Today as I wandered the 85th Annual Zilker Kite Festival in Austin, Texas, I found my mind turning again to marketing and how it relates to writing. And when I saw the situation above, I realized I had found my subject for today’s post — Standing Out from the Crowd.

I don’t know about your business, but in mine, there are millions of products for sale. Literally. According to Amazon’s stats:

• Paperback (20,561,929)
• Hardcover (7,889,042)
• Kindle Edition (962,362)

That’s a lot of books. (When I get cocky thinking I’ve produced or participated in a lot of books, I’ll look at those numbers and get a sense of perspective back…)

So, how on EARTH does one writer stand out from the crowd? Of course, you can be the next Stephen King, or J K Rowling, but that isn’t terribly likely to happen. Realistically, most of us hope to be recognized by a much smaller group of people. (Or maybe I just haven’t quite gotten all my hutzpah together.)

One way to do it is consistency. That is why my website, Twitter handle, Facebook pages–all aspects of my writing career use Rie Sheridan Rose as a name in some form (either one word or three as allowed.)

Another way is to make a name for yourself — in this case, literally. I tell people that I am not really a Bard yet, just a Bardabee — and that is how I became the Bardabee Poet. There are one or two other people using that title, but it is still fairly unique on a global scale.

I still have a lot to learn on this topic. If you have any insights as to how to stand out, feel free to drop me a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.