In this article, we’re going to talk about branding and why it’s one of the most important things you’ll do as an author.

Many new authors think branding is simply having a pretty logo or choosing a couple of colors they like. In reality, branding is much bigger than that. Branding is the foundation of everything that comes next… your newsletter, social media, website, business cards, bookmarks, event banners, merchandise, and even the way readers talk about you.

When you start with a strong brand right out of the gate, you can build a cohesive identity that readers recognize no matter where they first discover you. Whether they see your booth at an event, scroll past one of your TikToks, subscribe to your newsletter, or stumble across your website, every piece should feel like it belongs to the same person. That consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.

Why Is Branding Important?

Think about the items you use every day. Just sitting at my desk, I see the Apple icon on my phone. I see the Dish Network kangaroo on my Dish Hopper. There’s a Kleenex tissue box on my side table. My computer is branded by HP. Every program on my desktop has its own recognizable icon.

Mom’s drinking a Pepsi with its iconic red, white, and blue logo. There’s a bag of M&M’s on the other table, and I’m watching NatGeo with its recognizable yellow rectangle. Even my taskbar is filled with brands like Google Chrome, Brave, Discord, and Microsoft Word.

As you read those names, chances are you pictured their logos, colors, or even their advertisements without needing to look anything up. That’s the power of branding. Those companies didn’t become recognizable overnight. They consistently presented the same identity over and over again until people instantly associated those visuals with the company itself.

As authors, we’re trying to accomplish the same thing… just on a smaller scale. When readers see your logo, you want them to immediately think, “Oh! That’s one of Mandi’s books,” or “I know exactly who that author is.” In today’s market, readers have thousands of books competing for their attention every single day. The easier you are to recognize and remember, the better your chances are of becoming the author they think of when they’re ready to buy their next book.

People don’t always buy the first time they discover you. In fact, most don’t. Research suggests people need to see an ad 3-5 times before they decide to purchase something. This goes for books, as well. Sometimes they see your table at an event and pick up a piece of swag or a business card. Sometimes they scroll past your Facebook post.

Other times, they randomly open a newsletter months after downloading a free story and forgetting about it. Sometimes they recognize your logo from a bookmark they picked up six months ago, or received in a VIP event bag. Good branding ties all of those interactions together until eventually they decide, “You know what? I think I’ll finally check this author out.”

So, Where Do You Start?

A common way to think about branding is through the four P’s: Purpose, Perception, Personality, and Presence. I promise, it sounds more intimidating than it really is!

Purpose-
For purpose, start with what you write. Ask yourself a few simple questions. What genres do I write? What themes keep appearing in my books? What emotions do I want readers to experience? If readers described my books in three words, what would I hope they’d say? Take the time to write down a handful of keywords. Maybe your books are dark, magical, adventurous, romantic, mysterious, humorous, cozy, emotional, hopeful, or gritty. Those words become the foundation of your brand.

For example- A horror author might lean toward dark colors, distressed textures, and bold typography. A cozy mystery author might choose warm colors, elegant fonts, and inviting illustrations. A fantasy romance author may use celestial imagery, florals, metallic accents, or fantasy-inspired typography.

There isn’t one correct answer, the goal is simply to create visuals that support what readers will eventually find inside your books. The idea is to find something that suits your purpose for writing and branding, but also fits the genre.

Perception-
Next, think about how you want readers to perceive you. This isn’t about pretending to be someone you’re not. It’s about deciding what first impression you want people to have. When someone lands on your website for the very first time, what should they immediately think? Professional? Fun? Dark? Elegant? Whimsical? Historical? Modern? Edgy?

Think about your favorite colors, design styles, and aesthetics. Do you naturally gravitate toward minimalist designs, vintage looks, bright colors, Gothic imagery, watercolor florals, or sleek modern graphics? Your branding should reinforce that first impression consistently across every platform.

Personality-
Now comes the part many people skip, because it’s harder for them. Your branding should match you as a person. Be honest with yourself. Are you naturally serious and reserved? Funny and sarcastic?

When people really get to know you, are you a giant nerd? Chaotic in the best possible way or more quiet and thoughtful? Around people you don’t know well, are you awkward and giggly or outgoing and confident? Readers eventually meet the person behind the books. Whether that’s through social media, events, lives, newsletters, or author notes… your personality is going to shine through.

If your branding says “serious literary author,” but you’re constantly posting memes, making bad dad jokes, and laughing at yourself online, there’s going to be a disconnect. Likewise, if your branding is bright, bubbly, and cutesy, but your public persona is polished and academic, readers may feel like they’re getting mixed signals.

Your branding doesn’t need to exaggerate your personality, but it shouldn’t contradict it. The most memorable brands feel authentic because they actually reflect the person behind them.

Presence-
Finally, think about where your branding is actually going to be utilized. This is the practical side that many people don’t consider until it’s too late. Most authors will be using their logos and branding packages on multiple types of social medias, websites and website headers, and newsletter graphics.

If they do swag or printables, they need to consider bookmarks, stickers, vinyl decals, business cards, and other types of consumable medias. If you plan to do events, you’ll need table runners and banners, potentially shopping bags or T-shirts, things of that nature. Every one of those uses has different design requirements.

Tiny profile pictures need simple, recognizable artwork. Large banners need graphics that still look good from across a convention hall. Vinyl cutters hate tiny intricate details, and don’t do multiple colors well. Embroidery can’t reproduce extremely thin lines. Full-color printing costs more than single-color designs, black and white printing is the cheapest of all. Transparent backgrounds matter for a lot of things. Vector files matter depending on what you’re wanting to do. Dots per inch, or DPI, is incredibly important.

These are the kinds of things that aren’t exciting to think about, but they can save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of frustration later. Taking the time to think through these practical considerations now helps ensure you won’t have to completely redesign your brand a year from now.

Learn From My Mistakes

Hi. It’s me. I’m the problem. One of my current logos is nearly impossible to cut in vinyl at smaller sizes because there are simply too many thinner lines. That means several products I wanted to make… I can’t. At least, not without redesigning the logo specifically for those uses. Another time, I had to re-vectorize it to be all one color, because the item I was working on had a 1-color design limit. Without realizing it, my ‘all pink’ design actually had gradients in it, and the item customizer wouldn’t accept the file.

Whoops. It’s one of those lessons I wish someone had told me before I invested time and money into a design I absolutely loved. The good news is that mistakes like mine are completely avoidable if you think ahead. That’s one of the reasons I’m writing these articles in the first place. I’ve made plenty of mistakes while building my author business, and if sharing those experiences saves someone else time, money, and frustration… then they’re worth talking about.

Branding isn’t about creating the world’s most beautiful or expensive logo. It’s about creating a recognizable identity that grows with your career. The stronger your foundation is today, the easier every piece of your author business becomes tomorrow.

Branding Checklist

So now, you have some work to do! If you’re considering re-branding, or starting from scratch, you have the chance to do things right. Here is your checklist to get started on making your logo and branding work for you, now and in the future.

☐ Pick a primary theme/genre you write.
☐ Choose 2-3 primary colors.
☐ Choose 1-2 fonts/graphic styles.
☐ Pick 5-10 Descriptive Words.
☐ Describe your author personality.
☐ Write down where you intend to use your logo and branding, now and in the future. Primarily online? Do you want to do events in the future? Do you want the option to make swag and printables?

Now, you have a workable list for a graphic artist and designer. You have a genre and styles you like. You have colors and themes. You have a potential list of file types you’ll need. At this point, an artist has everything they need to start working.

Remember- you want files with white backgrounds and transparent backgrounds, no matter what. This will allow you to use them in various places online and on different backgrounds. If you’d like to eventually use your logo for events and swag/printable items, you’ll want it at 300dpi for best printing. Anything lower, on bigger items, will be pixelated.

If you plan to eventually offer swag and giveaways, here’s some suggestions…make at least one option a single color graphic with simple lines. This let’s you utilize vinyl cutting. If your artist offers a vector file for this, take it! SVGs are best. Make at least one option black and white. This allows for cheaper printing for printables when you need to order in bulk.

And always request the color codes used. You want to be able to match things exactly when you’re building your websites and newsletters. Your branding package should always come with the color codes for any colors utilized in the designs. Make sure you get those and save them.

Providers-

Now, I have gathered a small list of providers that offer logos and branding without the use of AI. This is just a small sampling, obviously a quick Google search will lead you to thousands more. Do your research, though. Check out their portfolios. If you don’t want AI used, make sure to clarify that. Read what they offer in the package, and request anything extra that you might need that isn’t currently listed, inquiring what it would add to the cost. Word of mouth is top tier… if you have a friend with great branding, ask them who did theirs!

Qovers By Red- https://www.facebook.com/qoversbyred
Black Widow Designs- https://www.blackwidowdesigns.co
Pixel Pixie Designs- https://pixelpixiedesigns.com
Get Covers- https://getcovers.com
LogoGlo- https://www.logoglo.com
Dribble- https://dribbble.com
Behance- https://www.behance.net

A special note- You can find designers on Etsy and Fiverr. DO take the time to read reviews, however, and make sure to specify clearly whether you are okay with AI usage or not. Designers on these sites can be hit or miss, so reviews and portfolios are going to be your best indicator of whether they will be a good pick for you.

Below are a few of the websites/logos I’ve done for myself, family and friends. As you can see, I work really hard to make sure I select colors and images that represent the business and what it’s about easily at a glance. They each stand alone, are eye-catching, and the website themes all match for a cohesive brand.