You may be asking, “Personal branding? I don’t care what people think I just want to write what I want,” but the reality of this business is that people want to personalize it, even if you are just writing science fiction. It’s not just about the story, it about who’s writing it, and how the reader can connect to their favorite author. Personal branding isn’t just about your image, but also what you have accomplished. You think your writings good, but how are you going to get anyone to read it if they don’t know who you are.
As a writer it might be scary to think of something so corporate, but let’s think of how you view other authors you look up to. How did you come to finding their writing? Did you hear an interview of them promoting their book? Did you see a picture of their book in a book store? Were you scrolling through Barns and Nobles online and find the store promoting them? These are all personal branding skill, promoting, talking about themselves, and placing their products where ever they think the reader will find them.
So how do you get started? If you’re someone like me, a little no one writer struggling to make it big, you need to produce and publish where-ever you can. Send send send, and when you’re done sending you might want to send again. Without getting your name out there how are people going to know who you are? For some authors it all starts with short stories, and poems published in writing magazines. For the sake of this blog let’s talk about science fiction magazines.
Probably one of the most popular science fiction/ fiction magazines for writers is Book Riot, Science Fiction/ Fantasy. They publishes anything that plays into the scientific sphere, and all it takes and dedication. Unfortunately for the beginner writers this is more of a platform for those who are already well known, but the website is a great example of personal branding. They guide you through some great authors, letting them tell you a little bit about themselves and what they have written. This helps readers find someone they feel connected with before diving into their works.
Shimmer is another great online magazine for getting your personal branding done. They take submission, with guidelines, all science fiction based. This can give a beginning for any science fiction writer who is new to the scene.
It’s easy at first to get intimidated by the act of people reading you work online; they can leave comments, see your picture, and know where to find you on social media. It’s important to remember that not everyone will like what you have to write, but the more people that see your words, the more recognition you will get.
The world of social media can be an unforgiving place. It can be a world where people are unafraid to say whatever they want, but it can also be a world of opportunity. When looking at authors like Stephen King and R.k. Rowling they both have a strong online presents and it actually helps them in the long run.
Stephen King is not only known for his hundreds of different writings, but also for his big twitter display of political talk. His presence on twitter has even caught the eye of Present Obama and President Trump. His political and controversial tweets have led to gaining many followers on this social plat form, bringing in many new writers and fans.
This is a perfect example of how to bring in a following through a personal brand. His ability to express his personality through social media has created a new generation of fans, even at an older age.
J.K. Rowling is another great example. Known for her book series, Harry Potter, she struggled in the early 2000’s to guide people to other books she had written. Her new online presence was presented to a playful website that launch in 2006, where users could play mini puzzles, and games while scrolling through the website. She provided a website that was not only easy to guide through, but also show cased every book published under her name. She was able to bring people into her personality with this website, giving fans a better understanding of who she is, and also what she had done.
So what should we remember?
We should remember that in a world of social media and online commercialism it is important to have an online brand. This industry isn’t just about selling your book, it about sell people the love of whom you are. Personal branding within the writing industry helps shapes the author and what kind of followers they will accumulate. Also remember to personal brand as you grow as an author. Find a social media site that is relevant, find a voice that will bring fan in, and always remember that in a world of writing also be proud of what kind of person and writing you are producing.
Book Riot: https://bookriot.com/author/rita-meade/
Shimmer: https://www.shimmerzine.com/guidelines/fiction-guidelines/
Your Guide to branding Your Writing: https://nybookeditors.com/2016/09/guide-branding-author/
