I've done a lot of posts about the craft of writing, but today I want to talk briefly about the business of writing. One element, in fact: branding.
Writers obsess about branding. People who write all kinds of different things worry about whether it is possible to brand themselves, or whether they should just pick one thing and stick to it so that branding will be easier. People who have only ever written one type of book but have that other far-out novel niggling at the back of their mind worry about whether they will ever be able to write that book about the 500-pound lobster that terrorized New Jersey, or whether they'll be stuck writing bubblegum and lollipops picture books forever because that's their "brand". It's something we talk about. A lot.
So, I'm curious about your opinions. Is it wise for an established writer to break from their "brand" and try to rebrand themselves? Is it better to "start over" by writing under a pen name? Or is that even harder - should writers stick to one brand, or rebrand half-way through?
I'm still on my first brand, so I'll let you know once I get to that point - LOL!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe writers need to pigeon-hole themselves into one genre though. We need to write what we need to write.
Branding is such a unique thing for each writer. The biggest thing, I believe is to be yourself. If you force yourself to be something your not it will come through. When speaking with professional social media marketers it's important not to continually re-invent the wheel. Meaning allow your brand to evolve with you. Starting from scratch each time you have a new product isn't effective marketing. If your products are good...writing...than your readers will evolve with you. Kids will eventually be teens...teens will grow to be adults...why not take advantage of readers that already like your brand. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI know John Grisham has a hard time whenever he strays from the law. I guess a writer should stick with one genre while creating a following, and later branch out.
ReplyDeleteIt's especially hard for a pre-published writer, like me. I'm interested in both YA and inspirational romance and so how do I slant/brand my blog? (It's a question I'm asking myself.) So--sorry I can't be of much help for an already published author! Good luck if you decide to re-brand.
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