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Life Themer: Your author brand is in your favorites.
Someone asks what you write, and your answer comes out vague. Your bio feels borrowed, and brand advice sounds like it was written for somebody else. Yet the stories you love have been describing you all along, and you can see yourself in them at last.
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Bring a list of the stories you love, at least three, and meet the author they describe. You start from your taste, not your manuscript, so you can begin before you have written a word.
Your work stays private. Author Media does not store, track, or view what you post. The AI services use business APIs with privacy set to the maximum.
What changes
Turn your favorite stories into a clear author brand.
Your favorites have been circling something for years. Find the deep themes that tie your favorite stories and your author brand together.
The night your taste stops feeling random
You have loved a jumble of films, shows, and books for years and never knew why. Seeing the thread between them feels like being recognized, and it gives your author identity somewhere steady to stand.
The next time someone asks what you write
At a conference, on a podcast, or in a bio box, you can answer in a sentence that sounds like you. Readers follow authors who feel consistent and trustworthy. That consistency starts with themes, not tactics.
The week you choose your next book
Decide which book ideas fit your brand and which ones belong in the drawer. You stop second-guessing every shiny idea, because you know what you keep coming back to.
The day your books feel like one family
Whether you have one book or ten, your stories can start to sound like they came from one author with one promise. Readers who love what you love have a reason to feel at home.
A scene to try on
When unrelated favorites turn out to be kin.
Imagine your list holds a heist movie, a cozy baking show, and a Victorian novel. They look like three different tastes. Then you notice you love each one for the same reason, and a pile of random favorites becomes a clue about the books you were meant to write.
Authors who tried Life Themer
These patrons shared their results in the Life Themer announcement threads on AuthorMedia.social. They tried earlier versions, and the tool has been updated since.
“Wow! After reading my results and thinking about the stories I write, I’d say your AI tool nailed it and provided affirmation.”
“This is really cool! So accurate! Honestly, this could be a good way to get ideas for how to communicate about my stories’ themes with, say, my email list, or during an author event.”
“I loved this, and the results were spot on. … These have all been big themes in my life, and I can really see them in my writing.”
Bring your favorites, leave with your themes.
You bring
A list of the films, shows, and books you love, at least three.
Your work stays private. Author Media does not store, track, or view what you post. The AI services use business APIs with privacy set to the maximum.
You get
Your core life themes, the story patterns behind your taste, ideas for describing your author brand, promises you can make to readers, and short writing exercises.
It works from your taste in other people's stories and never from your own manuscript, so you can use it at any stage. It speaks the language of stories, so it fits fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction best. It does not write a list of taglines, and it coaches your writing and brand without diagnosing you. Treat your results as a strong first read, and keep what rings true.
Where it comes from
The exercise behind Life Themer
Life Themer is based on a practice developed by James L. Rubart, who has guided authors from their favorite films to their life theme. Thomas built the tool so any author can try the exercise, any night of the week.
James L. Rubart
Author and co-host of The Book Launch Blueprint, where he shared this exercise with authors.
Author brand and life theme questions
What is Life Themer?
You want to say who you are as an author without the guesswork. Life Themer is an AI tool from Thomas Umstattd Jr. for authors who want the stories they love to point the way to their brand.
How do I find my author brand?
It can feel like everyone else got a brand and you got homework. You can start with something you already have, your taste in stories, because the films, shows, and books you return to point toward the readers who will love yours. Bring your list, and you can put your brand into words.
What are life themes?
A scatter of unrelated favorites can feel like nothing in particular until you see what they share. Life themes are the big ideas you keep returning to in the stories you love, such as redemption, belonging, or the cost of courage. They often show up in the books authors write, and naming yours helps you write and market with a steadier voice.
What is a reader promise?
You want readers to know what they are signing up for before they buy. A reader promise is the experience you deliver every time, such as a cozy town, a puzzle to solve, and a warm ending. You can start putting yours into words here.
Who is Life Themer for?
You deserve a brand that feels like you, whether you are drafting your first book or your tenth. Life Themer is for any author who loves stories, indie or traditionally published, published or not. You do not need a manuscript to start.
Does it work for nonfiction authors?
Nonfiction authors can feel left out of branding advice written for novelists, and you are welcome here. Life Themer speaks the language of stories, so it fits fiction, memoir, and narrative nonfiction best. Other nonfiction authors can bring the stories that moved them and see which themes run through their taste, though some of the story language may not apply to their book.
I haven't published yet. Is it too early?
Building a brand before your first book can feel like decorating a house with no floor plan. You can begin with the one thing you already have, the stories you love. All you need is your list of favorites, so you can begin at any stage.
My books feel like they came from different authors. Can it help?
Seeing your backlist wander can sting. Your results come from the stories you love and not from your own books, so they cannot judge how well your books fit together. You can see the themes you keep loving and hold your backlist up against them. You may find the thread you were following all along, or spot the book that wandered from it.
Can it tell me what to write next?
A pile of shiny ideas is exhausting. Life Themer will not pick your next book for you. You can see which ideas fit the themes you keep choosing and which may belong in the drawer, and the decision stays yours.
Does Life Themer write taglines?
You may want a line to put under your name, and Life Themer stops one step before that. It does not write a list of taglines. You leave with your themes, and Tagline Brainstormer can turn them into short lines to test.
What can I do with my results?
You get to stop starting from a blank page every time you introduce yourself. You can bring your themes to a bio, a website, a newsletter, and podcast interviews, and to the choice of which story to tell next. About Page Drafter can turn them into a finished bio.
Which stories should I list?
The right list is whatever you cannot stop loving, and there is no wrong answer. Films, shows, and books all count. Start with at least three, and add more if you like.
My favorites change with my mood. Will the results?
It is normal for your top three to shift from day to day, and that tells you something too. You can try more than one list. One patron in the announcement thread tried several and found that the themes appearing every time stood out.
How accurate are the results?
You know your own life better than any tool does, so it is fair to wonder if the results will ring true. Many patrons in the announcement threads said their results were spot on, and some felt a theme was missed or did not fit. Read yours as a strong first read, and keep what feels true.
Is it therapy or a personality test?
You do not need a couch to find your author identity. Life Themer does not diagnose you or offer therapy, and there is no questionnaire to fill out. You start from the stories you love.
Is my work private?
Yes. Author Media does not store, track, or view anything you post to this tool. The tools reach each AI through its business API with privacy set to the maximum, so the AI companies do not train on your words.
How much does it cost?
Life Themer is included with any Novel Marketing Patreon membership of $10 per month or more. That membership also unlocks more than 80 other author tools in the Patron Toolbox. AI tool use draws from your membership's credit balance, and the amount used varies with the request.
Put your favorites to work.
Bring your list tonight and see what your taste has been saying. Your membership also includes more than 80 other author tools.
AI tool use draws from your membership's credit balance. The amount used varies with the request.
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Take your author brand further
When you want a line under your name
Tagline BrainstormerBrainstorm short taglines to try on your bio, website, and social profiles.
When your bio still feels borrowed
About Page DrafterDraft an About page and short bio that sound like you.
When you wonder who your reader is
Timothy FinderPicture the reader who will love your book, and where to find them once you have a manuscript.
When someone asks what your book is like
Comp FinderFind comparable books to name in queries, proposals, and ads once you have a manuscript.
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