Traditional publishing and the competitive nature of pitches and submission contests have created an unnecessarily competitive relationship between authors.

While they are great opportunities to get your work in front of agents and editors, over time, I have noticed that it has created an atmosphere where everyone is talking about their work in the same way. In my opinion, this means that little to no work is put into understanding your unique approach to storytelling. And it doesn’t really give you the tools you need to navigate that place where your work is the same but slightly different. 

This unique perspective is what your author brand can provide.

This is the sweet spot…

Your sweet spot is the intersection where who you are as an author, your ideal reader, and what you create come together. That sweet spot is called a niche. Knowing your niche allows you to stay true to yourself and provides the foundation for your brand. 

For example, as a romance author, I’ve decided to seek out readers in the 35+ age range who want to read romantic fiction that features older Black female characters. I know that we’ve been told that the ideal romance reader trends younger. Most romances, whether indie or traditionally published, are written for the twenty-one to thirty crowd. When I was in that age bracket, that’s what I wrote, and I never assumed that would change. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve made a calculated decision to write for readers who are closer to my age range. It’s what I enjoy writing and what feels more authentic to me. I also think that any stories I write about people under the age of thirty-five would read inauthentically because I don’t know what the kids are doing these days. Nor do I have the desire to do the necessary research to find out. I’m making the gamble that my ideal reader will be of the same mind and would be interested in characters who find love “later-in-life.” 

At some point, I hope we come up with a better tag for the subgenre, but I digress. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. I was initially wary of letting go of those younger readers because a lot of pub talk had convinced me that the younger age bracket was the bulk of the romance readership. I’m determined to prove them wrong!

The goal is to cultivate myself as a subject matter expert on filthy romances written for and about Black folks 35+ years and older. 

You can claim and cultivate your niche in the same way!

How do you find your niche?

As previously stated, we can’t ignore our fellow authors at this stage of building your brand. This is a continuation of the work we’ve done so far. 

Consult your author profile! It has everything you need to know about yourself and your ideal reader. Make sure you focus on your genre of choice, your themes, and your writing strengths and weaknesses. Authors tend to talk about these things freely and often so it should be easy to find more than a few you align with! 

Who are your publishing peers?

Finding your publishing peers and the information you need on their brand and books is as simple as an internet search. Look them up on your preferred social media platform using keywords and hashtags. Find their books on Amazon and other book distributors, as well as review platforms like Goodreads and Storygraph. Now that you’ve gathered this information about the audience of your peers — both actual and potential — what do you all have in common? 

Similarity is an excellent place to begin. 

When you write the same things, market and promote them in the same way as your peers, you become a commodity or mainstream. This is a brand of authorship that capitalizes on having little to no differentiation — which is a valid business structure. Everyone has different goals, and we’re motivated by different things. But if you’re interested in creating a unique brand, highlighting what makes you the same but different is how to deliver on your brand promise.

So what makes you different? What makes you stand out? Are there gaps in what you see in the market that create an opportunity for you to shine? You might find that you don’t have many differences — this might be especially true for new and unpublished authors. If this is true for you, think about how you might communicate your author brand differently. This might require you to get a tad more personal, but that added emotional layer might be the connection that sets you apart from your peers in a distinctive way.

At this point, you have a few options when it comes to what you do with the information you’ve gathered about your peers thus far. You could choose to niche down even more, to edge out competitors, or you may find a group of authors to collaborate with and support each other through your publishing journey. I’m in favor of collaboration. Rising tides raise all boats, right? 

However, to do this successfully, you must know how you compare with your peers.

Ask yourself:

1. What is your impression of their brand?

2. What platforms are they active on?

3. How are these authors marketing their work to their ideal readers?

4. If you’re their ideal reader, how does that interaction feel to you?

5. What do they seem to do well?

6. What can you learn from them that will help you develop your brand?

7. Are you targeting a profitable niche occupied by several authors who have done it longer and better? (If so, you need to think of a new angle.)

Now I want to take this moment to acknowledge that this is a lot of work. Showing up as your authentic self can immediately trigger imposter syndrome. It’s perfectly normal for thoughts like “what if everyone ignores me? What if I can’t compete or be seen in these big loud spaces?” to crop up. But it’s also true that the more you stick with it, the more confident you’ll become — especially when you stay true to yourself.

