Creating An Author Brand

I remember a time when I had no idea what branding yourself as an author meant. I mean, I knew what branding was. Sort of. Products you encounter every day have branding. You can't look at certain logos, even without the name of the company on it, and not think of that company. THAT IS BRANDING!

 

But why is this important for an author?

 

It's very important, actually.

 

Think about it this way. When you're looking at a group of books, how do you know which ones are part of the same series? It's branding.

 

All the books in my Serpent's Kiss series not only have Kiss in the title, but they also have the same color scheme. This makes it clear to readers that yes, these books are in fact part of the same series. There's no guessing. It's clear.

 

That's what branding does. It tells people, readers in the case of books, what to expect when they purchase a story. It's why authors use the same font on the covers of all their books. Some even take it a step farther and make sure the placement of their name on their covers is consistent.

 

Having a consistent font is important for a couple of reasons. First, it just looks better, more professional. Think how it would look if every time you went to buy your favorite cookies, the name on the box was in a different font. You might stop and question if these were really your favorite cookies or a knock off trying to be your favorite cookies.

 

As an author, you don't want this happening with your books.

 

Every author has their own voice and that is what draws a reader in. They learn what to expect from an author and want more of it. Branding is the neon arrow guiding the reader directly to more of what they already loved.

 

But branding is more than just the fonts on a book cover. It's an author's logo, their website, the way they present themselves online, and even how they set up their table at book signings. It's all branding.

 

When I published my first book over a decade ago, I had no idea about branding. I just wrote the book, sent it off to the publisher, and moved on to writing the next story. And while most of us wish it were that simple and it would be like in the movie Field of Dreams 'if you build it they will come', or in this case 'if we write and publish it they will read it', that's just not how it works.

 

I was lucky in that after my first standalone novel, I wrote two series. The font on my covers was at least consistent within each series, if not across series.

 

If I had to do it over again, I would have pushed to make sure all my branding was consistent. And when I set up my website, I would have been sure to use the same font for that as well.

 

The goal is for a reader to glance at your book and know exactly what they're going to get. As Donald Miller says in his book Building A Story Brand, if a customer has to think too hard about whether or not to purchase your product, then they will most likely just move on.

 

Finding Your Focus - Bound by Books Podcast Episode 53

 

 

Do you ever have trouble finding the time to write? Do you have dedicated time for marketing? I'm talking this week with Danielle Bannister about how each of us balance writing and marketing with a day job.

 

    ...

 

The Hosts 

 

Amazon

 

Amazon

Advertising Erotic Romance

Have you ever tried to run an AMS ad for an erotic romance? It's not easy. First, your cover can't be suggestive in any way. No couples in bed or looking as if they are about to rip each other's clothes off. Oh, and your blurb...make sure there are no mentions of 'alpha' males or 'Dominance' or 'submission'. But that's just Amazon.

Marketing anything remotely sexy comes with it's pitfalls. And the sexier it is, the more of a challenge it becomes.

 

I've tried to market my stories, even the tamer ones, on Amazon, but they always get rejected. If not for the cover, then for the blurb.

 

Of course, I could always use a different cover or tweak my blurb, and sometimes that's a feasible option. Sometimes it's not.

 

The last thing you want is to attract the wrong readers to your story. Your cover and your blurb should let the reader know what to expect. A cover photo of a couple holding hands doesn't exactly scream sexy book with explicit content.

 

Amazon isn't the only advertising platform that has restrictions when it comes to sexy books. Facebook is another platform that makes authors jump through hoops in order to run ads. While they are a bit more lenient on the covers themselves, they will still sometimes reject them on the initial submission. 

 

But it isn't the cover that will usually get you on Facebook. It's the background photo. Again, you're setting a mood to let readers know what to expect when they pick up your book. However, Facebook is as strict as Amazon when it comes to background pictures. No couples in bed, not even a steamy embrace.

 

With all these obstetrical, what are erotic romance authors to do?

 

First, have a newsletter. There is no greater marketing tool than a newsletter full of readers that enjoy the types of books you write.

 

There are a few effective ways to build your newsletter. Just adding random names or getting involved in blanket promos to gain subscribers isn't a great way to go about it.

 

1) Write a newsletter magnet. This is often a short story or novella, but it doesn't have to be. As long as you're willing to give it away for free in exchange for a newsletter sign up, it will work. However, in order to get the biggest bang for your buck, it should also tie into your books.

 

My newsletter magnet is the prequel to my Serpent's Kiss series, Welcome to Serpent's Kiss. It's a 12K story that introduces readers to the club, the club mistress, and some of the club members...including Beth and Drew, the couple featured in the first novel of the series, Burning for Her Kiss. 

 

The story can be purchased on retail sites, but readers can get it for free if they sign up for my newsletter. And the best part is you can advertise this reader magnet on your website, in groups, and even through Facebook Ads.

 

2) Join Promos. I know I just said don't join random promos and that's true, but targeted promos are another thing entirely and Bookfunnel is a great, and cheap, way to do it.

 

Depending on the features you want, Bookfunnel costs anywhere from $100-$150 a year and with that you get a lot. When it comes to building your newsletter lists, there are group promos you can join that are filtered by genre and trope. There are also newsletter swaps you can join with authors who write in the same heat level and genre in order to find new readers.

 

There are other ways besides your newsletter to advertise your books even if write erotic romance. Bookbub Ads and newsletter aggregators such as Freebooksy and The Fussy Librarian are a few. But by far the most cost effective way to advertise, erotic romance or not, is through  your own newsletter.

 

Building A Relationship With Your Readers

There are so many ways to build a relationship with your readers, but one of the best ways is through your newsletter.

 

Unlike social media that controls who sees your posts and how often, newsletters give you direct access to your subscriber's inbox. They have given you permission to email them. They want to hear from you.

 

That permission, however, comes with great responsibility. The last thing you want to do is spam your readers with email after email that says BUY MY BOOK!

 

So what should you be sending to your readers?

 

When asking this question, the best thing to do is think about what you like to get from brands you love. Do you want them to notify you of a new item? A sale? What about a giveaway they might be having? Of course you do, but those options are only the tip of the ice burg.

As an author, you put a little piece of yourself in every book you write and readers, for the most part, are curious as to the person behind the vale. A newsletter is your opportunity to give them a peak of your life, of who you are. It's a way to form a connection with your readers.

 

You can also share about what you're working on. Talk about the book you're currently writing, your progress, and any research you're doing for the story. This week I shared with my subscribers how I spent a half hour watching a a tutorial on wax play for the BDSM romance I'm writing. It not only gets them excited about your story, but it also shows the dedication you have to making your story the best it can be.

 

Another way you can show your subscribers they are important to you is by providing them exclusive content. We see this a lot through newsletter magnets written with the express purpose of having readers sign up to join your list, but it doesn't have to stop there.

 

In this week's episode of the Bound by Books Podcast, my co-host, Danielle Bannister, shared how she writes a short story for her newsletter every month. Her open rates have increased as readers want to read their free story.

I've recently begun doing something similar. Each week I'm writing a short, 100 word snap shot based on a picture and sharing it in my newsletter.

 

But it doesn't have to be writing. It can be anything you want. Some more unique things I've seen have been puzzles, downloadable bookmarks, maps of fictional cities, and character family trees. All of these are great ideas for how to bring more value to your readers and to show them how much you appreciate them.

 

Do I Need A Newsletter - Bound By Books Podcast Episode 47

 

 

 

This week I'm talking with Danielle Bannister about newsletters. We're discussing why it's important for authors to have a newsletter and some of the things we do to bring value to our readers.

 

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The Hosts 

 

Amazon

 

Amazon