The Power of Your Author Brand (Part I)

How to Turn Casual Readers Into Super Fans

In 2007, I read a charming and humorous novel about a pregnant woman who is jilted by her child’s father and tries to forge a life out of misfortune. I’m not a fan of mom lit, but the author had a distinctive voice, and I was curious about what she’d do next.

Four more novels followed her debut, and none were impressive commercial successes. In a recent interview, she discussed the frustration and fear she experienced; she worried she would never be published again.

Her worries led to a career-changing decision. The author decided to let joy and gratitude guide her writing life. Her next book How to Walk Away was a New York Times bestselling novel, and Katherine Center is now a star in the rom-com genre.

If you visit her colorful and cheerful website, you’ll see that joy is baked into her author brand. Her newsletter, titled “Three Good Things,” is described as “joy in your inbox.” She urges readers to “read for joy,” and her author bio talks about the importance of joy.

The bio states, “Katherine firmly believes that our struggles lead us to our strengths, and the years of not getting published, she’s decided, were good for her. They forced her to define who she is and what she cares about. They forced her to figure out why she writes at all. They forced her to clarify for herself what she loves in stories as a reader, to create her own definition of ‘good writing’ from the inside out.”

Center is an author who understands the power of author branding.

Although branding yourself might seem Madison Avenue cringey—it’s not as if writers are tubes of whitening toothpaste—it’s less about selling and communicating your worldview to potential readers.

It’s making a promise to the reader that says, “This is what you can expect from my work.” With so many books competing for attention, coupled with people’s voracious appetite for information, the days of “the work speaking for itself” are over.

A Brand is Distinctive

You might say, “Well, I write cozy mysteries, what else do you need to know?” But an author brand is much more than genre; it’s as distinctive as you are. For instance, Mary Alice Monroe writes beach books in the Low Country, but what sets her apart is her concern for conservation. As she describes it, she writes “fiction that explores the compelling parallels between nature and human nature.” Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, and shorebirds have all played roles in her novels.

Mary Alice Monroe’s work effectively communicates who she is and the lens through which she sees reality.

A Brand Often Takes Time to Evolve

Few authors know who they are with their first novel. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s first few novels were romance, and it wasn’t until she wrote The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo that she became known for writing about strong women trying to succeed in male-dominated spaces.

Similarly, before she became the queen of the beach read, Mary Kay Andrews wrote mysteries under her real name, Kathy Trocheck.

A Brand Reveals Motivation

When Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner was published in 2001, it was one of the first novels to feature a plus-sized woman. Weiner wrote the novel because she wanted to see a main character like herself in print. That was the beginning of her brand, and it resonated with millions of other women.

Motivation is one of the most important parts of your author brand. Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why says, “People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it… [There are] two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”

You might already know your motivation for writing your specific stories, but it doesn’t hurt to explore them further. Here’s some questions to get you started: What sets you apart from other people? What issues or problems keep you up at night? If you could design the perfect life, what would it look like?

How would you spend your days? What principles guide your life? Describe your personality. Who are your influences? What inspires you? What makes you angry? If you had to write a mission statement for your life, what would it be? What do you love to read? Do you have trouble finding books you enjoy reading? Is there a niche that needs filling?

Now look at your chosen genre and find how you can put your individual stamp on it. For example, if you write horror, what are your greatest fears, and how do you deal with them? Why are you drawn to horror? How do you feel after reading a great horror novel? What types of horror delight you? Which titles are disappointments and why?

This self-exploration will help you to answer this important brand-defining question: How will your unique and authentic perspective inspire and emotionally engage your readers? In other words, what is the “why” of your work?

Example:

With two new novels coming out this year, I’m in the process of refining my own brand. Above is a social media graphic I’m working on for my novel, The Woman Who Loves Halloween about a comformist, middle-aged woman who learns to embrace her magical inner crone. This is a rough draft of my new “why” statement: Women are distinctly magical, powerful creatures, but to tap into their power, they must deprogram themselves from societal expectations and embrace their unique gifts. It’s a risky endeavor because our culture has definite ideas about how women should look and behave. My message? Take the risk and have fun while doing it.

Your “why” statement isn’t always shared with readers, but it’s baked into everything you do.

Your Story Informs Your Brand and Lends It Authenticity

Most everyone knows that J. K. Rowling was a single mom on government assistance before her Harry Potter novels were published. People love a rags-to-riches tale, and her story resonated, particularly since Harry is an underdog character.

What stories in your past explain the “why” of your fiction? Did you have a terrifying experience and that’s why you’re drawn to thrillers? Did the charms of living in a small town inform your decision to write cozies?

Example: In my case, when I turned sixty, I saw my place in the world as a female differently. I realized I’d been living a hand-me-down reality. Gradually, I shed energy-draining friends, anti-aging measures, alcohol, and limiting beliefs. I also moved to a new city that better suited my vibe and leaned on my creativity to show me the way forward. When I finally re-write my author bio, I’ll incorporate elements of that story.

Your Unique and Authentic Brand Helps Define Your Audience

The chart above gives hints about an audience, but it’s too broad. Demographics are helpful, but you want more than that. Here are questions to further help you define your audience: What authors do they read? What movies or shows do they enjoy? What social media do they use? Who are their role models?

Example: I’m in the process of defining my ideal audience, and this is what I’ve come up with: My target audience is a woman who is mostly done or in the late stages of childrearing. She’s thinking about what she wants for the next half of her life.

I’m looking for seekers, artists, and introspective women. Likely, they enjoy the work of Mel Robbins or Elizabeth Gilbert. They enjoy female-centric, feel-good movies and books with some deeper themes like Julia & Julie, The Devil Wears Prada, Enchanted April, Under the Tuscan Sun, Practical Magic, and Steel Magnolias. Humor is plus. Likely, they tore through Netflix’s recent Four Seasons.

It’s also helpful to define what an audience doesn’t want. My target audience isn’t into mom lit, straight romance, or anything too schmalzy or predictable. Not surprisingly, I’m describing my own tastes, and I’m having trouble finding a lot of novels that appeal to me, so I’m writing them.

Your Brand Forges an Emotional Connection With Your Audience

An old but hilarious film called Crazy People is about an advertising executive who starts writing "honest" television commercials. The main character writes the copy for a horror film that says, “It’ll f*** you up for life.”

Reader emotion is a crucial part of your brand. How do you want them to feel? Comforted? Terrified? Uplifted, Amused? Nostalgic? Intellectually stimulated? On edge? This is also a part of your author brand. What’s more, you want your readers to nod along and think, “This writer sees me and gets me.” That’s how you turn a casual reader into a super fan.

Louise Penny is the author of murder mysteries, and she’s aware of what she wants her audience to glean from her work. She writes, “My books are about terror. That brooding terror curled deep down inside us. But more than that, more than murder, more than all the rancid emotions and actions, my books are about goodness.”

Hopefully, this has given you something to think about when devising your own author brand. Next week, in part two, we’ll look at various ways to communicate that brand to your audience through your writing, your social media, website, and more.

Questions, comments? Chime in.

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