Hussein Al-Baiaty's Linkedin Analytics

I used to think that saying yes to everything would grow my business. More services. More opportunities. More directions. But instead of momentum, I had chaos. Good at a lot, great at nothing. Always busy, rarely building. More effort, fewer results. Then I made a very difficult shift. I started saying no. Saying yes too much doesn’t make you more valuable. It makes you more distracted. So I cut what didn’t serve me. I let go of side projects, extra services, and anything that pulled me away from my real goal. I help expert authors build their brand and online presence. That one-liner is what I go back to almost every day. I make that my filter. If what I'm doing doesn't help me become better at that, then it may not get my time. That’s it. No noise. No distractions. Just mastery. Authors do this too— Trying to write for everyone. Selling to the wrong audience. Chasing every platform instead of owning their space. I learned that my success isn’t about doing more. It’s about focusing on what actually moves the needle. What’s one thing you need to let go of to build real momentum? #risingauthors #gardenwarrior

She didn’t think her story mattered. It took five conversations before she finally said yes to being part of the book. That’s what stuck with me after sitting down with Melissa Vela-Williamson, M.A., APR, Fellow PRSA, CDP—an award-winning PR strategist and now two-time author—who just released a groundbreaking new book featuring 14 Latina voices in public relations. Voices that have been overlooked. Stories that were nearly left untold. Until now. This wasn’t just a publishing project. It was a healing process. For Melissa. For the contributors. And for anyone who’s ever questioned if they belonged at the table. We talked about some deep conversations that helped me understand her world on a deeper level. Why women—especially Latinas—still hesitate to self-promote The financial and emotional investment of hybrid publishing And how this book turned uncertainty into a bold representation These women didn’t wait for permission. They told their stories—and opened the door for others to do the same. Watch the full conversation below. #risingauthors #gardenwarrior

“I want to sell thousands of books.” I hear that a lot. But when we dig deeper, that’s not what most authors actually want. They want their book to do something. Here’s what usually comes up when we are having this conversation. “I want clients to come to me.” Speaking gigs. Consulting offers. People reaching out saying, “I read your book—how can we work together?” “I want to be seen as the expert.” Quoted. Shared. Invited to speak on podcasts and panels because your ideas stand out. “I want to leave a mark.” To help someone avoid the hard road you had to take. To create something meaningful. To say: I put my best work out into the world. So yeah—selling thousands of copies would be great. But more than that, most authors want momentum. The kind that turns a book into real opportunities. Did I miss anything you’d want to add? #risingauthors #gardenwarriors

Most authors don’t have a content problem. They have a focus problem. One day, it’s the book. Next, it’s a new business idea. Then, building a course. Add a side project, helping a friend with another business. Saying yes to things that don't move the needle. Then it’s a podcast, an e book, maybe a rebrand... You’re building in every direction—and gaining traction in none. In this week’s newsletter, I break down what happened when I finally went pro... And what it actually takes to stand out as an author today. If you're tired of being the best-kept secret, start here with this edition of the Rising Authorpreneur. #risingauthors

I used to think marketing a book meant pushing it everywhere. Ads. Endless social posts. Trying to convince people to buy. But after launching a book and working with dozens of authors, I learned something more substantial. Your book isn’t the product. You are. A book is a tool—a business card on steroids. It should attract opportunities, open doors, and establish your authority. The real marketing happens when things begin to align with your intentions. Your book positions you as the go-to expert It leads to speaking gigs, consulting, or new clients People see you as someone they want to work with If you're stuck thinking, How do I market my book? flip the script. Instead, ask: How can my book market me? The best-selling authors don’t just sell books. They sell themselves. I break it all down in this new video—how to use your book to market yourself. That video and so much more are tucked neatly into my latest Rising Authorpreneur Newsletter. Enjoy #risingauthors

But Hussein… there are already millions of podcasts, blogs, and newsletters. Yes. Just like there are billions of books—and more being printed every single day. And yet, that didn’t stop you from spending years, energy, and money to write and publish yours. You knew your story mattered. You believed it would land in the hands of someone who needed it. So you wrote it anyway. Now, when it comes to marketing that story. Your ideas, your voice, your lessons. You freeze and say, “The market’s saturated.” The reality of the matter is simple. The market has always been saturated. Hundreds of radio stations. Thousands of newspapers. Millions of websites. Endless YouTube channels. Always noise. Always competition. But saturation doesn’t stop the right message from rising. Great marketing is a magnet. It cuts through the noise with clarity. It speaks to the younger version of you still out there, searching for answers. You don’t need to be louder. You must be clearer about who you help, how you help, and why it matters. That’s how the world finds you. If you need help with clarity and focus, message me. I help authors with this work every day. #risingauthors #gardenwarrior

