In the world today, making things personal is important, even when you’re publishing your own work. It’s crucial to be remembered by the public.
To achieve success and get noticed, writers use different methods and tools. However, not everyone includes the idea of a brand in their marketing plan, and this can make a big difference in your writing career.
If you’re a writer, you already have a brand. The key is learning how to use it in everything you do—on your author website, Facebook page, social media posts, and all materials promoting you and your book.
The good news is, no matter where you are in your writing journey, it’s never too late to start building your unique brand. Persistence and a thoughtful approach will help you create and strengthen a strong emotional connection with your audience.
Now, let’s explore the important aspects of personal branding for writers in more detail.
In this article, learn:
- What Is an Author Brand?
- Why Does Building an Author Brand Matter?
- Ways to Build an Authentic Author Brand
- Brand Awareness Strategy
- What Is an Author Brand?
Your writer’s brand is like your signature style as a writer and how people see and think about you. The way you write books, the font on your website, colors, how you format things, social media posts, blog articles, podcast interviews, business cards, and the feelings you create in the reader all contribute to shaping your brand.
Think of it this way: as you grow as a writer, your author brand keeps changing. It’s a way for you to share your work and everything that makes it special.
Creating your brand lets you introduce yourself to the world as a writer and allows readers to form an opinion about you. It’s also a strong foundation for your writing career.
But sometimes, especially for new writers, the idea of branding can be confusing. Some might think it sounds too business-like and rigid. However, your author’s brand is essentially your personality and how you choose to show yourself to the world. This will be helpful when you’re creating marketing materials in the future.
- Why Does Building an Author Brand Matter?
Even if you haven’t yet published your debut novel, you can start crafting your author brand in anticipation of your first book release.
In today’s literary landscape, readers have an abundance of novels spanning various genres. The role of an author’s brand is to convey to readers why they should follow your creative journey. You aim to showcase the unique value your works bring to the world and what sets you apart from other writers.
Furthermore, having an author brand is instrumental in establishing a profound emotional connection with your audience. Earning the trust and loyalty of your readers is truly invaluable.
Book buyers actively seek authors with strong brands, associating them with significant literary influence and authority. The more appealing and distinctive your brand is, the more rapidly and confidently it develops, forming a close-knit community around your work.
Through strategic branding, you provide the world with insights into who you are as an author, enticing potential readers to join your fan base.
It’s acceptable to acknowledge that your writing may not resonate with everyone, but you encourage those who appreciate your work.
A prime manifestation of effective branding is when a reader is willing to pay a premium for your novel. This is evident in the purchasing behavior of individuals acquiring new books from renowned authors like Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, where the perceived value aligns with the authors’ fame and the exceptional quality of their works. This level of recognition is an aspirational goal.
Writers must consider strategies to boost book sales, aligning with their desire to earn a living from their passion. Developing an authentic brand not only strengthens your authorial reputation but also facilitates the creation of robust marketing campaigns, leveraging quality book promotion services.
By fostering and sustaining a profound emotional connection with your audience, you can shift your focus away from actively selling your books. Instead, let your branding speak for you, inspiring satisfied readers to return again and again.
- Ways to Build an Authentic Author Brand
While many authors grasp the concept of branding, they often encounter challenges when attempting to comprehend the actual process of building an author’s brand.
The rise of new technologies and the widespread use of social media play a pivotal role in enhancing outreach rates. These developments ensure effective communication between writers and their audience, irrespective of financial constraints.
Brand storytelling, with its emphasis on prioritizing the significance of the customer, serves as a valuable tool. It enables authors to capture the attention of social media users, directing focus toward their literary creations. This approach goes beyond mere self-promotion, allowing authors to use their brand to provide readers with beneficial and relevant information.
In the initial stages of their writing journey, some authors may underestimate the significance of branding, leading to the creation of a brand that doesn’t authentically reflect their desired image. However, fret not, as adjustments and tweaks are not only acceptable but also anticipated in the branding process.
Let’s explore a variety of approaches to effectively incorporate your distinctive authorial traits into practice. This involves intentionally crafting an author’s brand that aligns with your unique characteristics and values:
- Create a tagline that describes you
Craft a brief statement encapsulating everything about yourself and your writing in one or two sentences. Your tagline serves as an overarching idea or concept that defines you, so detailed explanations aren’t necessary in this initial stage.
Begin by sketching out a draft and refining it to its fullest potential. Explore slogans and missions formulated by fellow authors, pinpointing elements that resonate with you. Subsequently, enhance your initial tagline to make it uniquely yours.
- Find a unique brand voice
Distinguishing yourself and showcasing your unique identity is essential for standing out in the crowded field of writers. Hence, pose the question to yourself: “How would you like to be perceived by your readers when they hear your name?” This introspective task might necessitate some time for contemplation.
The concept of a brand voice encompasses the manner in which you communicate across various platforms, including emails, social media posts, your author website, and other promotional materials.
Delve into your core values and consider what messages you wish to convey to your readership. If your goal is to inspire and motivate, remain steadfast in that pursuit, steering clear of veering into different tones. Consistency is key; avoid abrupt shifts in your communication style, as such shifts can compromise your individuality. A scattered voice risks diluting your brand identity.
- USP Is your must have
Understanding your unique selling proposition is essential if you want to sell many books. Tell your audience what makes you different from other authors and why they should read your books. Maybe you got an extra superpower in creating vivid and memorable characters and plots.
Ask your friends, family, or colleagues what they find unique and fascinating about your books. This will help you identify strengths you might not be aware of.
