by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 15, 2016
In this series, we’ve talked a lot about the logistics of a good marketing plan (research, timing, and budgeting) to ensure that you have a successful long-term plan. For the final installation of this series, I want to talk about the best attitude to cultivate relationships and support your success. When you’re marketing, the right attitude can open a lot of doors and keep you motivated!
Attitude is Everything!
Do: Be Grateful
At any phase in your career, it’s likely that you need the media more than they need you. So what does that mean for your marketing efforts? If you book an interview, keep in mind that most media people don’t have the time to read your book. So, make it easy for them to promote you. I’ve found it’s useful to carry an index card with book highlights on it and hand it to them prior to the interview. After the interview is over, thank them, and send a follow up thank-you note after the interview.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 8, 2016
As an author, I know how much time and effort authors put into crafting the perfect book. In order to give your book the best chance at success, you must put the same amount of effort into crafting your marketing plan.
In part one of this series, we talked about how to create a successful marketing plan. Next, we’ll talk about how to best allocate your marketing budget to support this plan.
Do: Invest Your Money
First and foremost, it’s crucial to understand where you should spend money. My advice is to trust the experts when it comes to designing your book cover and website. Why?
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 1, 2016
As an indie author, the process of marketing your book can seem overwhelming. There are so many marketing tools and resources at your fingertips that it can be difficult to figure out where to start! To guide you on your marketing path, I’ve created a series of Marketing Do’s and Don’ts. In Part 1, we’ll talk about Do’s and Don’ts to help you create a marketing plan for success!
Do: Understand Your Industry
Knowledge is power, so as you compile this marketing plan, get to know your market. Research and prepare a list of bloggers who you should pitch for advanced reviews. While you’re compiling this list, keep track of who to contact, and when you need to pitch them. You can also research the top authors in your industry to investigate what types of marketing efforts they are implementing. Success leaves clues, so you can learn from these top authors what marketing efforts work best in your industry.
Don’t: Rely on opinions
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Feb 9, 2016
Negotiating a large, non-returnable sale of your books to a corporate buyer can be a euphoric event. As you leave the premises you may celebrate with large smiles and high-fives. Unseen and unforeseen by many publishers are the various post-sale emotions experienced by the buyers, especially if this is their first time dealing with you. Their feelings may range from comfort and positive expectation to uneasiness, wariness, disappointment or regret.
Experienced salespeople know that the sale is not over when they get the signature on the dotted line, but when the buyer reorders. There is still much to do to manage delivery of the books, making sure they are customized, printed and shipped as requested – on budget and on time. Publishers who get it understand that they can only generate repeat orders, recurring revenue and referrals from satisfied customers.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 26, 2016
The Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg and only 705 of its 2200 passengers and crew survived. With too few lifeboats onboard, many lives were lost unnecessarily. With a little creativity more people might have been saved. For example, what if the crew saw the iceberg as a sanctuary instead of a cause of death? They might have ferried people there. Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
There is an important lesson from that tragedy that can help us solve more problems. The lesson? When you look at something do not think of it only in traditional terms. The crew of the Titanic saw the iceberg as a menace to be avoided. They overlooked possible solutions hidden in plain sight, much like publishers overlook the opportunity for lucrative sales to buyers in non-bookstore markets.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 19, 2016
One of the basic axioms of book marketing is that it takes multiple impressions on target buyers to induce them to make a purchase. The more varied these touchpoints the greater the impression and motivation to favorable action.
Successful book publishers market their books using an assorted mix of promotional media. The four parts to an assorted communication mix are publicity, advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. The weight of any one element depends upon the content, nature of your product lines, the author’s involvement in marketing, and the target buyers. As a general statement, publishers focus on publicity and avoid advertising -- print advertising in particular. They feel that if they do any advertising it will be in digital format thinking print communication “is a thing of the past.”
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jan 12, 2016
I know that giving something away for free may not seem like a smart business move, but let me explain. Free giveaways can be a very effective business tool when you think of those freebies as a marketing expense (the cost of exposure) rather than lost sales. Free promotions are a great way to get you exposure in front of your target audience, expand your following, and drive sales in the long run. The key is to know how to take advantage of free.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 5, 2016
Negotiating a large-quantity book sale is a little like playing poker, requiring both hard and soft skills. To be good at it you need practice and experience. You also need a little chutzpah, the creativity to recognize alternatives, the ability to assess odds, the willingness to take calculated risks and the confidence to bluff when necessary.
But unlike poker, selling to a corporate buyer is not a winner-take-all game. It is not zero sum activity where one’s slice of the pie is increased at the expense of the other. Negotiating is a give-and-take exchange seeking a larger pie to split.
Pursuing that end can cause consternation among the participants, particularly if they have not dealt with each other before. Both sides enter the negotiation with various degrees of tension or anxiety. If you manage the emotional tenor of a negotiating session you can be more successful bargaining and bring it to a win-win conclusion.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Dec 29, 2015
The circumstances surrounding every selling situation are different, but there are two parts essential to them all: substance and process. Substance is made up of objective elements such as price, terms and shipping costs. Process is the path you take from your initial meeting to the close.
One of the costliest mistakes in negotiating a large book sale is focusing primarily on the substance of the deal and not enough on the process and the players. You can be more successful if you understand each distinct process since it is more likely to differ than the substance of any selling event.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 15, 2015
In the first part of this series, I outlined simple ways to establish a presence online to promote yourself. Below, I offer tips to build upon the presence you’ve established online to begin networking with your followers and thought leaders in your industry.
Join the conversation
One of the most important things you can do online is to remain visible; you’ve put a lot of time and effort into establishing your presence online, so make sure to remain actively engaged with your followers and other members in your industry. There are several different ways you can stay active online – I’ve listed a few below:
