Somehow we made it to Friday and it's my last day this round in the Tollbooth. We've covered an amazing amount of territory on author branding but in some ways we've barely skimmed the surface.
Today we'll talk about taking your personal brand statement and translating into an active brand- getting the look. And I'll recommend other resources on personal brands.
What does your brand look like?
If your personal brand is you... it looks like you. The way you dress and physically present yourself. But as authors, most of the time we aren't meeting our audience face to face. The way you convey your image on the web, in business cards and brochures, in bios blurbs and conference materials must reflect you. It has to have THE LOOK of you.
But how do you get there?
This week both Mara and Shawn spoke about trying to come up with a website that reflects their own personalities. Today I'm talking to Julie Berry,
author of the much buzzed about The Amaranth Enchantment. 
Julie has a gorgeous website. She's also done a smashing job of conveying who she is in interviews and print media. How many other debut authors rate a prominent article in a major paper like The Boston Globe? She lives her brand and today she'll take us through finding her look, step by step.
Hi Julie! I've told you many times how much I love your website. It's packed with information and it conveys the "real Julie". Was that hard to pull off? How did you do it?
Hi Tami. I spent a long time thinking about and planning my website, and my author "brand" in general, before I built or bought anything. That's probably lesson number one, the tailor's proverb: measure twice, cut once. I think many authors throw up a website, pull together a bookmark, a brochure, etc., and before you know it their non-deliberate brand is a hodgepodge of things that don't fit. But because you've invested time and money in those marketing collateral assets, you're stuck with them.
Plan first! Great advice. Just the thing we're doing with our branding worksheet and personal brand statement. What was your next step?
I looked at many author websites as I thought about what image of myself I wanted to project. A part of me would have preferred not to need to create any type of image of myself -- to just hide behind the books, so to speak. There's something a bit artificial and uncomfortable about promoting yourself, as opposed to your work. But, I knew that as a new author, I would want to engage with my readers, and so I needed to come up with something that I felt was true to who I am (or as true as possible), and something that, at the end of the day, I could live with.
Great we're still on track with you. So how did you seize on your own individual look? Your website is so personal, fun yet informative.
I'm impressed! Not only that you came up with that gargoyle, envisioning even his tone and personality (a lot like your own!), but also that you carried it through. The reading rather than writing piece is fascinating. Once you had that image how did you translate it to a website?
Thanks Julie! This is all tremendously helpful. Julie was able to do lots of her development on her own but when she needed the help of a professional illustrator and web designer she sought help. What she ended up with is AMAZING. That gargoyle can follow her anywhere.
Now a few more links to branding and design resources.
I got ideas for my website by scouring design resources all over the internet. I particularly liked looking at sites that collect a wide spectrum of websites, not necessarily author sites. Here's one. And another. And another. Talk about taking a peak at something and looking up to see the whole day is gone! But they're great fun.
This site has some good articles about personal brands.
And hey... there are always books! I've ordered this one
To be perfectly honest the cover was one the the things that sold me- I love the red spotted egg in the nest.
This article has GREAT information about how to project your brand on the internet and it's specific to authors.
So that's it for my week. There are lots of other issues to cover. What else do you want to know about when it comes to finding and projecting your personal brand? Comment here and I will always respond. Or you can email me after the week is done at tamilewisbrown at yahoo dot com.
~TLB
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Today we'll talk about taking your personal brand statement and translating into an active brand- getting the look. And I'll recommend other resources on personal brands.
What does your brand look like?
If your personal brand is you... it looks like you. The way you dress and physically present yourself. But as authors, most of the time we aren't meeting our audience face to face. The way you convey your image on the web, in business cards and brochures, in bios blurbs and conference materials must reflect you. It has to have THE LOOK of you.
But how do you get there?