- Understand what you should advertise
Avoid limiting your promotional efforts to just one book, especially if it’s your first. Refrain from dedicating an entire website solely to that book. Instead, consider how a website bearing your novel’s title can be a valuable platform for promoting forthcoming works.
Opt to center your website around your writing persona, allowing you to cultivate an authentic brand that reflects your principles and values comprehensively.
Undoubtedly, your name takes precedence when constructing an author brand—it is the cornerstone upon which everything else rests. Ensure that your name prominently accompanies all your promotional endeavors.
Maintaining consistency is paramount. Utilize the same visuals, colors, fonts, and brand voice across all promotional materials. This uniformity reinforces your brand identity and fosters a cohesive representation of your authorial persona.
- Build your visual identity
This step is extremely crucial in the overall process, and it demands careful consideration.
Begin by emphasizing the key aspects of your work, such as genre, style, and theme. Develop a comprehensive design kit that outlines the visual elements you wish to incorporate.
For instance, if you specialize in writing children’s books, opt for vibrant and cheerful colors. Conversely, if your aspiration lies in the realm of horror and thriller genres, lean towards a darker color scheme for a more fitting aesthetic.
Once you have a clear understanding of your brand’s mission, style, and voice, the process of selecting appropriate colors and fonts becomes more manageable.
To aid you in crafting your author website and other promotional materials, it’s essential to compile a list of key elements beforehand. These elements will prove invaluable for all future endeavors, including social media posts, blog articles, emails, and more. Having these resources readily available will streamline the creation of a cohesive and visually appealing brand representation.
Critical brand identity components:
- Logo, created by using fonts, visuals, or a combination of the two. If you choose to use fonts in your logo, pick a primary one and then an accent font.
- Two or three fonts and colors that define you. They will help you when you need to develop visual content.
- The tagline we talked about earlier.
- Distinctive branded style elements, such as graphics or icons.
- High-quality headshots.
Elements for your author website:
All of the above, plus:
- Links to other places people can find you, such as social media profiles.
- An “About” section with information about yourself, your books, and other relevant details.
- A unique domain name that reflects you as the author (make sure you buy it well in advance). You can use your first and last name or an author’s pseudonym.
- Set up an email address and add it to your website in a “Contact me” section.
For social media accounts:
- The URLs and handles in your social media accounts should be the same or as similar as possible to your author website.
- A similar profile description throughout all your social media profiles, identical author’s photos.
- Image templates for posts with a unified brand style, your name, and your logo.
Other materials:
- Printed products, such as business cards should be designed using the type of fonts and colors you picked.
- Extra visual effects (videos, book trailers, screenshots, quotes in graphic format, etc.).
This takes us to the next step.
- Implement your brand everywhere
As you may have guessed, you are developing a brand not to gather dust on the far shelf in the closet and wait for its finest hour. You should apply it everywhere to make sure people will start associating your brand style with your name.
It’s time to make the brand part of your writing career.
- On your author website
Your website is the heart of the author’s ecosystem. A website can hold all the necessary information about your biography, novels, links to social platforms, and resources where users can order your book.
And all of these elements should be brought together by your unique brand style (colors, fonts, etc.)
Consider author photos. Fans love personal content.
- On social media
Users appreciate consistency. Most of all, they love to find you where they feel closer to you. While an author website is important, social media profiles have a more friendly and approachable vibe. Social media is a fantastic way to connect with your readers.
Also, the visuals you create for your social media strategy should include your branded elements.
- In every email
Make sure to include your defining visual elements whenever you send an email or newsletter (if you have one).
Also, use the same tone of voice you would use in your other writings.
- Brand Awareness Strategy
After you’ve decided on your brand elements and everything that defines you as an author, show them to the world. To make it easier for you, we put together the tips to know.
1. Set up your goals
Starting a path not understanding your ultimate goal sends you on a bumpy ride. The priority here is to understand your reader’s journey and where you are leading them.
Identifying your desired end point helps in creating the right content for book promotion strategies.
2. Develop a promotion strategy
The best author brand examples are those that reach out to the audience. But for that, you need different promotion tactics. Use the following to help build your strategy:
- Define your ideal reader so that you can focus all further efforts only on your type of buyer. Try to write in detail the characteristics, qualities, and interests of your ideal reader to create a holistic model for your marketing campaign. By having a specific image of your potential customer, you can determine the places where they are most often found on the Internet.
- Create marketing materials using your brand style kit to make them unique.
- Identify and collaborate with authors and influencers in the writing industry. Interacting with industry people helps ramp up your brand awareness.
- Create a content strategy, schedule your publications, and follow through on them.
- Create an email list based on your blog, site visitors, and social media followers. Build your email list with strong lead magnets.
- Reward your loyal readers and those who advertise your book. This is precious word-of-mouth marketing. Think about what you can offer to generate more (e.g. fun giveaways).
3. Continue your growth
When promoting and improving your brand, be sure to ask for and analyze feedback from your readers. This will help you make adjustments to suit your audience and build your brand reputation.
If you feel comfortable and want to try something new, try connecting with new audiences, platforms, and alternative markets. For example, you can try tapping into a new subgenre.
Conclusion
Careers for self-publishing writers, especially early on, can feel a bit complicated. Black Tower Publishers is aware of this, encouraging indies to promote their books and build their readership.
An author brand is a needed asset for boosting your writing success. We hope you found these tips useful. Cheers on developing your authentic and unique author’s brand!
