by Korina Moss
Branding. It’s a word that I’m sure writers have heard after they’ve signed their first publishing contract or are writing their first novel. As an author, you want to stand out from the crowded field, which means you have to do more than market your book, you have to market yourself. This is where branding comes in. Branding helps readers identify you, helps them to feel a connection with you and your books, and lets them know what they might expect from your writing.
Consistency is the key to branding. Ideally, you want to be easily identified. You should attempt to maintain a consistent look on all your social media, your website, and in your newsletter. You can do this by choosing a color palette (ideally similar to your books), color tone, fonts, and even creating your own logo.
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| The background of my website has a huge cheeseboard |
For instance, if you use bright jewel tones as your signature colors, readers will know to stop and look for you when those colors show up on their timeline. They’re more likely not to miss an event you’re attending or when you have a preorder sale.
Is there’s something from your genre that readers can associate with you? If you write British cozy mysteries, perhaps you could make a quick “good morning” reel every Monday morning while drinking a cup of tea. If a dog or cat is featured in your mysteries, you’ll want to feature your own dog or cat on your platforms.
Is there something featured in your series that will make you stand out? Lucy Burdette (the pen name for Roberta Isleib) has a long-running Key West Food Critic Mystery series. She also happens to spend most of the year in Key West, so much of her social media features her life in Key West. We get to see the places she mentions in her books, and we get a little peek into her life too. It’s definitely a plus to set your series in the area where you live, even if it’s a fictional town.
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| Lucy Burdette's IG post with a photo of the Key West restaurant from a snippet from her book. |
When I was deciding how to brand myself before my Cheese Shop Mystery series came out, I had to consider what I wanted my identity to be. I’d hoped I would have a long and varied career, so although cheese was the obvious branding choice, going all in with it might not be a smart move in the long run. Ultimately, I decided to heed a variation of the advice editors give to new writers when starting a series: Don’t save anything for later. I was writing a Cheese Shop Mystery series, and I wanted to stand out and be noticed. I decided not to worry about later and go all in on cheese.
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| Wearing my cheese earrings my publicist gave me |
I named my newsletter subscribers Team Cheese and used the hashtag #teamcheese in most of my social media posts until eventually, most reviewers and bloggers who mentioned me on social media also used the hashtag. My first year at the Malice Domestic fan convention after my book had released the month before (and I’d already been branding myself for many months), I was regularly called “the cheese lady” by readers when they’d forgotten my name. It was ok—they knew my book! I've received wonderful cheese-related gifts from readers. I can’t tell you how many cheese memes, funny cheese reels, and cheese board posts I still get tagged in and messaged to me. And the message always says, “I saw this and thought of you.” It was exactly what I wanted—when cozy mystery readers see cheese, they think of me.
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| My St. Martin's editor and me in my cheese shirt at Malice Domestic |
I was shocked when my first book and I were well known enough in the mystery community to be nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and two more books were nominated for Best Contemporary Novel the following two years. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities and decent sales.
However, now that my Cheese Shop Mystery series has ended, do I still want to be known as the cheese lady? Probably not. Oops. I still go to events and sell my books, and I don’t have another series coming out imminently, so I’m backing away slowly from the cheese. I still post on National Cheese Day (and all the variations of it), but I’ve changed my newsletter sign-off from “Cheers to Cheese” to “Keep it Cozy.” I’ve left the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen blogging group where recipes and cheese played a big role and focused on my author role in the Facebook group Cozy Mystery Crew. Every three weeks, I spend a day with our members, where we chat about what’s going on in my life and theirs. Cheese isn’t totally off the table (pun intended), but it takes a backseat now when I speak about my life and my books.
In a way, I’m back to step one in deciding how to brand myself. It’s not exactly where I want to be, but on the other hand, I can’t deny that my strategy worked in the moment.
You get to decide what’s right for you, but you can’t go wrong with these simple steps for starting your branding journey:
1. Take time to decide how you want to define yourself. Try to identify your point of difference, the thing that sets you apart from other authors in your genre. What kind of vibe do you want to give off?
2. Build your presence – Start with two platforms and decide how many you can handle. (They take more time than you think.) Create a website. Join online groups and organizations in your genre to interact with readers and writers in a personal way, not as a salesperson. Get to know your target audience, which will help you make decisions about your branding.
3. Be consistent – Use the same profile photo across all author platforms. On social media, your website, and your newsletter, consider using the same color palette, fonts, type of music, illustration elements, and perhaps even a logo. Consistency will lead to recognition.
Readers: Think of your favorite author. What elements make up their brand? How does it match up with their book(s)?
