Marketing Your Persona

No one wants to buy or read the proverbial off-brand story. 

Readers want the vibrant voice of the real author embedded in the page.

Lynn Austen spoke at the first writing conference I attended. That was more than ten years ago, and yet, above any other speaker I've heard since, I can still remember she wore a red business suit, she spoke with the gentle, knowing voice of a first lady, and her message was taken from the story of the alabaster jar. Why did that presentation stick with me? Because the same voice appeared on the pages of her books.

1. Lynn presented her persona in a true and honest way. 

Lynn Austen is a biblical and historical fiction author. She has won numerous awards. These awards basically had little impact on my decision to purchase her book, Gods and Kings. What caused me to buy, read, and buy more was her voice. What she said at the conference. The way she spoke to people in the lunch room. 

Her writing sucked me into the story. Even though I knew some of the account (like we would reading a Titanic story) the fresh revelation of truth spoken in an honest way unfolded on the pages and touched my heart. I finished the series then bought copies for Christmas gifts. 

I now know and expect that when I buy a Lynn Austen book the story will be told in her true and honest voice.

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I attended an awards dinner for writers last year. The recipient of one award (I can't remember what it was for) walked to the podium to give an acceptance speech. From her first word to the last, the entire audience laughed. How did this writer turn a mundane appreciation speech into pure entertainment? Her persona. Her voice, her words, her facial expression, her body language, everything said: I am happy and I want to make others laugh.

2. This debut author's book hit the stands this year. Guess what? Her historical story was bursting with amazing wit and humor. I literally laughed out loud so many times. This alone did not prove the value of her book, I also had a basic knowledge of the period of time. Had something in the story not rang true, the humor would not have fixed the problem. She had done her research and crafted an entertaining story true to the historical time frame.

I now know and expect that when Kristi Ann Hunter's second book is released, the story will be told in her entertaining and well researched voice.

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Ruth Logan Herne has been running an amazingly creative and unique series on Facebook. Each day the next saga of the Mighty Finn (her young grandson) has visited the homes of many readers. Recently, the Little Princess has joined the posts. These creative posts have lured readers to look for Ruth's posts in the newsfeed. 

3. Not every writer has the opportunity to speak. Not every writer wants to. However, I think we've all had fun on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. Writers can show their persona in what they choose to post in social media. The point is not to post. The point is not to be a presence. The point is to reveal your voice. When I see a post from Chandra Pierce, I expect something funny. When I see a post from Kay Arthur I expect something spiritual. When I see a post from Ruth Logan Herne I expect to see creative and unique. Why? Because this is their persona. Their voice. What I will find in their books.

I now know and expect to find Ruth Logan Herne's creative and unique voice in her books and am so excited to read her stories.


A year or so ago, my son told me he didn't want to watch any Tom Cruise movies. I asked why. He said, "Because what he says and stands for." (referencing outside the movies)

Then I wondered, how does our persona attract or turn people away from our stories. 

A good cover can sell one book. 

An amazing title can sell one book. 

But a good author's amazing persona can sell as many books as he or she can write.

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What questions do you have?
How can we help you?

I can't wait to read your comment(s)!

 Photo Courtesy-permission to reuse with modification 
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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary writes young adult mystery/suspense Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids. She has finaled in several writing contests.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

Why Voice Matters

There was a point in my writing life, early on, that I despised any mention of the word VOICE.

Agents and editors at conferences were all like, "We're just looking for that voice, you know?"

No. No I don't know, is what I and MANY others wanted to reply.

VOICE as it pertains to speaking we can kinda understand. It is the pitches, the rasp, the tone, the dialect, the lisps, all rolled together into a unique voice that is all that persons.

Some voices, let's face it, are easier on the ears than others. It's why some people get voice-over gigs or acting gigs or are able to read for audio books. It's also why some people just---shouldn't.

But unless it is an audio book (which rarely is the author's own anyway), how does voice play into books when you can't hear anything?

