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| Self-Portrait – Vincent van Gogh |
I believe this strongly about the Internet: There is no such thing as a brand.
To me, a brand is a cultivated fiction, it’s an image spun from a grain of truth. You hear about athletes and celebrities cultivating brands, whether it’s a tough-guy image or a nice-guy image or one of dispassionate competency. Is it true? Doesn’t really matter. It’s a public front.
As I alluded to in my post on LeBron James, brand sorcery used to work in the TV era, but not anymore. The Internet doesn’t tolerate a false front. It loves loves loves nothing more than to expose the truth and stomp all over “brands,” as Tiger Woods and Anthony Weiner have discovered all too keenly.
The only, and I mean only way to approach a world of social media is with honesty, transparency, and authenticity. You can’t fake out the Internet for long.
And it’s not even about morality – look at how the Internet has (mostly) embraced Charlie Sheen and denigrated LeBron James. The key difference is authenticity.
For me personally, this blog reflects my real life. The personality I express here is me, the opinions are my own, and the topics I post about are the things I’m thinking about. Sure, I maintain a certain professional decorum (usually) and I don’t divulge my deepest darkest thoughts (usually) but this isn’t a false front. This is me.
Now that I’m an author, people have suggested that I should change up my “brand” – I should start a blog that appeals to a more middle grade audience, I should start a separate blog for self-promotion, I should stop talking so much about my own book.
And sure, I could try and change up my “brand.” But I don’t think it would work, because it wouldn’t be real. This blog has always reflected where I am in my personal and professional life. I was an agent, so I blogged about agenting. Now have a book out, so I talk about my book. That’s where my head is at. I can only speak with authority on the actual things I’m thinking about.
My advice for people who are trying to carve out their own space in social media is not to think about what you think your blog or your Twitter presence should be, but rather to embrace who you really are. Be yourself. Let your own voice shine through. Lots of people have ideas about what you should be, but you can only be who you are.
The only brand you’ve got is you.
Excellent post!
I would add that while it's vital to be ourselves, it's equally important to avoid being that 'self' which lurks within us all, but only comes out when we're really tired or stressed – the one which can sometimes be a bit of a jerk.
I understand what you're saying about branding, but I do think as a middle grade author you should have a place where kids could go to learn about you–this blog isn't geared for kids. If you're writing for kids, I assume you have some interest in connecting to them–so I don't quite understand your reasoning. It doesn't have to be a big deal–maybe just a website with info about you, info about the books, a place to contact you etc.
Love this, Nathan! You are excatly right. Thank you!!
Brand is a lot more than a "cultivated fiction." Brand is the first impression, the "what is this all about" for the first-time reader. Sure, you can say your brand is you – but would you walk into a job interview in plaid and polka dots because that’s “you”? No. Maybe you wear a bright shirt or a funky tie, but you dress the part, because you care how you represent yourself. That’s all a brand is.
And if you can write a middle grade book that resonates with your audience, you can also write a blog that resonates with that audience without sacrificing your genuinity—it’s already part of you. Honestly, a platform with an adult audience is only indirectly useful for a middle grade writer. If it were me, I’d want that genuine connection with my readership.
A lot of good points and a lot of compliments to you Nathan. =] I tend to go down the middle – see both sides, if you will. Be myself, be authentic and be honest…aboslutley, while also thinking about my readers and giving them what they would possible enjoy. [outside of a book] There's nothing wrong with letting middle school children, who enjoy your book, have a chance to get to know you…after all, you share a love of characters with them. ♥
In the end, do what you want. You ARE the ultimate control of YOU…☺
"My advice for people who are trying to carve out their own space…"
Steer clear of your ears.
Nathan, this is very sweet. And, I think, very true in its simplicity.
Nathan, I am going out my front door, jump in my boopmobile, zip down the road and through the valley amongst the smokies, on to the interstate and off to the asheville airport, hop a plane and zoom all the way to California – all so I can give you a big ole hug and kiss on the cheek! Thank you thank you for this post!
