Posts
where gangs of illiterates grab a writer off the streets and brand the letter "A" on his forehead!
Think "Woody Allen Movie,"
and you will come up with a specific type of movie, although his filmography contains varied storylines and genres.
The same applies with Quentin Tarentino, although his range is slightly more narrow than Allen's.
"Earn a character first if you can, and if you can’t, then assume one.”
—Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
PIXAR and MARVEL have established strong brands. No matter the title, you know generally what to expect.
And rather than limiting those studio's, their brand allows them to experiment as with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. and INSIDE OUT.
The audiences knows that they will be entertained.
Kristen Lamb wrote a fascinating post Friday on why it is more important than ever to craft a brand to your writing
And not too surprisingly it comes down to Amazon and the way it does business.
Book Stores have become an endangered species. Most people buy their books through Amazon.
If you have a Kindle, you may have chosen the cheaper way to purchase it --
which entails book ads popping on your screen saver instead of those pictures of famous writers.
How does Amazon choose which books to pop on your particular screen?
By the type of book you have just purchased.
If your books range wildly from one genre to another -- your book will not be chosen for those ads.
If your books have the Brand of Science Fiction, and a reader is reading a Sci Fi book,
your book may well appear on that screen saver ad.
If you look up a book on Amazon and go to its book page,
you will see below its product description:
Those Who Have Bought this Book Have Also Purchased ...
And a string of like genre books will be shown.
With Kindle Unlimited when a reader finishes a book, Amazon will show a list of related books.
BOTTOM LINE:
READERS CANNOT BUY YOUR BOOK UNLESS THEY KNOW ABOUT IT.
Social Media is fine, but why not let Amazon be your sales rep?
Hi Roland - it's keeping track of how we market ourselves ... Branding is so important - but the realisation only comes later into the author's writing life. I agree - I'd be happy to let Amazon recommend my books ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly! Now, I have to discover how to make Amazon aware of my books. Sales of course. But if you have enough sales, you don't need Amazon recommending your books. It is like with banks, they will only loan you money if you are so financially secure you don't need it!
DeleteHopefully when someone purchases a Star Wars or Ender's Game book, mine pop up. Light space opera that's character driven - that's my brand and I know it.
ReplyDeleteOr if they purchase a Robert Heinlein book your book may also pop up. Crossing my fingers for you! :-)
DeleteSigh. You're so right about branding, and I've thought about it before. Maybe in the coming weeks I'll be able to brand myself or my stories.
ReplyDeleteYes, life requires we adapt to pressing requirements ... unless you're rich ... we need to win the lottery! :-)
DeleteGreat advice. Branding myself is difficult since I think I'm all over the place.
ReplyDeleteSometimes your brand is your own unique style of writing -- whether Stephen King writes horror or mysteries, his style is instantly recognizable. :-)
Delete