As Wednesday (today) was rolling closer, I still hadn’t written a business post. I was a bit at a loss for what to write. So, I set the thought aside and moved on with my day to wait for my inspiration to find me. I decided I could always write about a tool I use—because having tools in a writer’s toolbox is important—but book covers, in relation to rebranding, became the topic.

I love being an Indie Author. Since 2020, my journey has included learning, meeting an amazing group of people in the book world, and personal growth as a writer, author, and business owner. One thing I appreciate is the control I have over my product, as well as all the areas that I can learn and grow with that product. When I started out, I didn’t know what branding was, and I didn’t know that rebranding was a possibility.

“Being an Indie-Author does NOT mean being an amateur. It means being a professional, who prefers to retain control of their work, in order to provide the highest quality for their readers.” – J. New

So, I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo and writing the last book in The Ember Files Series. To take a creative word break while writing a novel, I create my cover. It keeps me connected to the characters and the story but gives me a different way to think about them. I’m really happy with this new cover and how it’s coming together, but it doesn’t match my previous covers in the series.

Unity is important for a series; it is a way for readers to identify the books.

For me, I write and publish one book at a time. With The Ember Files, I knew that there would be three, maybe four books, but I didn’t know enough about those stories to think of covers. So, I created using what I knew. I’ve had compliments on my covers individually, which I appreciate, but there have been no comments on them as a group.

I took a minute to look at current urban fantasy covers, noting trends there, and at my book’s performance. With that and the unity concept in mind, I decided I’m going to rebrand them for the launch of the final series book in 2024.

 “A brand is a voice and a product is a souvenir.” – Lisa Gansky

What is rebranding?

Branding is creating a unique identity for a book(s) and the author. Branding—cover, title, and other marketing elements—create consistency, helps you connect with your target audience, builds trust, and makes you unique. It creates a lasting impression. So, rebranding is a redo of some or all those elements. It’s a way to refresh your books. There are lots of reasons for rebranding: marketing trends change, underwhelming sales, regenerating interest in backlist books . . .

As an Indie Author, this can be done with a bit of research, patience, and elbow grease.

By Shari Marshall – 2023