Branding Strategies

During discussions about branding strategies with my college peers, it is common to hear the importance of searching for the value a reader is looking to find when they are browsing through books and then focusing on producing manuscripts that target these topics. That initiative probably works well when producing and marketing most other products out there, but how effective could this strategy be in the book market?

Like marketers at other product and service companies, marketers in the book publishing industry could conduct research about what readers are looking for or even find topics readers haven’t discovered yet because they are so fresh. Now, the difference will be made depending on how they put their findings to use. If we want to put what readers are looking for on bookstores’ shelves, we need to begin by finding those writers whose personal and professional principles mirror what attracts readers. By investing in enhancing these writers’ identities and brand values, we can help them connect and create long-lasting bonds with readers.

Brand Vaues

In 3 Steps to Building your Author Brand, Leila Dewji says that it all starts with brand values. She adds that “whether you like it or not, all authors have a brand that will be judged by readers, media, and book sellers.” This brand, rather than being invented, is naturally created by a writer who is motivated by their own principles, interests, and values. The author’s passion and drive will produce topics and materials that will spark readers’ interest. Manuscripts will be born with the intention of communicating, educating, entertaining, etcetera, rather than being built with the sole intention of having a high financial profit which might come as a given result anyway.

Once the brand values are clear, the author, editor, designers, marketers, and publicists should work in unison to strengthen the brand. Each one of them has a different role, but the goal is the same: to present a clear and defined identity to the readers, social media, and book stores. The author’s role is to express and organize their ideas in a genuine way by being themselves. In the article Brand Strategy for Authors: How to Truly Stand Out From The Crowd, Kimberly Grabas writes that the “first step is to very clearly define your brand purpose and values.” These are composed of “purpose, vision, and mission.” Through this reflective exercise, the author could discover their “unique areas of advantage or value” and their own voice which are communicated through their writing. It is also important that the writer shows these principles and values, not just in their writing, but also in their social and public lives. The editor’s role is to then help the writer shape the manuscript toward that unique identity.

The design, marketing, and publicity departments also play a very important part in the process. They work on creating strategies that bring cohesiveness to the manuscript. For instance, details such as the content in social media, the colors used in the design, and the chosen fonts, especially on the book cover and media graphics.

In summary, by investing in enhancing the author’s identity and brand values, we can help him connect and create long-lasting bonds with readers, which by natural response, will result in the overall success of the project, benefiting everyone at the end.