Ex-Con Martha Stewart Releases 100th Book With Enduring Brand

  

I did not particularly care for Martha Stewart when she became famous for dictating to Americans how to prepare meals and entertain guests. Once she went to jail for essentially insider trading, I openly disliked her. But she refused to go away and is a great branding success story that no one can ignore.  

She just released her 100th book and it hit No. 9 on the Amazon Best-Seller list. Her publisher pumped 200,000 copies out, hoping to capitalize on the holiday cooking and gift-giving period.   

Now 83, she has been in the public eye with her books, TV show, and products for over four decades. Martha: The Cookbook is filled with classic American recipes. It is hard to believe people are still buying the octogenarian’s cookbooks but she has been around for so long that a new generation is discovering her.   

Why aren’t there new talents out there to rival the former jailbird? Do people even cook anymore? And just how many versions of recipes for some vegan dish could there be?  

Stewart is bucking a trend. According to data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, cookbook sales declined by double digits in 2022 and again in 2023. So why are people going gaga over her $40 book for what they can already get for free on Instagram?  

She has loyal fans, likely an older crowd with disposable income, and likely a woman who feels the beauty queen, Barnard College grad is a role model for women, sans her prison time.  

As her amazon bio notes, it is an amazing career: “Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, home keeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; and produces Martha Stewart Living Radio.”  

Maybe she is exceptional — and she is certainly enduring. She managed to rebuild and reinvent her career and somehow remains an iconic figure. Her branding story is one to be studied and marveled.   

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).  This award-winning blog has generated over four million pageviews. With 5,000+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.