Beautifully written in a friendly and easy to understand way with lots of examples. I purchased the extended pack and the worksheets will really help me define my audience, values, mission etc so that I will be armed with all the information I need to start building my brand.
I used to dislike marketing, including personal branding, because I always saw it as an inauthentic move to hammer sugar-coated BS into people's minds to make them spend money they wouldn't have spent otherwise.
I mean, that's how most companies, influencers and whatnot use it today.
But then, suddenly, Anne-Laure lets us (Women Make) in on that book-in-progress about personal branding. Let me make that more explicit: someone I find both genuine and good at personal branding wants to teach us about it.
So yup, I had to try. If someone could show me an ethical way to do this, it was her.
I've just finished the book a few minutes ago. As far as I'm concerned, she nailed it. This is an honest, understandable piece on how to present yourself and your work in a relevant way while being true to yourself. It's full of concrete advice that I've already started to put in practice. I definitely recommend reading it. Now I can put myself out there in a way that feels ethical, and I suck a bit less at it! Thanks Anne-Laure!
Reading this book feels like talking to a good friend. Anne-Laure does not overcomplicate things. She knows exactly why you’re procrastinating on marketing your product, and helps you with kind advice and guidance. I read Make and Shine in one go, without putting it down. I'm sure you will, too
Well worth the price since Anne-Laure is so attuned to the unique needs of the indie maker. She leverages her expertise to give the reader so much valuable insight. You can really tell how much care she put into this. 20/10; amazing read!
Well done! I've printed this little book because I'm going to come back to it repeatedly to find new ideas.
[Disclaimer & Positionality: I know the author personally and have been cited and thanked as an example in the book. Here I read as a owner-operator, familiar with the majority of the content from academic, personal and professional experience. Reading the manuscript with fresh eyes, there were still sections that surprised and inspired me.]
‘Make and Shine’ meets you halfway as any sort of internet personality trying to put more beauty out into the world, to foster openness, to find your place and community and build a reputation, in reach and expertise. Anne-Laure specifically targets those who identify as Makers, with sparse resources, approaching the overwhelming task of publicising themselves.
Anne-Laure cuts through all of that, writing without pretense, jargon, holier than thou coinages or self-aggrandising common to books like these. She decentres herself from the narrative, placing you, the reader, in a position of competence to command your personal brand. With tough love humour and tender encouragement, she outlines immediate, tangible, bite-size methods that help you develop a gradual and enduring following, find the appropriate press to take you seriously and develop a tone of voice that’s ‘you’ — that you can do with a consistent but meagre time investment, allowing you to return to what you do best, the actual making. In her eyes, the barriers to entry have never felt so low and so manageable. Once you finish reading, not only do you believe her, but you can see what she sees: making and promoting today is possible, sustainable and rewarding. You might just be overthinking it.
This is a great actionable book about marketing for makers. I learned a lot. Thanks for putting it together! ✍
