Branding question

Nina Kaytel · Feb 19, 2014

I was talking to my friend about how to reach more readers, and he suggests that I be open about my disability since it is rare. I am unsure if it would be a good idea. I don't write about Friedrick's Ataxia or people in wheelchairs so I fear it would be misleading to be open about it when I have no reflection of it in my writing.

So I pose the question here: to be open or not to be open?

Polenth · Feb 19, 2014

Readers often like to know about you, so if it's something you want to talk about, I don't see an issue. It's not misleading that your characters aren't in wheelchairs and you are. Equally, if you're not comfortable talking about it, you don't have to. Only share what you feel comfortable sharing.

JournoWriter · Feb 21, 2014

There are two issues here, as I see it: Whether to be open about your disability, or whether to use your disability as a promotional and branding tool.

The former should depend on how comfortable you are discussing your personal life with readers, and is really a question only you can answer.

The latter runs the risk of portraying you as "that disabled person who writes," rather than "that writer who happens to be disabled." Which do you want to be known as?

This would be entirely different if you were writing nonfiction about your disability, for example, in which case it would be part of your platform, or if your MC had the same issue. But that doesn't appear to be the case.

If I've misunderstood your query, I apologize.

Branding question

Nina Kaytel

I spell Gray with an 'E''

Polenth

Mushroom

JournoWriter

Just the facts, please