Brand Yourself

When you become an author, especially with the small presses, one of the most important things you’re told to do is brand yourself—no not like cattle—more like Frito Lay, Nestle, or Ford. You have to sell yourself and your writing as an author. Create an online presence. Readers need to get to know you—how you write and what you write. But what about those of us who love to skip around and experiment in the genres? Is that you? Do you too feel like you just haven’t found your writing niche quite yet? Okay, put your hands down. You are among friends.

When I’m asked: ‘What do you write? What’s your genre?’ I seriously have to make out a list. And I make no excuses for it. I love skipping from genre to genre, stretching my writer’s legs or fingers. Or to be more precise my imagination and my writer’s niche. It keeps the writing fresh and exciting. In the beginning, I branded myself as a Sweet and Inspirational author. I still do, but recently I’ve added to it sensual—as my last two finished works are much more that way. As for other subgenres, there’s also: Young Adult, American Victorian Historical, Mainstream Contemporary, and Romantic Suspense.

This spring I increased that list when I wrote my first high fantasy romance. I finished it in four weeks. Seriously, I felt like my fingers were on fire. One DAY in fact, I accomplished writing seven thousand words. It was amazing. I stretched my comfort zone and included a new genre to my repertoire. It’s a wonderful story of adventure with a kidnapping, a pampered princess, a land forbidden of magic and a silver-tongued outlaw hero. Fun stuff, I tell ya.

I also decided it was time for me to write my first historical western. Now this is not my chosen genre by any means. In fact, I’d never even read this genre until about three years ago when I started reading the work of a friend of mine. But they really are just so darn fun and sexy. I had to give it a try. This short story wrote in three days and I had the most fun. Again I pushed myself to try something new, to expand and move into an entirely new realm of romantic fiction, and I’m so glad I did.

So what’s my writing niche? Ask me again in ten more years. Maybe I’ll have figured it out by then. But in the meantime, I’m having the time of my life figuring it out and writing the stories of my heart. What about you? Have you branded yourself? Have you figured out your writing niche? If you are like me and you can't put your finger on a single genre then try to find a string of commonality that links all of your writing together. Can you think of one?

Cindy K. Green

Humor and Heart Wrapped Up Together

www.cindykgreen.com