Defining Your Author Brand (Morning)
with Lisa Sharkey
Many people have wonderful ideas for their books. But one thing most author hopefuls don’t have is the awareness that every book and every author is a brand. In this class you’ll come to realize that as important as it is to write a great book, it’s equally important to figure out who is going to read your book and where are you going to find your readers?
Lisa Sharkey, senior vice president and director of creative development at HarperCollins for more than 16 years, has helped hundreds of authors hone brand-building skills to grow their audience in both fiction and non-fiction book publishing.
What’s the right social media vertical for you?
How do you generate buzz about your book even before you have sold it?
Should you write the whole book first or should you focus as much on growing your audience as finishing your pages? What kinds of posts attract the most attention from your existing audience, and which posts will introduce you to new audiences who haven’t even heard about you yet?
In addition to publishing dozens of New York Times, bestsellers, Lisa oversaw the creation of a social media marketing programming at HarperCollins with more than 33 million views in just a few short years and has deep knowledge of how to position authors for maximum exposure.
The course will also include one on one attention in front of the class for each attendee as we structure their brand development and help them frame their author platform and profile for maximum exposure.
4 Mornings: Monday 11/11 – Thursday 11/14, 9:00am-12:00pm
$795.00
Out of stock
Lisa Sharkey is the SVP and Publisher of the newly inaugurated HarperCollins imprint, Harper Influence, where her team acquires high profile non-fiction spanning popular culture, from general lifestyle and entertainment to stories of survival and inspiration. Whether in the fields of science, medicine, nature, music, lifestyle, spirituality, cooking, design, or news-driven narratives, the defining theme of her books surrounds cultural impact and relevance. A creative pioneer across multiple media platforms, Lisa Sharkey has overseen the acquisition and publication of more than seventy-five New York Times Bestsellers, including multiple number one bestsellers.
As part of her HarperCollins innovation, Sharkey created a robust video and live-streaming division with tens of millions of views of book-related content. Lisa is also a veteran interviewer, moderator, and speaker on various topics from book publishing to transferable skills in the media landscape. In March, Sharkey delivered the keynote address at the London Book Fair Writers’ Summit and was a featured speaker at the fair. She also teaches author branding and advises writers at conferences across the country as a faculty member at Aspen Words and The Kauai Writers Conference.
She has published authors including: Rep. Jamie Raskin, Benjamin Hall, Michelle Miller, Johnny Joey Jones, Pete Hegseth, Shannon Bream, Jim Acosta, Tim Tebow, the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, Megyn Kelly, Gabrielle Douglas, Dr. Deborah Birx, Dan Ariely, Laurie Hernandez, Jessie James Decker, Russ, Sammy Hagar, Cissy Houston, Pat Benatar, Maira Kalman, Hannah Brown, Amy Morin, Toni Braxton, Rev. Run Simmons, Gregg Allman, Lindsey Vonn, Jorge Posada, Bud Selig, Tony La Russa, Peter Max, Melissa Ben-Ishay, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, Randi Zuckerberg, Tippi Hedron, Maurice Benard, Chita Rivera, Geoffrey Kent, and HM King Charles III.
Prior to her publishing career, Sharkey was President of Al Roker Entertainment, Senior Producer of Good Morning America and worked at various network news organizations from CBS to PBS and KingWorld’s Inside Edition. She executive produced the documentary Profiles in Courage: A Kennedy Legacy, hosted by Caroline Kennedy.
A two-time Emmy Award winner, Sharkey is also the recipient of Peabody and Dupont Awards for her work as part of the ABC News team during 9/11. Sharkey is also a member of various groups and organizations including: the New York regional cabinet for Washington University in St. Louis, and the advisory board for NABU.org.
Sharkey also spearheads the annual Mona Sherman Memorial Lecture, honoring her late mother Mona Sherman, bringing high-profile speakers to the Berkshires in Massachusetts at no cost to the community. For the past eleven years, Sharkey has been a mentor for American Corporate Partners helping veterans transition out of the military and into civilian jobs. She is also a certified Yoga instructor.
Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree in Comparative Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. Most recently, she received the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Arts and Sciences. Lisa resides in one of New York City’s first eco-houses designed by her husband and three children. After creating the eco-house, Sharkey co-authored with her husband, architect Paul Gleicher, the book Dreaming Green: Eco-Fabulous Homes Designed to Inspire published in 2008 by Clarkson Potter.