Branding 101 - The Author Press Kit by Patty Smith Hall

Patty here, and so far in this series on branding, we’ve determined what a brand is and how it works for us; we’ve asked ourselves the important question—who am I?—because we are our own unique brand, not our books; we’ve looked at how our websites set the tone for our brand through color and font choices; and we’ve discussed the importance of blogging to build your brand.

Today, I’m going to talk about that often-forgotten item on a writer’s checklist, the press kit. I’m going to be honest here—I don’t have one, but that doesn’t mean I don’t need one. Every writer, including pre-pubs, needs a press kit. It brands you (see how I did that!) as a professional writer. If you’re uncertain what a press kit is, this is a file of information pertaining to you and your books. It should include:

1. Contact information such as your website and social media links, agent information and email address.
2. Bio and headshot
3. Product information such as book covers, back cover copy, links to purchases.
4. Awards and reviews from major outlets like Amazon and Goodreads.
5. Interview resources
6. Press releases on new book
7. Book excerpts
8. Topics that you speak/teach.

Most of these items are relatively self-explanatory, so we’re going to focus on two areas that you have the most input—the bio and headshots.

There are three kinds of bios you’ll need for your press kit—the simple bio, the friendly bio and the professional bio. The simple bio is generally 1-2 lines. Think of it as an elevator pitch for yourself. Here’s what mine looks like:

Author Patty Smith Hall writes historical romance from a Christian worldview and lives in North Georgia with her husband of 36+ years, Danny.

In that one sentence, you know that I write historical romance, live in North Georgia and have been married to my own personal hero for 36 years. In other words, me in a nutshell!

The second type of bio is the friendly bio. In this one, you can be relaxed, even silly at times. It’s like talking to your best friend. Here’s one I wrote years ago. It’s a bit much but you get the picture.

Patty Smith Hall has been making up stories since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. Now, she’s thrilled to share her love of history and her storytelling skills with everyone, including her hero of over three decades, Danny, two beautiful daughters, and a wonderful son-in-law. She resides in northeast Georgia. Patty loves to hear from her readers! You can contact her at www.pattysmithhall.com. 

The last one is a professional bio. This is the type you’ll find in a book or series proposal. It consists of a list of your accomplishments and awards, published articles, publishing houses you work with, professional affiliations such as ACFW or RWA. In other words, it’s your resume in a paragraph. Here’s mine.

Patty Smith Hall lives in North Georgia with her husband of 36+ years, Danny. Her passion is to write tender romances based in little-known historical moments. The winner of the 2008 ACFW Genesis award in historical romance, she is published with Love Inspired Historical, Barbour and Winged Publishing, and is a contributor to the Seriously Writing blog as well as Journey magazine. Patty is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. 

Each bio has a uniquely different tone and use.

Now that we’ve covered bios, let’s talk about the headshots that go with them. To make a professional impression, you need a professionally done headshot. Remember this is the first impression you’ll make with a new reader/publisher/agent/reporter so don’t let your husband/child/best friend take the photo. Most writing conferences will have a photographer who does headshots as part of the conference—sign up for an appointment!

Here are some things to remember when preparing for your headshot:

1. Make sure lighting is appropriate. Example—if you write light-hearted romance, you don’t want a headshot that looks like something out of a gothic novel!
2. Make sure the angle of the photo is flattering.
3. Make sure the background isn’t a distraction. The focus should be on you, not the wallfalls behind you.
4. You should be the only person in the picture.
5. Make sure image is sharp and in focus.
6. Plan your clothing to match your brand. Look at the colors you used on your website as well as consider your genre.
7. Keep your accessories simple.

Homework: Work on your press kit this month.

