How To Build An Author Brand

Your brand also makes you recognizable. Fans of your work should be able to immediately recognize your website, emails, books, merchandise, social media, and anything else you release into the world because of your brand.

People like to feel like they are a part of something. Your fanbase and brand are something your readers can join and feel like they belong to, but if you don’t build that brand and experience, they won’t have that feeling of belonging.

When it comes to building your brand, remember it’s not just about you. It’s also about your reader. You want to pick colors, fonts, and language that fit your personality and will attract the type of people most likely to want and enjoy your book. I asked friends who were fantasy readers to look over my branding and see if they’d be drawn to it. I did the same for Ignited Ink Writing. You should check your branding with your audience too.

Don’t build your brand around a single book if you’re a multi-book author. I’ve seen too many authors make their website domain the title of their book instead of their pen name or just copy the color scheme from their book cover. This only works if you only plan on writing and marketing one book or series. That is not most authors. Your author brand is separate from your book’s design. They should complement each other naturally because they are both from you and your writing, but they don’t need to match.

I know marketing isn’t what you want to do as an author, but brand building can be fun and creative. View it as a part of your writing, and you’ll enjoy it more. Remember, your author brand attracts the right readers and makes you stand out, so start building yours to Ignite Your Ink.

Make a list of your key brand values. These should inform your whole marketing strategy, including:

• Your tone of voice
• The fonts, colors and imagery you use
• The design of your marketing (website, logo, book covers, marketing materials)
• Your content (what you post and where)
• Your author headshots
• Your blurb and bio

You have to decide how you want readers to perceive you. Your brand doesn’t need to be restrictive, and many of it will come naturally based on your preferences, but it should be consistent. Your books, website and social media should blend together naturally. Use the same tone of voice, colors and imagery throughout. Imagine, for example, picking up a book featuring a decorative swirled logo only to find it’s a gripping psychological thriller. Or looking up a romance author online to find a website full of dark imagery and dripping blood. These are extreme examples but plenty of authors change the colors and imagery from one marketing piece to the next. Use the same headshot or logo across your social media channels to give your readers a consistent experience. Set a color palette throughout your communications. Make sure your tone of voice is a constant. Consistency gives a sense of professionalism. You may want to take this further and create your own personal style guide, setting out your chosen:

• Fonts
• Colors
• Logo usage
• Tone of Voice
• Imagery
• Style guidelines

As you evolve as an author so will your author brand. This is when the need to rebrand and adapt arises. Review your branding periodically to ensure that it reflects you as an author and is consistent. Build your account around your unique strengths and you’ll attract loyal readers.