim this title
• Authors can expand their revenue streams by offering publishing services, coaching, and other expertise-based offerings
• Articulate your value proposition in one clear sentence – "if you can't articulate it, people can't pay you for it"
• Your signature expertise equals your book plus your backstory plus your solution
• Professional bios and functional links across all platforms are essential for credibility
• Create expert content addressing pain points rather than random posts
• Make yourself findable and bookable with speaker pages, media kits, and professional headshots
• Pitch yourself to podcasts, panels, and publications of all sizes – visibility is visibility
• "You didn't write your book to stay in the background. You wrote it to become the go-to voice in your space"

Join the Publishing Black Chamber of Commerce at publishingblackchamber.org or connect with Tiffany at publishwithtiffany.com to access all her resources.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Published in Black Radio
• 1:00 Publishing Black Chamber of Commerce Launch
• 5:10 Access and Authority for Authors
• 13:30 From Author to Expert Transformation
• 19:10 Building Your Expert Identity
• 22:10 Making Yourself Findable and Bookable
• 24:30 Stop Shrinking, Start Leading

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Stay tuned for Published in Black, the go-to radio show for black authors, creatives and entrepreneurs ready to turn their stories into success. Hosted by publishing expert and brand strategist, tiffany A Greenhood, each show will deliver real talk, powerful strategies and insider knowledge on self-publishing, brand building, wealth creation and making an impact with your voice. Whether you're writing your first book, growing your business or scaling your influence, published in Black will equip you with the tools, inspiration and unapologetic confidence to thrive. Listen now and be informed.

Speaker 2: 0:37

Hello people, this is your host, tiffany A Greenhood. This is Published in Black Radio. It's been a minute, but I'm glad to be back today, so I want to hop right in and talk about the Publishing Black Chamber of Commerce. Okay, I mentioned a few times on the show that I was putting together a to launch a publishing black chamber of commerce. What is that? I created a chamber of commerce for black self-published authors who are building legacy brand and ownership on their own terms. I'm not saying that if you are a black published author and you are in a contract that you cannot join, but we definitely put our focus on those who are completely self-published and they own Okay, they own their books, they're on. They own their stories, okay. So, um, I finally finished the website and it is live, and I opened up membership. So I wanted to talk about that before we get started with our topic today and happy August. So, where policy meets publishing, so it is live. The website is publishingblackchamberorg. So if you are a self-published author and just still kind of lost, not sure what to do, you know how to really build wealth with your book. This is the main reason I created it, along with able to advocate different policies and ownership and equity and things like that. The main thing is that you can come and you can get educated. So I have created a community and it is on the school platform. So what I'm offering right now is you can join while we build, okay, so, while I am creating the courses and placing them into the membership, you can join right now as a foundation member for only 97 bucks, ok, so go check it out. All the information is there on the website.

Speaker 2: 2:58

Publishing black chamber, or publishing black chamber dot org. Publishingblackchamberorg. Okay, go check it out On the front page you'll see. The Publishing Black Chamber of Commerce is not a coaching program, it is not a community group and it is not an author association. It is a professional chamber that advocates, protects and positions Y'all hear that Positions, self-published black authors through bold policy, strategic visibility and economic justice. Baby, it's a whole different ballgame. When you talk about the politics of publishing, okay, and that's how I'm positioning myself. So, um, yeah, this is going to be good. We don't chase validation, we build power. If you are a self-published black author, this chamber was built for you, okay, so go check it out.

Speaker 2: 3:50

Publishingblackchamberorg. This is not your average chamber of commerce, where we are just specifically for you know, helping the community build their business. However I have, I will have courses and classes and trainings in there to help you build your business, but the goal and the mission and the vision of the chamber is not like any other chamber that you have experienced, joined or heard of. Okay, this is something different. There's never been a chamber of commerce specifically for authors, and let alone black self-published authors. Ok, so, moving right along, go check it out. Make sure you join my email list. At published with published with Tiffany dot com, you can join my email list. You can purchase digital products there. Go check out the magazine published in Black Magazine. You can hear all replays that we have on this station. You can go and listen to the replays previous replays at publishingblackpodcastcom. Okay, it's a lot, but once you go to publishwithtiffanycom, everything that you need is right there. The chamber info is on there. Everything about who I am and what I do is on that link. Okay, now that we got that out the way, all right.

Speaker 2: 5:07

So today I want to talk about this month. I'm going to be focusing on access and authority. Access and authority. Okay, so here's the deal you publish the book or you started the business and then you get stuck because of lack of information and not just talking about today. We are not talking about how to publish a book, what to do once you publish, all that. We're not talking about that. We are talking about how to position yourself, how to position yourself as a leader in that position. It's not about you publishing a book and then just you know, position yourself as a leader in that position. It's not about you publishing a book and then just you know, you just really focus on book sales and hold nobody behind the book, this and that, and then people just flop right there. We are not flopping, okay.

