This is elusive territory – but I’m told it’s important, indeed essential, if I am to sell my book. Bound up with this is the book’s ‘genre’ and my ‘ideal reader’ – for me that's anyone who has bought or read the book, regardless of what they think of it. After all, a book that’s not read is akin to a tree falling in a desert. Does it make a noise or not if there’s no one around to hear (or read) it?
So after much thought I’ve decided to approach the author brand issue in reverse – instead of deciding who my book will appeal to I‘ll focus instead on those aspects of the book my readers have said they like. Maybe this will give me the answers and the author brand will flow from there.
Aspects of Stalker that seem to have worked, judging from feedback to date, are as follows:
· The immersive nature of the account of mental illness
· The settings and descriptions of place
· The characters, both major and minor
· Identification with the boarding school experience
· The book’s ‘generosity’ – an interesting point that I especially appreciate
· The insights into human nature and painful emotions
And the sense of period
The only problem is that these are responses to the book, when the marketing experts all say an author should create their brand before publication. Which is why I’m having to retro-fit my brand instead as I continue to de-code the jargon. But I'm on my way. I hope.
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