Brand Power - Helping You Buy Better

LOVE IS THE BEST MEDICINE COLUMN

I am a great believer in brand power – that unique promise that differentiates one product from another.

Each Harlequin series has its own ‘brand’. Medicals are intense and uplifting and…well, medical. Harlequin Presents are what you turn to for a passionate escape to a glamorous setting. Blaze stories are hot and steamy.

It’s all about letting readers know what they’re going to get – no nasty surprises!

darkly sexy / trust me, I'm a doctor / fresh and flirty

But each Harlequin author also has a brand that layers over the top of the series promise – a unique voice and distinctive style that makes reading one author’s books a different experience from reading any other author’s.

As a reader, I am voracious and eclectic and I love to dabble in all things romantic.

But as a writer, I have a particular brand positioning: sexy, funny, modern, urban. That brand dictates that even when I am dealing with very serious issues – grief, betrayal, tropical diseases, neglected children, drug abuse, sexual harassment, media intrusion, sibling rivalry, to name just a few – the angst is never so soul destroying that my characters can’t stride into the world laughing as they grab it by the throat.

I’ve written across three sub-genres – Medical, Romantic Comedy, and New Adult – and I may well add a few more before I put down the quill. I’ve got a few romantic suspense ideas twirling in my head, for example, and I adore the idea of writing an historical romance. But whatever type of story I’m working on, and whatever the trope, sexy, funny, modern, urban is the way I’m going to tell it.

Want a saga? I’m not your girl. I prefer diving into the story of one couple in as tight a time frame as possible – a week or a month or a year, rather than a couple of generations.
Something rural? I’m city through and through, so the only time you’re likely to see me in a country setting is with a fish out of water trope.
Sweet romance? Not me – I like to know exactly what the hero and heroine are doing in the bedroom and why it’s important to them.

A three volume epic? Er…no. I’m generally worn out by my characters by the end of one book, and am anxious to find some new ones to throw into the world.

I’m never offended when someone decides I’m not their cup of tea. I read all my reviews, even the 1-stars, and whenever I get some flack about the issues I cover or the way I write about them, I always take a moment to reflect on what I could do better. Most of the time, however, it simply means those particular readers just don’t like my brand – and that’s okay.

On the flip side, I sure get a kick out of it when someone tells me I’ve given them a few happy hours. It’s a wonderful thing to know that my sexy, funny, modern, urban stories are right for some of the many diverse readers out there.

So, readers and writers, what’s your ‘brand’? And how much do you stray from it when you’re writing a book or choosing one to read?

I’m looking forward to diving into a new Medical story next year, but meanwhile, I’m featuring a little try before you buy opportunity. I have a short story in an anthology that is out now and it’s FREE! My story, When Jack Met Evie, is a prequel to my book Wanting Mr Wrong, so if you’ve never read my stuff, it’s a painless why to give me a try.

WHEN JACK MET EVIE he found his usual movie star charm wasn’t enough to catch her attention. In fact, she seemed to be actively avoiding him . . . He’s heard Evie has a fatal fear of paparazzi, but that doesn’t mean he should ignore his heart, does it?

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