If you’re going to succeed as an author, readers need to think of you as one. That’s why it’s important to take your author brand seriously from the start.
This guest post from author, Nichole Severn, will show you how it’s done. Here, Nichole covers the why and how of author branding and 5 ways to do it right.
Take it away, Nichole!
Nora Roberts. Stephen King. James Patterson. JR Ward.
You know what genre these authors write without having to Google their names. They’ve succeeded in branding themselves as authors. Granted, they have a lot more money than the authors just starting out and bigger publishers, but it took years to get to that point.
So what exactly am I talking about?
The importance of branding yourself as an author. Branding is getting your readers to recognize your name and automatically know what you write so they don’t second-guess buying your newest release.
Publishers use branding as well. Think about Harlequin Romance. Yes, they publish strictly romance (not including their subsidiaries), but within each of their imprints they limit that line to genre (contemporary, romantic suspense, paranormal), themes, author voice, and word length. Any reader who picks up a book in any one Harlequin Romance line knows going in what exactly they’re getting by the end.
And your readers should too. Here’s how.
#1 Stick with One Genre and Build Your Author Brand from There
Scott Eagan of Greyhaus Literary Agency is a fantastic resource for new writers and authors. While he targets romance authors (since that’s what he represents) his post, “Pick It and Stick It” elaborates on branding for all newbies in all genres.
His advice? Find one genre you are passionate about and really good at writing (those kind of go hand in hand) and build your career from there.
You recognize all those big authors above because they’ve done this exact thing. Nora Roberts is the queen of romance with over 200+ books under her belt. Stephen King is known for his horror stories and James Patterson his thrillers. These authors have picked a genre they enjoyed writing (and are really good at) and built their careers on those successes.
Both aspiring authors and published need to do the same.
I’ve published in two different genres, and you know what? Genre #2 isn’t working out so hot for me anymore, because I enjoy Genre #1 more. My passion and pleasure reading lay in Genre #1, so I need to build my career on that one before I can move onto a second.
#2 Create an Author Website and Logo Around the Feel of Your Genre
Take a look at Nora Robert’s website and tell me that doesn’t scream romance to you. You have the light colors, swirly backgrounds, and soft lighting used in her author photo.
Now how about Stephen King’s? Immediately, I’m reminded of dark, weird, deep stories just from the images flickering across his website. His logo typography alone scream action and defiance against the ordinary.
Compare your website and logo to those examples. What genre does your website scream to your readers? Are they doing you or your genre justice? If not, research up-to-date designs. Check out some web designers. Even a quick consultation can put things into perspective for your brand.
#3 Consider Writing Under a Pen Name
Nichole Severn is not my real name. Ha! Fooled you, didn’t I? It’s my author name, and I’ll tell you the reason I chose to publish under a pen name.
My RWA chapter in Las Vegas hosted romance novel cover model, Jimmy Thomas. His presentation focused on how he’d branded himself. Specifically, he shared that he wanted readers and authors to know him by a short, easy to pronounce name.
He mentioned how your author name should reflect your genre. That way readers will associate your name with your genre.
My real name doesn’t do my genre justice. If anything, it confuses readers because I have a Russian first name and a Jewish last name (thanks to my husband).
Nichole Severn, on the other hand, is feisty and dark. Just like the romantic suspense genre I write in.
#4 Use a Tagline That Evokes Your Genre
It’s simple. And it works.
You may not see taglines very often anymore, but it’s still a great tool to brand yourself as an author in a particular genre.
My tagline is, “Betrayal. Forgiveness. Romance.” To me, those describe my genre, romantic suspense. This is the feel I want for my books, what I want for my readers, and it gives those readers an idea of what to expect from me.
Taglines work for your books as well. In fact, if you’re self-publishing, I highly suggest writing up a sentence—yes, a SENTENCE—describing your book. Not only can you put it on the cover of your book, you’ll be able to pitch the idea to potential agents, editors, and readers without bogging them down with details.
#5 Be Consistent across Author Platforms
No matter where you’re promoting, engaging readers, or selling your books, consistency is the key to any brand. And I’m not just talking about staying in one genre here.
Social media is the biggest tool for getting your books in the hands of your readers, but things will get very confusing if you’re not organized or consistent with your platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, every platform you use for promoting needs to have the same information and graphics.
That means:
- Logo
- Bio information
- Author photo
- Contact links
- Website
- New releases
All of it needs to match your brand. That is the only way people will start recognizing you and your work automatically.
So there you have it, just a few steps to push you in the right direction of building your brand as an author.
Happy writing!
For more on how to brand yourself as an author, check out:
- 6 Branding Tip for Writers and Authors by Joel Friedlander
- Why Every Writer Needs an Author Brand by Writer’s Relief Staff
- Managing Your Online Brand by Malle Vallik
It’s funny, I have taglines for my books but I’d never considered having one for myself before! That’s a brilliant tip and one I’ll definitely be trying out in the near future 🙂
Let us know how it goes when you try out your tagline, Icy.
And it definitely is a different way to think as far as branding yourself, isn’t it? It feels like we’re selling ourselves as writers, which kind of is exactly what we’re doing.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Spot-on advice. I often see new writers veering from one genre to the other, claiming that branding feels restricting. Well, to me, it’s the only way to success. Of course, there is also the possibility of writing in two genres, using different branding (even a different pen name) for each. Nora Robers is J D Robbs for her Death series and J R Ward is Jessica Bird (her real name) when she writes contemporary romance. Still, the branding is different to serve each genre.
Greetings from Greece!
Maria (MM Jaye)
Thanks for weighing in. You’re right about committing to a brand. It can feel limiting. But you’re right and that’s what pen names are for.
Yes, yes, and yes! These tips are so spot on. A lot of writers reach out to me to ask what they can do to improve their chances of getting published, and from here on out I’m just sending them here. Fantastic article, Nichole!
Thank you, Kristen! That makes me smile 🙂
Does it matter if your Author Brand is at odds with your real personality? Should it be a mix of your author persona and your real self? Do you think an author brand can feel genuine if it doesn’t line up with the real person’s brand? For example, I plan to write Urban Fantasy, but in person I’m as normal, unexciting, and traditional as they come (drama only happens between my characters!). If I had a color scheme, it would be soft neutrals. My writing is decidedly darker than that.
It pays to be authentic, Heather. If you blog on your author site, just be yourself. No one expects Stephen King to wear a vampire cape or hold pet cemetery seances, after all.
You could always have your author/book site in your genre’s colors and mood. But your blog should represent you.
Hope that helps.
Don’t you think getting one first byl first byline under oneselfs birth name
real name first is a good idea? Or as many as possible
,,,,,,
I think you’re asking whether it’s better for a writer to have a publication first before they start branding themselves as an author, Anne. If so, my answer is no.
The point of blogging and branding yourself as an author right away is to jumpstart your writing career and get you on the publication track. As long as you have a blog or you write at all (even if you’re pre-published) YOU ARE A WRITER! (I’m not yelling at you. The caps are just for emphasis. xo )
Great question. Thanks for asking it.
I never realized branding myself as an author from the start is important. I have self-published and hope to get to being a well-known author some day soon. Thanks for the information.