Help! I Need Help With Branding!!!

By Judith Ashley

No, not the kind made with a hot iron or a tattoo.

I need help with my author branding.

2014 has been a busy year for me. By January 1, 2015 I’ll have published 4 full length novels and 5 short stories with a 6th one coming out by mid-January. In addition, by that time, I’ll have participated in 4 book signings. But most important, I’ve attended 2 writer’s conferences and several workshops as well as read a couple of author marketing books.

The author marketing books and several of the workshops talk about creating an ‘author brand’. This is where I need help—your help to be more specific.

What I’ve already done:

Named my series. Not an easy task. It took over a year to finally settle on The Sacred Women’s Circle series.

Hired Christy Caughie’s Gilded Heart Design to create the book covers for my The Sacred Women’s Circle series. My covers all have a cohesive design and if you look closely, you’ll see the ‘overlay’ which conveys the mystical/spiritual element that is in all the books. Check out the upper left-hand corner to see one of my favorite cover elements.

Hired Christy’s Gilded Heart Design to update my website and create a ‘new look’ that is part of my author brand.

Purchased Joel Friedlander’s Media Kit and created varied length bio’s.

But then I attended Emerald City Writer’s Conference in October and realized I need to be even more focused regarding my brand. One of the important pieces is to consistently label/market yourself. You’ll see excellent examples with B.A. Binns and Pippa Jay’s posts. Each post starts out with their name and their genre – a bit about what they write.

Here’s where you come in. I’ve written three short introductions (19 – 22 words) and I’d like your input as to which one best showcases my brand. BTW: the experts say 20 words is best because of how search engines like Google scan for content.

1. Welcome, I’m Judith Ashley, author of contemporary romantic women’s fiction and spiritual romance: stories that celebrate the journey from Relationship to Romance. (22 words)

2. Judith Ashley’s twenty plus years in sacred women’s circles gives her stories an authenticity that enhances a reader’s experience. (19 words)

3. Hi, I’m Judith Ashley. I write romantic women’s fiction with spiritual elements. My stories are all about journeys from Relationship to Romance. (22 words)

If you have other ideas, please share! Commenters will be entered into a drawing for a $5.00 gift card for Starbucks. Please be sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! Drawing will be held 12/10/2014. If you want to know who the winner is, I’ll post it at on my Judith Ashley blog.

I'm thinking.....

......... still thinking..........

I knew my blog day was fast approaching and kept telling myself I have plenty of time, even though February always flies by so fast because there are only 28 days in the month...two or three less than any other month, yet the lack of those two days seem to make a difference in how long you have to procrastinate.

So, of course, here I sit, staring at my computer screen hoping inspiration will hit between games of Spider Solitaire and Words With Friends. I’m usually really good at thinking quick on my feet, but writing a blog post (even one I do once a month) can be daunting. You’d think as a writer, writing a blog post would come easy....not so much. When you’re penning your missive there is always one thought niggling at the base of your brain: is anyone going to enjoy this post--if they bother to read past the babble, that is?  Of course that thought is quick-stepping around my skull with everything else I’m doing. It’s been a busy year!

Along with my good friend Heather Palmer, I volunteered to coordinate my chapter conference...Desert Dreams. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, and I wasn’t worried about that. Heather and I work well together and we’re both perfectionists. We’ve put together a fantastic conference with some fabulous speakers and workshops and TEN agents and editors! If you’ve never been to a writing conference and you feel somewhat intimidated about them, then Desert Dreams is definitely the place to ‘get your feet wet’. It’s such a fun, relaxed atmosphere with so many wonderful people, it’s like going to a giant family reunion!

Anyway, the conference is in April and once that’s done, I’ll head to Denver for the RomCon convention....I think I’m doing a workshop...but I haven’t heard yet. After Denver I’ll head to San Antonio for the RWA conference, where I will be chairing the Literacy Signing for the third year in a row! After San Antonio my daughter turns twenty one and we’re going to celebrate in Vegas Baby!  But, between now and all of that, I’m in the process of reading nine books before March 19th for two different contests as well as preparing to re-release my fourth book Dark Obsession (May 5th) and complete the follow-up Body & Soul. Does it make you tired just reading that?? Yeah...it’s no wonder my muse goes into hiding.  

