I, Tanya Yvonne, committed myself to doing this guest post and was racking my brain trying to come up with a topic. With my deadline only days away, I started to panic mentally drafting an apologetic email to Jo. Thankfully, though my weekly trip to the grocery store not only provided me with a full fridge but also a bit of inspiration. It is no secret that I love me some Spicy Doritos slattered with fat free cream cheese. As I stood in the chip aisle examining the many bags of chips before me, I realized something. Beside each national brand of chip, there was a generic version. And all though the price was lower than its more well known neighbor’s I ended up tossing the Doritos’ brand into my cart. You see the decision was easy because with Doritos I know what I am getting every time I pull a bag open and pop one of them into my mouth. With the generic or store brand it is a guessing game. In this wonderful age of self-publishing, it can be tempting to pen and put out books across many genres. But an author is not just a writer they are a brand. For example when I finally found the genre, YA, that makes my “writing look phat” I had to decide whether or not to fully commit to it. Which means following those on Twitter who tweet about YA, writing blog posts that often center around YA interests (I have interviewed a YA author, a ‘Teen Mom’ and written posts that young readers and writers find interesting). You want readers to know what to expect from you. Whether you love or hate my Violet Eyes’ prologue, you at least know what to expect from brand Tanya Yvonne. So please do not think of your books as individual items and think of each as an extension of your brand. Happy reading, writing or whatever.