We're talking about "that often-forgotten item on a writer’s checklist, the press kit." via @pattywrites #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting

~~~~~~

Patty Smith Hall lives in North Georgia with her husband of 36+ years, Danny. Her passion is
to write tender romances based in little-known historical moments. The winner of the 2008 ACFW Genesis award in historical romance, she is published with Love Inspired Historical, Barbour and Winged Publishing, and is a contributor to the Seriously Writing blog as well as Journey magazine. Patty is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. 

Branding: Why do I have to have a Blog? by Patty Smith Hall

Patty here. I’d hoped to introduce my newly designed webpage and show how I’d incorporated my brand into it, but technical problems are causing a delay. So today, we’re going to press ahead and talk about social media, in particular, your blog.

Now, if you don’t have a blog, that’s okay. There are a lot of writers who, for various reasons, hate to blog, me included. It’s one of those things that you either fully commit to or don’t even want to start. For years, I’ve tried (and failed) at starting my own blog.

But recently, my husband gave me a compelling reason to try again. A little background information—Danny has always been interested in the business side of my work which is great seeing as I’d rather be writing. So a few weeks ago, I gave him Edie Melson’s book on social media, hopeful that he could help me get a grip on my own. He read it in a week between downtime at his job and actually made a list of talking points he wanted to go over with me. On the three-hour ride to my mother-in-law’s house, we talked about the list. One of his questions jumped out at me.

“Why don’t you blog?”

Because I’m too lazy. Because I’d rather be making up stories than blogging. Because I don’t have anything to say. “Because I don’t like it,” I answered, thinking the matter was settled.

“Besides, I write once a month for a writer’s blog.”

He shook his head. “The book says you need to blog at least two to three times a week. And what about your readers? They don’t read writer’s blogs.”

I was beginning to dislike Edie and her stupid book. “What would I say? It’s not like I’m that interesting.”

He reached over and squeezed my hand. “You’re a lot more interesting than you think. How many people do you know who actually took a gold-mining class so she’d know how her characters felt in a book? Or what about the time you talked that WWII bomber pilot at Love Field into showing you how to take off and land a Spitfire so you could describe it correctly.” He nodded. “Stuff like that would be popular with your readers.”

Danny was right. I never considered that my readers would like the story behind the story. Danny’s idea had a lot of merit and stayed in line with my brand as a history nerd. Just because you’ve bombed out of a blog in the past doesn’t mean you can’t have success with it now, especially if it will help build your brand.

How to get started

Before you start, you need to be ready to commit to writing for your blog at least two days a week, three if you can. This builds up a trust in your readership that you will be there for the long haul. Trust is important. Remember, we’re building relationships.

If you have an author website, most have an option to add pages. Use one of these to start your blog. If you don’t have a website yet, it might be a good time to consider starting one. Most publishers want their authors to have a presence on the internet. Building a following before your first contract shows them you’re serious about your work. I use Wix because it’s easy and even someone with my limited tech skills can build a great looking webpage. Wix (as well as GoDaddy and Wordpress) have templates to help you design your page. Once your webpage goes live, you’re ready to post your first blog.

A little side note—when you start to set up your webpage and other social media, go with one name across all medias. It makes it easier for people to find you. When you’re ready to post your first blog, remember to connect it to your Goodreads and Facebook pages (as well as your Amazon page if you’re published.) It’s a good way to generate traffic to your webpage.

I’ve got a blog. Now what?

Consider your brand. Do you write books that feature bakers or chefs? Then share recipes. Medical romances? Talk about the research you have to do to make it realistic or share why you write what you write. Or if you’re a nurse, tell a funny doctor story. Talk about your favorite writing place—one of my most commented posts on Facebook were of pictures I took while writing at a local lake. It was basically the same view every day, but people love it—and my readers knew I was working on something new.

More suggestions:

1)  The first chapter from an upcoming book of another author.

2) A weekly chapter from a novella you’ve written.

3) Pictures/Videos of things you’re doing.

4) Devotionals.
 

The important thing to is be yourself. Your brand is you.

Homework: Check out the blogs of writers in your genre. Come up with two or three ideas that will promote your brand.

Just because you’ve bombed out of a blog in the past doesn’t mean you can’t have success with it now. via @pattywrites #SeriouslyWrite #Blogging #AuthorBrand

~~~~~~

A multi-published author with Love Inspired Historical and Barbour, Patty lives in North Georgia with her husband of 35 years, Danny; two gorgeous daughters, her son-in-love and a grandboy who has her wrapped around his tiny finger. When she’s not writing on her back porch, she’s spending time with her family or working in her garden.