Lately at night, I've been tossing and turning, worring I'm not "up to snuff" because I don't have a "brand" or if I have one, well, dang, I don't know what it is. I just try to be myself and hope it's enough-that my books and Me as me speak for themselves/myself. Sometimes I stumble, but most times I think I'm doing all right.
You keep doing what you are doing . . . I enjoyed your blog when you were an agent, and I'm equally enjoying your blog as you continue your journey in your new work and as an author.
By the way, I saw your book in the Asheville Mall B&N – they had it facing out . . . sure did – and it looked all happy and jaunty and fun settin' there on the shelf.
*blowing you a north carolina kiss*
Amen!
Right on. The best Branding appraoch and technique is — a resonance of your actual soul's historical contrail…
keep on writing,
seanrox
I raced over to the link where I thought you had actually lost your professional decorum (and yet the world didn't end?), only to eyeball the words 'Sweet, get out of my car.' And they weren't even your words, Nathan, but a quote.
Seriously, I love your polite, self-controlled and positive posts/attitude. In many reality TV shows from America, I'm amazed how people speak to one another. The positive side to the brand thingy is having one that people are encouraged to buy because they trust it, or they trust the judgement of the person that brand represents. I'm confident that when I visit your blog I'll read intelligent posts that inspire, educate and entertain. Words and attitudes I will relate to. And I feel, too, that whatever you write in the fictional world will also be something I thoroughly enjoy.
When I teach writers to blog, I always tell them to come here for an example of how to do it right.
I agree with everything you say. For those who are arguing whether or not "yourself" is the same as "your brand"–I think that's just semantics.
You can't be phony in a blog very long. Yes there was that Englishman who wrote a blog in the voice of an Iranian lesbian or whatever a few months back, but the blog didn't last long and he was found out.
I hope it's OK if I close my talk on Beginning Blogging at the CC Writers Conference this year with this:
"My advice for people who are trying to carve out their own space in social media is not to think about what you think your blog or your Twitter presence should be, but rather to embrace who you really are. Be yourself. Let your own voice shine through. Lots of people have ideas about what you should be, but you can only be who you are."
Great post! Interesting topic.
I think the disagreement in these threads may stem from the fact that there are two types of writers: those that write for money and those that write for creative self-expression.
The first may want to create a brand, because a brand will help them market and reach the right audiences.
The second type should stay away from branding as if their life depended on it. Because their creative life does. There is nothing that will hurt an artist more than emotional dishonesty.
I do think, though, for either type of writer, it's important to think about why you are blogging. What is your goal? If you are trying to attract an audience, then it's good to keep in mind that you're having a conversation with them. That's not less authentic or manipulative – very important to stay away from that, imho – it's good communication skills. But if you have a different goal, then you'll do different things. So, it all depends on your goals – which can, of course, change.
So, them's my thoughts. Thanks Nathan for the post, and the topic!
Oh thank heavens. I don't have to be Coca-Cola.
I'd say yes and no. I do agree that it's a bad idea to fake your brand on the Internet (although I'll bet that more people do it successfully than we'd like to think). But I do think that it's possible and necessary to craft a brand *while* being yourself. I blog for specific target audience of writers interested in psychology and writing craft. But obviously that's not all of who I am. I don't blog about my religious or political views, my favorite recipes, or what clothes I like to wear. Some of these subjects might bleed through into my blog posts, but I'm pretty sure that if I start posting about those things on a regular basis, I'll start losing readers. Branding isn't about tricking people. It's about creating a clear signal for people to know what to expect from you so they can decide whether or not to hang around. People sometimes assume that branding and marketing is fake and manipulative, but IMHO, it doesn't have to be that way, and indeed it'smost effective when it's not. So I get what you're saying, but I'm not quite ready to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
So true.
who cares?
The last time I tried branding myself I accidentally singed off most of my hair.
All I can say is AMEN TO THAT!
I'm with Livia on this (and I'm already a fan of her unique and fascinating blog). I do blog and tweet under my own name, but more of my energy goes into AngrySubEditor, which reflects a very specific area of my interests and expertise, and one that I want to keep separate from my personal and professional presence on the web.
