The Writer’s Journey – How To Build A Breakout Brand As A Writer
Writers Write creates writing resources. This post discusses how to build your breakout brand as a writer on your writing journey.
Last week I discussed The Writer’s Journey – Finding Your Personal Theme . This week I want to talk about building your brand.
Your brand is the emotional and psychological relationship with your readers. It’s your identity as a writer, the image a reader holds of your work in their mind. From the genre you write, to your photo on the back cover, to your webpage and blog, your brand must be as unique as possible. It’s the only way to stand out in a crowded market.
There must be a personality, a strategy, a consistency or commonality behind your brand, otherwise you just diffuse or fragment your position as a writer.
If you want to be a jobbing author, you should take your career and your brand seriously. You will need to write out a business plan, almost as if you’re the CEO of your own empire. Be practical, be ambitious, and take yourself seriously. Remember: it takes a long time to be an overnight success, so start mapping your career out now.
How To Build A Breakout Brand As A Writer
Three ways to get started:
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Create a vision board for your brand, using pictures from magazines or Pinterest. What do you imagine your covers will look like? What kind of characters do you see being common in your story?
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Develop a brand statement. ‘My name is … and my brand is …’ For example: My name is Hilary Edwards and my brand is all about edgy, chick lit – with independent heroines who want to be part of an adventure rather than a love affair.’
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Write a dummy press release or Wikipedia entry, announcing your debut novel or summarising your career. What would you want the media to say about your book? About you? Who is your audience? What is the take-out you want as a writer and personality?
Why can this brand belong to no one else but me?
This is a critical question to ask yourself, so dig deep to find the most honest and fearless answer. Books fail when there’s no connection between what’s on the page and what’s in the writer’s heart. Authenticity is key – readers will know you’re an imitation brand or the real deal; they will know you write from an honest place or not. You can only be yourself in your writing and your own life.
Find your font
Deciding on your brand can be as structured or as loose as you want the process to be, but it does require some thought. It’s about finding your unique ‘font’ as a writer. Make strong decisions.
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If you enjoyed this post, read:
- The Writer’s Journey – Finding Your Personal Theme
- The Writer’s Journey – 5 Exercises To Get You Started
- The Writer’s Journey – 3 Ways To Craft Your Future
Top Tip: If you want to write a book, sign up for our online course.