Where do we start? Where does any company start? Even mega brands had to build a reputation from scratch.

First, a fundamental question. What is a brand? Contrary to popular belief, not a logo, identity, or product. So, what? A brand is a non-tangible concept that creates a relationship between a company and prospective buyers of that company’s products. It serves to create a feeling of trust. When someone sees that brand, they immediately know what the company, and their product(s), stand for. On a physical level, branding comprises spoken and written words. Graphics are used uniquely to make a company’s products and services distinct. When done well, branding can make a person choose a more expensive product identical to a cheaper alternative (eg popular products versus supermarket brands).

So how do a pair of poles apart, quirky cosy mystery authors, wishing to include strong, topical themes in their creativity, create a brand and a feeling of trust when thousands of other authors aim to do the same? Creating a concept is vital. Choosing words and designs that make us unique and set us apart from the competition.

As Maria von Trapp said, the very beginning is a very good place to start, and that means creating a brand story. A way to blend the facts and feelings we want our brand to evoke in readers, starting with us. We must establish what personal facts we’d like to share and what are off-limits. Wen has multiple sclerosis. Ark has generalised anxiety disorder. The reason these apply to our brand story is:

ü When first diagnosed, Wen believed she’d never use her hands again, never mind writing novels. Being able to pen the first, and then a follow-up is a massive achievement for someone with a serious neurological condition, which can also affect cognitive function. The accomplishment is a phenomenal success in the face of adversity.

ü Ark’s anxiety issues present a myriad of tough challenges. Writing and marketing books while managing his mental health. Especially the marketing element that can induce panic and is often soul-destroying when nothing results from his hard work and effort.

The ticks are stories we want people to talk about or tacitly infer when they see our brand and books.

The other fundamental in branding is ethos. Brand values. What do we hold dear? Championing health issues is a steady start, but what else? Injustice. One core theme that runs throughout the Windy & Darling books. It’s said authors write what they know. Wen worked in the legal sector, as did Wendy May, one of the main characters. See the connection? Many underlying themes lurk behind the cosy, quaint English villages. From inequality to social injustice to corruption, poverty, and more, Wenark Green isn’t afraid to talk about hard-hitting issues affecting society. In Deadly Dough, readers see the widening gap between rich and poor. In Fatal Fungus, we meet the consequences of reducing national and local government spending, and how this slowly breaks the fabric of society. Poverty, potholes, reduced police numbers, and a worsening health service, to name a few. Finally, we are staunch believers in humour, gratitude, and positivity. These qualities are often hidden in this intolerant world that seems less grateful and more resentful. 

So how do we tell our brand story? Through our website, social media, and, mostly, through our books. I’ve said a logo isn’t a brand, but a brand needs visuals, and those visuals mean a logo and an appropriate colour scheme. The visual side of any brand isn’t set in stone. Pepsi recently changed its logo but maintained the iconic red, white, and blue. Texaco did something similar in the 80s.

Our colours are black, white, and green. We’ve gone for minimalism because we feel less is more. Definitely more striking. The first thing you’ll see on our website is the logo. We want visitors to know it’s Wenark Green when seeing our logo, colours, and layout. The next step is explaining who we are and what we’re about. You’ll get a feel of our ethos (and biographies) in the ‘About Us’ section.

After the website, social media is where most of the brand-building and storytelling happens. We can relate our story with pictures and videos, all including our logo and/or brand colours. Even when we’re not promoting or discussing our stories, we’ll talk about values. The hard-hitting topical issues that continue to affect society. Our physical/mental health issues we manage and embrace, as well as immense gratitude for being able to reveal how we challenge troubles and come back stronger.

There’ll be author interviews where Wen and Ark discuss ethics and how they’re reflected in our stories and through our characters. Our end goal is simple. Produce content. Post. Reiterate brand. Repeat. We will recap our values and ethos so, when people see us, our logo/colours, and hear our story, they’ll immediately know who we are and what we stand for. We want people to have trust and confidence in our books, and that is how we’ll build and maintain our brand.

Thanks for reading.

That’s me away.

Ark

PS As a pro-editor, Wen curled her lip at the very idea of two uses of the very word very in this piece. Of course, because The Sound of Music is much-loved and popular, she was very pleased to include both in this very blog. A very happy ending for all.

