ABOUT THIS BOOK
As marketing specialists know all too well, our experience of products is prefigured by brands: trademarks that identify a product and differentiate it from its competitors. This process of branding has hitherto gained little academic discussion in the field of literary studies. Literary authors and the texts they produce, though, are constantly 'branded': from the early modern period onwards, they have been both the object and the initiator of a complex marketing process. This book analyzes this branding process throughout the centuries, focusing on the case of the Netherlands. To what extent is our experience of Dutch literature prefigured by brands, and what role does branding play when introducing European authors in the Dutch literary field (or vice versa)? By answering these questions, the volume seeks to show how literary scholars can account for the phenomenon of branding.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Helleke van den Braber holds an endowed chair in Patronage Studies at Utrecht University (The Netherlands), and is director of studies of the Department of Literary and Cultural Studies at Radboud University (The Netherlands), where she coordinates MA programmes in 'Cultural Policy and Patronage' and 'Creative Industries'. From 2015-20, Helleke was leader of the Radboud research group SCARAB, which examines cultural infrastructure and criticism studies. Her research interests include the history and theory of patronage, and historical and modern practices of strategic giving.

Jeroen Dera (1986) holds a PhD in literary studies from Radboud University. He currently works as an assistant professor at the same university. His research concerns contemporary poetry, literature education, and the relation between literature and the media industries. Dera is the programme director of the dual MA 'Education in Language and Cultural Studies' at Radboud. He also works as a poetry critic for the Flemish newspaper De Standaard.

Jos Joosten (1964) is Professor of Dutch Literature at Radboud University (Nijmegen, The Netherlands). He is a member of the research group SCARAB (Studying Cultural Infrastructure and Reception Across Borders) and has published several articles and books on the theory and practice of literary criticism and book reviewing. His most recent book is a biography of the Belgian avant-gardist and writer Jan Walravens: De verdeelde mens: Jan Walravens (1920), schrijver, ijkpunt, avantgardist (2018).

Maarten Steenmeijer is Professor of Modern Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Culture at Radboud University (Nijmegen, the Netherlands) and specializes in reception and translation studies. His latest book publications include Moderne Spaanse en Spaans-Amerikaanse literatuur. Een geschiedenis (2009); Allí donde uno diría que ya no puede haber nada. Tu rostro mañana de Javier Marías (2009, volume edited with Alexis Grohmann); Schrijven als een ander. Over het vertalen van literatuur (2015); and Golden Earring in 50 Songs. Biografie van een band (2017). In 2020 he will publish Javier Marías, el best seller y otros capitales de la literatura española actual en Europa: estudios de recepción.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction. Branding Books Across the Ages: Strategies and Key Concepts in Literary Branding (Jeroen Dera, Helleke van den Braber, Jos Joosten, and Maarten Steenmeijer)
Cultural Branding in the Early Modern Period: The Literary Author (Lieke van Deinsen & Nina Geerdink)
Telling a Double Story: The Branding of a Cultural Magazine 1904-1919 (Helleke van den Braber)
A Hero and His History: The Branding of Jan III Sobieski and His Letters in the Northern Netherlands during The Early Nineteenth Century (Paul Hulsenboom)
From Immorality to Immortality: Branding Madame Bovary in the Netherlands (Maaike Koffeman)
Allegories of Branding: How to Successfully Fail Charles Bukowski (Gaston Franssen)
Branding or Excluding? The Tenability of the 'Branding' Concept in the History of Nineteenth-Century Dutch Book Publishing, Book Printing, and Bookselling (Rob van de Schoor)
Hugo Claus: 'I'm not Searching for Myself, but for the Media. I Don't Know Who I Am, I'm not Interested' (Gwennie Debergh)
One Book's Brand is Another Book's Frame: Covering the Dutch Cover of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's La sombra del viento (Maarten Steenmeijer)
'The Most Successful Writer of the Netherlands': On the Success Myth of Dutch Bestseller Author Herman Koch (Sander Bax)
Young Adults as Branded Readers (Linda Ackermans)
Of Dust and Dollars: Branding Poetry in the 21st Century. The Case of Ellen Deckwitz (Jeroen Dera)
'This Is What We Share': Co-Branding Dutch Literature at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair (Jack McMartin)
The One Unforgivable Transgression? Branding 'Kluun' as a Literary Strategy (Jos Joosten)
Branding the Open-Minded Nation: Dutch Authors at the 2011 Beijing Book Fair (Laurens Ham)
Against the Grain: The Das Mag Brand and Lize Spit's The Melting (2016) (Roel Smeets)
Afterword. In Search of the Most Effective Way of Branding: The Label 'Literature' as a Means to an End (Bertram Mourits)
Bibliography
Index