Author Branding...How to Dig Your Own Grave

In the past few years I've seen a lot of poor decisions being made by authors trying to establish their brand.  Normally their folly is in the way of pushy salesmanship and lacking any real connection to potential readers--the author just looking for brainless consumers with wallets.  This just doesn't work, and unfortunately the world is full of people who haven't figure that out yet.  It's true that at times you do need to shamelessly plug.  And, if you're anything like me, that stings a little.  However, for those who are still figuring it out, I wanted to write a quick story about establishing a brand--from the consumer's perspective--using the example of someone who isn't in the writing world but the music world. 

In 1987, when I was 17, I was at the local record store with $10 in my pocket.  Like always, I spent far too much time deciding on which cassette (or piece of vinyl) was deserving of my hard-earned funds.  I came across the debut cassette by a band called The Accused.  I'd never heard of them, and against my better judgment, I purchased the cassette for the glorious cover art alone.  It turned out to be one of the single best purchasing decisions of my life.  They became my favorite crossover punk band, and I followed them obsessively for the next two decades, buying everything they released. 

Fast forward about 20 years since that risky purchase:  I had a punk rock/horror zine called "Cornflake Overdose" that cast the name "Chad Overdose" upon me for the next 15 years.  The zine gained a very nice following, and my doorstep was regularly littered with music and movies for review as well as artwork submissions and paying subscribers from all over the globe.  I interviewed people/bands like Bruce Campbell, Henry Rollins, ex-Misfits Bobby Steele and Myke Hideous, Grade, Electric Frankenstein, D.R.I., Fu Manchu, Snapcase, Eerie Von (Danzig/Sam Hain) Lloyd Kaufmann (Troma), Kyra Schon (Night of the Living Dead), Tom Sullivan (Evil Dead FX), among others that I'm having a hard time remembering right now.  I was "in bed" with Troma and other indie film and record companies, who were sending me tons of promotional items and product.  It was fun while it lasted.  But the zine got to be too big for me to handle by myself, and so I shut it down.

---

The Accused live '87

In the midst of it all, I decided to make a cold call to Blaine Cook, the lead singer for The Accused.  The internet existed but not everyone was using it, and email was still fairly new to many, so much of my communication was done by way of snail mail and phone calls.  Blaine's phone number in Seattle, Washington was listed so I made the call and flat out asked the guy if he would bless me with an interview.  He agreed immediately.  We set up a time, and Blaine took my address and snail mailed me several original photos from his personal collection that had been taken while on tour over the years, so that I could use them in the layout of the magazine.  After the phone interview, we remained internet acquaintances.  Sometime later I emailed him and asked him how things were going in the music world and if there was anything we could expect in the way of musical projects with him, as he had been in several bands outside of The Accused (including The Black Nasty, Denial Fiend, and The Fartz with Duff McKagan from Guns N' Roses).  He responded: "Give me a call and I'll fill you in."  So I did.  And he did.

Soon after, my oldest son Elijah (around 11 or 12 at the time) had taken a liking to a lot of the music that I was listening to, including The Accused.  One day he asked me "Dad, what does Blaine sound like when he talks?"  He asked me this because Blaine has one of the most unique and disturbing voices in music you'll ever hear (see clip below).  His voice was 80% of the appeal of the band for me in the first place.  The next time I spoke with Blaine via email I told him what Elijah had said, joking about it.  He wrote back:  "Have him call me."

---

Elijah Shine Lutzke age 15

I waited until a Sunday night after dinner (Seattle time) when I thought it would be most appropriate for a phone call from a pre-teen stranger.  Blaine spoke with Elijah for about 15 minutes on the phone, answering questions and chumming it up.  Elijah was a bit star struck.

Over the years, Blaine sent CDs, stickers, flyers, buttons, and T-shirts.  This entire time he never pushed his product on me.  He didn't need to.  He was just generous.  He comes from a punk rock world with DIY ethics, and at 50+ years old he still adheres to that.

I've kept in contact with Blaine and have done everything I can to spread the word of his music (as well as his restaurant entrepreneurship).  He doesn't tour anymore and now owns two burger joints (Zippy's Giant Burgers) in Seattle.  Had I lived closer, then no doubt my support would have been by way of making his restaurants a regular stop for my family and friends, but Seattle is a long way from Michigan.  However, he did have T-shirts.  And to show support for his new venture, I insisted on purchasing one when they first became available a few years ago even after he wanted to send one for free.

Blaine with wife Rahel at one of Zippy's Giant Burgers locations in Seattle, Washington

When I was putting out Night as a Catalyst I sent Blaine a handful of stories and asked if he would write a blurb.  Does he have credentials in the literary world?  No, unless you're counting lyrics.  But it meant something to me, and because The Accused were known for coining the term "Splatter Rock" with their album covers and their comic-bookesque horror subject matter as well as mascot "Martha Splatterhead," I knew some of my readers would know exactly who Blaine Cook was.

Blaine has even given me permission to use The Accused name as well as Martha Splatterhead on a writing project--the only problem being that the real deciding factor is another member who, at this point, seems to be off the grid, so the project, as of now, has gone no further than the idea bank where it will remain until I can contact said off-grid member (I'm talkin' 'bout you, Mr. Niemeyer…whom I should add has also been generous to both myself and Elijah by way of Accused swag and original artwork).

---

Blaine's latest band Toe Tag, features members of The Accused, and in the past few years I've done CD artwork for them, a promotional video, and just recently a T-shirt design.  All for free.  And this is my point for the entire article .  My motivation to support Blaine and his music, and even lend a hand when I can, was driven by his generosity both with his time and his product.  Blaine presented his product with a very human, very tangible side.  I was treated not like a fan but like a brother in the punk rock world.

Now, I'm not saying every writer should be sending out print copies of their books to everyone in the hopes of gaining favor in return.  But how many books do you think you're really selling by friending other writers on Facebook and immediately sending them links to your Amazon page?   That kind of mechanized behavior you're exhibiting just took the fun right out of everything, and you've tagged yourself with a Day-Glo negative somatic marker, with those potential readers now putting you in the same category as those pesky telemarketers. 

Yeah, that doesn't sit well, does it?

What I got out of reaching out to Blaine was getting to know one of my musical idols and to express my love for his art to him personally.  What he got by responding in the manner he did is lifelong support from me, and if there's anything I can do by way of my personal talents then I'm always on board.  This is extremely beneficial for writers to develop these types of relationships.  There's a big difference between getting someone to crack open a single book, and getting someone to search out the rest of everything you do.  Help establish that motivation within your readers to genuinely want to support you by way of contact and human relationship.

Focus more on establishing relationships, rubbing elbows, and making friends with both readers and writers alike.  My friend and fellow horror author J. Thorn is a great example of exactly what I'm talking about.  J's motto is to give without expecting anything in return.   It's what he lives by.  He is very DIY as well, and much of what he does now he does by way of being self taught.  And the knowledge he has he is very generous with.  I've no doubt that much of the reason J has been so successful with his book sales is because of this practice.

So remember, that uneasy feeling you get when you relentlessly spam others with your books like some kind of robot (I'm not talking about the normal advertising…we all need to do this)… that feeling is there for a reason.  You're doing it wrong, my friend. 

Currently Reading: 
Midnight Rain - James Newman (friggin' amazing)
Tales from the Lake vol II - Crystal Lake Publishing anthology