Branding 101—I know my brand. Now what do I do with it? by Patty Smith Hall

Last month, we talked about the importance of branding and ways to figure out what your particular brand is (click here to read). We asked ourselves the all-important question in branding—Who am I? What do I offer my readers that is unique?

You may be asking yourself why focus on ourselves instead of our work? Aren’t our books what makes our brand? The answer to both questions is no—we are our brand, and it’s important to know who we are before we enter into a relationship with our readers. Because branding plays a significant role in building relationships with our readers.

And relationships are what sell books.

What do you do when you’re in a relationship with someone? First and foremost, be yourself! When my first book was published with Love Inspired, I threw a book launch at the local historical society where I’d done some of my research. Thank heavens, there wasn’t an empty seat in the place! But what struck me the most is the cliché some of the people there had of romance writers—most thought I’d show up with a feathered boa around my neck rather than share the rich history of the Woman’s Army Service Pilots. Even my brother (who knows better!) asked me if I’d written a bodice ripper!

But relationships change all that. When you’re in a relationship with a person, they know the real you, warts and all. That’s what we all crave, isn’t it? To feel an honest connection with the people around us, sharing the good and bad, the silly and sometimes embarrassing situations we find ourselves in. For example, I decide to bake a ham for our family’s Easter dinner. I took pictures of me preparing it and after it was cooked, then posted them on Facebook. But when I cut into the ham, I found that ¾ of it was fat! Epic fail! What did I do? I posted a Facebook video about what had happened.

And the response blew my socks off!

How do we build a relationship with our readers? Through our website, our social media presence, newsletters and personal contacts. Let’s start with our website.

Take a good, hard look at your web page. This is the first impression most readers will have of you. Is it clear who you are and what you write? Do the colors and fonts tell your visitors what kind of books you write? What about your pages? Do you give your readers the opportunity to contact you or join your newsletter? 

For this experiment, I’m going to use my webpage as an example. If you look at it, you may think it’s not too bad. In fact, it’s kind of perky and sweet like me. Great, right? The problem is most people thought I wrote women’s fiction or contemporary romance.

That’s a problem.

I needed to use more muted colors as well as a font that give a historical feel to it. I offered a contact page but no area to subscribe to my newsletter or beta reader list.

So, I went to work. I added more pages including a newsletter and beta reader sign-up. I got a new headshot wearing colors that complimented the sedate colors on my page. I changed everything.

Next month, I’ll show you how it turned out! 

How can you change your website to compliment your brand? 