Small aside: When searching for authors and readers to network with, please maintain professional boundaries! This is for you and the people you seek to interact with. Navigating social media has become increasingly difficult when parasocial relationships are formed in ways you can’t anticipate. Remember that your fellow authors and readers are people and that they deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. Do not seek to connect by asking for favors or for them to perform emotional labor. If you want to establish a deeper connection beyond a surface level, begin with something you can offer them. This thing should be something that requires zero work on their end. 

Having that said…

Most of us are introverted weirdos that find it hard to interact. Know that your favorite well-known author feels the same way and that introversion is often tainted by past experiences that may have made them wary. Treat them the way you would want to be treated if you were in their shoes!

Defining Your Goals

Defining our goals and objectives is a crucial step in crafting a successful content marketing strategy. By clearly outlining what we want to achieve, we can tailor our content to directly target our readers, improve our online presence, and ultimately drive desirable outcomes for our book business. 

Here are some suggestions:

Increase brand awareness by focusing on your story.

I know. We authors hate to talk about ourselves. But one of the best content topics for increasing awareness around our work is our story. 

You can promote your brand in a way that reflects how you started writing, your current process, what tips and tricks work for you, and industry news that aligns (or doesn’t align) with your core values. Keep these aspects at the forefront of your content marketing to give your readers a clear picture of who you are. Weaving your author brand into your content can help you connect with your readers on a more personal level.

Increase Website Traffic

Your core content will do the heavy lifting here. It should be well-written, informative, and relevant to your books to draw your ideal reader to your website. SEO-rich content, catchy headlines, and utilizing keywords can help capture their attention, too. In addition, sharing content on social media and leveraging influencers can help widen your reach.

Generating More Book Sales

Sample chapters, serialized fiction, interviews with authors in your genre, and recommending books from fellow authors written in the same genre, can encourage readers to make a purchase. Your free short stories and novellas on your blog can do a lot of work here, too.

Obviously, we want to achieve all of these goals, but I find that it’s good to start with one objective in mind, master that, and then move on to the next. 

Exercise: Carving Out Your Author Niche

Here's an exercise that can help you dig deep into your unique author brand and carve out a space that's truly your own!

1. Reflect on Your Unique Attributes

- List Your Passions and Interests: Write down themes, subjects, or elements of storytelling that excite you most.

- Identify Your Strengths: What aspects of your writing receive the most praise? Is it your character development, your world-building, or perhaps your dialogue?

- Acknowledge Your Experiences: How do your personal and professional experiences influence your writing?

2. Define Your Ideal Reader

- Demographics and Psychographics: Who are they? What are their interests, age, gender, occupation, etc.?

- Reader Desires and Needs: What are they looking for in a book? What emotional or intellectual needs does your writing fulfill for them?

3. Analyze the Market

- Research Your Genre and Subgenres: Look at the current trends, best-selling themes, and gaps in the market.

- Identify Your Peers: Who are the authors with similar themes or styles? What can you learn from them?

4. Differentiation

- Same but Different: In what ways is your writing similar to others in your genre, and how does it stand out? Think about tone, themes, character types, settings, and narrative style.

- Create a Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Based on your reflections and research, define what makes your writing unique. How does your UVP appeal to your ideal reader?

5. Integration and Synthesis

- Merge Your Insights: Combine your understanding of yourself, your ideal reader, and the market to refine your niche.

- Craft a Statement: Write a clear statement that encapsulates your niche. For example, "I write fantasy novels for adults who crave intricate political plots with morally gray characters, combining the depth of classical fantasy with the pace of modern thrillers."

6. Testing and Feedback

- Share with Trusted Peers: Get feedback on your niche statement and approach from writing groups, mentors, or a targeted segment of your audience.

- Refine Based on Feedback: Use the insights gained to tweak your niche statement and approach as needed.

7. Implementation

- Align Your Branding and Marketing: Ensure that your author brand, book covers, marketing materials, and social media presence reflect your niche.

- Content Strategy: Develop a content strategy that reinforces your niche. This could include blog posts, social media content, newsletters, and promotional materials that consistently communicate your unique brand.

8. Evaluation and Adaptation

- Monitor Engagement and Sales: Keep an eye on how your audience responds to your niche-focused content and books.

- Be Open to Evolution: As the market changes and you grow as a writer, be prepared to adapt and refine your niche.

By completing this exercise, you should have a clearer picture of your unique author niche, enabling you to communicate more effectively with your ideal readers and stand out in the competitive world of publishing.