Author personas
Winkletter • 2 Dec 2023 •
Ream is a subscription platform like Substack but made for authors. I’ve been listening to their Subscriptions for Authors podcast as I consider what I might want to do as an author with a newsletter.
They recently launched a quiz to define an author persona as an aid to creating and marketing a subscription. I’m not much into personality tests, but this was a smart idea on their part.
Authors have a tendency to see themselves in a certain way. They might think that a subscription service needs to focus on the authors personally, and might pass on the idea of starting a subscription. But after working through the personas, this system can show authors they have other options. Authors who might have skipped past Ream might start to see themselves as potential users.
The five personas are named after types of semi-precious stones.
- Lapis Lazuli: The readers are interested in the knowledge or authority of the author.
- Pearl: The readers are interested in the authors themselves.
- Obsidian: The readers are interested in a fictional narrator’s voice, a kind of author persona.
- Garnet: Readers are interested in the characters from the author’s fictional world.
- Moonstone: The readers are interested in the whole fictional world created by the author.
Understanding a subscription through one of these personas can help when making a gut-check about how to setup and market a subscription.
The personas help the author match up what they are willing to do with what various audiences might want. If you want to focus on promoting your characters, then you might not want to run a monthly Zoom call where readers chat about their latest visit to the dermatologist.
Comments
Yes, Ream and this system are focused on fiction. But it could help to look at non-fiction in this light, too. Instead of a fictional world, you would look at the domain being written about.
Here’s ChatGPT’s summary of a discussion we had about this.
Lapis Lazuli (Focus on Knowledge and Authority):
- Example Newsletter: “Quantum Quirks” - A physicist delves into complex quantum theories, explaining them in an accessible manner and discussing the latest research in the field. This newsletter would be ideal for those interested in deep scientific knowledge.
Pearl (Focus on the Author’s Personal Life and Experiences):
- Example Newsletter: “The Digital Nomad Diaries” - A personal blog-style newsletter from a freelancer who travels the world, sharing their experiences, challenges, and the lifestyle of a digital nomad. This would appeal to readers interested in travel, remote work, and personal storytelling.
Obsidian (Author’s Personal Context in their Work):
- Example Newsletter: “Life in the Skies” - A commercial airline pilot shares experiences and insights about the aviation industry, including personal stories from the cockpit, travel tips, and the day-to-day life of a pilot.
Garnet (Focus on Interesting People within the Domain):
- Example Newsletter: “Tech Titans Weekly” - Focused on key figures in the technology industry, this newsletter offers profiles, interviews, and analysis of influential tech leaders and innovators, providing insights into their contributions and impact.
Moonstone (Focus on the Domain Itself):
- Example Newsletter: “Fashion Forward” - An in-depth exploration of the fashion industry, covering emerging trends, behind-the-scenes of fashion shows, designer profiles, and the intersection of fashion with culture and society. This newsletter would appeal to those deeply interested in all aspects of fashion.
In this context, does author refer to a fiction writer?