Authors Are A Brand

Before you can brand yourself, you must decide what you want people to say about you.

Focus on the genre you specialize in.

Search for then join groups that have an interest in your genre. After you have become a member of the group, become active. Advertise, read other posts, and participate in discussions.

When you decide what you want others to say about you, look to your talents, your values and your purpose. For example, talents can encompass a myriad of things, but you will find that you incorporate those interests in your writing. If you like to knit, you may have a character who spends their time knitting and we might see her/his POV while she is knitting. Swimming was a very important part of my life and until a few recent books, I could honestly say I incorporated a swimming scene in every book I wrote. Your values will play an important role. If you write sweet romances versus erotic romances, your books will sell to a different audience. If you join erotic writers groups and you write sweet romance, your books will not sell to this audience. What purpose do you have? Do you want to write informative, entertain, self-help etc. This will make a difference in your audience.

Series:

All the covers for the series must have similar elements. The font for the title and authors name have to be the same.

Social Media:

If you want to sell to more than family and friends, it is essential you establish a twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and blog/website. Write and post things of interest to you. And engage, engage, engage. Your words, titles, and thoughts have to be established. People have to see what you have done. If you don’t engage, people won’t know who you are.

Covers:

Most authors have a cover idea in their head. They know what their characters look like, how they dress, how they feel and so much more. But you want a great cover, one that will catch the eye of the reader. To start, search Amazon’s best seller list in your genre. Keep in mind when you are looking at covers, there are some authors who don’t need a great cover. They sell a book if it has their name on it. i.e. Steven King, Nora Robers, When you have found covers you like, emulate the cover. Pay attention to titles, fonts, and colors.