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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Marketing » Branding » Page 2

Branding

A New Author Photo for a New Year?

By Bob Hostetleron February 3, 2021
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Not long ago, I signed one of my books for a friend. As he received it back from me, he turned to the back cover and pointed to my photo.

“Who’s that?” he asked.

He used to be a friend.

So the book had been out for a few years, but truth be told (not that I’ve been lying up to now), the photo could have been more current. Much more.

You may not age like I do (with the speed of a hare and grace of a tortoise), but let me take this opportunity to suggest that a new year is a great time to take a new author photo for use not only on the back covers of all of the books you’ll be selling and publishing but also for your book proposals’ author section, website, blog, social media, speaking-engagement announcements, article blurbs, and so on.

So let me offer you five tips for your new author photo:

  • Take the very affordable ($6), forty-five-minute video course “10 Photo Secrets for Bestselling Authors,” found on the Christian Writers Institute site. That will set you up for success as well as (or better than) I can.
  • Don’t use a “snapshot.” You don’t have to spend a fortune, but your author photo should be professional in appearance, if not in expense. Don’t just crop out your wife or cat from an existing photo; have a quality headshot taken by someone who knows how. (Some writers conferences offer affordable photo sessions. Do it. They’re more than worth it.)
  • Ditch the pipe. Or book. Or pet. Seriously, most props are a bad idea.
  • Let your headshot reflect your personality and professionalism—and, in some cases, what you write. If you write intense suspense novels, you may not want to be laughing in your author photo. On the other hand, if you write humor, you probably should smile. On the third hand, if you write slasher fiction, don’t use the axe-in-head motif. It’s been done.  
  • Think ahead. Yes, we all do get older as time goes by. That can’t be helped. But don’t think only of the immediate uses for your photo; think of how it might be used months, even years from now. Will it soon look out-of-date? Will you wish it had been a higher resolution? Will you wish you had more than one pose? Will your handlebar mustache still be as cool?

Now, before you go looking at my author photo for guidance, let me beg you not to. Just like you, I really need to get crackin’ on a new author photo for this new year.

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Category: Branding, Career, Marketing

You Provide Our Audience!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 10, 2020
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In speaking with a friend recently, she commented, “I don’t understand why Icabod gets invited to every event. Everyone knows who he is, but no one likes him.” I countered that, in attending every event, Icabod is providing a service. As an attendee, he is helping to make the party a success. Our readers provide an audience. They are our bookwormish partygoers. And though Icabod may be clueless as …

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Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Career, Marketing, The Writing Life

Should You Write Short Stories First?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 20, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ What are your thoughts on writing some short stories before you jump into your first novel? I don’t recommend writing short stories before jumping into your first novel IF your goal is to be a novelist. Writing where you don’t want your success to be is akin to the dieter craving a chocolate candy bar but eating a container of yogurt instead. I’ve …

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Category: Branding, Career, Craft, Creativity, Genre, Your Questions Answered Series

Marketing with the National Day Calendar

By Steve Laubeon June 29, 2020
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If you blog or post regularly, you know the challenge of coming up with new and fresh content. One idea might be to take advantage of NationalDayCalendar.com. This fun website has indexed over 1,500 national days, national weeks, and national months. Use this to find fun things you can write about! Today is National Waffle Iron Day (no kidding!). Did you know the first patent for a waffle iron was …

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Category: Branding, Marketing

I Have Plans to Write That Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 7, 2019
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Last week, I talked about a few reasons why I don’t plan to write a nonfiction book on style, mainly because I have no desire to develop a presence or platform as an expert on style. But what if you want to write a nonfiction book about a topic you know and love? Let’s look at the list, revised from last week, to help you decide if you should: Are you well-known outside of your immediate circle of …

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Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitching, Platform, The Writing Life

Picture-Perfect Personality

By Guest Bloggeron July 25, 2019
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Today’s guest writer is Emilie Haney, a freelance writer, photographer, and graphic designer living in Northern California. She’s a member of ACFW and writes young-adult fiction. She’s got a soft spot in her heart for animals and a love for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time, you can find her designing fun, bookish items for her Etsy and Society6 shops, all while …

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Category: Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Platform, The Writing Life

What Makes You Click?

By Steve Laubeon April 29, 2019
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Below is a visual representation of some astounding statistics regarding Internet usage. A little more than twelve years ago I wrote a chapter for a writing book on how to use the Internet for research. I re-read that article recently...umm, Google didn't even exist back then (founded in September 1998), much less Wikipedia (where the jury is still out if is a reliable source for verifiable …

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Category: Branding, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, PlatformTag: Digital Books, Facebook, Internet Usage

Lessons Learned As a Literary Agent

By Dan Balowon October 23, 2018
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Dan is leaving the agency at the end of this month to focus his attention on the work of Gilead Publishing, the company he started in 2016. Here are some parting thoughts. _____ I’ve been a literary agent for about 2,000 of the 13,000 total days spent working with and for book publishers over the last thirty-five years. It’s been a great experience, for sure; but as I look back at the thousands of …

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Category: Agents, Book Business, Branding, Career, Conferences, Craft, Creativity, Encouragement, Inspiration, Marketing, Personal, Pitch, Platform, Self-Publishing, Social Media, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Writing Craft

Caution: Loose Platform Planks

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 11, 2018
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I love learning about authors on the internet. And as a literary agent, I enjoy the internet and find connections there that would be otherwise difficult to find and maintain. But as professionals, we must be cautious about what we share on any level. One reason is that we all know the internet is forever. Consider Blake Shelton’s recent woes over old tweets. He is not alone. When I was …

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Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform

Eternal Words

By Dan Balowon October 9, 2018
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Every time I read or hear a report of a prominent person’s life complicated by something they tweeted, posted or recorded a decade earlier, I hope the stories are a cautionary tale for anyone desiring to be a media communicator or public figure. We used to be able to put our foolish, youthful or unwise days behind us. But no longer. The world in which we live is one where everything you write is …

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Category: Branding, Career, Marketing, Platform, Social Media, The Writing Life
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