DEVELOPING YOUR BRAND AS AN AUTHOR
By Nicky Hackett
Everyone has a brand...BUT IS YOUR BRAND WHAT YOU WANT?
Our brand is the way we present ourselves and how others perceive us. It’s our writer persona and personality. It’s how people identify us in their minds and emotions. Think of an author, any author. What comes to mind? Their face? Their signature? Is it something they wrote? Or something they said? Something others said about them? How do you feel when you think about them?
As an author, you need to penetrate a billion distractions to connect and stay connected with your audience: the people who want to know what you have to tell them. They need to recognize you, so they can pay attention. In a complex, cluttered world, you want to make this as easy as possible. Clear, consistent, memorable branding helps.
START WORKING ON YOUR BRAND NOW, EVEN IF YOU HAVEN’T PUBLISHED YET
Building a brand takes time and trials, so start before you need it. Your brand is bigger than your book. It’s part of the long game, like your website, social media pages, blogs and podcasts. It’s about YOU. Your brand can raise your name and your message above the crowd in a positive, noteworthy way.
KNOW THE ELEMENTS OF A GOOD, STRONG BRAND
Doesn’t it seem like research is as important for authors as creativity? Dig back in! There’s good free information out there. But be discerning! Free information is often offered as a stepping stone to a purchased service. Read up, but think hard before you part with your money. And likely you will trigger an onslaught of emails, but it’s worth it. Just unsubscribe if they aren’t for you. Here are some websites that helped me:
WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER AUTHORS?
Uh-oh, more research. Part of developing your brand is knowing who you are, who you write for, and what other authors are messaging to your audience. Who are the key writers in your genre? Where are they strong and where are they silent? How can you join the same conversation, but in a meaningful way with your own recognizable voice?
WHAT CAN YOUR READERS EXPECT FROM YOU?
If you consistently provide a unique, authentic, engaging experience for your readers, they will seek you out for more. A strong, consistent brand will help them find you and know what to expect. A community of loyal readers will form, who will spread your name and brand throughout their networks. Do you understand them and meet their needs and interests? How do you feel about them and how do they feel about you? What avenues do you provide for them to give feedback?
HOW SHOULD YOUR BRAND LOOK?
This is what most of us think of as branding: the graphics, photos, colors, fonts, and other images that evoke recognition of YOU. This can be tricky for writers, because this might be outside our talents and skills. Investing in a graphic artist makes sense, but can you afford it? Brenda Griffin has a free branding worksheet that’s fun, quick and helpful to get you started.
APPLY YOUR BRAND CONSISTENTLY TO EVERYTHING YOU DO
CONSISTENCY and REPETITION is paramount for brand recognition. That explains why branding needs to be engaging and interesting, doesn’t it? Consistency and repetition are awfully boring when they’re not done right. So pick an engaging photo, and use just that photo so people can recognize you easily. Use a few favorite fonts, and the same logo, the same signature and the same style. If you need to make changes, do it deliberately and not often. Done right, this will feel like you being you. Just over and over.
Austin Kleon is one of my favorite author/artists. I read his newsletter every Friday. It always starts with his logo and hand printed name, the same printing I see on his books and website. Then there’s some version of “Hey, y’all! Here are some things I thought worth sharing this week.” Then there’s a list of links with some comments. There’s always a similar flow, starting with his blog post, then other writers and artists, then music and film, so I can scroll through it quickly, deciding where I want to spend my time. It always ends with some version of, “This newsletter is free, but not cheap. Buy a book!” And I’ve bought many, for myself and for gifts. And I mention him all the time (like right now), because I think he’s inspiring and easy to digest. That’s what good branding is all about.
“Your author brand is an ongoing, continually evolving story that communicates what makes your work unique, and represents an implied promise to your readers of what they can expect you to consistently deliver.” Kimberly Grabas
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
