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Distribution

Get your book to market! Whether you're selling direct on Amazon, or placing your book in stores, we have strategies for effective distribution.

Distribution Decisions

  • Direct or distributor?
  • Communicating with vendors
  • Sales reporting
  • The global market
 

The “-ize” Have It

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Thu Oct 2, 2014

Too many independent publishers use the Christopher Columbus method of planning. They do not know where they are going. When they get there 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. You can avoid this situation by writing a strategic, functional plan to market your books. 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, determine your potential market’s size, growth and competitive status.

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Kindle Unlimited, Scribd or Oyster: Which Reader Subscription Service is Best for Self-Published Authors?

by Carla King
Bowker | Tue Sep 16, 2014

Amazon’s new Kindle Unlimited e-book reader subscription program caused a real commotion in the publishing industry last month. But how will this “Netflix for books” model affect the self-publishing industry? Is Kindle Unlimited the best, or should self-publishers join the Scribd or Oyster programs instead? How do you get in? Read on for a comparison of these top three reader subscription programs and best recommendations for self-publishers who are looking to add these channels to their revenue streams.

AMAZON KINDLE UNLIMITED

Amazon requires that self-publishers join their exclusive KDP Select program to be included in Unlimited. If you’re already using KDP Select, or you’ve decided that joining the program may give your book launch a boost, then go for it! It’s only temporary.

Inside Publishing
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Book aggregators and distributors: A short primer

by Carla King
Bowker | Wed Aug 27, 2014

The purpose of this post is to define the terms aggregation and distribution and to introduce you to the tools and services I recommend so that you set out on the right publishing path.

Indie authors can upload ebooks to each online ebook retailer directly, but we might instead choose to distribute them using an ebook aggregator like Smashwords, IngramSpark, Vook or BookBaby. Likewise, we can upload our print book to Amazon via CreateSpace directly but distribute to other online print book retailers and brick-and-mortar bookstores via a distribution service like IngramSpark.

Yeah boy, that is a lot of geeky publishing terms! So let’s wind it down and go through it in slo mo… 

Inside Publishing
Design & Production
Distribution
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Today's Great American Novel (Part 2 of 2)

by June Hyjek
Bowker | Wed Aug 20, 2014

You have options for getting your book into the marketplace.  With today’s technology, you can sell directly to the reader, through your own website and many online retailers, acting as your own sales person.  You can use social media to drive buyers to those places, but you’ll spend a lot of time and effort doing it, and unless you get really lucky and your book catches on (because all the previous components are stellar), you may not sell many books.  You can hire people to help make this more successful, and who knows?  It might land in the right hands at the right time, someone important will notice it and you’ll find yourself on the Today Show.  But just in case, buy a lottery ticket today.

Inside Publishing
Distribution
Getting Started
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Premium Book Company: Offering Catalog Sales to Non-Bookstore Markets

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Thu Aug 7, 2014

Premium's network of 60,000+ experienced sales pros personally sell your books to known buyers in corporations, associations, the military, government agencies and schools. They pay for shipping, and there are no returns.

Click here for more information on Premium Book Company's catalog program.

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Two Days in a Dream Bookstore

by Laura Dawson
Bowker | Tue Aug 5, 2014

Our colleague Laura Dawson has written on her personal blog about an "unconference" called #altbookstore, which she attended in Manhattan last week. This meeting, she notes, was convened because...of Amazon:

This arose, of course, from a commonly-held desire amongst the attendees (and some attended virtually as well) to really probe The Amazon Problem. Amazon is many things. To customers, it’s an ideal store that basically sells everything you could possibly want, and delivers it almost before you know you want it (yesterday on Twitter I was calling this #acciostuff). To developers, it’s a technology company that basically invented what we know as “the cloud”. To publishers, it’s a disintermediator, a disruptor, a strong-armed bully upending business models and shrinking margins. To authors, it’s a benefactor and a cruel mistress.

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Distribution
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If It's Not Broken, Break It

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Mon Jul 21, 2014

Some habits are good, some not so good. How can you tell if a habit is good or bad? Good habits are hard to make and easy to break. Bad habits are easy to make and hard to break. Many publishers are in the easy-to-make habit of selling only through bookstores. They market each new title in the same way they did all previous books. While that habit is not inherently bad, it could limit your sales, revenue and profits. Evaluate your habits and seek a different way to increase your sales. Here are Ten Tips For Making Good Marketing Habits.

Inside Publishing
Distribution
Tags: 
Entrepreneurship
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Sell in a Growing Market – B2B

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jul 1, 2014

The publishing industry’s retail distribution network is rigid and stable. Established chain members move commodity items (books) systematically toward a common end. Each level (publisher, distributor, wholesaler, retailer) is mutually exclusive yet dependent on each other. The value of the product is dispersed and not controlled by the publisher. While this ingrained system is appealing to some, it leads to a conservative, uncreative structure lacking in energy. Conversely, the B2B marketplace is dynamic and growing at a 10% annual rate. Innovative and strategic publishers have the opportunity to change this competitive landscape, bypass an inflexible chain, and seize and control value. Here are the Top Ten Reasons to Control Value in a Distribution Network.

Inside Publishing
Marketing & Publicity
Distribution
Tags: 
B2B
Entrepreneurship
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Have a Meeting of the Minds

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Wed Jun 18, 2014

Growing your business depends in large part on your ability to innovate – both content and marketing. Moving from your core business (trade sales) into special (non-bookstore) markets is an example. Creating a mastermind group can help you access the combined knowledge of others to help you make the move. To do this, build an environment in which people feel comfortable, willing and able to innovate. Here are the Top Ten Principles For Developing a Successful Mastermind Team.

Distribution
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Tags: 
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How to Sell More Books

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Fri Jun 6, 2014

There are almost 400,000 ISBNs issued annually for new titles that are published. Yet statistics have shown that 93% of all these books will sell less than 100 copies. Why? Of course, some people publish a book simply because they always wanted to, and do not intend to sell it. Or they may choose to leave a legacy. But many people write a manuscript and publish it with an expectation of success. In addition to the fact that it is easy to have a manuscript published, I believe most books do not sell more than 100 copies because people write and publish without understanding what it takes to be successful. Here are my Top Ten Reasons Most Books Do Not Sell More Than 100 Copies.

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Getting Started

Create a Culture of Quality in Your Publishing Company

Thu, November 13

How to Write a Business Plan as Narrative (Part 2 of 2)

Wed, September 10

A Novel Planning Technique for Book Publishers (Part 1 of 2)

Fri, September 05

Do You Have the Write Stuff?

Wed, September 03

Today's Great American Novel (Part 2 of 2)

Wed, August 20

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