Author: SinC STL

LaShonda Hoffman Shares her Secrets of Marketing

LaShonda Hoffman

Rock Your Book

• Meet LaShaunda Hoffman – Book Promotion is her middle name.
• She’s the author of Building Online Relationships – One Reader At A Time which discusses how she created and promoted Shades Of Romance Magazine, a digital magazine for readers and writers of multicultural literature for 20 years online. 
• As a Book Promotion Strategist she offers book promotion services and coaches/trains indie authors how to set up their book promotion infrastructure so they can increase their vismeibility, readership, and book sales.  
• She’s also host of SORMAG’s Writer’s Cafe Podcast and she is currently publishing two books on the Kindle Vella platform.  Building Your Readership and Love In Space
• LaShaunda C. Hoffman
• Book Promotion Strategist
• http://lashaundahoffman.com
• Are You Ready To Promote Your Book?
• https://lashaunda.kartra.com/page/SPSM22

USA Today best seller shares her secrets of success February 23, 2023

The Basic Elements of Author Branding
When we hear the term “branding,” we usually think of logo, maybe tagline. Those are
the most readily obvious external aspects, but branding is really about all the ways you
present yourself to the world – your “total package.” Some elements are more internal to
you as an author (though they do affect those you interact with), while others are more
external-facing to your audiences. And if you don’t shape that image, your readers will
form one for you.
The key with branding is consistency. Pick something (a color, a voice, etc.) and stick
with it. Otherwise you will confuse your readers and risk fragmenting your image. Each
element of branding should work together to provide a cohesive view of who you are as
an author, much like facets in a gem.
Internal Branding

