I also want to add that I attended a terrific workshop on branding taught by Lee Hough, an agent with Alive Communications, at an ACFW conference (www.acfw.com). That helped me understand the basics of branding because Lee used examples like Nike to explain branding, taglines, etc. I was also able to ask questions, which was invaluable.

So another suggestion I have to writers is that if you are able to, attend a writers’ conference. Workshops like Lee’s branding workshop were important to me as a beginning writer.

And just for the record, I do NOT laugh at everything. If anyone has heard Randy’s hick accent, he sounds so ridiculous you just can’t help laughing.

Camy

You’ve got such a great brand and personality that I’m totally drawn to your writing, though I wouldn’t have been originally. I checked Camy out months ago, when she had a contest. I was (and still am) intrigued by her style.

Figuring things out the hard way takes a lot of time, hardship, disappointment and probably money. I thank you again, Randy, for showing us the things that would otherwise take years if not decades to figure out.

I’m beginning to get something else. I took some time to read around in Camy’s website.

Her short stories, from the flash fiction, Idiot, forward evidence a pattern that’s as much a part of her brand as anything else.

So the body of her work is consistent. And helps to solidify her brand.

Thank you, Randy and Camy.

Camy - we can even hear laughter in your blog posts, so I think Randy nailed you on this one!!

One question I have for Camy. I remember at one point you wrote suspense. (Did I hear wrong?) If so, how did you get from suspense to your Asian Chicklit brand? Did you have to sell your first novel to solidify your brand? (Okay, more than one question) If so, if you had sold your suspense, would you have a totally different brand?

I grew up in Wichita, Kansas, Randy.
Where did you grow up?

I haven’t lived there in 25 years, but I did live there for 20! (Guess that gives away my age a little.)

It’s fun to meet a fellow Kansan! Hey, quit making fun of our a-uhk-sint!

I see how branding is done and used when you have something going into print, have an agent and that already, but I’m still a bit confused on how to use a brand/promotion when you’re only still writing that first novel, freshman or maybe sophomore level. I guess what I’m asking is: how can you go about establishing it when you have nothing specific to promote yet?

I was thinking of my brand being: fantasy thats points a heart toward God. But now I think it needs to be punched up a little, so I’ll keep on trying.

Thanks, Randy!

Thanks to what I’ve been learning here, I can picture myself pitching this first novel to an editor and saying, “Even though this is a serious, faith inspiring romance, expect to see something different from me in the future, something faith provoking and full of dark wit.” Seems a foolish thing to do, doesn’t it?

My options, as I see them:
1.Toss the current baby out the window and begin fresh with something that reflects my “brand factors.”

2.Beef up the baby to include bits of my bf’s, so that it somewhat resembles the style of future stuff

3. Finish current wip all serious as first intended, count it as practice, cross my fingers and send it away. Then have a blast cramming my NEXT novel full of fun, twisted, provoking stuff.

I’m not sure how to proceed with the half-written, sweat-stained novel at this point. Any thoughts?

p.s. It’s WAY premature to brand or tag me, but I think my heart, personality and background might say to a Christian Adult Fiction audience: “Laugh Louder, Reach Deeper.” Maybe.

p.p.s. Thanks Randy! I appreciate the time & energy you put in here. I’ve learned so much!

My writing and brand will be evolving a lot over the next year. I’m taking a year of college writing courses and anthropology/sociology (to assist in world building) and hope to refine my work.

I’ve taken Randy’s 101 and other online writing courses, but I’m looking for a real live audience to bounce things off. I’m so thankful that I’ll go into this with branding information already in my head. I will be dabbling in many genres as part of the program, and I’ll have feedback from instructors and other students to help in discovering the “how I am perceived/how I want to be perceived” part of the process.

