Marketing &amp; Publicity

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Sell More Books Overseas: Getting Reviews on International Amazon Sites

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 12, 2015

Getting international sales is always an important part of an author’s campaign but selling overseas can be tricky. The good news is: Amazon is everywhere. The bad news is that most of these author/book pages overseas are blank slates and populating them means either finding reviewers in these countries or finding reviewers who have accounts internationally. For the most part, I’ve only seen Amazon top reviewers have this kind of access. Though technically anyone can review internationally, most don’t.

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Getting Agreement Among Multiple Decision Makers

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Apr 28, 2015

When you sell a few hundred books to a prospective customer, the decision is usually made quickly, by one or two people. You might close the sale with a handshake and purchase order after a few meetings. But the process changes when you propose the sale of tens of thousands of your books to corporate buyers. These decisions are scrutinized at higher levels since the results can make or break careers.

Typically, large-quantity book sales are rarely made on a unilateral basis. In most cases, the decision authority lies with a committee, the members of which have different roles. These people may be from sales, marketing, purchasing, warehousing, legal and Human Resources. You, as the salesperson for your book, must build consensus among these diverse perspectives to close the sale. How can you do this? Here are a few techniques.

Meet varying needs collectively

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Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Mon Apr 20, 2015

When negotiating a large-quantity order your prospects will expect you to present a proposal. This is your recommendation of how to proceed, your solution to the buyer’s problem. Give them an answer to the unspoken question, “How will your product make a credible improvement over the existing or previous ways in which they have conducted promotional campaigns?” Here are the Top Ten Tips for Creating a Sales Proposal.

1. Give a summary of what you propose, why it will benefit the buyer and how much it will cost – all on one page.

2. An 8 – 15% improvement gets attention. If you predict a result that is too low, they are not interested. If too high, it is not believable. Make a reasonable and doable claim that is backed by credible data. Do not offer a guarantee.

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Expand From Your Core Business to Build Your Sales and Profits

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Fri Apr 3, 2015

The process of selling books has not changed much in many years. Publishers publish books that are sold through bookstores to their customers. Granted, the arrival of Amazon.com altered the dynamics of the playing field, but it is still the same field.

Some publishers think more strategically and try to break from this crowded turf by differentiating their content from competitive titles. But that is still not enough. Long-term success will not be achieved through product differentiation alone, where the focus remains on the book and competitive titles. This strategy is akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

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Get Your Book into Costco (and other specialty stores)

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Mar 31, 2015

Authors ask me all the time: How can I get my book into Costco? To tell you the truth, it’s really not that complicated. But let’s look at the different ways that Costco stocks product:

Nationally: In order to be considered for national in-store distribution, you need to pass several (many) checks and your book needs to go to their book buyer who is super particular about what she buys for the stores. Product needs to move fast in Costco which is why you may see something one week but not the next. Books that are given national distribution meet a certain criteria - most of it having to do with sales and movie tie-ins. If your book doesn’t meet this criteria, take heart. There are other options.

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How You Can Come Up With More Marketing Ideas

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 24, 2015

Traditional thinking has a powerful undertow. Well-meaning friends, colleagues or even family members may discourage you from “rocking the boat.” But in today’s rapidly changing marketplace, holding steady really means falling behind. Move, evaluate, adapt, strategize and move again. Act like a professional boxer as you bob and weave, looking for weak points in your adversaries’ strategies on which to launch your competitive attack.

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What to Do When Amazon Pulls Book Reviews

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Fri Mar 13, 2015

If you’ve ever had a review removed from Amazon you know how frustrating that can be. I’ve spoken to some authors who lost one and others who lost dozens. Each time it’s assumed that Amazon is the devil and that they get a certain amount of enjoyment from just randomly pulling reviews. While I was pretty certain this wasn’t true, I decided to call Amazon Author Central and get to the bottom of this.

The rep there was helpful and clear about their guidelines. Let’s look at a few:

Writing

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How to Get the Most From a Consulting Relationship

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Feb 10, 2015

The most expensive part of book publishing and marketing is a costly mistake. You can avoid some errors through experience, which in itself can be costly. Or, you can hire a coach (consultant, advisor, mentor) to steer you through the marketing maze and minimize slip-ups that can have significant impact on your budget.

Those who seek advice and those of us who give it can work together to solve your marketing problems. However, a coaching relationship is not a one-and-done transaction, a singular event with the dispensing and accepting of wisdom. It is best utilized as a collaborative process, a mutual striving to better understand your unique challenges and craft the best path forward. This process has five stages.

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How to Sell Books On Home-Shopping Networks

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jan 27, 2015

Home-shopping networks (QVC, HSN) reach millions of people every day with information on a wide variety of products, including books. Before you try to reach these buyers, consider your books’ salability on television. Does your book …