I’ve been reading a lot about book marketing and branding lately, asking the question, what’t a good book like?

I even asked friends and colleagues, “how does a book make you feel?”

As you might expect, the answers varied:

• The smell and feel is comforting and soothing.
• They take you to new places, and make you nostalgic for places you’ve been.
• Like a good conversation.
• They tell you something new, something you need to know.
• Make you laugh, and say, “yes, it’s exactly like that.”
• Like a vacation to an exotic destination.
• To see the world through someone else’s eyes.

What a Good Book’s Like for Me

For me it’s a little more personal.

My father was a big reader, and I pestered him to teach me to read before I went to school.

He used to bring me library books home – one for me, against his four book only library ticket.

We used to read together on Sunday afternoons, him in his easy chair, and me on the couch next to him.

When I read a good book, I sometimes think he might have liked it. In another universe (where he is still alive) we might sit in the garden and have a couple of beers while we talk about it.

While other books, I just know he wouldn’t have like them.

But when I read a good book, I always think of him.

That Marketing Bull Shit

Side note: why is it always bull shit and not cow shit? Or goat shit for that matter?

Dead Dads aside, books clearly have an enormous impact on my life. Big enough to make me write my own stories and share them with you.

As for the marketing…

My opinion wavers between it’s total BS, and there just might be something in it.

Swinging wildly up and down as I teeter on the edge of the opinion precipice.

On the one hand, it’s marketing that lets you know books are there. On the other, different authors and bookstores brands make me more or less inclined to buy.

• Can they overcome my objections to trying something new?
• Do I feel comfortable throwing away a couple of dollars if I don’t like it?
• Will I regret it if I don’t?

Whether I like it or not, I have to confront these issues, both as a reader and a writer.

Maybe I just need to read another book!

What’s reading a good book like for you?

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If you’re curious about what I’m thinking about the brand/marketing books, when I get through them, you’ll find my reivews on goodreads. Or, you can check back on my monthly reports.