Author Branding – The Nitty Gritty
Published
Part II
By: Jennifer Lovett Herbranson
In part one of Author Branding, we talked about what made you different. In this post, we’ll talk about putting that into practice.
An author brand is the experience you offer the reader. But how do you develop that?
First, determine who your ideal reader is.
What do they like, dislike, expect from your genre? Why do they read your genre?
This is important because if you don’t know who you’re trying to find to read your book, then you’re just spitting in the wind.
Write all this down on a list.
Second, decide what it is you, the author, offers the reader – besides books.
In this day and age, the author is as much the brand as the books. That doesn’t mean readers get to invade your private life, but it does mean they want to get to know you. Decide what they get to know.
Brainstorm your hobbies, interest and values you want to project. Add those to your list.
Third, add more. Your brand is you, the author, and your books.
What from your books can you use to create your brand? Locations and your characters’ hobbies, interests and careers provide a wealth of additional assets for your brand.
Brainstorm your books and add those to your list.
Fourth, put it altogether.
Look at your list and pick five or so items that you are comfortable consistently sharing across your platforms. These are what your author brand will be known for. Keep in mind, your reader is what matters. What will they consistently get out of your platform? These five items are it: the world or experience you are creating for them. THIS IS YOUR BRAND.
Fifth, time to pick colors and fonts.
What feeling do you and your books bring to the reader? Colors reflect feeling, so use appropriate ones. Red: aggression or romance. Yellow: cheer. Blue: calm. Black: haunting or ambition. Brown: soothing. White: purity or efficiency. Orange: enthusiasm, energy. Green: growth or fertility.
Fonts also reflect emotion. Frilly fonts are probably not best suited for horror books. Strong, bold fonts are good for mystery and thriller. Choose wisely.
Sixth, create your logo.
You can use a platform like Tailor Brands (www.tailorbrands.com) or Canva (www.canva.com) to help you.
The logo should reflect the brand you developed in the fourth bullet of this post. It’s a bit subjective and intuitive but you’ll know it’s the right one when you see it.
Seventh, be consistent.
Your colors, logo, font, values and persona should be consistent with every single thing you post online or develop for written products. A reader should be able to look at something and know it’s you.
Make sure your URL and all your social media handles are the same. Make sure your printed products all use the same font.
Your brand is what you offer. If you are clear on that, then your readers will be too. For a checklist to help you, click here.
Jennifer Lovett is the founder of Writer Nation, a podcast and Facebook group dedicated to helping writers market their work. With 17 years communications experience, she regularly writes on social media, internet marketing and face-to-face publicity.
You can find her on her Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest: @jennylovett
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