This week both Mara and Shawn spoke about trying to come up with a website that reflects their own personalities. Today I'm talking to Julie Berry,
author of the much buzzed about The Amaranth Enchantment. Julie has a gorgeous website. She's also done a smashing job of conveying who she is in interviews and print media. How many other debut authors rate a prominent article in a major paper like The Boston Globe? She lives her brand and today she'll take us through finding her look, step by step.Hi Julie! I've told you many times how much I love your website. It's packed with information and it conveys the "real Julie". Was that hard to pull off? How did you do it?
Hi Tami. I spent a long time thinking about and planning my website, and my author "brand" in general, before I built or bought anything. That's probably lesson number one, the tailor's proverb: measure twice, cut once. I think many authors throw up a website, pull together a bookmark, a brochure, etc., and before you know it their non-deliberate brand is a hodgepodge of things that don't fit. But because you've invested time and money in those marketing collateral assets, you're stuck with them.
Plan first! Great advice. Just the thing we're doing with our branding worksheet and personal brand statement. What was your next step?
I looked at many author websites as I thought about what image of myself I wanted to project. A part of me would have preferred not to need to create any type of image of myself -- to just hide behind the books, so to speak. There's something a bit artificial and uncomfortable about promoting yourself, as opposed to your work. But, I knew that as a new author, I would want to engage with my readers, and so I needed to come up with something that I felt was true to who I am (or as true as possible), and something that, at the end of the day, I could live with.
Great we're still on track with you. So how did you seize on your own individual look? Your website is so personal, fun yet informative.
I decided to downplay the "me" part, keep my photo off the home page, and instead try to use illustration to create a tone, to subtly create an environment, a sense of place, on my site. I asked an illustrator to design me a graphic that could be my mascot -- not quite a logo, because I'm not a consumer product or a company -- but a picture that represented something about me as a reader and writer. I did not want to suggest that I take myself too seriously, that I see myself as smart or wise or deep. After a lot of brainstorming, I said, "How about a gargoyle on a tower?" And that became the gargoyle that appears on my website, sitting at the top of a tower, reading a book. I liked the idea of a tower because it suggested castles and fairy tale settings, but I asked both illustrators I worked with not to be "girlie" or "high fantasy" in what they designed. I decided that storybook-like, youthful, cartoonish, and whimsical would suit me best. The thought of myself as a monster made me smile. Even though my first book has tween and teen readers, I wanted to play up the child reader of storybooks theme. And even though I plan to write non-fantasy works, I felt that a subtle use of these elements was consistent with "reading as a magical world," so to speak. I chose to show myself reading, not writing, because reading is what all book lovers have in common.
I'm impressed! Not only that you came up with that gargoyle, envisioning even his tone and personality (a lot like your own!), but also that you carried it through. The reading rather than writing piece is fascinating. Once you had that image how did you translate it to a website?
So after one artist designed the gargoyle for me, I took that to a web developer who also has a children's illustration background (Chris Becker of Becker Studios,and I highly reccommend him!) and asked him to design a website template for me. I knew what I wanted: stones (to suggest the architecture of the castle) and the gargoyle image on the left, with some curling vines to suggest movement and life. It was a fun process, and barring a few tweaks of the vines, the colors, and the animation behaviors, we had the site done very quickly. But, and this is important: I did not hire the web designer until I had all the content for the site planned and written out. Much money is wasted by not writing and organizing the content first! I manage the corporate website at my day job, so I knew this from painful experience. Not having a full design plan that you've thought through, written, and laid out on paper, can double the time and cost of producing a site with a professional web illustrator/artist.
He delivered me the home page template, and the template for the secondary content. I built the rest of the site from there using Dreamweaver (any web design product would do just as well). So I administer the site and make changes to its content.
I'm delighted with how the site came out, and I hope that it sends a visual message about me that makes people feel comfortable approaching me, and perhaps feel that I love storybooks in the same way that they do.
Thanks Julie! This is all tremendously helpful. Julie was able to do lots of her development on her own but when she needed the help of a professional illustrator and web designer she sought help. What she ended up with is AMAZING. That gargoyle can follow her anywhere.
