Friday, October 28, 2011

You Are The Brand


You’re an author. Therefore you need a brand. Something that lets the world know what you and your book are all about.  But what is it? There’s a ton of articles on the internet about how to build a brand, many of them written by social media and marketing gurus.

I’m no guru, but I’ll tell you what I think platform and brand boils down to: being yourself.

If I were trying to build a platform/brand, I would start by asking myself what writers I enjoy following, whether it be on their blog or a social media site. What drew me to them? What made me buy their books? Usually it’s because I like what they have to say. Or because I have similar interests.

Building a brand – to me -  is as simple as making a list of your interests and what your books are about.

For me, it would be something like:

Writing horror/thrillers
Writing advice/tips
Publishing
Fantasy/horror art
Playing guitar
Metal/classic rock/blues music
Horror movies

Tweet/post about your interests. If you’re on Twitter, you’ll attract those with similar interests. Throw in some promotional tweets here and there, but don’t go crazy. Right now I’m trying to mix in 2-3 promotional tweets per week. Some authors do a lot more, but that’s what I’m comfortable with.

For examples of authors who do this well, I’d recommend checking out Bryan Smith, Amanda Hocking, and Lynn Viehl.  They are all active on line without bashing people over the head with “Buy my book.” All three of these authors share their interests and hobbies through blogs/and or social media.

The other part of building a brand/platform is showing up on a regular basis. Be present on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Interact with others.

Building a brand doesn’t have to be complicated. Be honest. Put it out there. You are the brand. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Random Tattoo Art

A piece of tattoo art I recently finished. I just submitted some of my designs to a tattoo website. Also toying with the idea of opening an Etsy store and making some art available for sale online.

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Birth of Jack Vincent

Horror has always been my first love, followed by crime novels. I'm a big fan of Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane, and Ken Bruen. Duane Swierczynski has become a recent favorite, as well. I wanted to start penning some crime novels but release them under a different name, as to differentiate them from my horror novels.

So I chose the name Jack Vincent. Jack because it's a solid name. Sturdy. I've always liked it. Vincent was my dad's middle name.  My first release under the Jack Vincent name is UNDERWORLD.  It's a short story featuring ex-cop Cody Garrett. Garrett was created for THE HOLLOW, and I liked him so much I wanted to possibly do a series of books with Garrett as the main character. He fixes things for people who can't go to the cops. And he's not afraid to get his hands a little bloody. Or a lot bloody.

Here's the cover for UNDERWORLD. It's 99 cents and you can find it here: amzn.to/r1Sf95


Saw A Quiet Place II This Weekend

Jenn and I went for lunch yesterday, then saw A Quiet Place II at the Aurora Theater. The Aurora is a great little theater. One screen, and...