Have you found your niche as an author or writer? Have you developed your brand? If you haven’t, you may be missing out in this new world of social media. Time to get on board!

Marketing a book is like marketing any other product, but more important in my estimation is marketing yourself. In this digital age with instant information, people are more and more interested in the author of the book they are reading. I’m a curious sort and hop on to Google at any given moment to investigate the person behind the story. Any story. Movies, books, news flashes, even my favorite athletes, etc. I love my smart phone! It’s always in my hand or by my side.

I attend a lot of book festivals and events where I can market my books, and the question I get asked the most is…where did you get the idea for your stories? If you present well, people love to get to know YOU, thus gaining followers, readers, customers, and fans. For me, branding is very important. I won’t always write vintage, historical, romantic mysteries. I plan to branch out to romantic comedy. Therefore, personality and style are what I want to brand, as well as historical.

Can you identify how people find you? What niche do you fit into? Just who are you online?

A new author needs a platform for success. Branding is the basis for that platform. Before you start, you need to know what you are creating.

Don’t know where to start? I like what Joanna Penn of The Creative Penn has to say. Here are her tips. I quote:

1. How do you want to be known? What words do you want people to associate with you?

2. What are your goals for the next 3 years? What words are associated with that?

3. Will your books be in a particular genre?

4. Who do you admire and want to emulate in writing and also as a brand? Find their websites and keep screen-prints of what you like and don’t like. Use them as a model (but obviously no plagiarism!)

5. What images do you want associated with you and your brand?

Analyze yourself as a person, as a writer. Who are you really? I’ve listed a few questions to get you started on actually branding yourself.

If you take time to answer these questions, you might find out more about yourself as a writer. It’s not enough to just write the story. Most writers are solitary figures, safe within their writing space, exploring the world through their words, but that doesn’t sell books.

1. What is the single, most important reason a potential buyer should buy your book?
2. What does the buyer gain from reading your book?
3. What will the buyer miss if the book is not purchased?
4. What can your buyer gain from you and only you?
5. Who are you as an author?
6. What was your real reason for writing the book?
7. Name three things you want your buyer to clearly understand about you.
8. Name three things you want your buyer to clearly understand about your book.
9. Name two things you do not want your buyer to think about you.
10. Name two things you do not want your buyer to think about your book.

There are many more questions you need to answer in order to create your brand, but these will get you started. You are your brand. You’re writing is your product. Be unique.

Please click the book cover to read more about An Unlikely Beginning on Amazon. Patty can be reached at patty_wiseman1966@yahoo.com, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and www.pattywiseman.net