A New Sigil: Rebranding Ronel the Mythmaker | Author Website Update

ByRonel Janse van Vuuren
Dark fantasy-themed digital banner with an intricate, ornate purple and black border. The background is a textured, deep violet. On the left, a melancholic fairy with large, translucent purple wings and a flower crown sits in profile, looking thoughtful. On the right, a purple butterfly is perched near hanging crystals, an old lantern, and a stack of leather-bound books next to a glowing candle. Centermost, the main text reads in a stylized, elegant serif font: "RONEL THE MYTHMAKER A NEW SIGIL: REBRANDING RONEL THE MYTHMAKER" At the very bottom, inside a narrow bordered banner, smaller text reads: "New stories, folklore discoveries, and publishing adventures".

It’s the first Wednesday of the month and time for another posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

I’m still at #38 on the list.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 5 posting of the IWSG are Shannon Lawrence, Diedre Knight, Liza, and Pat Garcia! 

August 5 question: As a writer/author what is something you regret? Or something that you wish you’d done differently in your writing process?

Learn more here.

There are moments in a creative life when the work no longer fits the shape it began in. When the edges outgrow their frame. When something within the stories quietly asks to be seen differently. This is one of those moments.

Ronel the Mythmaker is undergoing a rebranding — not as a departure from what came before, but as a refinement of what has always been forming beneath the surface. A new sigil has emerged to hold this identity: not to replace the old, but to better reflect the world the writing now belongs to.

This post is both an unveiling and an invitation — into the visual language, the shifting structure of my author website, and the evolving mythos behind my work.

Author Rebrand Update: Why I’m Redefining Ronel the Mythmaker

I could’ve titled this “Time for a Rebuilding Update” but there’s so much more to cover.

Background and Layout: A solid black square background featuring decorative text and a graphic element. Text Overlay: Large white cursive script in the center reads "In My Rebuilding Era". Branding: In the bottom right corner, smaller cursive script reads "- Ronel the Mythmaker". Graphic Element: In the bottom left corner, there is a stylized pink silhouette of a fairy figure with large patterned wings, appearing to fly upward.

I’ve been spending months rebuilding my author business after I’ve made the decision to no longer use Draft2Digital to aggregate my books to all the digital stores I cannot access as a South African author. You can read all about the reasons behind that decision here. I had decided on selling books direct to start with, which you can read about here.

Though some decisions had come from bad things happening, I had made a list of all the good, too.

I went back to the start of my career (decades!) and looked at the writing that felt right. That led me to rediscovering Magic at Midnight. I read the reviews, watched the original launch, and realised that it was a world worth expanding (it’s still my most popular book). The Midnight Courts series was born. Though I’m still writing the series, I thought it worth mentioning here as a positive.

My coach has been reminding me to celebrate the small stuff, too. Yes, that’s another change I’ve made: I got a book/life/author coach. She’s really great and can handle my ADHD and endless questions. Instead of continuing my usual learning through webinars this year, I invested in one-on-one coaching. It’s been paying off.

We did a full audit of my catalogue and decided where to trim the fat: Two pennames have been shelved indefinitely (low sales, and I don’t enjoy writing them anymore). My most lucrative penname has been moved to Publish Drive (you pay according to the size of your catalogue, so it makes sense to only have the penname which pays for itself in there. Great tools!). And a new penname I wanted to start was scrapped because it turns out the books I want to write fits with my Ronel the Mythmaker brand.

Though my Ronel the Mythmaker books aren’t as widely available anymore (no Barnes & Noble or Apple books right now), Kobo does have global reach. Through Kobo, my books are available in many different stores globally (I’ve been able to verify that my books are available on Chapters Indigo besides the various Kobo stores).

When I started blogging back in 2015, it was because I needed an author platform if I wanted to get published. I didn’t know about indie publishing, and was still pursuing a trad deal. Over the years, I learned so much from other authors: about different publishing paths, career trajectories, community building, and more. Blogging turned from something I had to do, to something I enjoyed doing. Especially folklore posts. These became my content marketing pillars: blog posts, YouTube videos, podcast episodes, etc. Without it feeling like work, I created an author platform I can easily maintain. And from that, the true Ronel the Mythmaker was born.

