What is Branding?
A hot iron burned onto the backside of
a cow is not what this is about.
This is about how indie authors brand themselves to sell their books, otherwise known as – Image
Personification!
The functionality of good branding is to connect favorably with other people to entice them to buy whatever you’re
selling. Being positive and energetic is a good thing. People like go-getters.
Being yourself can be a good thing too, (but don’t be
yourself.) Be somebody who everybody likes. Be agreeable. Be smart. (People
like smart people, but not too smart. Arrogantly smart is a turn-off.) Honesty
is important. People generally don’t like a liar. It’s okay to write
fantastical lies, (fiction), just don’t do it when selling yourself; tell the
truth.
My brand is simple, cynical, and
sarcastic. I write thought-provoking fantasy adventure novels. I
am a lukewarm person. Don’t be Lukewarm. Davos Lukewarm is a character in one
of my books, and he ain’t very bright.
If your current brand is not working,
change your brand. I know, change is scary. But that’s what branding is all
about, searching, changing, and adjusting until you find an adorable and lovable
brand – known as the sweet spot that attracts customers.
Oh, and your book has to be at least
partially good, partially unique, or uniquely decent. Also, a bad book can be
successful too, if you have an awesome brand or a team of marketing experts.
Point of Order: Don’t have an
annoying brand.
Example: Repeatedly screaming –
PLEASE BUY MY BOOKS! I worked really hard on them. You’ll love them. Blah,
Blah, Blah!
Silly and sarcastically annoying ain’t
a good brand either. I speak from experience. I lost the genetic lottery, but I
won the race to the egg, so I got that going for me.
 |
| My first attempt at branding was not good. |
Pounding your product at a customer seems to be an acceptable practice, but it's really annoying. People don’t like to be annoyed. People like to be entertained. Mix it up. Adapt. Change. Reconstruct.
If you’ve tried several brands and
they all failed - change your name, move to another country, and write a book
on how to properly weave horse hair into dinner place mats. I have already
changed my name 27 times, moved to 15 different countries, and I currently
write fantasy novels, but I am afraid to publish them because I am still
searching for a likable brand. I haven’t given up just yet. I am constantly recreating
my image and imagining something strange.
Find a brand that works best for you,
and then - OWN IT BABY! Take the ball and run. Score! Fly like and eagle. Get
excited. Go Crazy. Sell lots of books.
Schizophrenic? That might be a brand
that works for me.
“Mr. Kafka, you’ve tried that and it
didn’t work.”
“True, but maybe I need to refine how
I talk to you?
“No.”
“But, jimmy, . . .”
“No!”
“I have some new ideas!”
“No, no you don’t.”
“Why are you always so negative?”
“Do I really need to explain that,
Mr. Kafka?
“No, I reckon not.”
Good Luck, fellow indie authors. I
hope you find the right Image Personification that works for you!
j/k