Now a few more links to branding and design resources.
I got ideas for my website by scouring design resources all over the internet. I particularly liked looking at sites that collect a wide spectrum of websites, not necessarily author sites. Here's one. And another. And another. Talk about taking a peak at something and looking up to see the whole day is gone! But they're great fun.
This site has some good articles about personal brands.
And hey... there are always books! I've ordered this one
To be perfectly honest the cover was one the the things that sold me- I love the red spotted egg in the nest.This article has GREAT information about how to project your brand on the internet and it's specific to authors.
So that's it for my week. There are lots of other issues to cover. What else do you want to know about when it comes to finding and projecting your personal brand? Comment here and I will always respond. Or you can email me after the week is done at tamilewisbrown at yahoo dot com.
~TLB
Today we’re going to push farther in our quest to uncover our own unique brands.
Your brand is made of your core beliefs, your passions, and your abilities. It’s what stands out and what you stand for. If you’ve probed deep enough and been honest enough it will be as unique as your fingerprint.
So how do you pull this unique brand together? First pull your completed worksheet- the questions I posted on Tuesday. Study your answers. Really ponder them.
Now lets get going with a Venn Diagram. You remember these from fourth grade math. Three intersecting circles.
Are you ready?
Fill circle A with what you do better than anyone else. What really sets you apart- whether it’s comforting a friend, writing dialog, meeting deadlines, growing flowers… list them here.
In circle B list what you’re passionate about. It might be teaching, scary movies, feeding the homeless… whatever.
Finally in circle C list what your brand audience cares about. Readers pretty much all want to be entertained… but go to your response to the “imagine three audience members” answer and focus on specifics that those people want. A publisher wants creative, marketable work delivered promptly, for example. A librarian wants engaging literature. A third grade reluctant reader may want to get through chapters fast.
So… now you’re going to write your personal brand statement. This takes a good long time, even for us accomplished writers. It's not supposed to be a slogan. It's a distillation of your promise
Where does the content in those circles intersect? Do you love to garden and write snappy dialog better than anyone? And your reluctant potential readers want a book they can finish along with the rest of the class? There’s good synergy there. You could say “Organic author delivers stories kids are proud to read”.
I’ll give you a couple examples from the non-writing world. Let’s visit the Food Network.
Rachel Ray’s might be something like “regular gal makes cooking fast and fun”.
Paula Deen could be “Southern momma nurtures with home cooked recipes”. Is Paula Deen really who she appears to be? I'd say yes. Her personality is as warm as a buttermilk biscuit fresh from the oven. Having a defined personal brand hasn't made her fake. It's made her authentic qualities stand out and project.
It’s interesting that those Food Network personalities are easy to tag… why do you think that is? Because television- and the Food Network, particularly- puts a high value on their host’s personal brands. It works for them. It’s a very big part of what made these stars into household names. HONESTLY AND TRULY it can work for you, too.
Your personal brand statement will become your compass- the guide for everything you do. The books your write, your website, your appearance... all will reflect this personal brand statement because it is a word picture of who you are and what you're about. Paula Deen doesn't have to strain to keep up the "Southern mamma" image because she's the real deal.
Let's move on to a children's writer. Today, I'm talking to Shawn Stout,
a fellow Vermont College alum, and later this year, a debut author. Shawn's new website is up and it's a doozy. Once you visit I challenge you to get that whistling cow song out of your head. Most writers come to branding through their website, so let's start there. Shawn, what was your goal when you began to think about your new site?
I had a single goal for my Web site. It was simple, really. I wanted it to display my personality—my voice—so that both kids and adults would get a sense of me as a person, and then (hopefully) want to read my books.
When I first started thinking about my Web site, I checked out a lot of authors’ sites. The ones that spoke to me were simple but creative and revealed something about the writer—their distinctive voice. Sara Pennypacker’s Web site is a good example.
