Build Your Personal Brand
The big question I received today as Guest of Honor at Bouchercon is: How do I sell more books? I especially got this question as I spoke with all the authors participating in the Discovery Zone individually. It is a great question, but I will dart a little around that answer.
Authors often focus on selling books, but the key to success lies in building a career and becoming a brand. This is where personal branding comes in. By establishing a unique brand, authors can attract their target audience and sell more books.
I used to go on book tours a great deal before I had kids (I’m a husband and dad first, an author second). As a former PR and marketing firm owner, I sent writers and filmmakers on tours. Tours are a thing of the past. Now everything is online, and I love it. My wife and kids love it. People love it because they don’t have to leave their house. It is a beautiful use of technology.
Unfortunately, a common problem is that most authors find online marketing overwhelming. (Authors in general—traditionally published or independent—sometimes find all marketing overwhelming.) It doesn’t have to be that way. Take a deep breath, relax, and let’s explore.
Online authors have a direct connection to their potential readers. To me, this is another opportunity to connect with more people. Connections are the things I love. I love talking to people, meeting new people, and hearing their stories. The online world allows me to do that. And not just local people, either. I get to communicate with people all over the world. Right now, my most popular spot is Spain. Who would have ever thought?
From the early days, it has been all about the brand. With the number of authors and books appearing every year, nothing could be more critical today (other than perhaps excellent writing, as this is the foundation upon which everything else is built). I’ve written previously on this subject and cannot write enough about it. When you have a built-in brand, people take notice: agents, editors, publishers, reviewers, and readers. It gives them a hook upon which to hang a discussion of you.
Branding aims to develop a connection with your readers and others in your audience. You must do these four things (you must do the exploratory work for them) to make it easy and quick for the potential book buyer.
1. You need to identify your ideal audience. This is not limited to age and gender; in fact, I would do that in terms of writing a brand statement. I’d make the brand statement about the work itself. “Thrillers involving powerful women.” “Southern stories looking at the complexity of the region.” “Cozy mysteries set in an urban area.” More than looking at an age and gender demographic, I would look at an interesting demographic that intrigues you and the readers. People of all ages and genders will read your books if the content and subject matter fit their interests. Focus on this. Remember, you are not trying to sell your books to everyone. Your goal should be to satisfy those in your niche.
2. Building a reader community around your books is not just about the books themselves, but about you as a person and a writer. Let your readers get to know you. Share the stories that shaped your writing, your personal experiences, and your thoughts. They love feeling like they have a relationship with you. Make your outreach personal. Make your in-person presentations personal. It's not about the current book. That’s a product. It's about the brand that will keep producing products. That is, you, the real you. Don’t give a hyped-up version of yourself. Let people get to know the true you, as though you were a friend. Because when they feel they are having a relationship with you, something psychological happens: you become a friend, someone they think they know. That friendship, honesty, and loyalty will sell your books in person or online.
3. When people think of you, what do they think? That is your marketing brand. That is uniquely you. They know your likes and dislikes. They know your personality (serious, humorous, etc.) This is where I used to caution clients to stay away from negatives. A small group of people like gripe sessions, but that’s not your majority. People love to be around positive, happy, interesting, intelligent people. All these adjectives should describe you. Who are you, then, as a person? What kind of vibes do you give off? You need to be able to describe this in your brand in one sentence and then look at it often to make sure it is honestly you and that it is something that consistently portrays you in the best light. People love famous authors who are nice people. They hate it when they hear a famous author has unpopular personal characteristics. Most people crave the positive, not the negative. Appeal to this large audience. Write one sentence describing how you expect people to perceive your personality. I’ll add that if shy, introverted, etc., are a part of who you are, there is nothing wrong with that. As with everything else individual about us, our actual personality, for those who wish to get to know us, is what people want no matter what that is. People simply just want to know you, the real you. You are heroes in their eyes.
4. Lastly, your audience needs to be able to describe you and your audience in one word. What would that word be for you? Stephen King? Horror. John Grisham? Legal. You get it. Now, what about you? Look at your body of work. Look at the things you like to write about. Look at the collective theme that runs through all your work (yes, there is one, though it might take you a moment to see it). This is that single word. Make it a part of your trademark.
Now that you’ve examined these four points, create a personal brand statement describing who you are as if you were a product and how you will reach people of like minds interested in buying your books, products, or services. Keep these four statements handy, focus on them often, and make them a constant part of your online presence and outreach. I suggest putting it somewhere on the first page of your website and/or business cards, e.g., suspense writer, Southern writer, romantic suspense author, paranormal writer, etc. Let readers know immediately what they will get with this author (you) and this product (your books) without making them search for it. Consider this a promotional and informational sound bite.
If you don’t build your brand, if you can’t recognize and summarize it quickly, no one else will. Your job in brand building is to make it easy and easily recognizable, simple enough that someone can make a split decision in a few seconds about whether what they like aligns with what you have to offer.
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