Create a brand immediately

 

I made the mistake of writing two books, publishing them and then beginning the process of promoting myself. My brand came along while I was writing my third book and it put me back in terms of getting my publications out there, I set myself up to start off much slower than necessary. Not having a brand meant that my social media accounts weren't where they needed to be and my online presence was practically nonexistent. It was a stupid mistake that I've thankfully been coming back from. I'm sure you already knew that it's best to promote a book far before it's ready to be published. Hopefully your online and in person presence is far stronger than mine was in the beginning. But if it's not and you're currently working on something you plan to publish soon, take a step back from that and put yourself out there. Connect yourself with multiple writing communities, manage as many social media accounts as you without taking on too much and find a signature something that will best identify your brand. Always think of your work as a business and a major brand, then handle it as such. Having it all done or at least in progress allows you to stress a little less about where your book will go after publication. Nothing needs to be finalised or set in stone, I'm still adding and changing things every other day. My point is that not having things already planned out or in progress can take time away from your book and might just take the fun out of publishing. I put myself in a small box by not treating my work as a business and just assuming someone will be interested right after publishing. This is just my personal experience and waiting to create a brand might work for you. I just want you to plan a head, promote a head and generate anticipation before there's even anything to wait for. Give yourself a leg up however that may look for you.