What's Author Branding, Anyway?

Here's an easy exercise to discover your author branding!

If you’re like most writers (including yours truly, back before I published my first book ten years ago), branding sounds scary and kind of, well, nebulous.

Are you an aspiring author looking to make a name for yourself in the literary world?

Let’s discuss Author Branding – the key to standing out in a crowded publishing industry and building a loyal fan base.

What does branding mean?

Author branding is the process of creating a unique and recognizable identity for yourself as an author. It goes beyond just your writing skills and includes shaping your public image, cultivating a personal brand, and establishing a strong online presence.

Why is author branding important?

In today's digital age, where readers have endless options at their fingertips, author branding sets you apart from the competition.

It helps you connect with your target audience on a deeper level, making them more likely to choose your books over others.

By developing a strong author brand, you can create trust and credibility with readers. A well-crafted brand not only showcases your individuality but also communicates the kind of stories and experiences they can expect from your work.

Moreover, author branding allows you to build a community of dedicated fans who will eagerly await your next release. By consistently delivering quality content aligned with your brand values, you establish yourself as an authority figure in your genre.

Ready to take control of your writing career? Let’s start with an exercise.

This is so easy, you’ll probably kick yourself in the👖once you’re done. Grab a clean sheet of paper, or open a Google or Word doc.

1. Write out 10 topics you’re interested in beyond writing. One of my clients wrote a historical fiction novel, however, he’s also an avid mycologist (fungi) and passionate home cook. So we share not only his stories about writing his book, but we also allow him to share what he’s truly excited about beyond that one topic.
   
   Tip: What we write about, we typically have some life experiences or are already interested in learning more. List those.

2. Now bring that number down to only 5. These will be your main keywords or key phrases. The second set of 5 will be your ‘backups’ - typically fun, light topics such as your pet (see Pip, below), food, decor, travel, baking, etc. These are occasional topics you can write or share content about.

   

3. How do you most prefer to share information: text-only posts, visual posts, articles or blog posts, or videos? This helps determine where you will feel most comfortable interacting with readers.

• Text = Twitter/X.

• Visuals = Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest.

• Video: Insta and/or TikTok.

You can share text, video, and visuals on all platforms; however, this is how those typically are used and where you can most connect with readers. Not sure which is the best fit for your branding, interests, and book(s)? That’s the beauty of analytics. More on that next week - be sure to subscribe! 👇

4. This creates your ‘foundation’ - everything you write, share, or curate will need to be one of those 5-10 topics (main and backups). Why is this important? Well, with over 300 million books sold yearly (and this is only on Amazon), consistency in your message is crucial to help set you apart, which is so important for visibility.

5. As always, remember that social media and technology are creating huge changes across the industry and are constantly updating and changing.

6. Want to see this all in action? Visit any of my social media timelines for examples of formatted posts, visuals, and videos for BadRedhead Media (this is my biz Facebook Page), or visit my site for more info on this specific topic.

Want to change your keywords? That’s another post…

Sponsor

💜 Thank you, Booklinker, my exclusive advertising sponsor for 2024! Free universal book links for all authors. It's super easy to use. And they have a fantastic blog here.💜

See you next week, and happy writing!

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