Author Presence Audit — Rebecca L. Brown

The verdict

Author Presence Score

Brooks Craft scores ten areas that decide whether a reader finds, trusts and buys a self-help book. Each is rated from what is live today on Google, Amazon and the web.

out of 100

Rebecca L. Brown — Shelter

Critical gaps found

out of 100

Brené Brown — Daring Greatly

Category leader

Rebecca L. BrownBrené Brown

Google Knowledge Panel

0 / 10

Google book visibility

6 / 10

Author website

4 / 10

Amazon author presence

5 / 10

A+ Content

0 / 9

Categories & rank

1 / 10

Reviews & ratings

0 / 10

Formats (incl. audio)

3 / 10

Wide distribution

6 / 10

Earned media & PR

4 / 9

Scores are Brooks Craft Publishing's assessment. Every figure on this page comes from live pages captured on November 7, 2026.

Part 1

Author branding: 1:1 comparison

Each pair was captured the same day, at the same size. Rebecca is on the left, Brené Brown on the right.

Google search: the author's name

Critical gap

Searching "Rebecca Brown author" opens a Knowledge Panel for a different person — Rebecca Brown, the Seattle novelist born in 1956. Our client appears only when her credentials are added to the search, and even then there is no panel, and the results mix in two other therapists and a novelist named Rebecca Brown. Brené Brown's name opens a full panel with a Books carousel.

Rebecca L. Brown, MSW, RSW Google

Google results for Rebecca L. Brown MSW RSW

No Knowledge Panel, even with her credentials in the search
A plain "Rebecca Brown author" search shows another author's panel
Results mix in a Brooklyn therapist and a Wisconsin novelist

Brené Brown Google

Full panel: "American academic and writer"
Books carousel led by Daring Greatly
Video interview and Wikipedia overview

Google search: the book title

Gap

This is Rebecca's strongest Google result: the title returns an accurate AI Overview of the book and her background. Daring Greatly adds "2012 bestselling", Goodreads, its own book page and "People also ask" questions.

Shelter Google

AI Overview describes the book and author correctly
Points readers to the old title, not the new Secrets, Silence & Shame
No Goodreads rating or book page on page one

Daring Greatly Google

AI Overview: "a 2012 bestselling non-fiction self-help… book"
Own book page on brenebrown.com ranks on page one
Goodreads and "People also ask" results

Website

High gap

rebeccabrown.ca is a calm, professional counselling site. But it is built for therapy clients: the book is one menu item among five, there are no buy buttons on the home page and no newsletter. brenebrown.com opens on "Brené's Books" and a podcast.

rebeccabrown.ca Website

Home page promotes counselling, not the book
No book cover, award seal or buy button above the fold
No newsletter, media kit or podcast

brenebrown.com Website

"Brené's Books" fills the hero with an Explore button
Podcast with Adam Grant on Spotify, YouTube and Apple
"Brené in the Media" and a newsletter in the menu

Amazon author presence

Gap

Rebecca's Author Store has a photo, bio and 7 titles — but "Top titles" shows the same book three times: two Shelter covers and the retitled Secrets, Silence & Shame. Its ratings are split 5 / 3 / 0. Brené's Amazon results show Editors' Picks with tens of thousands of ratings each.

Rebecca Brown Author Store

Photo, bio, Follow button and 7 titles
The same book listed 3 times, ratings split across them
"Most popular" slot is Break Free from Burnout, not her flagship

Brené Brown Amazon

"Editors' pick" badges on four of her books
44.2K, 22.5K and 21.6K ratings on her top titles
Every format: Audible, Kindle, hardcover, paperback, audio CD

Part 2

Book presence on Amazon

Self-help readers browse and buy on Amazon. This is where the gap costs Rebecca the most.

Product listing, above the fold

High gap

Daring Greatly opens with "The #1 New York Times bestseller. More than 2 million copies sold!", then 9 videos, an Audible sample and four formats. Shelter's paperback page shows one format, no proof line, and a price nearly three times higher.