Where do we start? Where does any company start? Even mega brands had to build a reputation from scratch.

First, a fundamental question. What is a brand? Contrary to popular belief, not a logo, identity, or product. So, what? A brand is a non-tangible concept that creates a relationship between a company and prospective buyers of that company’s products. It serves to create a feeling of trust. When someone sees that brand, they immediately know what the company, and their product(s), stand for. On a physical level, branding comprises spoken and written words. Graphics are used uniquely to make a company’s products and services distinct. When done well, branding can make a person choose a more expensive product identical to a cheaper alternative (eg popular products versus supermarket brands).

So how do a pair of poles apart, quirky cosy mystery authors, wishing to include strong, topical themes in their creativity, create a brand and a feeling of trust when thousands of other authors aim to do the same? Creating a concept is vital. Choosing words and designs that make us unique and set us apart from the competition.

As Maria von Trapp said, the very beginning is a very good place to start, and that means creating a brand story. A way to blend the facts and feelings we want our brand to evoke in readers, starting with us. We must establish what personal facts we’d like to share and what are off-limits. Wen has multiple sclerosis. Ark has generalised anxiety disorder. The reason these apply to our brand story is:

1. When first diagnosed, Wen believed she’d never use her hands again, never mind considering writing novels. Being able to pen the first, and then a follow-up is a massive achievement for someone with a serious neurological condition, which can also affect cognitive function. The accomplishment is a phenomenal success in the face of adversity.

2. Ark’s anxiety issues present a myriad of tough challenges. Writing and marketing books while managing his mental health. Especially the marketing element that can induce panic and is often soul-destroying when nothing results from his hard work and effort.

The ticks are stories we want people to talk about or tacitly infer when they see our brand and books.

The other fundamental in branding is ethos. Brand values. What do we hold dear? Championing health issues is a steady start, but what else? Injustice. A core theme that runs throughout the Windy & Darling books. It’s said authors write what they know. One author worked in the legal sector, as did one of the main characters. See the connection? Many underlying themes lurk behind the cosy, quaint English villages. From inequality to social injustice to corruption, poverty, and more, Wenark Green isn’t afraid to talk about hard-hitting issues affecting society. In Deadly Dough, readers see the widening gap between rich and poor. In Fatal Fungus, we meet the consequences of reducing national and local government spending, and how this slowly breaks the fabric of society. Poverty, potholes, reduced police numbers, and a worsening health service, to name a few.

So how do we tell our brand story? Through our website, social media, and, mostly, through our books. I’ve said a logo isn’t a brand, but a brand needs visuals, and those visuals mean a logo and an appropriate colour scheme. The visual side of any brand isn’t set in stone. Pepsi recently changed its logo but maintained the iconic red, white, and blue. Texaco did something similar in the 80s.

Our colours are black, white, and green. We’ve gone for minimalism because we feel less is more. Definitely more striking. The first thing you’ll see on our website is the logo. We want visitors to know it’s Wenark Green when seeing our logo, colours, and layout. The next step is explaining who we are and what we’re about. You’ll get a feel of our ethos (and biographies) in the ‘About Us’ section.

After the website, social media is where most of the brand-building and storytelling happens. We can relate our story with pictures and videos, all including our logo and/or brand colours. Even when we’re not promoting or discussing our stories, we’ll talk about values. The hard-hitting topical issues that continue to affect society. Our physical/mental health issues we manage and embrace, as well as immense gratitude for being able to reveal how we challenge troubles and come back stronger.

There’ll be author interviews where Wen and Ark discuss ethics and how they’re reflected in our stories and through our characters. Our end goal is simple. Produce content. Post. Reiterate brand. Repeat. We will recap our values and ethos so, when people see us, our logo/colours, and hear our story, they’ll immediately know who we are and what we stand for. We want people to have trust and confidence in our books, and that is how we’ll build and maintain our brand.

Thanks for reading.

That’s me away.

Ark

PS As a pro-editor, Wen curled her lip at the very idea of two uses of the very word very in this piece. Of course, because The Sound of Music is much-loved and popular, she was very pleased to include both in this very blog. A very happy ending for all.