Branding plays a significant role in building relationships with our readers. And relationships are what sell books. via @pattywrites #SeriouslyWrite

~~~~~~

A multi-published author with Love Inspired Historical and Barbour, Patty lives in North Georgia with her husband of 35 years, Danny; two gorgeous daughters, her son-in-love and a grandboy who has her wrapped around his tiny finger. When she’s not writing on her back porch, she’s spending time with her family or working in her garden.

Branding 101: What is Your Brand? by Patty Smith Hall

Over the next few months, I’ll be focusing on discovering and building your author brand. It’s one of the items I had listed on my New Year’s resolutions and an important one as I transition from historical romance to historical fiction. Before I get started, I want to give a shoutout to Brandy, Kristie, Hope and Christina from the North Georgia ACFW for their fantastic workshop on branding which is the basis of this article.

So, let’s get started.

The Entrepreneur/Small Business Encyclopedia defines branding as the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies you and differentiates a product from other products. An effective brand gives you a major edge in an increasingly competitive market.

Coke has their red and white cans, Nike has its swoosh, and just hearing Stephen King’s name makes you shake in your boots. That’s what a good brand does for you—it makes you stand out among your competition. But how can a writer do this, especially when there are fewer opportunities to make that personal connection with a reader?

We start by asking a question: who are you? Because your brand IS you. Let that sink in. It’s not your books or your short stories, or your magazine articles that make up your brand. It’s you, pure and simple, so you have to figure out who you are and what you offer to your readers that nobody else can.

Before we get too far into this, a piece of advice. Be you, the real you, not some fake replica. No one likes to discover someone they ‘thought they knew’ hasn’t been honest with them. Be truthful with yourself and your readers. In fact, telling them when you mess up makes them like you more. Why? Because they can identify with you! A few weeks ago, I put a video on Facebook about baking my first ham only to discover ¾ of it was fat! Not my brightest moment, but the responses I got were amazing, everything from reader’s own cooking disasters to encouragement. Trust your readers with the real you! They’ll appreciate you, warts and all if you always keep it honest.

So, who are you?

It’s a tough question, but one you need to answer if you want to develop a brand that sells books. I had a rough time with this, not because I don’t know who I am but the view I have of myself might not be what others think of me. Rather than rely on myself, I went to those I trusted the most. How would they describe me as a whole? Because they’ll see me as a reader would, and its readers I’m trying to attract.

Here are some of their answers:

1) Sweet, Kind; Faithful
2) Bible-thumping Feminist (my favorite!)
3) History nerd
4) Strong and independent; knows your own mind.
5) A bunny in a world full of wolves.
6) A steel magnolia

How can this list help me come up with a brand? Let’s narrow it down to three attributes. Because I write historical fiction, I feel it’s important that my readers know I’m a history buff who loves stories about the forgotten women in history. Also important is that people see me as strong and independent as it gives them a hint to the kind of characters I write.

The last characteristic is one I struggled with. Do I use my brand to tell the readers I write Christian Fiction? Even though the book I’m working on now has a spiritual thread, it would work in a secular market. Yet, many will hear that Christian fiction label and push it to the side. While I don’t want to misguide anyone, I also want to share my Christian worldview without being too preachy. I’m still praying on this one.

For now, my brand—what I want a reader to think of when they see my name is: A history nerd who loves writing stories about the strong, forgotten women who shaped history.

That’s me in a nutshell. So, tell me—who are you?

Next month: I have a brand—What do I do now?

An effective brand gives you a major edge in an increasingly competitive market. via @pattywrites #SeriouslyWrite #writingtips

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A multi-published author with Love Inspired Historical and Barbour, Patty lives in North Georgia with her husband of 35 years, Danny; two gorgeous daughters, her son-in-love and a grandboy who has her wrapped around his tiny finger. When she’s not writing on her back porch, she’s spending time with her family or working in her garden.

Social Media, Marketing & Branding Basics Part 2, Marketing Your Novel by DiAnn Mills

DiAnn Mills

We're so excited to have Edie Melson and DiAnn Mills on Seriously Write with this three-day series. Be sure to read yesterday's post by Edie Melson and come back tomorrow for a post by both ladies called (appropriately), The Experts Weigh In. - Angie

