If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing — issues that affect you — you need
The Hot Sheet.
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in
The Hot Sheet. Among the most important insights in this issue:
I can tell you very honestly that the best book marketing campaigns are created and executed when the author, and the marketing team, are all on the same page about goals and expectations.
Of course, your book has to be amazing, and the readers have to resonate with it – but finding those readers and making those connections is critical, and a good book marketing plan is the first step in getting to the next level with your brand.
So I wanted to compile a list of 5 questions you should be asking any book publicity team you’re considering working with.
1. What are realistic goals for my campaign based on my current platform?
Goals will always be unique to you, but I think it’s safe to say we’re all looking to sell more books – selling more books means more readers, and it means your platform is growing.
In the last couple of weeks, Amazon changed its advertising dashboard, opening it up to any author – regardless of how they’re published – making the whole goal of promoting a book on Amazon even easier. You can now access the Amazon ads dashboard from our Author Central account – which every author has access to! But what does it mean for the industry and for authors seeking to plug some money into Amazon ads to gain more exposure for their book? Let’s dig in.
Anyone Can Get Their Book onto Amazon, But Not Everyone Can Get Found: How and Why This Matters
Industry statistics reveal that book returns can be 30% or more of sales. If you reduce or eliminate returns, then you could increase your net sales and revenue by that same amount and your profits by even more.
But, you say, you have no control over returns since Ingram and the bookstores return them at will without selling them. On the contrary, there are many things that we as authors and publishers can do to eliminate returns.
The first thing to realize is that bookstores do not sell books — they display them. Any marketing they do involves promoting major titles or special events to entice people into their stores. It is up to the authors to create awareness of their specific titles. Similarly, most distributors utilize commissioned sales representatives whose income depends on selling books that are not returned, i.e., those promoted more heavily. They understandably spend their time selling those titles.
If you’re an author and want to stay on top of the important issues in the world of publishing — issues that affect you — you need
The Hot Sheet.
With all the chatter out there, it will help you sort through the noise with stories that focus on relevant topics from across the publishing spectrum. From author success stories to key industry statistics, you’ll find what you need to know in
The Hot Sheet. Among the most important insights in this issue:
It seems it would be a lot simpler for both retailers and consumers if the price of that $29.95 book were instead a nice, round $30. There must be a good reason why the prices of so many products end in 95 or 99. But what is it?
Two theories stand out. One suggests a ploy to coerce the customer into a purchase, the thought being that a price of $29.95 seems more palatable than one of $30 (though sales tax would likely shove the total over $30 anyway). The theory seems plausible even if it does not place much value on our intelligence.
Negotiating with people who can purchase your books in large, non-returnable quantities can be stressful, particularly if you believe the buyer has all the power. You may feel you have more at stake since the buyers can always spend their money on some other promotional item. On the other hand, you may think, “If I can get $6.00 for each book on a 10,000-book order, I can make $60,000.” Instead, that perspective may place more pressure on you and also give all the power to the buyer.
