The first several times I brought up the word brand to my authors, I was met with hesitation, confliction, embarrassment, and even sometimes disgust. No one wanted to think of their life’s work in those kinds of shorthand, commercialized terms. However, we live in an age of algorithms, SEO, metadata, and sales track. Even for the most literary books, publishers care very much about these things, and they will think about your work that way, even if you don’t. So, my follow-up question is, “Do you want someone else to define your brand for you, or do you want to lead the discussion about yourself and your work?”
We need to find accessible ways to convey a creator’s body of work. Don’t think of your brand as a logo or series of buzzwords. Think of it as a feeling, as emotion, as intellectual stimulation. What is the feeling a reader gets after they finish the last page of your latest novel, or after they see you deliver a keynote speech? Better yet, how do you want them to feel? That description, right there, is the start of how you articulate your brand. Own it. You don’t need to be published to begin.
—Joanna Volpe, chief executive officer and literary agent, New Leaf Literary & Media
Photo credit: Henry Stampfel