What's Your Brand?

[AnimaDictio]

According to this http://chipmacgregor.typepad.com/main/2 ... -book.html, the first step to marketing your book well is knowing your brand. He says, for example, that John Grisham's brand is "exciting, clean legal thrillers." He also says that James Patterson, Debbie Macomber and Nicholas Sparks have easily identifiable brands. Finally, he says that in order to know your brand, you must know yourself.

Here's my question: could any of you describe your brand in a few simple words?

I'm a man of faith. I'm also a lawyer, a musician, and an enthusiast of the natural sciences, but mostly, I'm a man of faith. So almost all of my fiction is centered around issues of faith. My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy and if I had to choose a brand that describes my first novel (still a w.i.p.) as well as my unwritten story ideas, I might say " soft fantasy/sci-fi with unorthodox/controversial religious themes" Is that clear? Have you of you thought about your work in this way?

[polymath]

Yes, I have thought about myself and my writing "brand" extensively and my audience. I'm theme oriented when it comes to the three and more. My theme is a familiar stranger insuperably struggling for a sense of belonging in a hostile and aleinating society. The individual in society is the overacrhing theme. More narrowly;

"a, Society and a person's inner nature are always at war.
b. Social influences determine a person's final destiny.
c. Social influences can only complete inclinations formed by Nature.
d. A person's identity is determined by place in society.
e. In spite of the pressure to be among people, an individual is essentially alone and frightened" (Patten) .

More narrowly, the outlier fitting in. Or in a writing principle which says there are two basic storylines: a stranger comes to town or a native leaves home. My brand is both at once. Outliers are reasonably able to cope with rejection and unfamiliar circumstances because that's where we're most familiar with being. We're lost when we're welcomed unconditionally.

Patten, Janice E. "Theme," The Literary Link. San José State University. Online. http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/patten/theme.html

[dios4vida]

At first I thought my brand would be something like "epic fantasy exploring the deeper issues of humanity" but then I realized that that doesn't convey what my books are like at all. Yeah, they're epic fantasy, and yeah, I tend to have themes dealing with conquering inner darkness and letting go of others' labels to become who you really are, but that brand I mentioned sounds very intellectual and literary. I don't do literary. My books are light, exciting sword-and-sorcery fantasy tales. They tend to have some kind of moral built into their structure, though that's a subconscious thing. I don't put it in there, they develop with my story and characters.

So, in short, this branding thing is a lot harder than it seems!

I guess I got a better brand in my top-of-the-brain explanation of my writing - light, exciting sword-and-sorcery fantasy.

I guess.

[Sommer Leigh]

I'm with Brenda in that branding is so much harder than it sounds.

I'm also not sure I am ready to brand myself yet. I wonder if this isn't something you really do with one book. I know that I write YA and I write sci-fi, but I've written several books that are pretty different in tone as I've worked to nail down my voice. I'm pretty sure that when I shake everything loose my brand will have something to do with YA sci-fi featuring strong young women, but we'll see.

[Hillsy]

Huh....I actually find this pretty easy......."Boy's Own SFF, for adults"......also gives me a huuuuuuge scope...hehe

[Hillsy]

Sorry....I know this is intensly petty but this just jumped out at me....

"exciting, clean legal thrillers."

....all thrillers are exciting, right? Clue's kinda in the name.

...Sorry - I'll get back in me box....

[dios4vida]

....all thrillers are exciting, right? Clue's kinda in the name.

...Sorry - I'll get back in me box....

Hillsy, I think all published thrillers are exciting (to someone) - the unexciting ones are usually called "trunked."

(I thought of that, too, but figured I was just a little too critical since I'm in the middle of copyediting. Thanks for speaking up for me!)

[polymath]

I've read legal thrillers that weren't emotionally exciting. Intellectually stimulating, yes. And psychological thrillers that weren't either.