Branding - A Writer's Necessity

Branding. Sounds like writers suffer the same ignominy of cattle, but wait - remember the business classes you took in college? Coca Cola branded their name. So did Wal Mart. I bet Toyota is a brand as well.

Writers live in a business world creating very non-business creations oft times. Since writing is an industry, a writer sure as a rejection slip needs to own an identity or brand. When my first book came out last year, the beginning of my branding commenced. The truth is, the branding began the year before Fatherhood 101: Bonding Tips for Building Loving Relationships hit the streets.

I scoured the internet for a domain with my name as an author site. Unfortunately for me, only John Smith is more common than Mike King. I tried all the combinations I could. I went formal - Michael King. I went tacky informal - Mike R King. I went initial - MRKing. Nothing worked except the dreaded full name. www.michaelrayking.com not only birthed my first website, it branded how people would address me in the 'writing industry'.

As an author, you cannot go around with multiple variations of your name and expect consistent recognition. Why do you think Madonna and others use only one? I dreaded the use of my first name because in the forty-eight years prior to this internet and branding emergence, that full name was only used when I was in BIG trouble.

Any combination of "Michael Ray" or "Michael King' would mean my mother was mad, but not drive-your-nose-into-a-corner-and-whip-your-behind ballistic. Guess which combo won that award. "Michael Ray King!"

Almost every time I'm introduced to speak, I hear that full name and chuckle. Sometimes I check over my shoulder and make sure I haven't done anything unseemly. Your name, fellow writers, is part of your branding.

I write everything. I have a book of poetry out - Loves Lost and Found - and an upcoming collaboration with three other writers on the book Writing is Easy. The four of us call ourselves the Rogues Gallery Writers (branding). I have my fatherhood book, and I also have two manuscripts of fiction, one untitled 'camping in the North Carolina Mountains' book, and another non-fiction with the working title - A Writer's Life. This diversity hinders me when I want to brand myself as an author except in the Jack of all trades type category.

Branding and platform are related. Writers should always be looking for ways to allow people to know them. Something memorable to keep yourself in the public mindset. That's a tough place to get to. Today's world is hectic and sound byte and video byte driven making it difficult to stick in people's brains past the next cool thing.

Blogs, websites, Tweets, all these things I've spoken about in other posts need to have your "brand" stamped all over it. People still want consistency in this crazy, fast-paced world. If you can successfully make your name, your writer's voice, your sites, your posts distinctive, you are on your way to being branded.

Branding can be thought of as your own style. I see it all over the place here on Hub Pages. The Hubbers I'm attracted to most are those that leave their own clear footprint on their writing. That equates to passion. Fervor. The need to write something. When you invest yourself in your words, that is one of the best 'brandings' you can earn, but it has to be distinctive, fresh and you.

Write your Hubs with passion. Get YOUR COMMERCIAL name out there. My apologies to fake name holders, but building your platform and branding yourself for the commercial world of writing is enhanced by the use of your pen name. All that is hindered or at least not promoted by a pseudonym.

If you desire to work and get paid as a writer, think business. Think branding.