Class Description
Once upon a time, brands were just for cattle—and writers were the magicians behind the curtain, invisible to their readers until they were featured in several-page spreads in LIFE Magazine. In this millennium, however—the age of self-promotion—writers are expected to be visible, accessible, and … branded. Readers no longer want to know just what kind of books you write; they want to know about YOU.
What kind of writer are you? Are you memoirist Cheryl Strayed, highly visible online, or novelist/short story writer J.D. Salinger (reclusive, not dead)? Are you funny, serious, scholarly? Are you comfortable sharing your story-behind-the-story with your readers, or would you prefer to stick to the work? What are the pros and cons of these images, and how do you a) get your image across and b) maintain a consistent brand?
Please join author Jenna Blum, who helped push her own first novel, Those Who Save Us, onto the New York Times bestseller list in part because of her brand, as she discusses what branding is, how to recognize and develop your brand, and how to reach audiences.
The class will consist of lecture, discussion, exercises, and Q&A, and participants will leave with a written description of their individual brand and a game plan for how to implement it. Students should ideally have work they are ready to promote and/or published work they need to promote further, whether published articles, a book, website, social media pages, etc.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!