Embrace the Brand: Playing to Your Strengths

One thing I struggled with when I was a newer writer was, “What should I write?” I liked a lot of things: science fiction, military sci-fi, science fantasy, steampunk, space opera, contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, some romance, some horror, some action, some thriller/suspense, even some erotica.

Ideas in all these genres bombarded my brain with “Write This Now!” demands. And as a newer writer, I figured I’d dabble in each until I either found something that grabbed me and held on or my critique partners latched onto something they thought I did really well.

Write What You’ve Read and Enjoyed Most

I quickly discovered that unless I’d read (not watched) a genre extensively, I couldn’t write it well. If a writer’s exposure to the genre is television only, that tends to produce episodic writing lacking in a story arc that can be completed within a novel or three. It can cause pacing issues as well.

If one’s only experience is through film, the writing tends to be less strong in producing a strong connection between the protagonist and the reader. In film one can see facial expressions, but these are difficult to describe on paper.

A writer needs to be skilled with interior dialogue and emotional impact through words and not visuals. So for me, this eliminated horror, action, and thriller/suspense. I watched them, but I didn’t read them.

Be Aware of Knowledge Gaps

Then came some self-honesty. I’m not a big fan of extensive research. So any genre that didn’t sit solidly in my knowledge base wasn’t going to work well for me. This cut out hard science fiction, military sci-fi, and steampunk. However, if you are a fan of delving into topics via research, this may not apply to you.

Beware of Mixing Too Many Genres

If you’ve read my work, you know I’m being hypocritical here. I’m the queen of mixing genres. My first book was science fantasy. My first series was science fiction/lesbian romance. My second series is paranormal lesbian romance. And hold onto your hats—the book my agent is currently shopping for me is Old West Time Travel Zombie Lesbian Romance.

So what’s the issue? Product placement. The more genres you mix, the harder it will be to sell, because publishers, especially the big New York ones, won’t know where to place your work on bookstore shelves, and that necessity tends to drive a lot of the selling power of your work.

So, my thoughts? IF you can write in one genre, and you LOVE writing in that genre, then stick to that one genre. However, if you are like me, and one genre just isn’t enough for you, then WRITE WHAT YOU LOVE. Because at the end of the day, if you aren’t loving what you’re writing, then you probably aren’t writing it well, and it’s not going to sell anywhere. For me, that meant my work sold to a traditional small press. I’m quite happy there, but your goals may differ from mine.

Switching Genres

Okay, so you love several genres. You won’t mix them. You’ll write a few books in each. Hmm  …  maybe. It depends on whether or not the genres can be lumped together under a single broader umbrella. Otherwise, it’s hard to gain readership momentum for your body of work as a whole. For example, I write science fiction and fantasy, all with some romance included. However, it all falls under the umbrella title of Speculative Fiction, so I’m okay.

However, if you write science fiction, but also picture books, and the occasional contemporary romance, you will have difficulty building a fan base. You can still do it, but you may end up writing under several pen names (one for each definitively different genre) and for several publishers.

The time factor will also take a toll. Can you write enough books in each genre to keep your readers happy?

Create a Brand

Know your writing strengths. Mine are strong female characters, intense emotional impact, high action content, and hot sex scenes.

Find a tagline that captures the ESSENCE of what you write and slap it on every book. Put it on your promotional materials: your tablecloth for book selling events, your banners, your bookmarks, your business cards. Mine is “Deadly Women, Dangerous Romance,” which, if you’ve read my work, pretty much encompasses everything I write. Readers see the tagline and know exactly what they are getting every time.

Pick an image to go with your tagline. I have a silhouette of a woman holding a futuristic looking rifle on my business cards and table covering. Again, if that’s what you are looking for at an event, you’ll spot me quickly.

My pen name is also a part of my brand. Elle IRE. It screams “Angry, dangerous women here! Come read about powerful women in high-action adventures!”

Even my appearance, especially at public writing events, is meant to evoke a reflection of what I write. Blue and black hair. Clothing that suggests a galaxy or nebula, or something more dangerous. I wear a lot of black with metal fasteners, or with pieces laced together that look like something out of a future dystopia.

Presenting myself AS my brand is always a consideration I take into account when I dress for events, and like my promotional materials, it makes it easy for prospective readers to find me, which is your ultimate goal.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully you’ve found some suggestions to take away and try for yourself. Got any other great branding suggestions? Post them in the comments!