by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Aug 7, 2018
If you’re ready to take your brand and your platform to the next level, then a book marketing company may be just what you need. And primarily, what I do is help authors with their exposure.
Because exposure is ultimately what will drive sales. Consumers often need to see something as many as seven times before deciding to purchase. And although I cannot offer authors specific sales guarantees (no one can!), what I can do is offer a great well-rounded campaign that helps you gain exposure. And with that comes the tools and support you’ll need to sell more books. But success doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and even when you hire a book marketing company, you need to be involved in the process working toward your goals alongside the professionals.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 31, 2018
Authors rely on the repetition of a message on free media such as appearances on television and radio to increase the sales of their books. The planning of this exposure is important because the media like to interview authors on relevant and timely topics. Here are some tips that can make your broadcast appearances more productive.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 24, 2018
Performances on radio talk or news shows are the workhorses of book-promotion activities. With radio as part of your communication plan, you can reach hundreds, thousands or millions of people at little or no cost. You can even sell some books, if you do it right.
Most radio shows are conducted over the telephone, from any place in which there is a good connection, no background noise and where you can talk uninterrupted for the length of the show. Here are several guidelines to make telephone interviews more effective:
- As you agree upon the time and date with the producer, confirm your time zone. The producer may say he or she will call you at 3:00, but is that 3:00 p.m. in your time zone?
- Do not use cell telephones and do not ask the station to call you on a line with call waiting. Similarly, this is not the time to impress your friends by having them listen to you on an extension or speaker phone.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jul 17, 2018
There’s a ton of information out there for indie authors. However, there is also a lot of misinformation, too, as well as outright lies about book marketing. And indie authors are left in the cold to sort through the truths, semi-truths, and non-truths for themselves. Which means that you may have spent more time figuring out the best path through trial and error.
Because I believe that empowering authors to follow the best practices elevates the whole industry, today, I’m taking some time to set the record straight. Indie authors, read on to learn some of the biggest book marketing traps and pitfalls and how to navigate around them for the best success.
Trap #1: If you’re not good with computers and social media, it’s better to skip “that stuff.”
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jul 10, 2018
Did you know that book publicity isn’t actually about book sales? Here’s why!
Although indie authors tend to live and die by how many books they sell, book sales shouldn’t be your only focus. Yes, book sales ultimately matter. But they’re the result of a lot of different things, and they shouldn’t be the end all, be all measurement of your success as an author.
So what is book marketing and publicity actually about? Developing and fostering relationships. It happens by taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. It happens by knocking on lots of doors and then finding new doors to knock on in order to gain exposure and sell more books.
Ultimately with a solid book promotion plan, one thing builds on another and on another to create momentum. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Radio and TV help sell books, right? So how many will I sell?
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 3, 2018
Did you ever try to solve a jig-saw puzzle? It’s simple, right? The picture on the cover of the box shows you how the completed puzzle should look, so all you must do is organize and connect all the pieces. Now think of your publishing journey as the puzzle. You have your vision of the end result, but you have to create the pieces to complete it.
One way to come up with the “pieces” is through brainstorming, a group discussion in search of an answer to a specific question or problem. The facilitator begins a brainstorming session by gathering people, posing the question to be addressed and explaining the rules (quantity vs. quality of ideas initially, defer judgement, freewheeling, and hitchhiking). At the end of the idea-generating phase, teammates eliminate those suggestions that are currently untenable, and choose the best ones to put into action.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 26, 2018
Doctors ask questions to get information before making a diagnosis. Litigators ask questions of witnesses to build their cases. Journalists ask questions to generate information for their articles. Similarly, when selling to a corporate buyer, authors and publishers should ask questions to acquire information, exchange ideas, build their case, establish rapport and trust, and uncover unforeseen pitfalls to mitigate risk. Do you want to sell more books? Then stop talking about your book, and ask more questions.
Dale Carnegie advised us to be a good listener in his classic book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. He told us to, “Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering.” Yet most people fail to use this advice when selling their books to corporate buyers.
by Ulatus
Bowker | Tue Jun 19, 2018
While many in the publishing industry bemoan the fact that only about 3% of books published in English are translated, the ones that do break through to the English-language market sometimes become international sensations.
by Ulatus
Bowker | Tue Jun 12, 2018
Translating a book into another language exposes it to an entirely new market. This is extremely valuable for both the publisher and the author: it both increases the book’s potential revenue and extends its reach to a global audience. Publishing a book in English makes it accessible to 360 million native speakers, plus the billion people who speak it as a second language; but publishing a translation to Mandarin, for example, exposes it to an additional potential audience of 955 million!
by Cheryl Russo
Bowker | Tue Jun 5, 2018
You’ve written your book, you have your ISBN and barcode, but who will print your book?
Many Bowker customers ask us…do you print books? Do you know of a printer that I can contact? Since we service all the US, that would be a large list to keep and quite a job to maintain. So, I thought I would list a few things to aid our self-publishers with this process.
Before looking for a printer make a list of your specifications:
What type of book is it?
Paperback, hardcover, maybe just a spiral bound. Will it have a dust jacket? How many pages are there? How many copies do you want to print? Will this be printed traditionally or digitally? This will get you started, and then you can search for a printer that can accommodate you.