We writers embrace words, brainstorming sessions, hours to write, and constructive criticism, but there is one aspect of the writer’s life that shakes us to our core.

Marketing and Promotion

The nightmare of our career.

We think we have the notion.

But can’t move past the fear. 

Okay, I’m not a poet. But I know you understand writers must market and promote their books. Our goal is to successfully place our novels into the hearts and hands of readers.

I’m a firm believer in organization, and when I write a novel, spreadsheets keep me rooted in reality.

A writer gets ahead of the marketing and promotion stress by developing a Timeline Task. This is an indicator of what needs to be accomplished approximately a year before a book is released.

12 months out:

• Contact online and print publications to arrange for ad and banner placement. Make sure they are in place for the month of the book release. 
• Recruit your Street Team. Reach out to prominent authors in your genre for possible endorsements. This allows the endorser to schedule reading the novel. 
• Write blogs that connect to the novel. Stockpile them—you will be glad later.

9 months out:

• Order bookmarks and postcards.
• Arrange guest blogs and calendar when they will appear. 
• Remember, these have already been written. 
• Arrange production of your book trailer.
• Arrange production of author interview video.
• Announce to Street Team and brainstorm promo ideas.

6 months out:

• Contact TV and radio stations for interviews. 
• Create contest ideas with giveaways.
• Goodreads: update bio, headshot, ask-the-author section, add new release to books, link to blog posts, update page, be active! https://www.goodreads.com/author/guidelines.
• Design secret Pinterest Boards. 
• Use postcards to notify libraries of new book.

3 months out:

• Mail ARCS
• Keep Dream Team posted.
• Confirm all blog spots, ads, banners etc.
• Seek events to speak and sign.
• Check that all online platforms and retail stores have updated bio and photo.
• Arrange launch party or signing for the big day.

6 weeks out:

• Mail author copies or e-copies of book to Street Team. 
• Mail author copies or e-copies of book to reviewers.
• Encourage pre-orders.
• Post book trailer and author interviews.

Book release:

• E-mail blast.
• Blogs appear.
• Constant presence on social media platforms.
• Thank those who have helped make the release a success.
• Small tokens of thanks sent.
• Contests announced.

Follow up:

• Keep the momentum going by sharing deleted scenes, research, character insight, and behind the scenes action.
• Party time!

If you’d like a copy of my Marketing Timeline, e-mail me at diann@diannmills.com.

How do you approach marketing and promotion for your book?

About the Author

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests. Library Journal presented her with a Best Books 2014: Genre Fiction award in the Christian Fiction category for Firewall.

DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is co-director of The Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference and The Author Roadmap with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the social media platforms listed at www.diannmills.com.


DEADLY ENCOUNTER
DEADLY ENCOUNTER Discussion Questions
Watch the trailer
Airport Ranger volunteer Stacy Broussard expected a peaceful Saturday morning ride around the perimeter of Houston’s airport. What she encounters instead is a brutal homicide and a baffling mystery. Next to the body is an injured dog, the dead man’s motorcycle, and a drone armed with a laser capable of taking down a 747.
Though FBI Special Agent Alex LeBlanc sees a clear-cut case of terrorism, his past has taught him to be suspicious of everyone, even witnesses. Even bleeding-heart veterinarians like Stacy. But when her gruesome discovery is only the first in a string of incidences that throw her life into a tailspin, Alex begins to wonder if Stacy was targeted. As a health emergency endangers Stacy’s community, and the task force pulls in leads from all directions, Alex and Stacy must work together to prevent another deadly encounter.

Deadly Encounter is recommended for fans of the following:

• Christian Fiction
• Christian Mystery
• Romantic Suspense Books

If you enjoyed this novel, you may also be interested in the novella Trial By Fire!

Confessions of a Multi-Genre Author by Cindy K. Green

Cindy K. Green

When you start in this life we call the writing game, one of the first things you learn (after how to utilize proper POV, of course) is that as a published author you must brand yourself. That means you sell your name more than any particular book. When you pick up a Stephen King or Nora Roberts novel, you know what you’re getting before even reading the blurb. Readers need to get to know you—how you write and what you write. In the large New York publishing houses, their authors typically have to BRAND themselves and only write in but one or maybe two genres. But…what about those of us who love to skip around and experiment in the genres?