There’s something I used to believe that quietly wrecked how I approached marketing… And it took me years to unlearn it. I used to think the goal was to get seen. More attention. More visibility. More “look at this.” But something always felt... off. People noticed. But they didn’t move. That’s when it hit me. Marketing isn’t about getting attention. It’s about what happens after someone finds you. And if that part’s not clear —you can be visible, but still completely forgettable. I wrote about the lesson that changed everything for me —and what I want you to do with it in this week's Rising Authorpreneur Enjoy #risingauthors #gardenwarrior

You didn’t write your book just to become invisible. But that’s exactly what happens when you stay quiet after launch. No updates. No clarity. No presence. You call it being humble. But it looks a lot like ghosting your own message. In my latest newsletter, I break down the hidden cost of disappearing after your book drops—and how to come back stronger, bolder, and more visible than ever. If you’ve been whispering instead of showing up, this one’s for you. #risingauthors #gardenwarrior

At first, I didn’t even know what to call my book. No catchy title. No grand strategy. Just stories. Stories of falling, failing, and somehow getting back up again. Eventually, I saw the through-line and was supported by a few beta readers. Resilience. But I’ll be honest—my first thought was: Who the hell am I to write about resilience? Then it hit me. I wasn’t writing about resilience. I was writing from it. I didn’t study it from the outside. I lived it. In refugee camps. In rejection. In rebuilding everything—again and again. That’s when the shift happened. The book wasn’t a performance. It was an extension. And suddenly, my marketing became simpler. Just live the message. Share the experiences and document the work. Seth Godin said, “Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem.” For me, that meant showing people what resilience looks like in daily life. No shortcuts. No filters. The way I see it now—writing and sharing from this place feels like Tai Chi with life. Whatever comes, I don’t fight it. I move with it. Let it teach me. And then I share that lesson with whoever needs it. To the authorpreneurs out there—Don’t rush the message. Embody it. And let your life do the talking. That’s why I called my marketing media company, Rising Authors. After we fall, we rise. It’s a reminder to me to keep at it. #risingauthors #gardenwarrior.

Who is it for? Everyone. Wrong answer. Keep going. Everyone in business? Nope. Everyone in tech? Warmer. Everyone in tech business management? Getting hotter. Everyone in tech business management supply chain? Bingo. Now—what happens if they read your book? They unlock X, Y, and Z. They get unstuck. They start solving real problems faster. Great. Here’s one way we market to them: 1. Use LinkedIn’s search bar. 2. Find them. 3. Connect with them. 4. Engage with their content—daily. 5. DM a few. Introduce yourself. 6. Offer a free copy of your book. 7. Ask if they’d review or share it. 8. Repeat. And here’s what happens: They start talking about you. Your book. The way you helped unlock what they needed. Now they want more: Tips. Insights. Advice. Maybe they buy a course. Join your community. Book a call. Or maybe they never reply. But you showed up. You communicated clearly. You didn’t hack the algorithm—you built real connection. This is author marketing. Not mass content. Not noise. Clear, specific communication to the people who need you. Not “everyone”—but the right ones. And when they love your work, they talk. About your brand. Your podcast. Your website. Your ideas. Your book. It’s not complicated. It’s human. And that’s how authors grow. Here’s my good friend Roy Scott and I putting together work, strategy, website, video content, his new course. He knows exactly who his work is for. That’s the golden 🔑 #risingauthors

Stop shaming writers who use AI. It’s not cheating. It’s not lazy. And it definitely doesn’t make you any less of a writer. Misuse of AI is everywhere in publishing, for sure. That is exactly why I had my next guest on the show. To shed light on this very intense topic. In my interview with my friend and novelist Ana del Valle, we got into this exact conversation. She works with writers in her masterclasses—showing them how to actually use AI to clarify ideas, organize storylines, and polish their drafts without losing their voice. And here’s what I learned about writing novels like this. AI doesn’t write for you. It writes with you. You still have to do the work. You still need to know what you want to say. And no tool can replace your vision, tone, or lived experience. Anna said it best: “It takes an enormous amount of understanding of this model… how to train it, how to position it, what project files to develop—it takes time.” You’re not pressing a magic button. You’re co-creating. Writers evolve. Tools change. The craft remains. Watch the full episode below! #risingauthors

Listen I know this hurts, but the reality of the situation is clear. Most people never engage on LinkedIn. But they’re watching. They see the book you launched. The video you posted. The way you keep showing up. A handful of likes doesn’t tell the whole story. Real connections are built through consistency. You don’t need everyone to clap. You just need the right person to reach out. Keep showing up. Backyard construction is going well, not easy but it’s steady moving! One day at a time. #risingauthors #gardenwarrirs

“You can’t be seen until you learn to see.” — Seth Godin When I first started helping authors, I thought visibility was about clever marketing and posting more often. But I quickly realized… many of them couldn’t clearly see who they were for. They’d written brilliant books—but didn’t know how to talk about their work in a way that others could feel. Once we slowed down and really looked—at their readers, at their message, and at the real change they offer—everything shifted. When you see clearly, your people start showing up. Not because you screamed louder. But because they finally recognized you. Visibility follows clarity. Always. #risingauthors