Logical minds like mine want to know.

Recently, I read a book. It was a really good book, I read it all the way through in like a day or two, which is rare for me these days due to time constraints. But I soaked it in and missed a LOT of sleep to finish it.

A few days ago, I picked up another book. Same genre. Same very unique, historical time period. Different author. I'd heard RAVE reviews about the book and was really excited to read it.

But I struggled through the first chapter. It wasn't bad. Actually, she is a brilliant author and the story seemed intriguing.

The writer in me took a step back and compared the two.

The difference between the two was VOICE.

The first book was very jagged and sharp. The descriptions were vivid and held punch. It was fast paced and reminded me of a symphony playing a fast-paced piece with huge cymbals and crashes and clangs and loud crescendos and when done, the conductor turns around to take a bow, his hair all a mess from all the crazy playing. It wasn't the story that created this feeling, not all together anyway. It was the usage of words used by the author.

The second book was soft. The descriptions were fluid and languid, beautiful and flowing. Instead of crashing cymbals there where soft dings of a triangle during a ballad that, while it might have gotten serious and faster at some points, the music never lost its softness. Again, it wasn't the story that was soft (it actually was a bit scary and rough at times!) it was the authors voice.

Your voice is what makes your writing unique. It is neither good nor bad. However, the more your voice stands out in a crowd, the more likely it is to catch an eye of an agent, an editor or a reader.

Can you change your voice?

I honestly don't think so. Or at least, I don't think you SHOULD. You are who you are and its how God made you. And that is good. But just like you can go take voice lessens to strengthen your voice, to get your body used to hitting notes spot on, we can take our voice and hone it, add layers of harmony to it.

I made this very poorly done visual because... I'm a visual person, so maybe it'll help someone else too! I showed, kinda like you would see on a sound graph, the two different writing styles I mentioned above. Both of them are unique and different. But both have normal versions of their voice, then toned, amplified, more recognizable versions of voice.

So how do you tone your voice, you ask?

Just like in singing, I think PRACTICE is the number one key.

Get professional HELP when needed. This might be a crit group or an editor or even just immersing yourself in some great writing books.

I also think RECOGNIZING your voice is helpful. Are you an alto or soprano or bass? (I'm not really a singer... so I THINK those terms are right! ha!) Read other books in your genre, then after some distance from your own writing, read your book again. What tones do you hear that are similar and which ones are different? What makes yours stand out from the others? Does it stand out in a GOOD way or a BAD way?

And okay. Some of you are thinking this right now and so am I so I'm just gonna throw it out there.

What about the tone deaf?

You know... the ones who sit behind you in church and screech their heart out but not even one note is on key and you think a dog just howled off in the distance somewhere?

There will... be on occasion... some writers who are tone deaf. They love writing and putting words on paper and it looks and sounds majestic to them but everyone who reads it thinks -- oh dear.

It doesn't mean there is zero hope... but it probably. Regardless, writing is good for the soul and can be super cathartic. So I say WRITE away oh yea tone-deaf writers, just like those sweet, sweet singers. Just---don't expect to be called up on stage for a solo :-) :-) :-)

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of  

Sandwich, With a Side of Romance,  
A Side of Faith
A Side of Hope.

She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

The Tale of Two Books

Last week, I read two books.

Their names will remain unknown.

I haven't had a lot of reading time lately, but I'm in the middle of writing a book, and was a bit "stuck" on a plot point, and reading a good book tends to help me unstick.

Book One

This book had a plot that seemed really intriguing, but it was an author I didn't know, and my to-be-read pile was large. For some reason, the book triggered in my memory from a sample I'd read. I went to Amazon and it was 99 cents. I figured, maybe it might be just the thing to kick my muse into overdrive.

$1.08 later, I started to read it.

The plot was good.

The prose, most of the time, was pretty decent too.

The characters were....

Eh. They had GREAT potential to be really amazing characters. They had back story that could have been interesting. They had internal and external conflicts. But there was still just something missing. They were FLAT.