1. Mission/Vision/Values – A good way to start thinking about your branding is to
   develop your own personal mission/vision statements and firmly outline your values.
   Your mission/vision statements should include what you hope to achieve with your
   writing and how you will do it. Think about why you write what you write. Your core
   values are those things you won’t compromise for anything that are reflected in your
   writing. For example, mine are feminism, faith, strength, education, and Love
   for/respect of history.) If you’re having trouble, look at authors you admire and think
   about how you’re similar and different. This information may or may not be
   something you share publically (I have my mission statement and values on my
   website), but outlining this information for yourself will help you do all of the things
   below.
2. Voice – This is both your authorial voice in your books and the voice with which you
   write on your blog, in social media, etc. It is internal because it is part of you. Do you
   use contractions or not? Do you prefer large words or common slang? Are you one
   for short, clean sentences or are you verbose and flowery? Think about it this way: a
   YA author is likely to have a much more relaxed voice than a literary fiction author
   because literary fiction is concerned with the art of word-craft first and foremost,
   whereas a YA author takes on a fun, hip voice in order to relate to their audience.
3. Attitude – How do you talk to those whom you communicate with? Are you positive
   and cheery or are you serious? Are you helpful or do you give off a sales-y vibe?
   Anyone who comes in contact with you will be able to tell. This is why it’s important
   to stay off of social media when you are unhappy or angry. Following someone who
   is constantly negative is a turn off.
4. The way you interact with fans – Are you quick to reply to
   emails/messages/tweets? Are you open to answering questions? Do you pose for
   pictures with fans at events and engage them in conversation? Or are you more
   standoffish? Some authors will sign books for hours, while others refuse to ever give
   an autograph. Think of your best and worst famous author experience and you’ll
   immediately see why this is important.
5. What your books are about – This informs your voice, what you blog about, and
   how you see the world. Let me give you an example: I write historical fiction about
   women whose stories are in danger of being lost to history, as well as romantic
   comedies about strong modern women. This means – not surprisingly – I am a
   feminist. You will see a lot of social media activity from me on women’s issues, as
   well as historical articles about women on my blog. It also means I will give a very
   different interview than a woman who has more traditional views on woman’s roles in
   society. It also means you will not see me at a conservative rally, but I would
   consider attending something sponsored by the League of Women Voters.
6. Why you write about what you do – The “why” is almost more important than the
   “what” because it gets to your core motivations as a writer. Do you write mystery
   because you love solving puzzles and are insatiably curious? Do you write YA
   because you want to be a positive influence for the next generation? If so, you’d
   have a different brand from someone who writes in that genre because it’s what is
   hot or because it was the best time of their life. Like the “what,” the “why” inform
   what other marketing activities you may do, groups you may be part of, even
   locations for your author events, all of which are part of your brand.
   External Branding
7. Logo – Not every author has a logo, but having one can help people readily identify
   who you are and what you are about. You should put it on your web site, business
   cards, swag items, posters, etc. Everywhere. You don’t have to have something
   fancy or spend a ton of money having one designed. As long as it is distinctive and
   says what you want it to, you’re fine. Example: Nora Roberts’ logo is her initials in a
   particular font with a circle around it. While being easy enough for a non-designer to
   create, it conveys class and authority, two things she is well known for.
8. Color choice – This may seem odd, but consider that corporate brands go so far as
   to trademark their exact shade of a color. Think Tiffany blue or Coca-Cola red and
   you’ll begin to see the impact color can have. Color works the same way for authors.
   Have you noticed that a lot of romance authors choose pink or red? Or that crime
   writers tend to go with dark blue, black or another dark color that conveys
   seriousness and the dark side of life? Cookbooks abound with green. You will want
   to have one or two consistent colors that you use in your logo, on your website and
   all of your collateral materials. It will tie everything together and begin to build a
   vision of who you are.
9. Font – Font conveys a feeling, whether you want it to or not. Think of a deadly
   serious message written in Curlz font or a love note written in Chiller. Doesn’t work,
   does it? That’s why you’ll see romance writers leaning toward cursive, curly, curving
   fonts and thriller writers using thick block caps. Like your colors, you will want to
   keep this consistent.
10. Tagline – Both books and authors can have taglines. Either way, a tagline is a short,
    one-sentence hook that says what you/your book is about and draws the reader in.
    The more creative and emotionally evocative you can be, the better. If you write in
    multiple genres, try to think of an element that bridges them and build your author
    tagline around that.
11. Brand graphics – You want to have a consistent image that says “you” regardless
    of where people encounter you. That means you should use it on your website,
    social media, event posters, business cards, etc. You want people to know it is you
    before they even see your name. When you have a new or recent release, this will
    obviously tie into your book cover, but you need something for the in-between times.
    Check out the web sites of your favorite authors and you’ll begin to see elements like
    this, even if they aren’t specifically in the masthead of the site.
12. Book covers – Whether or not you have full control over your book covers, you
    should at least advocate for consistency in font and, if you are writing a series, some
    element that ties your titles together. The key here is making books in a series look
    like they belong together. This can be done through images, title, font family, font
    size and overall design composition.
13. Author photo – Please have a professional photo taken. Most of us will have a
    generic headshot, but you can spice those up by using bright colors, which the eye
    is drawn to. If you write in a specific time period or genre, you may want to reflect
    that in your author photo. For example, some authors choose to be in full costume,
    others are more subtle with a period-appropriate element like a hat, while some
    romance authors choose to include an element of romance/sex. It’s really up to you.
14. Website design – This is your online presence in the world, so you want it to
    represent who you are. Try to tie in the colors you’ve chosen, your fonts, brand
    graphics, logo, etc. This is where it all comes together. And make sure your pages
    are written in your brand’s voice.
15. Email signature – If nothing else, you should have your tagline below your name in
    your email signature, along with your website. You may also want to link to your
    books, include social media information, or a newsletter sign up link. I also include
    awards my books have won and writer organizations I’m a member of. Think of your
    email signature as a concise way to sell yourself and your books.
    10.Business cards – Your business card should include your name, tagline, genres
    and contact information at the very least. You may also want to include your book
    covers, brand image, or even your author photo.
    11.Social media – This was covered somewhat above, but you should always use your
    author photo in your social media avatars, not your book cover, because people
    connect better with faces. Again, tie in all of the other elements of your brand here
    and keep your voice in mind when posting.
    12.Aural/Sonic branding – Use of a distinctive sound or song to indicate your brand.
    Don’t let the idea of branding overwhelm you. It’s really just a formal way of showing the
    world who you already are. If you look at it that way, it can even be fun!

Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time on Zoom

Elaine Abramson and Fedora Amis – Copyrights and things lawyers never tell you. (Zoom)

Writers must be proactive to protect themselves and their precious brain children.

The following is from Science Fiction Writers of America

For published books that will be sold in the United States, registration is essential. Publication is the point at which infringement and intellectual property theft become a concern. Larger publishers typically register copyright in the author’s name at their own expense.  Small presses often don’t want to incur the cost, and may leave registration up to you. If you’re self-published, registration will also be up to you (some self-publishing platforms offer copyright registration as an add-on service, but they’ll charge you more than you’d pay if you registered yourself).

Presented to Greater St. Louis Sisters in Crime on July 28, 2022

Secrets of Self-Publishing, June 23, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time (Zoom)

Up next is a program you won’t want to miss. Author of the Gambit Investigation series. Look above to see the cover of her latest Went for a Ride. Debra Walden Davis will let us in on her “Award winning ways of a self-publishing whiz” Check her out at https://www.debrawaldendavis.com/

Monthly SinC Meeting – Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. CST on Zoom Joe Shepard, detective with the St. Louis County Police Department, was Laine’s police advisor on Murder Most Unstable. He’s headed up the investigations on some of St. Louis County’s most infamous murder cases Hosted by Laine Boyd Our January program Jo Allison in Conversation with Fedora Amis is archived at Left Bank Books Facebook Live or You Tube

*****Special Event and Monthly SinC Meeting –Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. CST*****

These two members of Greater St. Louis Sisters in Crime will talk about Jo’s new book Storied and Scandalous St. Louis: A History of Breweries, Baseball, Prejudice, and Protest and regale you with little-known tidbits of history .
Tune in to Left Bank Book Facebook Live or You Tube to eavesdrop on two experts discussing St. Louis’s fascinating past.
https://www.left-bank.com/category/event-type/author-events
That brings up a calendar with links to Facebook Live and You Tube
Or Google Left Bank Books, Events, Calendar on Jan. 25
If you have questions about life in the last decade of the 19th century and the first of the 20th, you’ll never have a better opportunity to ask.
Jo Allison is versatile. Her writing credits include a 5 book mystery series featuring typist Julia Nye. She also has out a brand new non-fiction book. Storied and Scandalous St. Louis: A History of Breweries, Baseball, Prejudice, and Protest published October, 2021. She is currently working on a new series that propels one of the characters forward into World War One. Those books are spy thrillers.
Jo will share her take on history and regale us with delightful stories about St. Louis
Jo Allison
Storied & Scandalous

 

Next SinC Meeting TUESDAY, January 25, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. Left Bank Books Facebook Live or You Tube. Discover more with Fedora’s interview of Jo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCffBSG39bC3kUE4pupngklw and http://stlsinc.blogspot.com/2021/11/must-read-historical-mysteries-books.html

Members enjoyed dinner and book exchange at Frisco Barroom in Webster Groves before the signing.

WEDNESDAY, December 8, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. Central Time at Novel Neighbors in Webster Groves. In addition to Jo, other members autographed also on the 8th. Case in point: G. R. Miller’s new book, Dead Legends, on the Heels of the Earl. (Pictured above.) Here’s a taste. “For 1950s St. Louis Private Eye Randal Murphy it’s Friday the 13th, the end to a bastard of a week, like all his weeks lately. Things couldn’t get much worse. Then she sways into his office.”

We celebrated the season with our member from Virginia, Jo Allison. Is St. Louis Storied and Scandalous? Come find out at The Novel Neighbor bookstore Wednesday   December 8, 2021 at 7 p.m.  . . . when author Jo Allison talked about her new non-ficitonbook Storied and Scandalous St. Louis: A History of Breweries, Baseball, Prejudice, and Protest The Novel Neighbor 7905 Big Bend Boulevard Webster Groves