Friday afternoon I enjoyed a very productive conversation with my marketing contact at Upper Room Books in Nashville.
We talked about a wide range of topics, including the life and death struggle most publishing houses are engaged in for survival. The problem is not that people have stopped reading… but the fact that they have stopped being interested in paying for what they read!
The most helpful part of our conversation had to do with the idea of branding. “What,” she asked me, “do you want people to think of when they see or hear the name ‘Derek Maul?'”
MEANING: It’s a great question, and I understand how the idea of branding could make all the difference when it comes to surviving as a writer. What we’re talking about, essentially, is the difference between numbers and meaning.
It’s encouraging to know, for example, that as of 10:00 AM EST on April 5, 2013, 318 people have signed up as “followers” of this blog (followers receive every new post, by email, without having to sign in), and it’s also nice to know that an additional 260 people visited my site during the day…
However, unless those 500-plus individuals understand my essential message (the consistent thread that should run through just about everything I post) then they (and by “they”, I mean you) are less likely to rush over to The Upper Room Bookstore and purchase any of my books… or invite me to speak at the next event… or re-post anything I write… or forward it to their friends.
“You need to build a base,” my marketing friend said, “a core group of people who will not only buy your books, but who will encourage their friends to buy them too.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU (The Reader): Personally, I believe my “brand” is fairly clear. But what I think is less important than what you – the reader – understands. So the question remains: does the “Derek Maul brand” communicate to those of you who read this page?
Does it? I’d honestly like to know. So please do me this favor: watch this (less than 2-mins) short video – A Conversation About Branding, and then answer the question (see if you can spot the error, when I was thinking about the next sentence and used the wrong word!).
This conversation is important, I believe, because if writers like me don’t manage to get a better handle on what we can do to communicate our core message, then – soon – there won’t be any more books by writers like me.
MY BRAND: Here’s the “Derek Maul” brand from my perspective. I’m passionate about encouraging more people (me included) to “Live like we mean it; because God certainly meant it when we were created.”
When people read Derek Maul, meet Derek Maul, see a video of Derek Maul, or listen to Derek Maul speak, I want the message of abundant life to be obvious; that’s identity.- When people think/hear/see/read “live like we mean it” or “the life-charged life,” then I want “Derek Maul” to come to mind; that’s brand.
I’m convinced this is a message worth promoting, worth sharing with the world… worth “branding.” – DEREK
“God certainly “made” it (meant it) …” Yes, when I see your name, I do think of “Live like you mean it.” I think of your wider family, whom we love, and of your good teachings, especially in men’s ministry. I think of an intentional ‘man of God’ who is a caring husband, father, Grampa, son, et al, and one who actively serves the Body of Christ.
Thanks, Carleene. I’m naturally nervous about this kind of “promotion” but – as my publisher said – the author is the front line when it comes to getting the message out.
Yes Derek, I do think of the “life-charged life” when I think of you. So many of us go through the motions every day, racing from one commitment to the next. I am way too guilty of that myself, but I think you really do model LIVING, really being present, seeking LIFE, not just existence. I am always awe inspired by the things you and Rebekah do. I want those kinds of experiences myself, the kind that have deep meaning and that bring strength. I know you are just as busy as the rest of us, but you somehow manage to squeeze the true essence out of every day.
I like your writing because it is so relevant to reality – it’s not pie in the sky. It’s encouraging! Please keep it up! I’ll buy your books happily.
Thanks, Debi. Good words and encouraging. I really appreciate it.
Love and blessings – DEREK
Encouraging, enlightning, engaging . . . all “life-charged life” themes in your postings and in your books . . . .
You’ve asked, actually, several difficult questions. Do the best writers have a brand? If so, what is it? If there is such a thing, is mine, “Live like you mean it”? If that’s my brand, what are the consequences? If I don’t have a brand, how do I get one? If it turns out I am “branded” in some way that I don’t like, have I any options?
Let’s start with the first question. I think the best writers don’t and don’t need to have a brand, if by that, you mean a catchy phrase or a logo. What the best writers have is a consistency of the quality and character of their work so that the reader who has experienced one will buy the next one, regardless of the title. Cormac McCarthy, Lee Child, and Gerald Seymour are three contemporary writers, and I will buy any of their novels that comes to my attention. I cannot think of a single word or phrase that is their “brand.” Well, I probably could if I put my mind to it. My point is that I don’t have to be guided by a logo or a mission statement to make that decision. Their lack of a carefully cultivated brand doesn’t inhibit the sale of their books. It is the experience of reading their first book that got me. It was my experience of you that got me to your first book that I read, and I will read every one that comes out hereafter, regardless of whether you are branded.
Of course, the fundamental question is wrapped up in the phrase, “my experience of you that got me to your first book.” How to get people to experience you who don’t live in Brandon?
Of course, Jesus has the same problem, doesn’t He? And the answer to His problem is not a brand, IMHO.
Charles
Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Charles. What you say, coupled with my own reflections on the conversation from yesterday, makes me think of my golf swing – it tends to be most effective when I remember not to think about it!
– DEREK
Your “brand” I think is a Godly person living a Godly life – walking the talk, if you will. Or living like you mean it! Of course, I’m just down the street, and started following you because I knew you as a teacher of middle schoolers.
Thanks, Candy. I appreciate the feedback – DEREK
Interesting post, Derek! Glad you are thinking through all this “branding” business.
Thanks, Jeannie – it’s an interesting conversation… especially as I’m still wrestling with this new book….
Yes, Derek. When I read your blog I see a daily testament to “living like I mean it.” Another “brand” that strikes me when I read your blog, listen to you in Sunday School, hear you sing, pray with you, look at your pictures, see you with coffee, laugh at your Scout stories, and everything about you, is a term you have used to describe Rebekah — you live your faith out loud. God bless you. Dave T.
That’s a helpful observation, Dave. Thanks. Living Faith Out Loud is a foundational value for us both. Blessings – Derek
The first phrase that comes to my mind associated with your name is “life-charged life”. “Living like you mean it ” is another expression of that idea. I will respectfully disagree with Charles and say I totally get the concept of brand . It is the shorthand for what you represent: in your case, how to lead a Jesus centered life. The writers he mentioned certainly do have a brand: they write in a specific style , which is why Charles will read anything they write.
I want to thank you, thank you, thank you for the direction you have given my religious life. Your column for the Upper Room on Good Friday last year completely captured how I feel about the events of that terrible day. It made me want to read more, think more — and buy your books! Your blog is a welcome gift in my morning. I treasure you as a shining example of how a thinking person can follow Jesus in our modern world. With love & appreciation — Liz
Thank you, Liz, for your thoughtful and heartfelt response to Derek’s invitation. I guess i was thinking three things: one was that what we both see and experience in Derek cannot really be captured by a shorthand phrase or a logo. Another was that what Derek writes and says and is flows from his God-given soul, a spirit that is not managed or regulated by a phrase. The third was when I, and I think you and others who know and love him, think about Derek, it is first about the whole person whom we have experienced, not a phrase. In the case of the writers I mentioned, none of whom I know, what drives me to their work is something else. But in none of these cases is there a brand somewhere in the background or the foreground. Charles
Thanks Charles — but I have never met Derek so what I know of him has been through his written work. So perhaps my understanding of brand is different. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!
Liz… your comment is very humbling to read, and they are the kind of words that help me to understand exactly why I feel so committed to my work. Your respectful disagreement with Charles demonstrates how useful discussion can take place even on-line, where so many people resort to throw-away lines and rude rejoinders.
Thanks, and have a blessed Sunday – DEREK