Of course, I had no concrete ideas of how to translate my personality into a visual design, but I figured that I would know it when I saw it. And I did. (which, readers, is what will happen for all of us as we work through the exercises and come to the point of framing our personal brand statement)
When my husband first saw my site in development, he said something like, “It’s random and makes absolutely no sense at all [the wandering cow, whistling music, barking dog]—it’s totally you.” I’m pretty sure he meant that as a compliment. I think it works because its whimsy and playfulness fit in well with the humor of my middle grade series and its protagonist, Fiona Finkelstein.
If I were a nonfiction writer, or a vampire novelist, I don’t think my Web site design would necessarily work…well, maybe if we put fangs on the rabbit. Which makes me think that if I ever plan to try my hand at an edgy YA novel, I most likely will have to redesign the site…but I suppose I will jump off that bridge when I come to it.
When I first started thinking about my Web site, I checked out a lot of authors’ sites. The ones that spoke to me were simple but creative and revealed something about the writer—their distinctive voice. Sara Pennypacker’s Web site is a good example.
Of course, I had no concrete ideas of how to translate my personality into a visual design, but I figured that I would know it when I saw it. And I did. (which, readers, is what will happen for all of us as we work through the exercises and come to the point of framing our personal brand statement)
When my husband first saw my site in development, he said something like, “It’s random and makes absolutely no sense at all [the wandering cow, whistling music, barking dog]—it’s totally you.” I’m pretty sure he meant that as a compliment. I think it works because its whimsy and playfulness fit in well with the humor of my middle grade series and its protagonist, Fiona Finkelstein.
If I were a nonfiction writer, or a vampire novelist, I don’t think my Web site design would necessarily work…well, maybe if we put fangs on the rabbit. Which makes me think that if I ever plan to try my hand at an edgy YA novel, I most likely will have to redesign the site…but I suppose I will jump off that bridge when I come to it.
How did it feel revealing the "real you" to the rest of the world?
I have to say, it is such a weird thing for me to have a Web site. I never got into the whole personal blogging about yourself thing…what you ate for breakfast, what you did on the drive to work, etc. I just don’t think I’m that interesting. I’m also a very private person – I’m much more comfortable talking about anything or anybody other than me. So, the idea of having a Web site about me, promoting myself—hey, check me out!—goes against the grain. But I thought back to the olden days—before the Internet—when I was a kid reading Judy Blume and how I wanted to know more about her, not so much about her writing necessarily, but her as a person. Did she think peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without the peanut butter were much better than with it, just like me? To me, writers were like stars in the sky – mysterious and unreachable. Web sites, as I see them, serve to reveal a bit of the mystery, making you more relatable to your audience—an extended hand to readers, so to speak—to bring them in closer. So, my marketing strategy is to be myself, and present myself in an accessible and (hopefully) fun way to my readers.
That's a great thing to remember, Shawn. Websites and our personal brands are ways we reach out to child readers, make them more excited about our books and reading in general. Whenever I do a school visit I'm reminded how special it is for a kid to actually get to know someone who writes books- and especially to see I'm just an ordinary person. They see they can follow their personal dreams- even write books. Reaching kids in this way changes lives.
I feel like I've barely started down the road to personal branding but our week is almost up. We'll finish the branding exercises tomorrow and I'll have suggestions for how you can project your personal brand to the world. I'll also answer your questions. So what is it that still confuses or confounds you about finding your personal brand?
~TLB
Michael Jordan was amazing- the best basketball player ever. And certainly the most naturally talented. What was his brand? Smack down superiority. Consistent championship-winning ability. Natural talent that couldn’t be stopped.
I’m originally from Kentucky where basketball is king
but this image pretty well sums up my basketball ability.
A basketball player is NOT who I am- as a person or as a brand. When it comes to defining my own brand I don’t want to be like Mike- or anybody else. I want- in fact I MUST- be ME and only me.
