witter (ˈwɪtə)
vb – (often foll by: on) to chatter or babble pointlessly or at unnecessary length
n – pointless chat; chatterCollins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
Today I wanted to expound a wee bit on everything that’s been going on in writer’s land, aka my head. First of all, you may have noticed I made some new branding banners! For my big professional branding/designing, I always use Najla Qamber Designs, because they’re amazing and none of my graphics compare honestly. But I finally discovered how to properly use Canva, this kick-ace and more importantly free platform you can make all kinds of designs and if you get the hang of it, look pretty professional. So here are my banners:
Pretty, right? So I’ll be honest, for years I didn’t see the point of “branding” as they call it. The term gets thrown around so much. Ex.- “author brand” which is a fancy way of saying “the way I sell ME”. (hmm…disturbing when you think too hard about it)
So you can do it two different ways, that I know of. You can either make the “brand” focused on your books. Some of my closest author friends won’t use their personal images on anything and I have high respect for that. It makes your brand all about the work and not about you. If you aren’t super extroverted, or at least prepared to pretend you’re an extrovert, this is the route for you.
But if you’re a bit of a mix like me, you can choose the other way. This means you need a consistent photo to spread around, plus little things like this help:
The above look much better than my Canva, and that’s again thanks to NQD. But that’s a basic example of how you can make a recognizable name for yourself.
Since everyone is self-publishing these days, branding can be an imperative took (lol…Took…) tool for getting your books out there. This won’t guarantee you sell a lot of copies, you know. Branding is only part of the business. And you are a business now, if you choose to write for more than a hobby. If you look at any business, there’s a manifesto, a recognizable image or logo and certain expectations for what you can expect.
You don’t walk into Hot Topic looking for scented lotions, like you don’t walk into Bath & Body looking for a new lip ring or metal record. So that’s when you wanna bring in book branding.
I didn’t start out in this business with branding in mind. Like you I just wanted to write books. Problem was I didn’t just wanna write YA Sci-fi, or fantasy. I wanted to write at least one book in every genre. So I wrote a Heaven’s Edge Novella (Qeya) and then Silver Hollow, two totally different genres. Then I wrote a paranormal romance (Stay) and then after doing another HE Novella (Ohre), I published Craving Beauty an epic fantasy. Other author friends of mine literally have different names for each genre they write in. This, I also have respect for. Because oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine the amount of work that goes into multiple author platforms. My top hats off to you amazing peeps.
Branding wasn’t what I set out to write about today, but it was on my mind apparently 🙂 And I’m always happy to share with y’all things I learn, in particular mistakes I learn from. I know I’m not quite there yet. As an Indie author I’m constantly evolving in the way I run my micro-business and my writing.
Goals for this week
- Finish revising/rewriting five chapters of #NewSilverHollow
- Finish writing new #Tamn chapter
- Finish short Hades/Persephone Story
I have a few things to finish 😉 I’ll dive more into the writing process my next update, and share a little of the latest world domination plans. Stay tuned tomorrow for a new #TuesdayTeaser and check out my Epic Fantasy Craving Beauty ($.99 only!).
Have a lovely day!
Helpful Links
“The Writing Is All That Really Matters” -Susan Dennard
4 Methods for Developing Any Idea Into a Great Story -Jane Friedman
Jennifer Silverwood 