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. There are some big names who jump around in the genres. James Patterson is known for his mystery/suspense/thrillers. But he’s also penned some award-winning young adult titles and even a series of romances.  

When I’m asked: ‘What do you write? What’s your genre?’ I seriously have to make out a list. And I make no excuses for it. I love skipping from genre to genre, stretching my writer’s legs or fingers—or to be more precise my imagination and my writer’s niche. It keeps the writing fresh and exciting. I finally branded myself in a general sense with ‘Humorous, Heartfelt, Spirit-filled Fiction.’ My subgenres include: Inspirational Contemporary & Historical Romance, Young Adult, Chick-lit, Romantic Suspense. I’ve even written a high fantasy. I told you it was a lot.

So, I’ve been asked, ‘how do you write in all those genres? I feel like I’d get confused.’ Well, here’s my confession—it’s very easy to get confused. If you write in several genres you have to go through steps to bring it all together. Let me take you through an example.

I’ve recently been writing two different YA series. In doing so, I had to purge from my mind the voice and tone of my just finished historical western. I was now an almost eighteen-year-old girl full of insecurities while watching my life spin upside down. So, first step, I have to read some YA books. A little Meg Cabot, some Jenny B. Jones and a bit of Melody Carlson and I’m set. I listen to music that’s for the young or young at heart. And then I watch lots of teen movies. Basically, I get into the mindset of the American teen. (I also have a teen living in my house and that’s the best prep work there is.)

I do something similar for whatever genre I’m writing. It’s like I’m priming myself to write. You see there is a tone, a set a verbiage that is necessary to each sub-genre. I have to get myself into that place before I start writing. Now if you only write in one genre that isn’t really a problem. No matter what you are reading or watching it won’t affect your writing. You’ve trained yourself how to write your genre. But when you write several genres, you have to equip yourself to write many different ways and your muse needs a reminder as to what hat to put on today. 

Dora here. Do you write in multiple genres? If so, how do you "prime" yourself to write?

If not, have you considered writing in a different genre?

****

Cindy K. Green has worked as a middle school history & English teacher, a frozen yogurt server and a golf magazine employee. Today she's a multi-published, award-winning author, a mother, a wife, and a homeschooler too. This native Californian now resides in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and two cats named Chloe & Kassey.

Connect with Cindy:

Join her newsletter by sending an email to cindy@cindykgreen.com. Visit her website www.cindykgreen.com & her blog cindykgreen.blogspot.com. She's on Facebook (Cindy K. Green) and Twitter (@cindykgreen) too. Connect with her on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cgreen0224/ and Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CindyGreenAuthor/posts as well. 

Her latest release Andrea & the Five Day Challenge is a Christian YA novel, the first in the Aubrey Christian Academy Series. A Bible Study Challenge, a Prayer Journal and Homecoming. The combination just might change her life.

Buy Links:

PelicanBook Group

Amazon 

ChristianBook.com

Author Branding – Will It Help Sell More Books? by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Jennifer Hudson Taylor

What is author branding? 

It's the reputation you build in the publishing community and to your readers of what kind of stories to expect when they see your name on the cover of a book. 

Is author branding necessary? 

If you want to build readership, yes. If you want to sell more books, yes. Readers who like westerns aren't typically interested in a science fiction book. For this reason, so many authors have had to create pen names for various subgenres. People work hard for their money and they can choose to spend it on a number of things. You don't want them to be disappointed if they take a chance and spend it on your book. If that happens, most likely they won't spend more money on anything else with your name on it, nor will they encourage others to do so. 

Author branding is another way of target marketing. If you are promoting your book based on the book's contents, you are going to appeal to those who would like that particular book. Marketing and advertising is expensive. You don't want to waste your time and money trying to appeal to an audience who won't like what you write. You aren't likely to sell many books that way, and it doesn't make sense. So why wouldn't you create an author brand for yourself? 

If you're like me, you might be hesitant to build a label around yourself because you don't want to be limited to writing one kind of book. I've already mentioned pen names as one way to get around this. Another way is to write the same subgenre for a decade or two and then rebuild your image. Lots of authors do this, and if you do it well, you won't lose readers, in fact you may gain more. 