Some people, such as the Twitterer and blogger FleetStreetFox, have to keep their identities secret. AngrySubEditor isn't a secret identity: it's a brand. A brand doesn't have to be a way of making money. It exists to differentiate.
Patrick Neylan has opinions on many things. AngrySubEditor cares about only one.
I appreciate your thoughts on this.
Your authenticity is what attracts so many to you.
You don't have to pour your innermost secrets in your blog if you don't want to.
Do what you want, as long as it doesn't interfere with what you do best… writing.
I couldn't agree more, but as a public relations practitioner by day, I find it very difficult to cultivate my true voice.
This is as much about psychology as anything else.
At some point, I have stop approaching my writing from a "cause-and-effect" mentality and start letting it be art.
Nathan: In answer to your question above (sara-But if you are your brand, do you really have a brand? Or are you just yourself?), the answer is yes – you really do have a brand, and the brand IS yourself.
But, if we're getting really technical (in marketing speak, "do a deep dive"), your brand is probably just a part of yourself, in the same way that your professional life is just "part" of yourself, but not your whole self. This is true for all of us.
For some authors, let's say in the romance genre, maybe their brand is a little less of themselves. Maybe they use a pseudonym. Maybe they dress a certain way and have websites that promote a certain image. For instance (and I'm totally making this up) their name is Cordelia Ever-Afters and their website uses Lucinda Handwriting or Edwardian Script for fonts and they wear very windswept blouse-y looks when they do book signings and they sign in purple). (Apologies in advance to romance writers for the gross generalizations, I'm obviously exaggerating to make a point.)
In your case, Nathan, your brand is to be honestly and genuinely yourself. And that's your brand as an author. But maybe you also wear a gray spacesuit and orange gloves and boots when you go to Comicon or book signings and you find yourself saying "KAPOW!" more than you otherwise would…And hey, maybe that's also what you wear on the weekends (and fair enough if it is)…but maybe that's part of building your Jacob Wonderbar brand.
I think you're getting hung-up on and spooked by the word "brand" and the concept of "branding." And that's normal for non-marketing people. But let me ask you this: You've written several posts lately about your discomfort with self-promotion (self-promotion, by the way, is really just marketing…yourself), but would you still feel as uncomfortable if you were marketing something that wasn't you, your book, your blood, sweat and tears?
Try this – a tip for all self-marketing authors: Try referring to "the book," "the product," "the brand" instead of "my book," "my work," and "me." Feels different, right? That tiny technicality of mentally distancing yourself from it takes some portion of the emotion/ego out of the process.
And yes, there are some people who are anti-marketing in all facets and iterations. And in that case, you probably want to consult a pro who will shamelessly market/promote/brand for you, because the marketing/branding itself probably isn't negotiable.
Lastly, I want to say that I too fall into the painfully shy camp. Yes, I may have marketed, promoted, branded, and handled PR for others for over a decade, but I know that when/if I ever have to do it for myself, it will indeed be different and more difficult. And that's when I'll use mental distancing tricks like above, and follow it up with copious amounts of wine 🙂
Anon @8:48 and 9:24. Aww shucks. You're much too kind. But thank you! I'd say that great minds think alike 🙂
I also agree that your definition of brand is a bit simplistic. Your real personality is half your brand, the other half is the audience you're talking to. We know you as the nice guy who knows a lot about writing and publishing. That's your brand, why we love you and why we read your blog. We would not be so keen if you threw in politics or pushed certain environmental issues. That's not what we're here for.
If you want to attract a young audience for your book, you'd have to create another brand – same real you but you're talking to a whole 'nother group and most of us here might drift away since we are not kids. You'd have a different blog, twitter and FB account for your other brand. We follow because your brand (your style plus your theme) is interesting to us and we know what to expect. There are plenty who hide their personalities and stick with theme and they still have followers, but personality breaks that fourth wall and can be the icing on the cake. Creating a fake personality is distasteful and deceiving, but it is important to create a theme brand and speak to your audience appropriately.
I like you just as you are. Don't change.
Sara, you're comment at 9:17 was excellent. Wish you were doing PR work for authors!!
Anon @8:48 and 9:24
That's "your," not "you're."