Now if only I can get Paypal to accept my change of address, I’ll register for tomorrow’s fun and games…

One question I have for Camy. I remember at one point you wrote suspense. (Did I hear wrong?) If so, how did you get from suspense to your Asian Chicklit brand? Did you have to sell your first novel to solidify your brand? (Okay, more than one question) If so, if you had sold your suspense, would you have a totally different brand?

Yes, Gina’s right, I did write a suspense. In reality, I wrote five full manuscripts before I sold to Zondervan.

My first manuscript was that ethnic-neutral chick lit, which I changed to Asian American characters. While my agent was shopping that around, I wrote an Asian American suspense, but with a smart-aleck character. It wasn’t quite chick lit suspense, but it did have that strong, sassy heroine that I had written in my other manuscript.

It took me all five manuscripts to figure out what I wanted to write. I had tried suspense, and while it was fun, I discovered I liked writing chick lit better. When I came up with my tagline, “Romance with a kick of wasabi,” I purposely made it applicable to both chick lit or suspense, depending on what I wanted to focus on. After I decided to pursue chick lit, I didn’t have to change the tagline. I wrote more chick lit manuscripts after that.

I guess what I’m saying is that it might take you several manuscripts to figure out what your brand is and how you want to focus your writing. You might write 2, 3, or 10 manuscripts before you discover that unique marketing angle that will become your brand.

Camy

Thanks so much Randy, and thanks Brandilyn and Camy for sharing your branding journey with us.

Camy, I’ve been challenged by your statement that you wrote five books before you found your market (and your voice). That’s some serious discipline.

Couple that with Randy’s snowflake method. Well, it’s time for me to get to work.

Funny how Randy said you call yourself loud Asian chick. I thought that was what WE called you. (and wasn’t bossy in there somewhere?)

I love hearing all the work that went into your brand. Guess I need some help with mine. I liked your suspense but I LOVE what you write now. You are an awesome writer and I’m so happy God decided your time is now. I cannot wait to get my hands on that book.

And Randy, thanks for having this blog. So helpful. Great job.

Clearly I should spend more time on it, but I got a rough draft of the WHAT you do, WHO you are and WHY you do it settled down. Next was the nefarious tagline (Brand Identity Statement).

I came up with two that I actually like (room for improvement I’m sure) but now face a dilemma. One tagline expresses WHO and WHAT, the other deals with WHY and the target audience. As an unpublished writer, should I focus more on selling myself and my style or demonstrating who the publisher would sell it to?

I attempted to combine it all, but then it isn’t a tag line any more.

Help?

~bonne

Camy, you are one of a kind! I have loved you and your style from the first time I met you! Thanks for sharing your journey here.

I started a blog in order to find my voice because my fiction manuscripts, while showing some direction/voice, just didn’t seem to be defining me. I have several passions in both my fiction reading and in my writing. I love reading historical fiction and historical romance best; but I love helping “book doctor” the fantasy novels most; but I’ve been told my “voice” seems best for women’s fiction. Sigh. As I’ve gone along with my blog posts, I’m discovering a certain pattern.

I have Randy to thank for working me over in his ezine to give me a start. Slow, slow process, though. I did take a step and bought a domain for my name, as he suggested. I stopped doing most book reviews (and my column, even though I still do nonfiction health book reviews and whatever else Lin Johnson sends to me) at Randy’s suggestion, too.

I still wish there was a step-by-step process, like the Snowflake for manuscripts, to work through branding and finding those passions. Reading about Brandilyn’s process, and Camy’s experience makes sense, and also Randy’s process is a lesson. Randy, I still remember you sitting with us at Mt. Hermon as you chatted to Wendy Lawton about branding early on.

As to Randy’s different type novels, I still love the City of God series best.I’m glad you are concentrating on ancient history. But then, I love reading historical fiction best…

It’s a game of Who Am I? Will the real whoever you are please stand up?

I’m still quite the freshman, but looking at my passions and tendencies, I enjoy writing about strong relationships with bouts of action. Perhaps it should be “Relationships tested by terror” or something. What do y’all thing?