The aim of this research is to determine whether or not the author name is of the same nature as a brand namein readers’ eyes, in order to understand whether there is a limit, a boundto the scope of the branding concept. The case of the literary fiction writer is especially interesting since literature is on the boundary between commerce and the arts, and accordingly on the boundary of the profane and the sacred, given the sacralization process from which the arts have benefited since the sixteenth century. To this end, aqualitative studywas conductedamong 18 regular readersin France. The findings of the studys how that, although the author name (the signature) plays the role of a brand name, the author (the writer) is not a brand for consumers, who develop diverse strategies to cope with the commercial aspects of the book industry. The results help to formulate recommendations for authors and publishers, but also for brand managers.