Thought I'd clarify. I type fast.
Oh, I am so branded…I love animals (especially, dogs) with all my heart so, naturally, I could talk ad nauseam about them.
And this love is reflected in all my work. I have short stories, a novel, a novella, a nonfiction…and every single one involves a dog.
So I guess I'm just a "one topic wonder" (unless you get me started on politics which, trust me, wouldn't be a great idea..:-)
Thank you for this, Nathan! Every time I hear someone mention cultivating a brand, I think… but I'm not Goldfish Crackers (as much as I love eating them)! I'm just me. I've always thought that as long as we're genuine and have fun, and as long as we're connect with people as real people, we're doing just fine. Anything else is superfluous.
Maureen Johnson wrote a great blog post awhile back called I Am Not A Brand. I highly recommend reading it. She's awesomesauce. 🙂
Great advice, Nathan! Thank you for this.
I do believe in the power of social media to get a ball rolling for sales of a book. But I think in the long run the book, any book, speaks for itself. If a middle grade book is great then word spreads from kid to kid parent to parent, regardless of social media. That magical word of mouth I don't think has anything to do with brand. Yet some authors seem to brand themselves so nicely.
Nathan, I can't tell you how refreshing I found this post. I hate the idea of "branding" myself as an author. I'm not a product and I'm not a head of cattle. I'm a complex human being who likes to write a variety of books. If people want to know the "writer" side of me, they can read the books. The self I show on the internet is me.
Hi Patrick! And thank you 🙂
I love this advice, and I hope you keep the blog as it is — all you.
I just found your blog – it wonderful. I agree with your post. You need to let yourself shine through. I'm working on an ebook, so finding lots of good information. Thanks!
Just found your blog and finding wonderful articles here. I agree with being yourself on your blog. That's really all there is. Thanks.
Hi Nathan. Thanks so much for this post. I struggle sometimes with just being myself on twitter and my blog. But I don't change it up because I attended Laura's writing retreat and got a good dose of kindness and no judging; I am my own worst enemy in this regard. All I've got is me so that is the product. Terry as she is on any given day. People seem to appreciate it.
Thanks Nathan, this was useful. I've recently started blogging and it's been a struggle at times to figure out what I "should" write. I've decided not to worry about it anymore and just write what I'm feeling. Hopefully there will be enough about the writing life to interest the writers and enough about the book to interest the readers. But if not, oh well! 🙂
God, thanks. This is a relief. Blogligation be damned.
I like your attitude! I never even heard of a brand…besides brand names like Levi Strauss…until I started blogging. I suppose I don't fit the label because when I made my blog I didn't know what I was supposed to put in it. I like being who I am. Everyone is unique and everyone is different so why be something you are not. Thumbs up to no branding!
Interesting post, Nathan. You bring up some good points, and I agree that in the end, you can only be you.
But I disagree that this makes it impossible to create a "brand" that isn't an honest portrayal of oneself, because there is more to me than anyone ever sees, and I would bet that this is because there is more to everybody than anybody ever sees. (Except for maybe their spouses, best friends, and childhood pets.)
Thee are lots of "me"s. There's the me who is very political and outspoken about my views; there's the me who loves my kids and is positive that they are absolutely the best kids on the planet; there's the me who does DIY; there's the me who loves books and everything to do with books; there's the me who grew up watching Star Trek and is a newborn Firefly geek; there's the me who gets depressed about my ability to make it in this business; there's the me who thinks I have a great shot at making it in this business (because if I'm honest, I can be pretty arrogant); there's the me who is an environmentalist; there's the me who takes everything too seriously (according to everybody else)… I could go on for ages. But I'm willing to bet that most of those things aren't things that people who read this blog, or my blog, or anything else I put on the internet, know about. But I never lie or fake enthusiasm about anything to try to grow my following.
In other words, I don't pretend to be something that I'm not, but there are things that I love and that are a part of me that I consciously choose not to share online. What I do share is relevant to the reasons that I blog. And this constitutes my "brand." It's not false or made-up or cultivated in any way. It's all me, it's just not all OF me.
