Hi All!
I’ve been a bad blogger, and I apologize. But I’ve found a new critique partner Joanne who is awesome, and I’m getting a ton of work done! Tonight I e-mailed the revised first three chapters of my WIP to my agent to see if I’m heading in the right direction.

Now. On to my post for today. Author Branding. (And no, this does not have to do with getting your writing genre/subgenre tattooed on a visible body part for easy identification!)

According to Theresa Meyers, President of Blue Moon Communications, when we talk about an author brand we are talking about building an image, perception or identity that is used to create “emotional Velcro” first, a perception of higher quality second and that little “something special” that no one else can offer third.

According to an article by Edwin Colyer at brandchannel, “Authors become brands if they write a certain kind of book. They build up brand loyalty – you know what you’re going to get when you read one of their books. By the nature of their craft you won’t get something wildly different. You know what you are going to get.”

I got the idea for this post while sitting in the audience of the CAROLE KING/JAMES TAYLOR concert this past weekend. First let me tell you….it was FANTABULOUS, and if you have the opportunity to see them, I highly recommend it.

Here are two singers/songwriters in their sixties, whose careers have spanned decades, still performing to sold out crowds. Why? Because they give the people what they want. They sing their songs the way people expect to hear them. Sure they changed things up, but I got what I paid for, and would happily have paid more for if I had to. Carole King and James Taylor have a brand. What comes to mind when you think of them? Ballads. Heartfelt lyrics. Quality. (As hard as it is finding the perfect words, imagine setting them to music. Yikes!)

So as writers, we should take a lesson from these iconic performers by finding our niche and giving our readers (aka customers) what they expect from us….our best work in a form they are familiar with.

What are your thoughts on author branding? (Or James Taylor and Carole King?!?!)