HOWEVER!!! Here, I have a guest post from the lovely Connie Barrett. Check out her blog here, Dragonfire: The Creative Spark
Independent Authors and Branding
I
write fantasy, literary fiction, and nonfiction (mostly about self-healing and
personal growth). Recently, when I was about to publish Gone to Flowers, a novel about a commune
during the Vietnam era, a long-time writing friend asked me what I planned to
do to help readers understand the wide subject range of my writing.
Another way to read the question is "How am I going
to brand myself?" This friend has had a highly successful career as an
advertising executive, and I took the question seriously because she knew all
about branding when I still thought it was something you did to cattle.
According to the doctrine of branding, an author is
supposed to limit her scope in terms of genre. To some extent, this makes
sense. I would have a hard time imagining Steven King writing romantic comedy
or Danielle Steele writing dark fantasy. (Either possibility does sound
intriguing, however.)
However, one of the most repeated arguments against
writing in more than one genre has to do with marketing. This also makes sense
to some extent. It's easier to remember that author, C. M. Barrett, who writes
about depressed dragons, impudent cats, and interspecies communications than to
remember the author who writes the above, plus literary fiction about humans,
and guides to vibrational healing. It's also easier for that author to do
targeted marketing.
Dig a little deeper, and you'll find "experts"
saying you shouldn't do it because publishers don't like it. Authors whose work
is hard to categorize make publishers' work more difficult. As traditional
publishers find it increasingly difficult to adapt to the changing world of
publishing, they want their authors' material to fit into easily defined slots.
Here is the beauty of independent publishing. The only
publisher I belong to is me. I have the freedom to write and publish material
of my choice. It also means I have to figure out how to market a multi-genre
body of material, a challenge that got more complex with the publication of a
mainstream novel.
I've decided to answer my friend's question by asking
another: Why do I write what I write?
I write who I am, what I've experienced, and what
interests me. I've worked as a holistic counselor since 1987. I've written
countless articles and some books. I've counseled people and their pets. I
intend to continue doing so because I get deep satisfaction from making a
difference in that way.
In addition to that satisfaction, I have learned
invaluable lessons in understanding people and their problems. As a writer, I
am all about characters, and working closely with people's concerns and sorrows
can provide much illumination about the mysteries of human hearts and minds. My
professional experiences have immeasurably enriched my fiction and nonfiction
works and have helped to make me who I am.
I'm not a fantasy writer. I'm not a literary writer. I'm
not a self-help writer. I'm a whole human being who has chosen to express
myself outside the restrictions of the traditional publishing system. That gives
me freedom. With freedom comes the responsibility to make it work.
So far, the best approach I've found to the marketing
challenge is a guiding principle: "When you got it, flaunt it." What
I've got is diversity. All I have to do is figure out how to flaunt it.
That saying, by the way, comes from the original 1968 film
version of The Producers, written and
directed by Mel Brooks. As you probably know, Brooks turned the film into a
musical for which he wrote the lyrics and composed the music.
Wait a minute. OK, the guy is an actor, director, and
scriptwriter. Writing the lyrics stretches his brand, but composing the music?
That is so far beyond his brand that I don't know how he marketed it.
However, history records that he managed it. The Broadway
play won 12 Tony awards. Maybe for Mel Brooks, following his dreams was more
important than working his brand.
Some will say that once you have his standing, you can
afford to break the rules. Consider this alternative: Maybe breaking the rules
is how you get to have that standing.
There's only one way to find out.
Thank you Connie for being a Guest here at How Many Days In A Year. I loved it, and agree that trying to fit into a mold, or brand, can often hinder you. Branch out and be who you are.