Lucky for me, I’m a good multi-tasker and I love a challenge...and believe me, it's been challenging. ;-) 

Wonder Where Terri Molina Is?

This is what Terri's been working on. She's the Chair of the Desert Dreams Conference being held April 4 - 6, 2014 in Tempe, AZ.

Registration is open and 10 of the first 50 who register and pay by 10/31 will win an extra agent/editor appointment. These are ten minute, one-on-one appointments.

Registration fee includes Friday Dessert Mixer, all day Saturday workshops, Saturday
luncheon, editor/agent appointments, editor/agent panel, hospitality suite, brainstorming session,
book signing, networking, and more.

Authors include Keynote speaker, Christie Craig, as well as Sylvia Day, Toni McGee
Causey, Allison Brennan, ward winning author and speaker Mary Buckham and
more.

Register online now, at www.desertroserwa.org to take advantage of our early bird
pricing and be entered in the drawing.

Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/desertdreamsconference.

Thank you!!

Terri

www.terrimolina.com
Romantic Suspense
blending in the TexMex flavor of the southwest

PS: The Blog Queens will be there! I (Judith) love Desert Dreams - this will be my 5th Conference. If you can't afford RWA or RT, this is one of the best Regional Conferences out there.

Time To Play

By Robin Kramme

I’ve never been good at growing plants.  But, sometimes, when all the elements align just right, I’m able to nurture stories from seedling to healthy, full bloom.

The Soil and initial thoughts of warm Sunshine:

Robin Kramme

In May 2011, I attended a play festival near my home in Arizona.  A writer pal had one of her short plays included in the event and I went to support her. Previously, I had read and enjoyed her short stories and working novels.  The idea of writing for stage had never occurred to me, but my interest was piqued.  It was a lovely evening and as expected I liked her play very much.

The Fertilizer and a cool shower of Rain:

My summer was busy with little time for any form of creative writing.  As October rolled around, I received a rejection letter for a manuscript I’d submitted in April.  (I’d had a successful pitch appointment with an editor at the Desert Rose Desert Dreams Writers Conference.)  Naturally, I was disappointed but wasn’t sure if I’d received a form letter as some of the comments did not apply to the ms I had submitted.  In particular, the editor did not care for the dialogue.  This was a surprise as my critique partners had all commented positively on this element of my novel and I thought it was a strength of the story.  I like writing dialogue. 

 
The Seed:

In November my husband and I treated ourselves to a fabulous 15-day trans- Atlantic cruise.  After a few days on board, I noticed several passengers wearing the exact same jogging outfits with the ship’s logo.  At dinner I overheard a conversation about the poor passengers on board whose luggage never made it to the ship and had no chance of catching up to us as we were shortly headed out to sea.  I couldn’t help wondering, What were the suitcases thinking?  They must be confused and feel abandoned.  Sharing these thoughts with my husband, we’ve been married a long time, he smiled and poured me more wine. 

The Sprout:

When we (and all our luggage) returned home, I sat down and wrote, Bad Travel, a short play that tells the story of four pieces of lost luggage told from the luggage’s point of view.  I researched format, got some help from some writer pals and submitted to the local play contest my friend had had her success with.

The Bloom:

In May of 2012, Bad Travel was included in the Arizona Women’s Theatre Company’s Pandora Festival.  My friend had a new play selected, too.  It was an amazing experience to have my words spoken on stage by professional actors and to hear the audience’s laughter and applause.  Though the stipend was small, my joy was enormous!

 
The Harvest:

Story ideas are all around us.  We need to be open to them and willing to explore the various formats of story telling.  Rejection is part of writing and part of life.  A supportive husband is a gift.  Being a part of a writing community is priceless.

Re-Planting: 

I’ve submitted another short comedy and also a one-act drama that are both currently being judged for the 2013 festival.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.