Ep 156: In a World of Author Branding, What If You Want to Rebrand?
In the last episode, I finally attempted to define an author brand. Before that, we talked about staying consistent with the core you\u2014the brand you\u2019ve developed, the tone you take, the voice your readers have come to enjoy.\n\nThe episode before that, we discussed setting aside a place to play online\u2014perhaps on a social media platform\u2014so you can let your hair down and play with new topics or new approaches to your writing.\n\nWhile you\u2019re playing, you may find a new love, a new passion, a new you. Even though you understand you have a core you, the process of playing led you to realize you\u2019d like to change focus and shift to new subject matter or new genres using a new tone or voice.\n\nAnd by gum, you\u2019re gonna redesign the whole website to match.\n\nDespite gaining a following and discovering readers who like what you have to say and how you say it, you decide you want to pivot\u2014to rebrand.\nYou Can Use Your Platform\nFirst, let me say you certainly can write whatever you want to write. And if you\u2019ve built up a substantial readership and have a good number of fully engaged followers, you may feel compelled to use your platform to talk about something important to you.\n\nThat\u2019s the privilege of having a platform. You can use your influence to impact the people who are listening to you, even if it means writing off topic once or twice and publishing content that\u2019s off brand.\nThink Twice Before You Pivot\nBut if you\u2019re feeling the itch to make a global shift, a true pivot where you change dramatically and permanently to speak and write differently from now, you might think twice.\n\nYou\u2019ve been writing about food, let\u2019s say, and now you want to focus on travel.\n\nOr you\u2019ve been writing about family and now you want to switch to politics.\n\nYour novels are selling well, and now you want to publish nonfiction.\n\nI\u2019m not stopping you from rebranding. But before you make that decision, consider some questions.\nWhat's Behind the Shift?\nIf you've worked hard to develop a platform and got results\u2014you gained a following\u2014why the change? What\u2019s behind this shift?\n\nI\u2019ll toss out some questions to help you think about what's behind it:\n\n \tAre you tired of the topic? Bored by the subject matter?\n \tDo you find this new passion has completely captured your heart and mind to the exclusion of your original focus?\n \tDo you love a billion different things and hate being pinned down and pigeon-holed?\n \tAre you gravitating to shiny new possibilities? Does this new idea seem fresh and exciting compared with what you\u2019re currently known for?\n \tIs the desire to change rooted in avoidance\u2014that is, are you avoiding doing work related to this audience and this project and this commitment?\n \tAre you afraid of success?\n \tDo you worry your words will be taken the wrong way by your growing audience?\n \tNow that you\u2019re more visible and prominent, are you wondering if people will grow tired of you?\n \tAre you afraid you\u2019ll run out of things to say?\n \tDo you sense a deep discomfort in your spirit, like you need to abandon something that feels wrong?\n \tDo you sense a deep stirring, like a call to step into some new vision?\n \tAre you yourself changing and you want your writing brand to match the person you\u2019re becoming?\n\nSee if you can diagnose the motivation and then decide if you want to change. You may rethink things, or you may conclude it\u2019s time.\n\nJust know that it\u2019s a big decision with ramifications. So do think twice before flipping the switch. After all, you developed your existing brand because you believed in it. Aspects of it must still feel true and right and good.\nRemember Your Readers\nAnd your friends, followers, and fans\u2014your readers\u2014are turning to you for a reason. They know, like, and trust your brand. They love how you write and what you say. They enjoy the stories you tell and the tone in which you tell them.\n\nBefore you rush to rebrand yourself, think of those readers. Whether you have three, 93, or 10,003 readers,