by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 20, 2018
The world of book marketing is moving and shaking, and as with all things, change is inevitable. Part of my job is to embrace change and ensure that we are on the front edge of book marketing trends so that we can be the most effective marketing team for our clients. And although changes don’t mean the “old ideas” no longer work, it does mean that there are some exciting new ways to do things. So with that said, I’d like to share these 7 changes you can expect to see this year.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 6, 2018
Direct mail has been given a bad reputation because of overuse and poorly designed mailing pieces. People tend to perceive direct mail as junk mail, and its Internet equivalent as spam.
However, when you have a finite, identifiable group of people who are potential customers for your books, direct mail may be the most effective and efficient marketing tool you can use to reach them. It gives you control of the timing, delivery and content of your promotion, a pre-determined fixed cost and the means to forecast and measure the return on your marketing investment.
Unfortunately, direct marketing is too often implemented simply by purchasing a mailing list and then sending an existing brochure. Unless you first prepare a plan, including a way to evaluate your relative success, you may end up wasting money and becoming disillusioned in the potential effectiveness of a strategic direct mail campaign.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Feb 20, 2018
Many independent publishers use the Christopher Columbus method of planning. They do not know where they are going. When they arrive, they do not know where they are. And when they return, they do not know where they have been. This is not a good way to run a business.
Avoid this situation by writing a strategic, functional plan to market your books. Your plan should identify the most promising business opportunities. It should clarify your goals and the activities you will employ to move toward your objectives efficiently. For a view of a new planning formula, look through these "ize."
Recognize. A basic premise for successful marketing is to find a need and fill it. You do this by researching three major areas. First, discover what product opportunities exist. Second, learn the demographics and psychographics of your prospective customers. Finally, calculate your potential market's size, growth and competitive status.
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Feb 13, 2018
Goals are the foundation of a solid marketing plan. They provide a target at which to aim, the standard against which you can gauge your company’s progress. They divide your vision statement into manageable steps and provide a path to its realization. And written goals provide a means for looking back to see how far you have come.
If all these benefits of setting goals are true, how can goals be of no value? Goal-setting is a tool, and like any other tool it is useless if used incorrectly. Goals are worthless…
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Feb 6, 2018
Nothing happens until something is sold. That has been the call to action for generations of salespeople. Every day independent publishers make marketing decisions that are designed to facilitate the sales process. We publish books, distribute, price and promote them to entice people to buy them so that we make a profit.
However, the book-buying public looks at the process differently. According to our potential customers, nothing is sold until someone buys something. From their perspective, books are not sold, they are bought -- and publishers could make more money if they made it easier for people to buy. Consumers are looking for worthwhile information that is easily accessible, priced properly, and that they understand will help them.
by AC de Fombelle
Bowker | Thu Feb 1, 2018
Life is all about balance. The balance between your personal and professional commitments; between heart and mind; between activity and rest. A perfect life is one in perfect equilibrium. In self publishing, the tricky balance is between writing, editing and marketing. Three necessary activities for a successful publishing project.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 23, 2018
What do you need to succeed in book publishing? Your first thought may be money, particularly OPM -- Other People's Money. However, that is not as critical as you may think. Money will come when you do everything else right. The most important attributes that lead to success cannot be purchased. Here are the Top 10 “Must Haves” for success in book publishing:
| Information |
Skills |
| Contacts |
Plans |
| Ideas |
Accountability |
| Feedback |
Camaraderie |
| Support |
Resources |
by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 9, 2018
There is a unique way to trap monkeys in the islands of the South Seas. The natives drill a small hole in a coconut, hollow it out and fill it with rice. Once a monkey puts its hand in the coconut to get the food, it cannot remove its clenched fist. Refusing to let go of their prize, the monkeys are unable to escape.
Publishers can get caught in a similar trap if they become conditioned to avoid risks and persist in using strategies that were successful in the past, without evaluating whether they are still relevant today. Their grasp on a comfortable feeling of security yields the same sense of contentment the passengers on the Titanic experienced moments before it struck the iceberg.
Don't just do something, stand there!
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jan 2, 2018
Do you know your audience?
If you’ve ever questioned whether or not what you’re doing is working, then the answer might not be yes.
It’s worth spending some time in your genre to become a fan and get to know what your audience is really looking for.
Although this may not seem like it will translate into sales, it’s the book marketing piece that can make or break your success as an author. Because writing the book is the easy part.
Method Acting
You may have heard of an acting technique known as “immersion” or “method acting.” The actor takes a role and runs with it in every aspect of their lives. In essence, they become the character.
by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Dec 19, 2017
If your book needs a boost, sometimes the easiest thing you can do is to adjust its pricing.
While completing a book in and of itself is quite an accomplishment, it’s a whole different thing to have a book that actually sells. You may have heard this from other indie authors, or even experienced it yourself. You add your book to Amazon, full of plans for a wild success, and then, nothing. It’s disheartening to see your hard work just sit there. But there is some good news! There might be an easy fix.
Boost Your Book Marketing and Sales by Pricing Your Book to Sell!
How you price your book is something we don’t often think of as a trigger for book promotion or how to sell more books, but it is. First, let’s look at your book’s perceived value, vs. the going market rate.
