Identity (part 2): person or brand?

I bought the March/April issue of Writer’s Digest to get Christina Katz’s article “50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day.” This gem comes with other treasures, including an interview with Emma Donoghue, author of bestseller Room.

A theme of identity stood out to me in their pieces.

Katz advises writers, “Be Yourself. Advice that tells authors to act like brands encourages us to forget to act like regular people. But social media is made for people, not robots. The fact that you’re a writer and a parent or an uncle and a Packers fan or a vegetarian makes you interesting. Your readers and fans want you to be personable, not a one-topic ever-plugging broken record. Spend five minutes making a profile more you” (p. 43).

Writer’s Digest asks Donoghue, “In a publishing climate where writers are often advised to develop one niche, you’re quite diverse. Is that something you consciously strive for?”

Donoghue replies,

“You know, maybe I’m lucky nobody ever told me that. I know what you mean, in terms of marketing and making a brand of yourself. It would be logical to develop one niche. But I’ve always had a very good agent who’s always emphasized the sure interest of each book or play. She’s never approached my work with that hard-boiled, Will this appeal to your previous readership? attitude. I know my publishers are occasionally a bit bemused by, you know, what am I going to throw at them next, but nobody’s ever said, “Oh Emma, you have to give us more of the same thing” (pp. 37-38).

It’s not just a publishing climate, it’s a business climate, even a social climate. E-Myth talks about it. My colleagues talk[ed] about it at Ambrose and Briercrest. Stephanie Pollock exhorts that business and life are not separate and guides women through a clarification process for it.* Christina Katz rejects it for writers:

Now some people like to substitute the word "branding" for identity, but I'm not partial to the former. Are you a writer or a pharmaceutical company? Are you a writer or a can of soda? Are you a writer...you get the idea. Be who YOU are and spread the word in a professional manner. This takes more thought than you might expect because it's part of the story that precedes you, goes with you, and lingers behind you, everywhere you go. For more on this topic, start reading on page 175 and don't stop until you figure out your Otherwise Known As.

There’s a place for branding, but let’s heed fair warning that brand building can de-personalize. Some people’s names are synonymous with their brand: Rachael Ray, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Covey are three who immediately come to mind. It’s common, but what’s the net effect? I don’t have a lot of answers, but I do have a healthy wariness.

Who are you? Do you distinguish person from brand? Why or why not? How?

 

*Note: I like Steph Pollock and just signed up for one of her courses. I might filter some of her branding messages, though.

Identity (part 1): grieving losses and change