Do you want to produce better books and sell more of them in 2014? Here are the Top Ten Things You Can Do To Be More Successful In Your Book Marketing.
- Have good content that is based on a market need and is different from or better than what exists (if you think there is no other book on your topic, think again); you are not selling books, but selling how your content meets buyers’ needs better than other options;
- Have a quality product, which includes professionally edited text and marketable cover design (front, rear and spine) and page layout
- Have reasonable expectations – recognize that the world doesn’t care that you wrote and published a book – you have to make them care; it could take years to reach profitability
- Know and define your target readers (not “everybody”) and group them in market segments; then, form is a variable – do buyers (in each target segment) want your content as a printed book, ebook, DVD, seminar, etc.?
- Work with distribution partners to get your book into retail stores (bookstores and non-bookstore retailers); recognize that retailers don’t sell books – they display books that are profitable to them (if your book doesn’t sell, it’s gone); have a “knock-off factor” – a reason why they should place your book on the shelf instead of one that is there now)
- Understand that distributors don’t sell books – they fill the pipeline; it’s up to you to get people to go to stores to buy your book (“pull” vs. “push” strategy); if your book doesn’t sell in 90 days because of your lack of promotion, it is returned; (sell through)
- Re-invest revenue for ”perpetual promotion” – you are running a business and need to consider the volume and velocity of revenue; don’t quit your day job until sales reach a profitable level; manage your time
- Consider selling to non-retail buyers (corporations, associations, schools, military, libraries); You have to do the selling (prospecting, proposals, presentations, negotiating) or find someone to do it for you; sell to vs. sell through; non-returnable sales; rights sales (subsidiary and foreign);
- Run the numbers; create a cash-flow analysis for at least five years into the future; what will it take to be profitable and are you willing to do what it takes to make it happen?
- Do all this and book marketing is as simple as PIE because you Planned your actions, Implemented your actions passionately then Evaluated your results and made necessary changes
Brian Jud is the Executive Director of APSS (www.bookapss.org) - formerly SPAN. He is also the author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books. Brian offers commission-based sales of books to buyers in non-bookstore markets. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001-0715; (860) 675-1344; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or www.premiumbookcompany.com twitter.com/bookmarketing
