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Learning My Author Brand

Hello, everyone!

I'm Brooklyn Ann and boy I learned a lot this weekend!

For my monthly RWA meeting author Bonnie R. Paulson and I put on a workshop about author marketing. And the first part of it was the most important: Learning your author brand.

For authors who predominately write in one genre, like our fabulous historical romance author, Shana Galen, branding is easy. When you pick up one of her books you know you're going to get some awesome regency spies, sensual and touching chemistry, and maybe even some pirates and carriage races.

Her website clearly depicts historical romance with eloquent pictures of a lady's fan, a horse & carriage, and a quill with a pot of ink. And I LOVE her color scheme.

But with authors who write more than one genre, figuring out our brand, much less how to advertise it, can be tricky.

Bonnie R. Paulson did a fantastic job with hers. Though she write apocalyptic fiction, Zombie YA, romantic suspense, AND western romance, she has one theme that ties them all together: Survival.

She even has it as a tagline on her website: "It's all about survival."

AND she does the cutest youtube videos called "One Minute Survival Mama" for all sorts of useful tips. Here's one where she shows you how to make a mini greenhouse.  


So that got me thinking. I write historical paranormal romance, urban fantasy romance, and contemporary romance featuring heavy metal bands.

What ties all of those together? Eventually I came to the conclusion that they're all either broken or strange in some way.

From my scarred and crippled Lord Vampire hero and aspiring physician heroine in Bite at First Sight to my guitarist heroine who has been taught to hate her femininity in Kissing Vicious, they are all misfits in some way.

And they all find love.

So I finally came up with a tagline: "Love for the Broken and Strange."


I'm still tweaking the graphic a little, but I'm going to use it as a graphic on my newsletter... that I'm finally putting together.

That was another thing I learned from Bonnie. I need a newsletter!

The first issue should be out in a few days and will include an exclusive excerpt and a free book!

If you'd like you can sign up here.

I learned a million other things and I will share my adventures along the way.

Oh, and I also managed to pull off a Pinterest recipe!

Theirs:


Mine: 

My son was very pleased. :D


Comments

  1. Wow! Thanks for the kudos. I struggle with branding too, believe it or not. There are different types of historicals--funny, dark, adventurous. Since my books are all three of those and some more one element than the other, it can make branding tough. Still working to get it right. Love your new brand, though. I think it's perfect.

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  2. Yay! Thanks! You're one of my big heroes, you know.

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  3. Interesting tagline...I'm glad you like it! Impressive cake!

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  4. What a great post! And I absolutely love your tag line! LOL It works with all of your wonderful books!

    Kindly thank your buddy for the mini greenhouse idea. I have some very precious 4 leaf clover seeds, and I hope to grow them in late Jan or early Feb for my next Sourcebook release in the spring, which features Irish dragons and Leprechauns. LOL Maybe I'll have a chance at keeping them alive with her survival skills!

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