cj Sez: If you
saw a new book and the author was Stephen King, you'd expect to read a work of horror/psychological
fiction from this prolific storyteller. How about if the author was Dame
Agatha Christie? You’d expect something 180 degrees from King’s genre: cozy
crime mysteries.
What you’ve just done is recognized these two authors’
unique brands.
If I said, “Murder on the Orient Express,” you’d
automatically think cozy mystery written by Agatha Christie. If I said, “She’s been nominated for the
Agatha Award,” you’d know I meant Agatha Christie and you’d know what kind of
story is being considered for the award.
Stephen King + Misery (Or Cujo or Carrie or The Shining, et
al.) = Stephen King Brand: horror/psychological fiction.
When readers recognize your name, they’ve recognized your
brand.
Building your author brand needs to be one of the first
things you do, even if you are yet to be published. Start with a Facebook page.
It’s free. Set up a blog site, and make sure the theme, style and voice of the two are
consistent. Use similar colors and fonts in signage, swag, banners
for book signings, and business cards. You want your readers to identify you
and your name by your ideas and concepts. I wear my squash blossom necklace to every event I attend.
Author taglines can be difficult if not misleading if you
write in multiple genres, and I don’t have one because of this. But if you can
find some link between all of your novels, you can develop a line or two about
that common thread. For instance, in THE POSSE anthology, the old West
settings, romance, and human interest themes are common among the stories. The tagline:
“An Anthology of Historical Western Romances, by seven authentic western
writers, is a romping wild ride into the wide open ranges of America’s west –
filled with thrills and romance.”
Since I write action/adventure style stories, if someone
asks what kind of novels I write, I say: “Jane Bond-style romantic suspense,” and
they recognize that I write romance with strong heroines.
Perhaps, like author Carolyn Haines (http://carolynhaines.com ), you are into
animal rescues. Make sure your readers know this. Author Tracy Weber is a
certified yoga instructor, loves dogs and mysteries, and writes the Downward
Dog mysteries (http://tracyweberauthor.com
)
Now you can develop a brand summary by defining who “you” are or what your books are about.
Because Carolyn Haines has written more than 70 books in
different genres and under different names, she has brand recognition under
different names. She accommodates that brand summary on her website thusly:
“Welcome to my website. I’m a writer, lover of animals,
reader, teacher, and mischief maker. Perhaps it’s the last category that I most
want to excel at!”
All of the above are just ideas to get you thinking about that
important marketing tool, your author brand.
That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on,
and I’ll try to do the same. Questions? Comments? Drop me a note. I promise to
answer.
cj
COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Arriving July 10: A new Crimson Romance bundle about athletes
and the sports they love, Bodies in Motion,
includes Choosing Carter (rafting
and off-roading) Watch for it on
Amazon.
Ebook bundles still available on Amazon: More Than Friends
and California Kisses
newsletter sign-up at cjpetterson@gmail.com
