Self Published Author | Category

How to Sell Children’s Books — Part One

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Aug 25, 2020

This is the first article in a two-part series. In the next article, I’ll give you more examples of prospective buyers of children's books.

The market for children's books is potentially huge. Still, most authors approach this enormous opportunity by trying to sell their books through bookstores (bricks and clicks). Instead of competing with all the other books there, seek sales in non-bookstore segments. Listed below are examples of these prospective buyers. This is by no means an exhaustive list but is meant to stimulate your thinking to find new places in which to sell.

Pre-school children

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Build Book Marketing Strategies into Your Novel Before You Even Publish

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Aug 18, 2020

It’s an exciting time to be an author. And if you’re in still in the writing or editing phase, you can add some elements right now to help market your book when you publish.

Think of it like product placement in a TV show or movie. An example might be a prominently placed (and labeled) box of Kleenex that someone reaches for, asking, “Would you like a Kleenex?” A subtle mention of the brand that fits the context of the movie.

Hallmark movies do this a lot — and if you look for it, you’ll start seeing it everywhere. It’s a smart marketing concept, one you can easily apply to your own book promotion.

Here are a few ideas that you may want to consider for your next novel.

Seasonal Angles

One of the easiest ways to build book marketing into your book is a seasonal story setting. The Christmas season is a good example. Hallmark has run with the idea of the Christmas movie, and many authors have taken their cue.

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How to Make Large-Quantity, Non-Returnable Sales? (Hint: You already know the answer)

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 28, 2020

Have you ever tried to get a loan? Ask for a raise? Sought to get agreement with family members about where to go on vacation? In each case you took part in a process designed to reach an accord that was agreeable to everyone involved. You can use those same skills to sell your books in large, non-returnable, profitable quantities to business buyers.

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How Knowing Your Reader Can Sell More Books

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Jul 21, 2020

Everyone going into business should do market research. Authors are no different and reader profiles should be a goal of that research. Knowing your reader will help you decide what strategies are best for you to use as you market your book.

This step is critical to your success as an author. The reality is that your book is not for everyone. Nor is it for “all women with hopes and dreams.”

You have to be realistic. Inspiration and vision are important, but if you want to sell books, then you cannot afford to skip reader profiles. They will show you how to find the right people, and through which channels.

Here are some of the key benefits of creating reader profiles.

People are Complex

Your potential buyers have limited free time, just like you.

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Make the Grade in the Homeschool Market

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 16, 2020

The academic market is an opportune segment for publishers because it uses books as a foundation for its existence. It includes, but is not limited to schools, foundations, research organizations, professional associations, libraries, students, and individual educators. This marketplace impacts people of all ages, from preschoolers to professionals. Regardless of grade, age, major, and choice of home, public, or private education, people’s need for books is ubiquitous.

But, you say, “Public schools are closed, and no one is sure when they will reopen. How can this be an opportune time to sell to them?” The answer is to sell to the homeschool sub-segment of the academic market.

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Nowhere to Sell Books? Know Where to Sell Books.

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 2, 2020

Bookstores are currently closed due to the coronavirus. Authors and publishers are waiting it out, hoping to sell their books through those that eventually reopen. But if you look around there are many places through which you can sell books now – think supermarkets and pharmacies.

There are tens of thousands of supermarkets and pharmacies of all sizes around the country. Many of these stores sell books. In the past, most book sales through these outlets were mass market paperbacks, but today’s superstores carry a wide variety of books, cards, and magazines.

Book Selection Criteria

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How to Become More Creative During a Catastrophe

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 19, 2020

Unexpected events impact our marketing plans. That is to be expected. But the current pandemic has exceeded anything we may have anticipated. Yet successful publishers are people who always look for the silver lining. We can all learn from the current circumstances and build for a profitable post-pandemic future of selling books. Lessons learned from a calamity that occurred just over 100 years ago can help us evolve even stronger today.

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 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.

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A Look at Self-Publishing and How to Achieve Success

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue May 5, 2020

You’ve done it. You’ve written a book, published it yourself and made it available for the world to see and buy on Amazon. By tomorrow, you’ll be a successful best-selling author, right? Well, here’s where I have to give you the hard truth: nobody is born famous. Unless you’re already a household name or were born into a famous family, achieving self-publishing success takes dedication. This isn’t something to be afraid of or discouraged by though, because being smart about your choices when going the self-publishing route can make all the difference in the world.

In my years working with self-published authors, I find that so many feel they’re above the strategies I recommend to ensure they’re building their platform. They feel that bloggers with only a couple hundred followers are a waste of their time, and they think the only measure of success is sales.

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A Guide to Book Marketing Timelines

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Tue Apr 14, 2020

During author coaching calls, we almost always discuss marketing timelines, and when each author should actually start promoting their title. Although it’s good advice to start early, it’s important to understand that early can be relative based on each author’s circumstances.

Marketing Timelines Are Not 'One-Size-Fits-All'

The reality is that most “start marketing your book early” warnings come from people involved in traditional publishing. For example, if you’re with a major publisher and are planning to release your book in the fall, they’ll need to pitch it to bookstores in March. This means that you will need to have ARCs (advanced review copies) early in the year in order to meet retailers’ schedules, especially considering how busy the Fall season typically is.

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What is Non-Trade Marketing?

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Mar 24, 2020

Publishers typically have a reasonable number of books on hand and may become frustrated when sales slow and they have no way to get rid of them. It is a scenario that can shatter dreams of selling large quantities of books through bookstores. If you find yourself in a similar situation, however, there is hope. You can sell your books to new buyers in non-trade markets at any stage of a book’s life cycle.

Hesitation in pursuing new sources of revenue in non-trade markets is typically caused by the thought that bookstores are the only places to sell books, and also by not knowing where or how to find new buyers in new markets. Selling to non-trade markets is not that different from selling to bookstores, particularly in the non-trade retail sector, which includes mass merchandisers and specialty shops.

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