Brand Strategy for Authors: How to Truly Stand Out From the Crowd

August 23, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Why does your work matter?

What experiences do you have to share with others and what value do you offer that only you can provide?

Because, if you can’t easily and clearly articulate your vision or the purpose behind your work, you will never be able to convey its importance to others. [CLICK TO TWEET]

It’s not enough just to be good at what you write. You need to be able to create an emotional connection with your reader – often before they’ve had a chance to read your book.

How you position your work, how you distinguish yourself from others in your field or genre, as well as how all your efforts are perceived or interpreted by your readers, can be the difference between a brand that’s fab, or one that fizzles.

When your brand is cohesive and well-articulated, your marketing initiatives will be too. Branding encompasses the foundational elements of marketing: visual identity, key messaging, brand personality, and competitive advantage.

– Brian Lischer

Effective branding is foundational to the development of your writer platform and audience-building efforts. The author who can tap into what their readers yearn for – and construct an entire experience around what they crave – is the author that earns the devoted fan base.

[Read more…]

Building Your Author Brand: The Most Common Mistakes Writers Make

March 29, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Branding plays a surprisingly important role in your author business.

Every time someone sees your name, lands on your website, reads your book or listens to you speak, you’re reinforcing what you want them to know about you and your work.

And whether you actively shape it or not, with every touchpoint or seemingly ‘insignificant’ interaction, your brand is being formed.

That’s why it’s critical to decide upfront what story you want to tell.

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Clarify what personal branding is, and why it’s essential to incorporate into your writing business if you want to stand out from the crowd.
In this post (post #2), we’ll cover the most common mistakes writers make when building their author brand.
And finally, in post three, we’ll focus on brand strategy and how you will connect your work and writing to the people who will be most inclined to read and appreciate it.

[Read more…]

Personal Branding for Authors: What It Is And Why It’s Essential

February 20, 2019 by Kimberley Grabas

Personal Branding for Authors: A Simple Definition

Personal branding can be a vague term…

It isn’t just a website, a font choice or a clever tagline. It’s a blend of your skills, talents, values, interests, and beliefs reflected through your writing, online presence, and offline interactions.

For authors, it’s often a mix of professional and personal branding which includes what you do, why you do it and who you do it for.

It’s also an indicator of your value to your readers, industry professionals, influencers or other key players in your topic area or genre.

What Makes You Different?

It’s not enough just to be good at what you write.

You must be able to easily and clearly communicate your vision or the purpose behind your work, and coherently voice its importance to others.

This is why effective branding is such a big and significant part of developing and growing your writer platform.

In this three-part series we’ll:

Clarify what personal branding is, and why it’s essential to incorporate into your writing business if you want to stand out from the crowd.
In post two of this series, we’ll cover the most common mistakes writers make when building their author brand.
And finally, in post three, we’ll focus on brand strategy and how you will connect your work and writing to the people who will be most inclined to read and appreciate it.

[Read more…]

In this 3-part Author Branding Series we’ll:

Personal Branding for Authors: A Simple Definition

What Makes You Different?

In this three-part series we’ll:

Authors with Platforms Sell Books.