MARCH 7, 2011 9:06AM
Discovering Your Author Brand: Insight from Global Brand Strategist MJ Mc Bride of REBEL Interactive
Part one of a two part blogshop.
Author branding isn't a new concept. Ten years ago agents were using terms like "franchise" and "cross-over" to outline what they were looking for in an ideal client - both terms that touch upon the idea of branding. Translated, this means, "I'm looking for authors whose high concept work could easily translate from book to screen." Another example, "I'm looking for nonfiction authors with big platforms who are multi-present in the marketplace (write, blog, speak, give workshops, etc)." Bottom line, agents and publishers want authors whose talent is as big as their passion is as big as their overall vision for their writing career. They want authors who have strong brand potential.
Overwhelmed? Terrified? Disgusted at the thought of pigeonholing yourself to fit someone else's expectations of you? Show of hands.
I know, it sounds like an exhausting, scary, and somewhat disingenuous process, especially if you're on the outside of this seemingly enormous publishing structure trying your best to find a crack to squeeze through. Let me demystify this process for you right now. Branding is not rocket science. Once you understand what goes into the making of a "brand" you'll be a lot less intimidated by the process and it's absolutely NOT selling out, my dear literary writers. In this post, I'll simply help clarify what branding is and why it's important to your writer's life. In the second installment, I'll show you how to get started in creating your own author brand.
To shed some light on the topic of branding in general, I consulted with MJ McBride, Global Brand Strategist and CEO of REBEL Interactive, (and absolute rock star, in my opinion), an Omaha based Branding, Website and Video development agency.
I asked MJ to take me through their process of helping a client discover and develop their brand. What I found out was developing a brand is more than trademarking a name, buzz words or book title. It's more than developing a hot website with all the bells and whistles. And yet, it's as simple as knowing your name, what you connect with and what you value.
Essentially, MJ communicated to me, branding begins with CLARITY OF SELF through three steps:
1. Clarity of Passion
2. Clarity of Values
3. Clarity of Vision
In being clear about these three core elements of self, you can develop your own personal brand. I was especially struck by this concept because it's exactly the process I lead new writers through in discovering their authentic writing voice. Voice and brand are one in the same; it's how you choose to communicate and what you communicate. Taking this concept to the fullest, most authentic extent, it's how you choose to act, speak and live!
Forget the word "brand" for a minute, if you're still hung up on the selling out stuff or just fear the word in general. Look at this concept as developing your whole writer's life. I don't care if you're a literary bad-ass (pardon the bad language) or you're a self-help guru out to save the world one yoga pose at a time, communicating a consistent message through your work and through all the various channels of communication available in this increasingly DIY publishing world is KEY! Presenting the clearest image of yourself to your reading audience is what will make the difference in your book sales and shelf life. When your reading audience sees your name on the cover of a book, they're going to expect a certain kind of experience when they flip to page one. Let's consider some fiction authors as examples:
Sherman Alexie (The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian), one of my favorite authors of ALL TIME! I know when I pick up one of his books he's going to make me think, laugh and feel for his very real characters.
Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) - I know when I pick up any of Dahl's work, I'm going to be given permission to enter the rich imagination of a child and never be spoken down to.
Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl; The White Queen) - I know I'm going to be presented a tale that's been expertly researched and crafted with just enough ruffles and flourishes complete with vivid characters I'm going to care about....and want to learn more about once the story ends.
Through their work title after title, these authors have shown consistency in their approach to the material, their voice and craft. This consistency is their brand. It's their signature style. They think it, breathe it, live it. It's a part of who they are as your brand should be a part of who you are.
And now for a few examples in nonfiction:
Jack Canfield (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul; The Success Principles) - Jack is the PERFECT example of brand genius. Take a look at everything this author does and you'll see a seamless thread run through his online presence to his books to his seminars. Jack IS his brand. He absolutely lives his message.
Seth Godin (Purple Cow; Poke the Box) - Godin is known, especially recently, to offer the latest thought provoking and somewhat radical paradigm shifts in marketing and human productivity. With a full blog and book schedule, Godin is a prime example of a solid brand.
Suze Orman (The Money Class: Learn to Create Your New American Dream) - Orman is the Oprah of financial planning and has created a career founded simply on living the message she preaches.
It's important to keep in mind that these three nonfiction authors had full, successful careers delivering their message and living their brand before they published their books; their books just make it possible to reach a larger audience. Your book doesn't automatically make you a brand - the way you've successfully (or even not so successfully) presented yourself and your intellectual property IS what defines your brand.
There's more to author branding I'd like to share this week, with more insight from MJ. Now that you've got an idea of how to approach the idea of an author brand, I'll let you in on how REBEL helps their clients develop their own personal brand by showing them how to "stay on brand" and what a branding company like REBEL can do for you.
Your Action: This week, consider your core passions and values. Do they translate into your work? Your writing? Your life? If not, why not? Clarity of voice, clarity of the image you present comes through clarity of self. Dig deep, writers.
More author branding workshopping on Wednesday!
Here's to a productive kick-off to your week!
