WHAT’S YOUR BRAND?
I have a brand?
I don’t know. Do you?
Do I need one?
What is an author brand anyway? And why does it matter?
An author brand is about individuality. It’s the unique personality and perception that you, the author, creates in the minds of readers and others in your writing community. It’s about how you project and present yourself to the reader world, and the expectations readers and others get about the books you write. It’s a promise about the stories and books you will deliver.
An author brand establishes an emotional connection with readers, that differentiates the author from others in the vast publishing world.
Author brands are created with:
- consistent and intentional messaging,
- visual elements and media, and
- interactions and engagement with readers.
Brands are comprised of the author’s:
- books and products,
- genre(s),
- author website and/or blog,
- social media activity,
- marketing materials,
- author personality, expertise, professionalism, and voice,
- and author sweet spot or niche (target audience and products).
Developing a strong author brand involves understanding and communicating what makes the author and their writing unique, connecting with readers on an emotional level, and creating a sense of trust and recognition.
That said, creating an author brand is not a one-and-done thing—it evolves over time and needs constant nurturing.
See why this is important?
Your books are unique. You are unique. How you present yourself and your books to the world—and how it all is received by others—is your author brand.
Great, you say. But I’m not published yet. I’ll think about that tomorrow.
Or, fabulous, you lament. But I’m established and have been around for a while. I’ve been there, done that.
Au contraire, Scarlett! Quite the opposite. Published or not, you should think about your author brand now and perhaps again—and here is why.
Think of your brand as your trademark—you know, those symbols or words legally registered as representing a company or product. That trademark indicates that “something” belongs to someone. It’s not up for the taking. It’s not unlike the way ranchers branded cattle back in the old west—except in this case, the “trademark” was permanently embedded into the cow’s butt. (You don’t have to do that. Promise.)
Let’s say you want a writing career where people recognize you. Maybe that’s a given? If you are in it for the career, you want to be recognized. Right? Then, what is it you want to be recognized for? What do you want your readers to think of when they hear or see your name?
Let’s repeat that and put it in an “I” message—
What do I want readers to think of when they hear my author name?
What do I want to be known for?
And that is where I want to take you now.
Wherever you are in your writing career, think about who you are as a writer, what kind of product you want to deliver, and most importantly, how you want readers—whoever they are—to think about you and your writing.
(excerpted from Discover Your Write Path to Publishing Success by Maddie James)
