Sarah Britten

"For each book that does get published, dozens of manuscripts are rejected. So how do I present myself as a marketable prospect to agents and publishers, somebody worth taking a risk on, perhaps even somebody worth putting some of their marketing budget behind? This is where I have to make some tough choices, not just about the right pose and outfit (black poloneck? white cotton blouse? hair up? hair down?) for the artful black and white portrait I plan to send along with the manuscript (so that publishers can visualise me on the jacket of the first edition), but also about how I position myself."

"A writer who takes the injunctions of branding to heart must have a clear idea of both the profile of the target market and how he or she wishes to position the manuscript - that is, the product - he or she is offering to them."

"If the rules of branding really do apply to bookselling - and the evidence suggests that they do - there is an added complication. If a brand is a set of expectations, those expectations can be a terrible burden"

"To insult someone to their face is to invite the possibility of words turning to fists and bullets."

"Racists often don’t realise that their actions are racist,"