Through loads of conversations (and arguments!) with my coach, I’ve made a proper “big picture” of my career and defined my long term publishing goals for a lasting legacy instead of momentary trend chasing.

What the New Ronel the Mythmaker Brand Represents

When someone reads one of my books, intricate worldbuilding, gothic vibes, strong characterisation, and a story that makes you feel, has always been central.

I now need to bring that forward in all ways I present my books and brand. I always focus on faeries and folklore, but I don’t always communicate my brand well.

Ronel the Mythmaker has always been there, she’s just being brought into sharper focus with a blend of folklore, dark academia, faery, and gothic tones in this shift from “blogger/writer” to “world-builder/publisher” identity.

The Evolution of My Author Website and Online Presence

The last couple of months, I’ve been rebuilding and reorganising my website to reflect my Mythmaker identity. I did some tinkering on the various other platforms I use, too, though they still need a full overhaul.

It’s not just changing graphics to match the gothic tones I’m embracing, but also making sure that everything feeds into the world I’ve created. I’m no longer an author who does content marketing: I’m a world-builder. When you land on The Portal (home page), there are so many places you can go to and each of those destinations lead you to more things to discover in The Faerie Mythos. No longer do I just present you with a list of books/folklore articles/etc. and say “look if you like” – I’ve created actual reader journeys.

If you click on one type of folklore on The Realm you will find everything you need to learn more about what you searched for and more. You’ll even find how everything is interconnected across mythologies even if something is called a faery in one and a monster in another…

These connections meant I could no longer use a pre-built theme for my website. I needed to learn about actual website design to make this work… I could’ve hired someone to do it for me, but then I wouldn’t be able to change things. No. I prefer learning and doing some things myself.

I’ve even learned the proper use of tags and categories on a website; how SEO works now (for AI, search engines, and humans); how to optimise each post for reader experience and accessibility. Through these improvements, I’ve also noticed what works and what doesn’t – not just what is evergreen content, but what I actually enjoy doing long-term.

Though I haven’t changed much concerning social media, I have been thinking about how to show up there. The landscape has shifted. Some types of content perform better than others. But that’s something for later.

Visual Direction: Dark Academia, Faery, and Gothic Mythmaking

I love butterflies. I especially like butterflies who eat corpses.

During the redesign process, I come up with a whole language for my brand in colours, sigils, and typography.

For the website, Cinzel Decorative was chosen for titles and a readable serif was chosen for the body text – it all supports the gothic elegance of the Ronel the Mythmaker brand.

What I love about this is that I can lean into the types of designs I’ve always liked instead of whatever is trendy right now. I’ve officially moved away from a trendy authorpreneur, hustle-culture mindset and into the type of stylistic choices which have always felt most like me. Which is the point of a brand, isn’t it?

As part of the visual redesign of my brand, we also looked at my covers… Only Magic at Midnight aged well. Everything else needed an update.

Here’s an example from The Faeries & Folklore Audiobook Library:

Image Comparison: A side-by-side comparison of old and new podcast cover designs, showing an arrow pointing from the old version on the left to the updated version on the right. Old Design: A square podcast cover labeled "OLD" featuring a dark illustration with red and black stylized elements, a white full moon, and bold text that reads "Season 1: Small, Everyday Fae" with "Ronel Janse Van Vuuren" at the bottom. New Design: A refined square podcast cover labeled "NEW" titled "The Faeries & Folklore Audiobook Library" featuring a dark fantasy aesthetic with a side profile of a horned or fae figure silhouetted against a large white moon, surrounded by red and black abstract swirls, fireflies or leaves, and elegant typography reading "Season 1: Small, Everyday Fae," "Exploring the hidden faeries in the places we know," and "Ronel Janse Van Vuuren — Narrated by the author."