Speaker 2: 5:56

So what you need to do is you need to realize that number one you can't have the word authority without the word author. Let's start there. So you have authority as an author, but you just don't know how to pull it out. You don't know how to present it, you don't know how to exercise it. Right, your authority to increase visibility, wealth, income. You know relationships, connections, all of that stuff. You don't need to hire a publicist to do that. Let me say that again you don't need a publicist to present yourself as a leader. Okay, to present yourself as a paid speaker. Now, if you want to go get a publicist, great, but I'm telling you you do not have to do that, because a lot of times, authors are not in position to um, especially if you're still working a nine to five and this is your. You know your first book, your first time really being in a business owner position. You don't know all this stuff.

Speaker 2: 7:07

So I want to talk about some different things that you can implement and add to your to-do list to get done before 2025 is out. We in August, y'all? Okay, december 31st, we'll be here tomorrow. Okay, it'll be here tomorrow. So you want to take, take some notes. You can go back and listen to the replay, take some notes and then look at some of the other replays as well that I have on there. I have a replay that talks about being a paid speaker. I have a replay that talks about um, how to um. One is how to pitch yourself as a speaker, but the other one is how to pitch yourself as a speaker, but the other one is something else similar. But Go Listen to Replays. It is full of tips and strategies that will get you to the next five levels period.

Speaker 2: 7:56

But if you don't take the time to go and listen and take heed, import the information, don't just hear it and then do nothing. That's what a lot of times, I think, that's what a lot of authors and entrepreneurs and business owners do they hear the information, but they don't do anything with it. They don't log it in and write it down and okay, that's what I need to do. Let me get on there. That's how you need to be. They ain't sitting around complaining to be Dang sitting around complaining. Okay, stop sitting around complaining. Do something with the information that's being presented to you. Okay, I'm going to get started.

Speaker 2: 8:33

So, publishing a book makes you an author, but positioning your voice makes you an expert. Can I get an amen Period? So, as an author, you are not just an author. Okay, this may be your first book. Let me just say this If you self-publish your book yourself and you succeeded in doing that, you can now publish for other people.

Speaker 2: 8:57

Make sure you know all your stuff, though. Make sure you know all your stuff. Yes, you can learn as you go, but don't think that you have to be an author for 10 years or you have to have sold a million books in order to then start your own publishing house. Stop thinking that. Who told you that? They lying to y'all? Stop listening to folks. I always I got to cancel out stuff. That's another thing. Cancel out all the garbage that you heard, because a lot of it was wrong, a lot of it is keeping you broke and it's keeping you stuck and stagnant. So let me say this you don't have to sell a million books or be a new york times bestseller to start your own publishing company. Now there, I said it as a matter of fact. When you self-publish a book whether it's your first time, fifth time, tenth time, whatever when you self-publish a book, when you purchase that ISBN number on the website that I told y'all to go buy from, you should have wrote that down, okay, you then become the publisher. Hello, you become the publisher.

Speaker 2: 9:57

Amazon has nothing to do with you being the owner of your self published book. Amazon don't have nothing to do with that. They're just a platform that allows you to publish on their website. I could start a platform too and let people publish on my website. It was a brilliant idea. I'm glad he did it.

Speaker 2: 10:15

But stop thinking that you have to have all these prerequisites. This is not college. This is not traditional school, that you got to have all this stuff before you can say you are this. That's not how this goes, okay. So, um, I have what three? I have three titles that I wear faithfully publisher, coach and brand strategist. I didn't go to school for none of that period. I'm self-taught, so you have to realize that becoming an author is my point. Becoming an author allows you to tap into several titles, okay, which allow you to offer several services and products. So, as an author, you can not only start your own publishing company and be considered a publisher. You're already a publisher when you self-publish your own book, bingo. Then you're also a coach. If you decide to coach others how to write their book, that's one service. Or how to coach them how to them how to self publish their book, that's a different service, not the same thing, okay. So you have to be strategic when you sit down and you map out your prices and stop under pricing yourself.

Speaker 2: 11:38

Let me tell y'all something. Let me tell you a story. This is what happened to me. Um, I'm scrolling, okay, and there's a young lady I met a few years ago. She's also a publisher, and I'm always going to look and see what she got going on. What's what you know? Let me just see. Whatever she's doing, it just always inspires me, and there's nothing wrong with that. We all need inspiration, I don't care what level you are at. There's always someone doing something else that will push you to do more.

