Best books for your content strategy dollar
March
If you're in the market for books on content strategy, there are many to choose from. Shanthini Govindasamy, lecturer in Information Design at the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT), presents a review of some top choices.
Anne Rockley and Kristina Halvorson are widely recognized as leading advocates for the new content strategy, and that’s why I think their books are well worth a read. Rockley is often called the rock star, or mother of content strategy, depending on how you like your metaphors. Rockley and Cooper’s updated Managing Enterprise Content (US$32) which came out in 2013, is the go-to book for content strategy. I read in another review that this book was the content industry’s equivalent of the Avengers! It’s a nice mix of theory and practice, which is why we also use it as a text on the GDID.
The introduction says it is designed not only for content managers and strategists but also for authors, ‘ specifically anyone responsible for creating structured, modular content for multichannel products’. They help you identify ‘pain points’ in your organization (e.g. content silos, lack of consistent standards and organization – sound familiar?) and how to develop an intelligent content strategy. This includes handy advice about how to carry out a content audit and demonstrating how issues such as workflow, collaboration, change management and information governance need to be factored in, if a content strategy is to be successful
The beauty of this book is that, unlike a lot of other content strategy books, it is not restricted to web content, but examines a wider range of content, such as publishing and educational/learning materials.
It deals with such grisly topics as
- Metadata
- DITA
- XML
- Authoring tools
- Content Management Systems
- Enterprise Content Management
Simply put, Rockley and Cooper have written a great how to guide, which doesn’t assume a lot of prior knowledge. The information is nicely chunked, there are useful chapter summaries, real life case studies (including project failures!!), written in user- friendly language ( Should you fear XML?). It also includes a useful glossary, bibliography, and appendix. My one criticism is that, at more than 300 pages, it could do with some editing. There is a bit padding out and repetition, which gets to you after a while.
Kristina Halvorson’s Content Strategy for the Web (US$28) from 2012 is another second and much updated edition. It is another ‘theory and application’ primer which brings Rockley and Cooper’s ideas to a web level. At under 200 pages, it’s probably a more digestible book, written in an engaging and humorous style ( Wipe away your tears, dear reader). You can even download a free chapter from their website. They have also included a nice long content strategy reading list at the end of the book!
The Language of Content Strategy at only US$20 by Scott Abel and Rahel Anne Bailie, also big guns in the content management field, is handy for both newbies and old hands in this growing area. 52 experts define 52 terms using the following structure:
- What is it?
- Why is it important?
- Why does a content strategist need to know this?
While it is a good complement to either of the books above, it lacks appeal to a wider audience, especially for those wanting more explanation or examples. So, you might find it a bit dry on its own, and it will be hard for readers to get the big picture that the other books provide.
While the consistent structure is initially impressive, it wears you down after a while, especially with 52 terms to define!! The large number of authors means there is also quite a lot of overlap and inconsistency between terms and definitions. I might add that there is also quite a bit of heavy marketing going on as well, with a section on each author and links to their website/books at the end of every definition. More useful perhaps is their website, The language of content strategy where new terms are added each week. All that said, it fills a gap in the literature and has had some very enthusiastic reviews.
Content strategy reading list
Bailie, Rahel Anne; Urbina, Noz. Content Strategy: Connecting the Dots Between Business, Brand, and Benefits.
Bloomstein, Margot. Content Strategy at Work: Real-World Stories to Strengthen Every Interactive Project.
Casey, Meghan. The Content Strategy Toolkit: Methods, Guidelines, and Templates for Getting Content Right.
Kissane, Erin. The Elements of Content Strategy.
O’Keefe, Sarah; Pringle, Alan S. Content Strategy 101: Transform Technical Content into a Business Asset.
Redish, Janice (Ginny). Letting Go of the Words.
Sheffield, Richard. The Web Content Strategist’s Bible.
Smashing Magazine. Content Strategy.
Wachter-Boettcher, Sara. Content Everywhere: Strategy and Structure for Future-Ready Content.