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Branding is about having a consistent message, delivering it clearly, connecting with the audiences emotionally, and then motivating them to buy our products and services.
Think for a moment – would you buy a product that has not been consistently marketed to you?
Most likely not!
The same principle applies to Authors. You have written a great book, there’s no doubt about it. But why will anyone apart from your friends and family buy it? Do they know you? Do they trust you? Why should they care?
1. Trust
Writing a good book is one part of the puzzle and sometimes the easiest piece. If you have a good product, people will be curious to investigate it, but reaching out to the right audience and having them click on the buy button needs some extra work.
That’s where Author branding comes into the picture. It’s creating an image, a consistent identity so your readers start recognizing you. We all know Stephen King is a suspense author and J.F. Penn writes thrillers.
Working on your online and offline presence, showing your authentic self to the readers, sharing regularly about your book progress, highs and lows helps with building trust among your fans.
2. Standing Out From the Crowd
The number of books being published in the U.S. and the World has exploded. Bowker reports that over one million books were self-published in 2017. Since 2012, the number of ISBNs assigned to self-published titles has grown by 156 percent.
With so much noise, how can authors position themselves and distinguish their work from others in their genre?
Today, using the power of social media, authors can tap into the emotions of the readers and provide them with an overall experience that their competition is missing. Sharing articles, whether on your personal blog or outside publications, being interviewed on various podcasts, collaborating with other authors from the same or different genres, and being their cheerleader during their book launch will put you in front of new readers who will eventually become your dedicated fan base.
3. Changing Publishing Landscape
Marketing themselves is of utmost importance for self-published authors to sell their books; but, with a changing publishing scenario, it’s becoming important for authors trying to pitch their book for traditional publishing. Traditional publishers will pay more attention to you if you have a following, a community that loves your work, and such a following comes with strong branding. Your book genres, your book covers, your social media presence, your website, your logo, your headshot – everything should consistently remind your readers about you, even in their sleep. As Jeff Bezos says, “A brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Now, that is some branding!
4. Branding Helps You Sell
If you are serious about building a career as an author, then you need to focus on branding yourself. Effective branding serves as the foundation that attracts the right readers and opportunities to you. Building your reputation as an author can put you on the pedestal as a speaker, coach, and an expert in your field/genre, thus bringing you multiple sources of revenue.
As an author, you want to just write, but if you want to create an impact with your books and share your message with a wider audience, then you must focus on branding.
Parul Agrawal holds a double Master’s in Engineering and is an author and entrepreneur who has helped over 100 writers become bestselling authors. She is the founder of an International Publishing Platform where she helps thought leaders in the areas of health, wellness, and consciousness write their books, achieve bestseller authority status, and land in mainstream media.
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