Book Review: The Elements of Content Strategy

The third book from A Book Apart, The Elements of Content Strategy, is a "brief guide [that] explores content strategy's roots, and quickly and expertly demonstrates not only how it's done, but how you can do it well." That's an accurate description, although this book, unlike the previous two, does not feel brief. This book focuses on content and is all content. There are few diagrams and no code samples filling up the pages; this books feels lengthier than it is, and I mean that in a good way.

The writing within this book is also eloquent and well-written, as I suppose might be expected for a book on content strategy. While much of the content seemed targetted at larger organizations that could afford the cost of a dedicated content strategist, I felt the material would be good to know for freelancers and agencies, alike. When I worked in an agency, I worked with project managers who had many of the skills described within. (And despite the description of content strategy as being "the web's hottest new thing," these people I worked with were doing similar work ten years ago.)

The book is broken down into three main chunks:

  1. Basic Principles
  2. The Craft of Content Strategy
  3. Tools and Techniques

There's an additional section with pointers to plenty of additional resources, some directly related to content strategy and some not.

Maybe because the topic wasn't as familiar, I found this book to be a worthwhile read and would definitely recommend it.

The Elements of Content Strategy comes out March 8, 2011.

Published March 05, 2011
Categorized as Book Reviews
Short URL: https://snook.ca/s/993

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DesignerCoffee said on March 06, 2011

I Can't Waiting this Book I Like All of Series Book for A Book Apart .

Grant Palin said on March 06, 2011

How can you have read the book if it is not available for two more days?

Jonathan Snook said on March 06, 2011

@Grant. They were kind to provide me with an advance copy.

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Ovi Dogar said on March 10, 2011

Sounds like a great book. I think I will read it too...

Ovi Dogar
AbsoluteCovers.com

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