But why is authenticity so important? Why can’t I photoshop a few pictures and portray myself on my website as the sportiest kid’s writer on the block? Why can’t I recolor everything pink and say I’m the next Meg Cabot or Cecily von Ziegesar? They have successful recognizable brands. They’re really successful. Or even better why can’t I just think up my own very commercial brand and say that’s who I am?
“An inauthentic brand is not sustainable,” says Joelle Ziemian, vice president of the international marketing firm Lipman Hearne. “Your brand must be authentic because over and over you are going to have to bring it to life. The second you try to fake it everybody knows and you lose credibility.”
Lately the big buzz in the world of branding is both Barack and Michelle Obama’s success at defining and communicating their brands. William Arruda, author of Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand recently said “Obama is ‘perhaps the best example of personal branding we have today.’ Effective branding is ‘based in authenticity, and the thing that makes [Obama] so successful and so confident is that he is being who he is.’ “
Obama has won over many supporters in part because they believe he is the person they see- smart, perhaps a bit nerdy, ethical, trustworthy, forceful and practical. We regard him as an authentic leader so we are willing to follow.
All right. I know I’m not Michael Jordan, Meg Cabot, or Barak Obama (big surprises there) and I know it’s no good faking it.
SO WHO AM I?
Some writers say they are afraid of branding because they’re afraid of being pigeonholed.
I believe that’s a cover up for their real fear. A brand that doesn’t pigeonhole you- that in fact frees you to be everything you are and everything you dream of being- is based on the authentic you.
But who is that authentic you?
This is the question that terrifies most writers. We’re used to coming up with personality traits and defining our characters by their actions, but sometimes we hide behind those imaginary characters. We’re scared to take a long hard look at ourselves.
Start looking, honey.
I promised you a branding worksheet today so let’s get started.
I’m taking a fantastic class at MediaBistro, Brand Yourself, taught by Laurie Sheer. Some of these questions I’ve derived, in part, from work we’re doing in class. Most are questions I’ve come to from reading dozens of branding articles and speaking to a variety of media experts, agents and editors. Again I’m not a branding professional- I’m a children’s writer. But I think this checklist can send you on your way to knowing your own personal brand.
1) Describe your five most significant qualities?
Fine. I’m sometimes lazy. I procrastinate. I spend too much time on the web and I eat way too much pasta. Oh and apparently I can’t count. What kind of brand is that?
Stop right there. The other thing I see almost every day in writers is massive insecurity and a violent desire to be way too hard on themselves. Give yourself a break. What are your good qualities? If you truly have none- well that’s a symptom of something way more serious than needing to define your brand.
Start again. For today focus on positives- although don’t turn a blind eye to negatives. Be honest and specific. Your answers don’t have to have anything to do with your writing or books, although they may.
1) Describe your five most significant qualities. (things like efficient, well organized, nosey, quiet… )
2) What are five things you are an expert at? (for example model trains, nursing, cactus growing, cats, punctuation) (um have you noticed I’m making these lists up? Okay. Nosey is true. But punctuation clearly defies understanding in my world. Spelling too. Cactus? yeck!)
3) What are five other things you enjoy a lot? (lemonade, snow skiing, a well balanced checkbook…)
Stop here. Do these things relate to each other in any way? Write a paragraph about consistencies and inconsistencies.
Start again.
4) In a short paragraph describe yourself as you see yourself.
5) In a short paragraph describe yourself as you believe others see you.
6) Take a deep breath. Contact four or five friends or colleagues and ask them to describe you or to list five qualities/attributes you possess.
Stop again and think. See any themes? Any surprises? Do others see you as you want to be seen? Are there changes you want or need to make on either side of the equation- either as far as living up to people’s perceptions or changing their expectations? How does this analysis make you feel? Happy? Satisfied? Despondent? Ready to ditch a couple alleged “friends”?
Start again
7) What themes or areas do you tend to explore in your writing?
8) What kinds of books would you like to write in the future? What audience?