One more thing: I agree with Emily Wernstrom and others who have encouraged you to consider making up a webpage for kids who read your book. Unless you feel strongly that the internet is an inappropriate place for kids that age to hang out, in which case it would be something that wouldn't be true to you, it could be a good idea. And it doesn't have to be "fake" – as Emily said, just a place where your 9-12-year-old fans can go to find out about how you came up with the idea, what else you plan on writing, a little more about you, etc. Think of it as an extension of the books, like the "bonus features" on a DVD.
And I also agree that you have a "brand" here: nice, honest guy who is knowledgeable about the publishing industry and who shares that knowledge, and who sometimes geeks out now and then, and who also has a good sense of humor about things. Yours is the go-to blog for all questions publishing- and writing-related. That's your brand. And it's a good one. This is truly one of the best blogs out there, for community and for knowledge and also for camaraderie.
Good post! At first I was thinking "there is no such thing as a brand" was something Seth Godin would argue with you about, but after reading through your post again, I think Seth would be in agreement.
I know this has pretty much been said, but I want to weigh in too!
I don't entirely agree. I agree you have to be yourself, but the self I am when I'm at work is NOT the self I am when I'm at home with my husband.
It's not that I'm duplicitous. I just relate to different people different ways. In some ways I have more than one personality lurking inside me (sounds like a psychological problem, I know), but I think you can choose what personality you present to a certain extent and that you should do this, thinking of your audience and the self you want to be with them. For example, around kids, I try not to swear. That's just one small tweak I make in my personality for my audience.
Struggling with the branding idea for awhile now, it was absolutely refreshing to read this post. Cheers for authenticity and embracing who we are. Just one question, will it ultimately affect sales if you are not reaching out directly to your audience in a unique, "branded" way? That's a genuine question, btw 🙂
I think the point that Nathan is trying to make (and forgive me, Nathan, if I miss the mark) is that in this day & age of immediate delivery of information, there is no hiding behind a selective collection of your best or most writerly traits you or your publicist wish to present to the public.
In the days before the internet (yes, I'm old enough to remember those days), what you saw of an author was what his or her publicist allowed to be presented. There was a chasm between the adoring public and the revered author. I'm not so sure that's always been such a good thing; it put the author up on the Exalted Pedestal and gave him or her that mythical aspect of The Adored Celebrity. I don't have much respect for that, because I'm seeing only a selective collection of traits and have no real sense of the person. And if I like someone's work enough, I want to see the person – substance abuse, insecurities, wacky beliefs, and all. It brings me a deeper understanding of their work, and keeps my adoration within healthy bounds.
Nowadays, with so many authors blogging and otherwise interacting with their readership on venues like Facebook & Twitter, that chasm has shrunk. You can interact personally with the authors. They tell you about their lives, about their writing processes, about their failures as well as their triumphs. You get a sense of the whole person. This is not the same writing climate as it was 30 years ago. People today want transparency. They want to feel like they know the author, like they can connect with the author, like the author is approachable and is respectful of his or her "adoring public."
That said, I think you should have a page where your target group can interact with you and not have to slog through our sometimes colorful language – that would also put parents at ease. Your readers would be so psyched to be able to interact with you in that way. But putting only a selective set of personality traits on your public face is probably not the best way to interact with anyone. I'm not saying everyone should air all their dirty laundry, but showing only the good & golden is just not real, and that's what people want these days: real.
Just my two cents' worth. 😉
I don't always agree with you, but I agree with you 100% on this.
I'll disagree just a bit by saying your brand IS YOU. In other words, you build a brand by saying and doing what you actually belive in. A brand helps people determine if your product (book, software, game, movie, whatever) will appeal to them. If you are authentic then you will attract the people who believe what you believe and there will be a connection that benefits both.
Robin Sullivan | Write2Publish | Ridan Publishing
Anon @10:41 (and previous @8:48 and @9:24). Thank you again! I may be out of the corporate PR world but I still keep the ol' skills somewhat sharp. So if you ever want to brainstorm PR ideas to support your writing (have no idea what stage of the process you're at) let me know on my blog and I'm happy to chat (pro bono, obviously) 🙂