I’m going for elegant with gothic vibes. Which is reflected not only on the new covers, but also the images used on the website. My new book cover designer is brilliant. She even created some other images for me (like the base graphic for the blog banner above and the graphic in the footer of this post).

Though some images are still sourced from places like Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash, I’m aiming for a more elegant, dark gothic aesthetic and less clobbered together in Canva Disney-cute. Apparently my images have been giving the wrong impression of what I write…

Even my brand colours have been made darker. It’s still pink and purple and blue and green and… but in much darker shades than I’ve been using. The colour palette is all dark purples, parchment tones, and antique gold accents (with variations into dark greens, blues and pinks, and antique silver).

Sigils, butterflies and faery motifs are used consistently across the website, social posts, newsletter and more. You can learn more about how I use seals as sigils for my folklore posts and podcast here.

The Meaning Behind the Sigil and Branding Elements

Illustration Style: A striking black-and-white digital illustration of a butterfly against a plain white background, rendered in a gothic and macabre style. Left Wing: The left wing is mostly intact with clear, intricate vein patterns, but the lower edge is ragged, dripping, and dissolving downward into thorn-like spikes. Body and Head: The central body is skeletal, and the head of the insect is replaced by a small, detailed human skull with two straight antennae extending upward. Right Wing: The right wing is entirely disintegrated and transformed into a dense cluster of bare tree branches, dripping ink or liquid, scattered small skulls, and floating tiny butterflies or leaves dissolving into the air, with concentric ripples underneath the bottom drops.

I just love this sigil. It symbolises everything in my brand: transformation, storytelling, memory, myth… it’s all there in one image.

I already said that I love butterflies. In art, especially from Victorian times, faeries had butterfly wings. Having this as a visual identity for my brand (used sparingly) reminds me, not just the reader, what my books are all about.

What Has Changed on the Website and Blog

So many graphic updates! And yes, I added alt text for each image to make the site more accessible.

Not only did each folklore post require a new banner, I had to source the right images to fit the new feel of the brand (no longer cute faeries on images!).

Here’s a screenshot from Pinterest comparing the old covers with the new style:

Image Overview: A comparison image showing a brand evolution labeled with "OLD" at the top and an arrow pointing down to "NEW" at the bottom. Old Design: A grid of multiple smaller podcast episode covers or banners featuring purple horizontal text bars with titles like "Iron and Fae," "Rabbits and Hares of Folklore," "The Nightmare Steed," "Goblins," and "Anubis," branded with "Ronel the Mythmaker." New Design: A large, detailed promotional header titled "The Faerie Mythos" at the top and "Elemental Fae" at the bottom. The central illustration depicts four elemental fairies in a lush, magical forest setting: a fiery red-winged fairy on the left, a flowing blue water fairy in the center, a winged white air fairy hovering above, and a rooted earth-elemental dryad holding an acorn on the right.

I also had to update the podcast posts with new banners. Some things just needed some polishing…

Image Overview: A side-by-side comparison of old and new cover designs, with an arrow pointing from the old version on the left to the updated version on the right. Old Design: A square design labeled "OLD" featuring a dark, moonlit forest backdrop with a blue tint, a sleeping blue-scaled dragon in the foreground, and muted grey text that reads "Faeries and Folklore by Ronel" obscured by tree branches and a bright glowing patch. New Design: A refined square design labeled "NEW" featuring a darker, more polished night scene with a bright full moon filtering through twisted tree branches, a sleeping blue dragon resting on rocky terrain at the bottom, and crisp, elegant silver typography that reads "FAERIES AND FOLKLORE by Ronel" adorned with subtle decorative flourishes.

Then all the metadata of each post had to be updated for SEO and the new site navigation (e.g. a tag for solitary fae will give you all the folklore posts, podcast episodes, and books containing solitary fae). This, of course, is an improved structure for navigation and the archive.

I also had to update certain posts to better reflect the brand. Instead of just a new book announcement with cover, blurb, buy links, book trailer and book club questions, I’ve completely expanded such posts to be true book companions. You can take a look at the book companion post for Magic at Midnight here. I even remade the book trailers…

In some ways this feels cosmetic, but I’ve been assured it turns the content evergreen.

