Hello hello!

You might be thinking…it looks a little different here at Bold & Bookish. You’re right! 

Rather than our usual two-part format, I wanted to take this month’s letter to show you around and tell you what I’ve been dreaming up. So if you’re game for a little detour, put away the gps, roll down the window and crank up a good tune. I’ve got a lot to share and I’m so glad you’re here.

I spent the last six weeks working closely with I Am Bún, who you might remember from a few newsletters ago, to create a brand identity. 

A brand identity is like hosting a party. If someone is coming to my home I'm going to clean and polish it up, I'm going to make sure it feels warm and inviting and I'm going to aim for them to feel welcome and comfortable so that when they think back on their time with me it's a good feeling and one they want to return to. 

Any time someone scrolls my feed or reads my newsletter, they've made the choice to give me the gift of their attention. A brand identity--intentional colors, images and consistency of tone--allows people to have an experience, one that is memorable and hopefully that they want to return to.

I’ll admit, a little ways into this, I almost got cold feet. I thought…why do YOU need a brand identity? You’re not famous? You don’t even have that many followers? 

Firstly, how DARE my subconscious be so rude to my small, but mighty and wonderfully engaged following…aka ya’ll! I apologize on behalf of my subconscious, she’s kind of a bitch some times.

Secondly, I like to think of a brand identity as “dress the way you want to feel”. So much of my journey as a writer has been about building the courage to take myself seriously without having to justify my 'seriousness' with the opinions or 'likes' of others. Plus, fame and following are not necessarily indicators of good ideas or authenticity.

I created this identity for me and for those of you who are already here.

I didn’t have a strong vision going into this process. 

I knew wanted the colors and tone to reflect the content of my novel and also stand on its own. 

My story takes places on a fictional, Latin American inspired island. The setting and magic system are influenced by the stories my grandmother told me about Cuba growing up. I wanted to lean into and celebrate that while being mindful to not appropriate cultural elements. 

The rest was left to the imagination and expertise of I Am Bún. I answered an initial questionnaire and weighed in on some designs, but the final product exceeded my expectations. You can read about the design process from Bún’s point of view here.

The biggest surprise wasn’t the logo or the colors or the images. It was how the brand identity made me feel and the way it opened my mind up to dreaming. 

Which brings me here, to the new, expansive Bold & Bookish.

Bold & Bookish is a space for writers to take their ideas seriously. Through inspirational articles, critique circles and workshops we help emerging and seasoned writers foster connections and build skills to move past the internal and external challenges that keep them from trusting their ideas. 

Our first event will be Critique and Cafécito a free, virtual group where writers create connections, share their work and receive feedback from other writers.

We hope you’ll join us or recommend it to a friend!

A final new feature: you can like or comment on this article by using the little icons at the very top (the heart and the bubble). Actions like that really help the algorithm do whatever it is the algorithm does.