There’s nothing quite like the smell of a new book. As a child, I would stay up far past my bedtime hiding under the covers with a flashlight, turning the pages as quietly as I could and promising myself I’d go to sleep after just one more chapter. Bookstores and libraries have always been my favorite place: knowledge-filled hidey-holes where I feel comfortable losing myself for hours at a time.
As an active member of my neighborhood women’s book club, I help plan the calendar of selections. But when you have a million books to choose from, how do you find the right one? Is it a love for the genre, loyalty to an author, or just a glance at the cover that makes you say “Yes! We’ll love this one!”
Often, the answer is all of the above, and then some. Many readers choose their next book based on not only its title, author, or look and feel, but also because of its accouterments, like social-media buzz or an adorable matching tote bag.
In other words, they resonate with the book’s branding.
Branding is sometimes an intangible thing – you can’t quite put your finger on why a retail store is your favorite, why you stop your scroll when a company’s ad shows up in your feed, or why your eyes lock in on one book that shares shelf space with hundreds of others.
It’s just a feeling, or an unspoken connection. And that’s what the best branding experts chase with every campaign.
You might not put books at the top of your “products that are heavily branded” list, but as a fan of books and a branding expert, I can’t help but notice the connection. I recently read a fascinating article called When Did the Book Become a Brand? and wanted to share a few interesting things I learned:
First, branding is an experience that goes way beyond cover design and typography. Especially for big-budget books, branding is a fully immersive world that includes social media posts, merchandise, conference appearances, book signings, and even more.
It’s an ecosystem that’s designed to give you, the reader, a highly engaging experience. When done well, it can even make you feel like you’re part of the story – and there’s no resisting a book you feel invested in.
Connecting Online
As I mentioned, social media is a large part of book branding too. For avid readers who want to find like-minded friends across the planet, online communities like Bookstagram and BookTok are some of the top ways for people with the same interests to find one another.
By simply searching the hashtags #bookstagram or #booktok on your social accounts, you can become connected to a whole world of readers who love the same genres and authors as you. You’ll find creators making videos about their favorite (and least favorite) books – and topics include reviews, discussions, jokes, spoilers, and fun videos about life as a bookworm.
When someone gains popularity within these communities, they’re called a “litfluencer.” It’s kind of a big deal because that title can come with the power to control what’s trending. And if a litfluencer has hundreds of thousands of followers? They can get paid by publishers to create hype and promote the brand for certain titles or authors.
This is a fascinating concept to me, because social media has leveled the influencer playing field. Anyone today can grow to become a leader in the online book community, even if they start with zero followers. It’s not a prerequisite to carry celebrity prowess any more, although longtime influencers like Oprah, Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager, and others, definitely paved the way (and still make amazing book recommendations.)
Beyond following individual litfluencers, one of my favorite ways to get new book recommendations is Goodreads. It’s essentially a social platform where you connect with other readers from around the world to get word-of-mouth recommendations, as well as bot-based suggestions that get more and more accurate as the algorithm figures out what you like.
No matter how much you connect with other readers, though, the actual experience of reading is yours and yours alone. A million people may love a book, but for a million different reasons. And at the end of the day, whatever compels you to flip to Page 1 is a personal connection that makes you feel like you have no other choice but to become a part of that book’s world. You want in. And really, that’s the universal goal of branding for any product – getting to an enthusiastic “Yes!”
What are your favorite books or book clubs? I’m always on the lookout for the next amazing story!
