Thursday, July 3, 2014

The Author Brand: What It Is and Some Examples

I've been told about this author branding thing for years. I've even tried to do it. Sort of. I never had my own logo or a tagline, but I've tried various "looks" and then created blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc headers all based on the same image (like what you can currently see at the top of my blog). But I've never fully liked any of the ideas I've come up with. Basically, I want a neat little logo/tagline combo that can represent my brand anywhere on the internet. Something that's easy to print on business cards or bookmarks or, basically, any swag. Something I can do in different colours for different situations, but that no one can doubt is mine. So ... how do I do this?

It's difficult when you write more than one genre. A fantasy author could go with an image / font / logo that shouts YOU'RE ENTERING THE FANTASY REALM NOW! A chick lit author could go with an image / font / logo that shouts I'M CUTE, I'M ROMANCE, I'M CHICK LIT! But if you write in multiple genres, like me, how do you show that?

So I'm left trying to find a thread common to ALL the books I write, no matter what genre they're in. I'm left looking at ME as an author--who am I and why I write--because, ultimately, for indie authors it's all about creating a brand around YOU, THE AUTHOR rather than around any of your books specifically, right?

So here's what reading and writing are about for me:
escaping reality
imagination without limits
breaking free from real-world constraints
unforgettable characters

I'm still boiling that down to one core "thing" and working on how to represent it, but I've got one idea I really, really like, and I'm sitting on it for a little while to see if I still like it tomorrow, the next day, next week!


For now, here are some cool examples I found online:






6 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Not sure if I really have a brand for either me or my books...

Cathy Keaton said...

Very cool, Rach. I didn't know these authors had author brand banners. I suppose it is easy to in this age of blogs and social media accounts.

Maybe figure out what seems to be the most pervasive aspect of the stories you write and go with that. Good luck on figuring it out.

Cathy Keaton said...

Oh, I just thought of something that I always think of when I think of your books. They're guilt-free, in that you write clean stories no matter the age of the audience. No one needs to worry about getting caught with a dirty book if it's one you wrote!

It's just an idea on a whim, lol.

Unknown said...

Alex, I'm pretty sure your personal brand is the NINJA CAPTAIN! :-)

He he, Cathy! I'm so glad you don't have to worry about being caught with a dirty book when it's one of mine ;-)

D. U. Okonkwo said...

Very interesting indeed. I have thought about this too, especially now as I'm going indie. I believe that the biggest brand an author can have is their name signally a good back, value, and of course entertainment. Our names should be what readers look for, what they trust. They need to know that they can trust to get a good book. Not sure if we need taglines. You can't beat a good book.

Murees Dupè said...

Wow, this is something new to consider. I never thought about what my brand could be, but I want to wish you luck with your endeavor, because I know you will come up with something great.