For instance, a contemporary romance author may choose to brand him/herself as a romantic suspense author. That way you aren't losing readers who like romance and contemporaries, you're just giving them a new element to read along with what they already read. Keep the subgenres similar, but give readers more. This will ultimately lead to more readers, which will lead to more sells. 

Do unpublished authors need an author brand? 

Yes. Before you can sell books on a store shelf, you first have to sell to a publisher. You need to stand out among the masses of other writers. There isn't enough shelf space for all the wanna-be writers in the world, so you've got to find a way to stay out of the slush piles. There are a lot of good writers who sit in the slush piles year after year. Their works are good enough to be on the shelf of a bookstore. The difference is, their marketing proposals may not be unique enough or stand out and get noticed. 

At one time I believe it was true that good writing would get noticed. But with the competition the way it is today, the demand so buoyant, and the hectic schedule of the publishing industry, I no longer believe that's true. You still have to get someone to read your work in order for it to be noticed. That can only happen if you stand out in promoting yourself and your work. You must make a good impression in your proposal and presentation of your work before an editor or agent actually sits down to read your work. If your impression in your proposal doesn't stand out, they'll never turn to the first page of your manuscript. 

Remember, an unpublished writer is selling to an agent or editor. These folks are looking for specific markets where they know they can sell something. While good writing has to go along with it, if an author has written something that's great, but the story isn't right for an open spot, then it still won't sell. Don't waste their time or yours. 

Sometimes a quick rejection is a good thing. It will give you a chance to get that manuscript where it belongs much faster than wasting time on an editor's desk where it isn't going anywhere. By building an author brand, you will be letting them know upfront what they are getting from you. This will help you appeal to the right agents and editors. Target market to the right publishers and you will sell more faster.

Plus, publishers have less in their marketing budgets for new authors and mid-list authors. They reserve most of their budgets for the BIG name authors where they know their investment will pay off. Therefore, a new author will have to do so much more of their own marketing. 

By showing you are ahead of the game in your promotion and author branding, an editor will feel more comfortable taking a chance on you. This means if it comes down to your good writing as opposed to another author's good writing for one publication spot, you might have the edge since you have self-marketing potential. Editors are looking for authors they can build into careers for a long investment, not one-time book wonders.

Dora here. Have you developed a brand for your writing? 

How do you feel about author branding?

Purchase Link

For Love or Loyalty, Book 1
One conquest could destroy her, but avenge his family.
Scotland to Carolina, 1760

For Love or Loyalty is the story of a highlander seeking revenge, but when the bargaining price becomes too great of a moral sacrifice, he must find a way to reverse his deeds and save the woman he loves.

Malcolm MacGregor vows to free his family and exact revenge against Duncan Campbell. When the opportunity arises, Malcolm decides to use Duncan’s daughter as the bargaining price. Lauren Campbell is the perfect answer, until she begins chipping away at the bitterness in Malcolm’s heart and changing everything. Her bold faith and forgiveness ignites guilt he would rather avoid and a love he doesn't deserve.

Lauren Campbell never expected to discover such a caring and protective man behind the façade of Malcolm MacGregor’s fierce reputation. When they arrive in America, things turn against them, and Lauren finds herself in a fate worse than death. Now Malcolm has the dilemma of freeing the rest of his family or rescuing Lauren, but time is short and with little means, he needs a miracle.


Jennifer Hudson Taylor is an award winning author of inspirational fiction set in historical Europe & the Carolinas. She provides keynotes and presentations on the publishing industry, the craft of writing, building an author platform & social media marketing.

Both her debut novel, Highland Blessings and Highland Sanctuary, received a 4 1/2 star review from RT Book Reviews. Highland Blessings won the Holt Medallion Award for Best First Book and she has had reviews appear in USA Today Book reviews. Jennifer's work has appeared in national publications, such as Guideposts, Heritage Quest Magazine, RT Book Reviews, and The Military Trader. Jennifer graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Communications/Journalism. When she isn't writing, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting historical sites, parasailing, horseback riding, cycling, long walks, genealogy and reading.