Speaker 2: 12:11

And so checked out her website. She had a package for $48,000 on her website. Now some of y'all will be like what that's crazy? No, it's not crazy. Do you know? I mapped that thing out. Do you know? All that is is $4,000 a month for one year. That's all that is, but you see the impact that it holds. Number one, that let me know she ain't fooling with nobody who ain't serious. She ain't fooling with nobody who got money problems. She ain't fooling with nobody who got a problem with that price at all Period. So I said all that to say there is no limit to what you can do and what you can offer Once you realize that you inherited leadership and power when you became an author. And we're going to go to break.

Speaker 1: 13:19

There is nothing I wouldn't do for you, cause you take me higher, higher. You take me higher, higher. There is nowhere I wouldn't go it's true, lord, take me higher and higher. Give me more of your glory, yes, more of your spirit, god.

Speaker 2: 14:08

I just need more of you. That song said give me more of your glory, more of your spirit. Just take that line right there, because when God allows you to take in information and you refuse to use it, you are now not using the gift he placed inside of you already. Period. Because it's not just by accident that you decide to do this or you decide to do that. There was already something in you that equipped you for it. I'm talking to somebody. I'm talking to somebody today, okay. So I just need for you to know that Give me more of your glory, give me more of your spirit. You need to implement everything that you say God is in your life into what it is that you say you want to do, because it's not just something to say. You should be acting towards accomplishing it actively. Okay, so we're going to hop right back in. Okay. So what problem do you solve? What transformation do you offer? Here's the deal when you start implementing titles.

Speaker 2: 15:21

I'm a self-published author, I'm a coach, I'm a publisher. I'm also myself a brand strategist. So what is it that you do? You need to know who you are, what you do in one sentence, period. If I'm on the plane and there's a millionaire sitting next to me and wants to know what do you do, what? What industry do you work in? What are you gonna say? Because they ain't got time to hear no story. What you're gonna say? You need to be able to say that in one sentence, simple I help blank, blank and blank, blank. Or I do blank, blank and blank. What you need to go practice that, because, when it comes to setting up your platform, your website and stop sleeping on websites get you a website. Go by your namecom. Everybody should have their namecom. I mentioned this before, but I'm gonna say it again Go by your namecom. Everyone, at some point in life or business, you're going to need your namecom. That is where they can go and they can find out any and everything about you pertaining to what it is that you say you do.

Speaker 2: 16:24

Okay, so, um, it says I have my notes in front of me, y'all. It says what problem do you solve? What transformation do you offer? So, if I'm taking you from this step to this step, that's called transformation period. It wasn't nothing deep when these coaches started calling themselves transformation coaches. No, it's transformation. Go look up the definition of transformation.

Speaker 2: 16:48

Okay, so that's what that is, and so you need to know what transformation, what problem are you solving? What pain point are you solving? I know one of my major pain points is people trying to figure out what you know how to define their brand. That's one of my pain points that I help clients with. Okay, um, what do we need to look like all of that? So, when I do graphics and logo designs and um, shopify websites and all that, that's what I'm doing. I take their vision and I make it a reality, but I make it make sense for the people that they are speaking to and for the message that they are putting out. So, yeah, that's pretty much it, and so you need to know what you're doing when it comes to what you are offering. Okay, if you can. If you can't articulate it, people can't pay you for it. Come on here, that's in my notes. If you cannot articulate it, people cannot pay you for it. So, if you confused about how to tell me what you're doing, one sentence baby, we ain't paying for that, we are not paying for that. Just save it all, right. So, um, signature expertise equals your book plus your backstory plus your solution period. These notes is off the charts today. Okay. So also um, building your expert identity.

Speaker 2: 18:10

So when you are on social media, your bio should be filled out. I ain't talking about where you went to high school and all that Damn all that. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what who you are and what you do. So if you have a social, if you have a Facebook page, let's start there. That's the longest one. If you have a Facebook page and do you have a link that we can contact you at or again, go look at who you are and what you do, your namecom website or if you are selling digital products, if you sell candles, if you sell um, if you have a boutique and you sell clothes, women's clothes, dresses and summer dresses and stuff is there a link we can click right on and go shop with you? That is what I see a lot of people lack. So you don't want to sleep on that.

Speaker 2: 19:01

Fill out your bios. You should have updated bios and I should not be able to click on your bio and it's blank. Or the website expired or you didn't pay your bill, or you just cut the website out six months ago, but you didn't update your bio. That's a problem. You cannot be walking in authority and your links don't work. Your, your links don't work.

Speaker 2: 19:25

What we doing? So update your bios. You got instagram, facebook, linkedin, tiktok threads I love threads. Follow me on threads I am available on. So update your bios. You got Instagram, facebook, linkedin, tiktok Threads I love Threads. Follow me on Threads. I am available on social media everywhere at Black Writer Space.

Speaker 2: 19:38

Okay, what do you do? Not just what you wrote? Say what you do, not just what you wrote. Update your bios. Okay, create expert content. You wrote Update your bios. Okay, create expert content.

