I came across this great article on Writer’s Digest, entitled Alpha-Blog Soup, by Gabriela Pereira, published this month and can be found Writer’s Digest on:  https://www.writersdigestshop.com/writer-s-digest-magazine-may-june-2-wd0618

I was totally engaged with the content. It appears there are levels to conquer before I can reach B for Brand! Great article, I thought. “But, I don’t have a brand!” I said aloud. I am a mix-match of a bit of everything,

Starting with A for Audience. Audience? I was hoping for everyone. It turns out my posts are meaningless without a Brand? So, 4 years of meaningless?  Well, I am not one to give up on having a Brand!

Now, taking my lessons from the author, I must find out the following:

1. What themes come across in my novels?
2. What emotions do my stories evoke?
3. Why would readers want to read my novels in the first place?

I am told I must get into my readers heads and to do so, I must consider using The Breadcrumb Technique!

Step 1. Choose a ‘Comp Title’ and find one that is in my same genre. A competitive title is a book that is in the same genre and would draw the same kind of reader. But, but….my three novels are all in different genres. My current manuscript that I am writing is a mix of paranormal and a historical fiction. Hmmm….

Step 2. Browse the Reviews on Amazon in my chosen genre and look for only 3 stars and 4 stars (5 stars are not reliable, and 2 stars are by people with an axe to grind). Well, I thought, good to know!  Study a few of them and pick out phrases and specific word choices.  I can do that, I suppose.

Step 3. Examine the Reviewer by clicking the reviewers name and go to their profile (do all reviewers have profiles?).  Hmmm…that seems a little too crafty for me, but I will try.

Step 4. Choose a New Comp. This means to view genre books that have been reviewed by the same reviewer. If that doesn’t work out, then go to “Customers who bought this item also bought…” and continue following the breadcrumbs about readers who might like my books too. Okay…I can do that!

Step 5. Stop and Implement, because it is easy to get sucked into a research rabbit hole.  Oh, of course, and considering I am a clinical researcher by career, I would end up with dozens of pages and a hypothesis!  I would give up writing fiction and write a non-fiction about the psychology of reviewers! Well, that is not such a bad idea!  I will put that on my New Project List forthwith!

Now, I thought, for the real “red meat of the article”. B is for Brand!  Yes!!

Step 1. Look up my name on Google.  Find out what is being said about me? Someone is talking about me?? Good Grief! Well…I was shocked. I should have used a pseudonym. I am strongly considering it, but it may be too late for that now, I guess.

How can they list my email address, my old address, my writing on WordPress and even Facebook, as well as my daughters names and more! Much of it is completely wrong…and is about another person(s) named Karen Dowdall. I was surprised to see how many have my name too!  Is this legal, I thought, However, I could use my maiden name and maybe from this point forward I will. But, then again, I would have to start all over, from scratch.

Step 2.  Imagine. I must use imagery for my blog writes the author.  Well, I do that in spades!  I am good to go for imagery!  I have my photo on my blog too, and that is important, as the author writes, “for making that human to human connection.”

Step 3. Voice.  “This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of branding to quantify or explain.”, writes the author. I must be approachable, have a presence for my readers and how they feel when they interact with me or my blog.  Hmmm…. I guess I need to do a survey?

The author continues with C is for Content and Conversions and then D, E, F.

It is an excellent article and the author of this article, Gabriela Pereira, has been down this road herself, obviously.  I am now going to Google her!

by K. DeMers formally Karen Dowdall …just kidding!