Even though they had back story and the MAKINGS of great characters, the execution just wasn't there. The back story didn't really interact with the present story. Some of the big things they had to overcome were ignored until the end and then resolved with a simple, unrealistic discussion. Emotions were barely touched on even though, given the story, you know they HAD to be there.

But the plot was still good-- it was enough to keep me reading. I wanted to find out what happened.

A few hours later, I finished the book. Meh. My muse was still in hiding.

Book Two

The next day, I started to write. And nothing came. You know when you see a bad movie and you really just have to see a good one to help get over it?

That's were I was. Writing was going to be non-existent if I didn't have a good book to balance out the not-so-good one!

So I searched my Kindle and found a book that I'd bought a while back, but hadn't read yet. It was by one of my go-to favorite authors, and I was shocked that I hadn't read it.

I devoured the book in a day.

The storyline was catchy. The characters were unique and raw and deep. They had back story and wow, did they interact with it. The dialogue was snappy and realistic. There was a big black moment, even if it was just a teeny bit cliche, but I was intrigued and could barely put the book down.

Moral of the Story

Two books
Two great, intriguing plots
Only one author I will seek out to read their next book.


So take that story and get a crit partner (a GOOD one, see Mary's post from yesterday!)
Invest in an editor.
Read books/blogs on writing craft.

Listen to beta readers.
Don't use "voice" as an excuse for poor writing. (There. I said it. I might blog on that later just to ruffle a few more feathers!)

Because you want your readers to close your books and think, "Hmmm, I wonder what else they've written!"

Discussion: What methods do you use to improve your craft and make sure you have not only a great story idea, but great writing to compliment it?

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and author of Sandwich, With a Side of Romanceand A Side of Faith. She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

Your Voice Released

A block of stone. 

A blank canvas.

A clean sheet of paper.

What life is filled in such empty spaces! 

As writers—or artists—life brims from such untouched media. And once we dare to place our chisel on the stone, the brush to the canvas, the typed word to the paper, we begin to create the vision first developed in our hearts.

If you've ever walked the hall to the famous statue of David by Michelangelo, you first pass by his "Prisoners"--blocks of stone unleashing  human form in a dramatic, raw fashion.

Michelangelo once said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to find it."

Photo of Michelangelo's Prisoner by Avital Pinnick on Flickr

 As if the bodies are emerging from the block, Michelangelo's imitation of man is whispered on the surface. Not completely finished, not refined nor perfected...but the art becomes a foreshadow of the greatness in what lies ahead—the near-perfect statue of David.

As writers, we often hear judges or editors mention the word, “voice”, and sometimes it seems like a tricky thing to attain in our efforts to craft a story well. If we look at voice in three stages, we might begin to discover the releasing of our own voices:

FIRST CUT: It's messy to cut into stone. Imagine the ugly divots and the shards of marble splayed upon the floor. But Michelangelo knew his direction--to set the statue free. He continued to chip away. Remember, in those beginning stages of a first draft the words might not come easy, but you must continue to write and rewrite, chip away at the blank stone, and release your voice through your unique story.

Photo at Wikimedia Commons

RE-CREATE: Most stories have something in common with other stories, life in general, or universal themes. If we are going to connect with our reader at all, we must have “familiar” in our stories. But don't let “familiar” trump “unique”. Michelangelo didn't create a new form, but used the God-given human form to create art. He sculpted the ordinary human body in a unique way.

Our voice is sculpting the human condition in a unique way.

LIFE: The voice of the writer breathes life into the blank page. It gives the story its pulse. When a writer has grasped their voice, their story becomes one to marvel at, just like Michelangelo's statues.

When your voice continues to grow, your story will fill with life.

Just as the statue of David is a vision the viewer will never forget, your finished manuscript will boldly declare its voice in the heart of your readers.

Have you discovered your “voice”?
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Angie Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the monotonous, mothering days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across historical cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.