Speaker 2: 19:55

Stop just posting, reposting people's silly videos and all the ghetto stuff. No, you should be posting effective content. What is effective content? Talk about the pain points. Talk about the things you can help people with. That's what you should be talking about. That's what your content should look like. That's what you should be talking about. That's what your content should look like Real talk.

Speaker 2: 20:12

That is how I started securing $5,000, $10,000, $8,000 clients on Instagram in 2018. That's how I started, because I learned what kind of content I'm supposed to be posting and I started doing it and it lined up and it worked, like they told me in the free webinars. I was just sitting on the information all that time I didn't apply it. That's what I'm telling you to apply it. Okay, post with authority. Speak like the answer, not the option. Start with authors. Don't just post quotes. Post results. If you have helped somebody get from point A to point B, that's a post. That's a post. So it's like social media has a purpose. And when you are ready to line up and walk in authority and exercise your leadership position guess what? That's? When it's time for you to go to the next level. But you can't go to the next level if you are not prepared and presenting yourself like a leader, we'll be right back person.

Speaker 1: 21:25

If you're looking for somebody, he's gone and he don't need nobody else. There's no question of your greatness, nor searching of your power. Oh the wonder of your power, oh the wonder of your glory. To you, 40 years, it's but one hour. Your knowledge is all encompassing. To your wisdom, there is no end.

Speaker 2: 22:12

Make yourself findable and bookable. Have a speaker page, a media page, a professional headshot. Let me say that again have you some professional headshots. We are not going to go there today. All right, pitch yourself to podcast panels and summits. I hope y'all listening. It featured in articles, shows and anthologies. And let me just say this about the articles Stop trying to be in the Forbes magazine.

Speaker 2: 22:41

It's a great goal to have, but there are other magazines that will help you be seen. It's called visibility. So when it comes to being visible, there are no highs and lows. Be visible everywhere. So it don't mean you just got to seek out Forbes and seek out Essence. Them be the ones to turn you down because you ain't ready, but the independent magazine may accept you. You still need to have all of your ducks in a row, okay, but don't be mad because you can't get into the high tech magazine. The other platforms are still a form of media and visibility. All right, get featured in articles, shows and anthologies. You are not hiding. You are being too humble. Experts are visible. Come on here.

Speaker 2: 23:29

Set up a Calendly or a booking link for speaking or coaching. You say you won't pay speaking engagements, but you are not set up for that? What link can we click on to book you? Where's your booking form for us to fill out? Okay, define your niche, build your presence, make yourself available, period. You didn't write your book to stay in the background. You wrote it to become the go-to voice in your space. That is so powerful. Let me read that again. You didn't write your book to stay in the background. You wrote it to become the go-to voice in your space.

Speaker 2: 24:09

This season, stop shrinking. Stand up and be the expert. That's show right there. That's it right there. I don't need to say nothing else. That's it right there, period. So it's time to step up your game.

Speaker 2: 24:29

At the end of the day, step up your game. Stop talking about what you want to do, what you can't do. There's no excuses in 2025. We are here in 2025. There are no excuses. Okay, the only excuse is you. The only thing holding you back is you. You said you was going to do X, y, z, this and that.

Speaker 2: 24:50

Well, you know this happened and then such and such got sick, and then I just been going through. Listen, everybody got stuff going on. Find a way to push through. Find a way to still make it happen, period. Sometimes you don't have the money to pay somebody to do it. Sometimes you just got to figure it out on your own. Ask me how I know, because that's what I did, period. Do I pay for people to do stuff? Sometimes, occasionally, but most of the time I know how to do it. I made myself an expert researcher so I know how to go find out how to do it or how to have somebody do it for me, and it don't cost me hardly nothing. Did you know that you can hire customer service reps and virtual assistants in the Philippines for pennies, where they charge like $4 an hour? Shameless plug.

Speaker 2: 25:48

Okay, so it's time to stop tripping. Keep, um, keep going down your to-do list, and I'm talking to myself as well. Make you a to-do list every day if you have to. If you need a week to do all the things on your list mine are typically not that long I can literally do them in a day, even when I don't finish. Come back to it. Get you a planner. I sell them on my website, bougiegirlsdocom. Okay, I sell planners. I sell goal planners. Okay, get you a planner and use it. Write the date down. I don't put any dates in mind because I miss dates, write it down and come back to it when you, when you decide to do a goal, when you decide to um, create a goal of yours, something that you want to accomplish, create a goal of yours, something that you want to accomplish. No one's going to accomplish it if you don't stay on top of yourself. You can pay accountability, coaches and all of that, but if you don't do what you stick to what you said you wanted to do, it's not going to happen.

Speaker 1: 27:24

And, with that being said, I see y'all next time you have been listening to. Published in Black with publishing expert and brand strategist Tiffany A Green.