9) Describe three of your ideal readers/ consumers (might be a parent or librarian but that’s up to you), with the kinds of detail you’d give characters in your books. Don’t necessarily limit yourself to books you’ve already written or sold.
Great. Gathering this data should take a while. It should be a real exploration- a mixture of off the top of your head reactions and soul searching. Tomorrow we’ll look at a few familiar authors and see how their brands convey the promise. And we’ll start taking all that information you’ve developed to shake it, bake it and reveal your brand.
NOW IN THE CENTER RING …..
So now I’m climbing up on the hire wire... My assignment for branding class this week is to ask friends and colleagues to describe me. Some people who read this blog know me personally. Some know me from my posts here or from the work I do with Vermont College.
Tollbooth readers- help me with my homework! List a few words that describe me in the comments.
~TLB
Anywhere you find a cluster of children’s writers you’ll hear rumbles. Publishing is changing. They want more from us. It’s not enough to write a book and sell it to an editor. Now they don’t just want us to market the book-- They expect us to market OURSELVES.
Who do they think I am? A product?
A brand?Are you afraid of being branded? If so, you’re not alone. In the New York Times article Putting Yourself Out There On A Shelf To Buy, journalist Alina Tugend says "I HEAR the word “brand,” as in “learn how to brand yourself,” and my heart sinks. I became a journalist rather than a salesperson because I do not like selling anything — including myself."
Get a grip Alina! Since when did a newspaper columnist not project a public image? Last I heard the point was to sell newspapers- admittedly a confounding goal these days! But even if I do find her attitude a little frustrating reading her take and her struggles with branding is both informative and enlightening. Take a look. You might see a bit of yourself there. Some of her successes may resonate.
This week I'm here to tell you (and Alina) YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AFRAID. Really. Truly. It’s not hard. It doesn’t hurt. And saying "that's not in my job description" doesn't cut it anymore. As author's we are the owners and entrepreneurs of our own (small or large) businesses. We have to be willing to do everything from write the darn book to change the ink in the printer to present ourselves to our readers, our publishers, and the world.
But wait--
In fact, you already have a brand, whether you know it or not. Jeff Bezos, Amazon impresario and branding genius has reportedly said something like “your brand is what people say about you when you leave the room.”
Joelle Ziemian, vice-president of marketing firm Lipman Hearne (and a fantastic children’s writer herself) explains what a brand is and what it isn’t-
“When most people think of a brand they think of a product or service: the Sunkist orange or the Hyatt hotel. That is the wrong definition. A brand is not a logo or a color palette, but rather a PROMISE that is the basis of your relationship with your audience. In the case of Sunkist or Hyatt, that promise is quality delivered consistently."
The idea of author branding doesn’t appeal to everyone. Some writers are appalled at its commercial flavor. “What I’m creating is ART. Was Picasso a ‘brand’?”
Uh. Yes, he was. He still is. Look at branding from this light- do you want your readers to (figuratively) notice when you leave a room? Or are you content to be anonymous? Do you want to deliver on the promise you’ve made when they rush to the store for your next book? Or do you want to be so scattered no one knows (or cares) what Jane Doe, author, writes?
This week in the Tollbooth we’re confronting many authors’ greatest fear- WHAT IS MY BRAND? Does your brand pigeonhole you into one type of work? Or can it free you to create all the books you dream of writing? How do you begin to understand your own personal and unique brand?
I’m not marketing guru but I’ve taken classes, read up, and done lots of fieldwork and I'm wrestling with these issues myself. I’ll share tips I’ve gathered on how to discover and cultivate an author’s brand. I’ll interview Joelle for more details on the professional’s take on branding. And talk to children’s authors Shawn Stout and Julie Berry, two emerging writers who’ve seized on the value of branding from the get go.
Sooooo let’s get going for a full and furious week about a topic that makes lots of us go hmmmmm.
Your first assignment- What do you think people say about you when you leave the room? Are you making or breaking any promises?
~TLB
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