Indie Author Basics: Author Branding

Branding is often associated with big companies, but an indie author needs a brand as well.

What is an Author Brand?

An author brand tells readers what makes your work unique. It implies a promise to readers of what they can expect and what you will consistently deliver. It should also say something about YOU as an author and what your WORK is like.

How do you develop an Author Brand?

Develop a clear concept of who you are as an author by asking yourself a few questions:

What type of writer are you? What type of books do you write? What steam level are your books? What makes your books unique in your genre? What makes you as an author unique?

Use the answers to these questions to develop a slogan/tagline and/or logo to communicate your brand to readers. A slogan/tagline should say something more than what genre you write in. Here are a few examples to consider:

Jennifer Laslie: Merging imagination and reality

Harper Kincaid: Because sassy romance is your drug of choice

Lori Ann Bailey: History with heat and heart

DelSheree Gladden (me!): A little bit of everything…A whole lot of romance

Many author use their slogans on their logo, but it’s not a must. Plenty of authors have their names or initials stylized for their logo instead. Whichever you decide to do, make sure it looks professional and that it encapsulates you as a writer, your personality, and what makes you unique in your genre(s).