As a frequent traveler, I cannot tell you how many times being an Author has saved me from unnecessary harassment at the Airport.
Once “they” (you know who they are) start trying to harass you by asking many questions about who you are, what you do and what you’re traveling for, simply say you’re an Author and show them your book.
It goes without saying that you should have at least one physical copy of your book with you on hand.
Even better, ensure it’s a book with your picture in the front, because how will they know it’s really your book and that you’re a seriously big deal?
Everyone is an Expert in something. You’ve lived through or experienced something. It doesn’t matter how many other people have lived through that same thing, your own is different. Put it in a book. It doesn’t have to be 200 pages long. Seventy pages is enough.
What do you know how to do very well, that you can document and put in a book? Write it. It doesn’t matter if a million other people can do it too. They’re not you. You will bring something to the topic that others cannot.
Get it published. Print copies of it. Print Doctor Africa does Print on Demand so you don’t have to print 1,000 copies.
Get it published on Amazon in both kindle (ebook) and Paperback format. Before you protest, there is a very valid reason for this. And no, stop thinking only of making money with your books on Amazon. It serves other purposes.
When you’re published to Amazon, your Google Search results for your name increases. Thanks to Amazon’s extremely aggressive SEO, your books on Amazon will show up probably as the first thing on the search results. This increases your credibility.
Don’t stop there. Now that you have your book on Amazon, you can then create an Author Profile complete with a bio and links to your social media. Go to authorcentral.amazon.com to create an Author Profile after your book has been published.
It doesn’t stop there. Another SEO friendly site for Authors on Amazon is Goodreads. Sign into Goodreads with your Amazon account and search for your book using your name, the title or the ASIN (ISBN for Amazon Books).
Then you can “claim” your books there. This allows your Goodreads account to also appear when you are searched on Google.
There are other things you can do to increase your credibility and “Googleability” such as starting a YouTube channel with your name and uploading your videos there, starting a Podcast using Anchor and sharing to other podcast platforms.
Also having a Facebook Fan Page with your name and growing it, updating your LinkedIn, claiming your Google Knowledge panel, joining professional and entrepreneurial bodies etc can help a lot. Do these when you have the time.
So the next time they ask you “What do you do that you’re traveling abroad?”, answer with “I’m an Author” and see how that changes things, especially when you follow up with “Google me”😁 (I’ve done this a few times, keeps them quiet fast).
Need help getting published? Join my Facebook group for Authors and Would-be authors here: OPEN: Self Publishing for Authority and Visibility (For Authors & Experts) or send me an email at edirin@edirinedewor.com
