Authors who want to break into publishing must ask themselves:
- What kind of people hold the same beliefs, purpose, and energy as I do?
- What about my work will reside within the hearts and minds of my readers?
- What about my work will attract partners and support?
- How will readers respond to my work?
In other words, Who will care and why?
Spiritual Brand
In a previous post called What’s Your Brand, I talked about what I learned in Janet Conner’s “Plug In” tele-course about “Spiritual Branding.”
According to Janet, “A spiritual brand is so much more than words; it is a powerful force that radiates the belief, purpose, focus, and energy you hold for and around your work.”
She urged all course members to zero in and focus on their spiritual brands.
Why?
Because by doing so, we would attract customers and partners who hold the same beliefs, purpose, and energy in the world.
Our spiritual brand, Janet said, must articulate clearly what we do, express why our work matters, and show how the world would be a better place because our work is in it.
Here is what I came up with in response:
My Brand Statement
Everyone has the capacity for spiritual and emotional freedom.
Through my novels–which synthesize heart and mind, science and spirituality–I inspire people to activate their gifts, retire their excuses, and stand in their own authority.
As more people release their greater potential into the universe, a greater consciousness will be forged for the benefit of all.
Next, Janet encouraged us to decide what we wanted our readers to say in response to our work.
Here’s what I came up with:
My Readers’ Walk Away Impressions
Through my novels, readers will feel encouraged to step away from conditioned responses and follow their intuition and internal guidance to step into their own life stories.
My stories will open their eyes to sources of inspiration outside of the status quo to help them negotiate the complexities of their lives.
With my brand statement and readers’ walk away impressions firmly in mind, I can zero in on who my potential readers are and find a way to meet their wants and needs.
That’s where my author platform comes in, a subject of many future posts, I’m sure.
For more information about Janet Conner and her tele-courses, CLICK HERE.
As always, thanks for stopping by,
Two very interesting concepts, Margaret. Because I finally (in my senior years, but not yet in my dotage) realized my writing style is humorous essayist, accepted that I will never be a novelist, and acknowledged it is too late for me to grow up to be Dave Barry, I am writing "An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel" as a series of humorous essays with photographic illustrations.
I never thought to define my brand statement, but have had a fairly clear idea of what I want my readers' walk-away impressions to be. I want them to laugh, and I want them to feel encouraged to try the things they have always avoided "just because" …because they're too tired, because they have chronic pain, because they have a disability of any sort. I want them to know it is better to try than to give up.
Thank you for giving me food for thought today.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Well, good for you, Kay. Your belief, purpose and focus shine through. You know your "brand (humorous essayist)." You also know your readers' "walk away response."
I think you can publish your humorous essays and accompanying illustrations into a book for people to enjoy. If you don't want to go through the delay that traditional publishing entails, you could turn to self publishing. Many people are doing so with excellent results. We all need more humor in our lives and the wisdom that often comes with it. A little honey to help the medicine go down.
In the mean time, I commend you for helping to make the world a better place through your writing.
Branding is essential to author, to attract your target audience. You have to be able to describe you story beyond, it's YA, Chick lit, or what have you. The cover of your book is where it all starts, from there the back describes the book. And hopefully the book will deliver.
Hi L.A. Describing your story and what you and your work represent is harder than it sounds, especially when you're trying to do it in three sentences or less. You're right, the back cover of your book is where readers go to see if they want to buy and read your story. You don't have much room–or time to hook them.
Hi Margaret, I never thought of a brand for a book, but perhaps a memoir would be a brand. To me it is a spiritual connection to your past. Those people writing tell you about your ancestry, and how they lived so you will learn how far your own life has progressed. And it is up to you to get better.
Hi Dorothy. Yes, author brand was a new concept for me, too, but it makes sense. It helps authors clarify, especially for the sake of marketing, what they are trying to say/do and to/for whom. A memoir has a totally different meaning/purpose than a mystery, for instance, and the audience for a memoir wouldn't necessarily be the same than for a mystery. According to Joanna Penn of the Creative Penn, the 3 critical things you need to build your author platform online are 1. Decide on your brand and your goals, 2. Build your online hub, and 3. Choose one social network and focus time there.