What Stays the Same in My Writing and Stories

What I write hasn’t changed at all. I’m still the same Mythmaker, just in better packaging. LOL. My coach said that my writing is great (she told me how awesome I am, but let’s stick with “great”), but my packing is lacklustre and off-brand (she might’ve said some words that actually means it sucks). So instead of being stubborn, I’m following the lead of the experts I’ve hired.

Image Overview: A side-by-side comparison of old and new book covers, featuring an arrow curving upward from the old version on the left to the updated version on the right. Old Design: A vertical book cover labeled "OLD" featuring a woman in a historical gown standing in front of a hazy landscape, with text reading "Once... Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie" and "Ronel Janse van Vuuren" at the bottom. New Design: A refined vertical book cover labeled "NEW" framed by an ornate gold border, featuring a dark fantasy aesthetic with a glowing castle under a large moon, cascading purple wisteria flowers, a glowing candle, an ancient leather-bound book, and gold typography reading "Once... Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie" by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

They might be on to something…

There’s so much folklore to reimagine, stories to write, and rabbit holes to wander down – there’s no way I’m giving that up.

What Comes Next for Ronel the Mythmaker

Right now, as my health allows, I recording audiobooks and getting them ready for publication.

Next month, I’ll unveil the rebrand for the Irascible Immortals series and share the changes I’d made so it can be its best (including ISBNs registered to me instead of the free ones from D2D and Amazon).

As part of digging into my old writing, I uncovered that which made me an award-winning author. It’s weird that I didn’t pursue these stories as they are key to the Faerie Mythos and all I’ve built. I’ll be sharing more on that writing adventure in October.

Yes, things seem to be more structured now that I have someone who reminds me what to focus on…

Entering a New Era of Mythmaking

I did a lot of work initially to create my direct stores and upload all my books… Only to realise that some won’t be for sale anymore. Even the store images I originally created had been replaced with ones that underscore my new branding. I had to redo my book pages on my website, not just to reflect my new publishing strategy, but also to remove books I no longer sell.

It sounds terrible, but this has forced me to make tough decisions I’ve been deferring and to get work done I’ve been arguing with my inner child with (“I don’t wanna!”).

I might be a bit tired (it’s only the start of spring and I missed my winter hibernation), but I’m satisfied with all I’ve accomplished. And once I have a print on demand partner, there will be no stopping me.

This rebrand isn’t about becoming a different author. It’s about finally building a home that fits the stories I’ve been writing all along.

Subject: A fairy-like figure with pointed ears, white-blonde hair adorned with flowers, and translucent, glowing wings stands in a magical, dark forest filled with mushrooms and glowing elements. Action: The figure is holding a glowing orb of light between their hands. Text Overlay: The image includes the text "WRITING CAREER QUOTES" at the top, a central quote reading "Publishing is a game of visibility.", the author attribution "SACHA BLACK", and "Ronel the Mythmaker" in the bottom right corner.

Have you been following along with my journey to rebuild my career? What have you done to change your author business this year? Any tips you’d like to share?

An author banner titled "RONEL THE MYTHMAKER" in a dark, ethereal fantasy theme with purple and black tones. On the left, a detailed illustration depicts a melancholic fae woman with large, translucent gossamer wings, wild ash-blonde hair adorned with a floral crown, and pointed ears, looking back over her shoulder amidst dark ivy vines. The right side features a dark purple, textured background with a central white and purple logo of a moth under a crescent moon, framed by delicate botanical filigree. Below the logo, the main text reads "RONEL THE MYTHMAKER" in a clean serif font. Underneath a decorative divider line, three lines of stylized italic text read: "Keeper of folklore, Weaver of faery tales. Creator of modern myths." with the words "folklore," "faery tales," and "modern myths" highlighted in a lighter lavender. At the bottom, flanked by small leaf illustrations, is the website text: "RONELTHEMYTHMAKER.COM". The entire banner is framed by an ornate, vintage-style purple border with decorative corners.

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