Shelter Listing

Paperback only on this page — no link to Kindle or the new edition
Award seals on the cover, but not in the description
$25.99 vs $9.49 for Daring Greatly

Daring Greatly Listing

"#1 New York Times bestseller. More than 2 million copies sold!"
9 videos and an Audible sample
Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover and Paperback

A+ Content

Critical gap

Daring Greatly's A+ section shows three watercolour cards with endorsements from Gretchen Rubin, Seth Godin and Chris Guillebeau. Shelter has no A+ Content; its Editorial Reviews section holds only a single author bio paragraph — no reviews.

Shelter Editorial reviews

No A+ Content
"Editorial Reviews" contains only the author bio
Readers' Favorite and IndieReader reviews not shown

Daring Greatly From the Publisher

Three designed endorsement cards
Quotes from bestselling authors in her niche
Visual style matches the book's brand

Categories & Best Sellers Rank

Critical gap

Both books are in Self-Esteem. Daring Greatly is #22 there; Shelter is #51,003. That category is too crowded for a new book to surface — smaller categories that match Rebecca's story would put her on a shelf she can win.

Shelter Product details

#5,735,204 in Books
#51,003 Self-Esteem · #111,095 Mental Health · #142,757 Memoirs

Daring Greatly Product details

#4,103 in Books
#22 Self-Esteem · #31 Motivational Management & Leadership · #32 Business Motivation

Amazon factor	Shelter	Daring Greatly	Gap
Self-Esteem rank	#51,003	#22	Critical
Best Sellers Rank	#5,735,204	#4,103	Critical
Ratings	5.0★ · 3 (split across 3 listings)	4.7★ · 31,345	Critical
A+ Content	None	3 endorsement cards	Critical
Video	None	9 videos + Audible sample	High
Formats	Paperback, Kindle	Paperback, hardcover, Kindle, audiobook	High
Paperback price	$25.99	$9.49	Review

Platform	Shelter / Secrets, Silence & Shame	Daring Greatly
Amazon paperback + Kindle	Yes	Yes, plus hardcover
Audiobook	Not available	Yes
Barnes & Noble	Nook (first edition)	Yes
Apple Books / Everand	First edition	Yes
Eagala (equine therapy) store	Yes	n/a
Libraries	Not found	Universal
Goodreads	4.8★ · 27 ratings	Hundreds of thousands

Part 4

Marketing presence

Rebecca's book has real third-party proof and she is an experienced keynote speaker — but none of it has been active since the 2022 launch. Brené's book, podcasts, talks and website all point to each other.

Channel	Rebecca L. Brown	Brené Brown
Bestseller lists	None	#1 New York Times; 2 million+ copies
Awards	Living Now Book Awards Bronze; Next Generation Indie finalist (cover seals)	Major media and industry recognition
Reviews	Readers' Favorite (Feb 2022); 13-stop blog tour (2022)	National press
Podcast	None	Two podcasts; The Curiosity Shop with Adam Grant
Speaking	Keynotes on vicarious trauma and burnout	TED talk; Netflix special
Social	LinkedIn 520+; Instagram @rebeccabrown.ca	Very large audiences
Unique angle	40-year therapist; equine therapy; Boston Marathon	12 years of shame research

The Brooks Craft plan

How we close the gap in 90 days

Ordered by speed of impact: unite the book into one listing, give Rebecca her own identity on Google, then get her story in front of readers.

Weeks 1–3

Fix Amazon

Link or merge the three editions so ratings combine
Awards and reviewer quotes in the first lines
Categories: Family Relationships, Codependency, PTSD, Women's Memoirs
A+ Content: award seals, review cards, equine-therapy photos
Price review against the category

Weeks 3–8

Build the brand

Knowledge Panel for "Rebecca L. Brown, MSW, RSW" — separate from the novelist
One consistent name and bio on Amazon, Goodreads and her site
Books and speaking hub on rebeccabrown.ca with buy buttons and newsletter
Author-narrated audiobook

Weeks 6–12

Grow readers

Review campaign to 50+ combined ratings
Amazon Ads aimed at Brené Brown and The Body Keeps the Score readers
Podcast tour: mental health, first responders, equine therapy

merged book listing

Live

A+ Content

Top 500

in a niche category

50+

combined ratings

Own

Google Knowledge Panel

A book about shame that deserves Brené Brown-level reach.

Rebecca L. Brown, MSW, RSW

Brené Brown, Ph.D., MSW

Author Presence Score