TLC
Author branding isn't a new concept. Ten years ago agents were using terms like "franchise" and "cross-over" to outline what they were looking for in an ideal client - both terms that touch upon the idea of branding. Translated, this means, "I'm looking for authors whose high concept work could easily translate from book to screen." Another example, "I'm looking for nonfiction authors with big platforms who are multi-present in the marketplace (write, blog, speak, give workshops, etc)." Bottom line, agents and publishers want authors whose talent is as big as their passion is as big as their overall vision for their writing career. They want authors who have strong brand potential.
Overwhelmed? Terrified? Disgusted at the thought of pigeonholing yourself to fit someone else's expectations of you? Show of hands.
I know, it sounds like an exhausting, scary, and somewhat disingenuous process, especially if you're on the outside of this seemingly enormous publishing structure trying your best to find a crack to squeeze through. Let me demystify this process for you right now. Branding is not rocket science. Once you understand what goes into the making of a "brand" you'll be a lot less intimidated by the process and it's absolutely NOT selling out, my dear literary writers. In this post, I'll simply help clarify what branding is and why it's important to your writer's life. In the second installment, I'll show you how to get started in creating your own author brand.
To shed some light on the topic of branding in general, I consulted with MJ McBride, Global Brand Strategist and CEO of REBEL Interactive, (and absolute rock star, in my opinion), an Omaha based Branding, Website and Video development agency. I asked MJ to take me through their process of helping a client discover and develop their brand. What I found out was developing a brand is more than trademarking a name, buzz words or book title. It's more than developing a hot website with all the bells and whistles. And yet, it's as simple as knowing your name, what you connect with and what you value.
Essentially, MJ communicated to me, branding begins with CLARITY OF SELF through three steps:
1. Clarity of Passion
2. Clarity of Values
3. Clarity of Vision
In being clear about these three core elements of self, you can develop your own personal brand. I was especially struck by this concept because it's exactly the process I lead new writers through in discovering their authentic writing voice. Voice and brand are one in the same; it's how you choose to communicate and what you communicate. Taking this concept to the fullest, most authentic extent, it's how you choose to act, speak and live!
Forget the word "brand" for a minute, if you're still hung up on the selling out stuff or just fear the word in general. Look at this concept as developing your whole writer's life. I don't care if you're a literary bad-ass (pardon the bad language) or you're a self-help guru out to save the world one yoga pose at a time, communicating a consistent message through your work and through all the various channels of communication available in this increasingly DIY publishing world is KEY! Presenting the clearest image of yourself to your reading audience is what will make the difference in your book sales and shelf life. When your reading audience sees your name on the cover of a book, they're going to expect a certain kind of experience when they flip to page one. Let's consider some fiction authors as examples:
Sherman Alexie (The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian), one of my favorite authors of ALL TIME! I know when I pick up one of his books he's going to make me think, laugh and feel for his very real characters.
Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) - I know when I pick up any of Dahl's work, I'm going to be given permission to enter the rich imagination of a child and never be spoken down to.
Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl; The White Queen) - I know I'm going to be presented a tale that's been expertly researched and crafted with just enough ruffles and flourishes complete with vivid characters I'm going to care about....and want to learn more about once the story ends.
Through their work title after title, these authors have shown consistency in their approach to the material, their voice and craft. This consistency is their brand. It's their signature style. They think it, breathe it, live it. It's a part of who they are as your brand should be a part of who you are.
And now for a few examples in nonfiction:
Jack Canfield (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul; The Success Principles) - Jack is the PERFECT example of brand genius. Take a look at everything this author does and you'll see a seamless thread run through his online presence to his books to his seminars. Jack IS his brand. He absolutely lives his message.
Seth Godin (Purple Cow; Poke the Box) - Godin is known, especially recently, to offer the latest thought provoking and somewhat radical paradigm shifts in marketing and human productivity. With a full blog and book schedule, Godin is a prime example of a solid brand.
Suze Orman (The Money Class: Learn to Create Your New American Dream) - Orman is the Oprah of financial planning and has created a career founded simply on living the message she preaches.
It's important to keep in mind that these three nonfiction authors had full, successful careers delivering their message and living their brand before they published their books; their books just make it possible to reach a larger audience. Your book doesn't automatically make you a brand - the way you've successfully (or even not so successfully) presented yourself and your intellectual property IS what defines your brand.
There's more to author branding I'd like to share this week, with more insight from MJ. Now that you've got an idea of how to approach the idea of an author brand, I'll let you in on how REBEL helps their clients develop their own personal brand by showing them how to "stay on brand" and what a branding company like REBEL can do for you.
Your Action: This week, consider your core passions and values. Do they translate into your work? Your writing? Your life? If not, why not? Clarity of voice, clarity of the image you present comes through clarity of self. Dig deep, writers.
More author branding workshopping on Wednesday!
Here's to a productive kick-off to your week!
TLC
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Kerry Lauerman
Joan Walsh
Salon.com
Comments
And as someone who is a big believer in internet marketing for authors, that brand needs to extend to the author's online presence. Or more specifically, it can be enhanced through the author's blog, social media networks, etc.
And remember, little effort every day pays off!
I'll focus more on social media and author websites on Wednesday, when I post part two.