First Book Idea

Low side of the road life of Tom Waits 

Author: Barney Hoskyns           

 Publisher: Broadway Books 

What are the benefits that it offers:

It offers a very  rare detailed account about the life of Tom Waits .

 Since he lived an exciting life ( but always in the shadows) it is a very entertaining book to read, especially for Waits fans. Apart from going into detail about his life, it also touches upon the lifestyle of the 70’s and 80’s , especially the music scene and how it transformed from jazz and blues into rock. It also goes into detail about sound track making in movies. So it can be interesting for various people.

The Unique Selling Proposition is :

Biographies about Tom waits are quite rare , so it is something unique in itself. It shows his  life behind the stage and not only the show-biz aspect of his life , unlike other biographies about him . It does not only focus on Tom waits, but it also talks about other artists of that era like Joni Mitchell. The author discuses many aspects of that era and not only music. It talks about lifestyle of the unemployed and politic agendas of that time , so when reading this biography the reader is transported into the 70’s .

What are its advantages over similar products :

The other biographies are not as detailed as this one, This gives a lot of information including interviews with his family members and friends , and stories that are exclusive about his life and career. It starts from when he was a young boy and it is written in a certain way that it makes  the reader feel as if he/she is reading a novel and not a biography. 

What are the disadvantages :

It can be too detailed at some points, meaning that only extreme fans of Tom Waits will enjoy the book. It is also quite a long and heavy book and that may also be  a disadvantage for people that would like to carry the book around with them and not simply as a bedside book.

Does Brand Identity come into play :

 For the mainstream audience not really. The author is not a house hold name . This is because he writes mostly in music magazines such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express. He also worked for a short time as Editor of the magazines ‘Rolling Stone’ and ‘Spin Magazine’. He wrote some other biographies suck as : ‘Led Zeppelin Rock of Ages’, ‘Across the Great Divide’  and ‘Lowside of the Road Life of Tom Waits’. So for people that are into music he should be a renowned name, but obviously not for everyone

How does its Lifestyle Appeal come into play to its Target Audience:

The target audience is mainly those that enjoy reading biographies, those that enjoy Tom Waits’ music and those that are interested in the music scene in the 70’s and 80’s . The ages can vary from teenagers to people that lived in Tom Waits’ era .