Inside Publishing

Now that your book is finished, what happens next? We're here to guide you through the publishing process, from editorial to distribution and sales.

Rules for Negotiating a Large Book Sale – Or A Job Offer

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 15, 2021

Most of us have at one time interviewed for a job. Did you ever think that the tactics in negotiating for a job and those for negotiating a large book sale are comparable? I wrote books demonstrating that fact. One described how to negotiate a job offer (Job Search 101) and two that explained how to negotiate a large quantity book sale (Beyond the Bookstore and How to Make Real Money Selling Books). Here are tips for negotiating a book sale — or a job.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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Getting Consensus on Large Sales

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue Jun 1, 2021

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 meeting or two. 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/or 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.

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity

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How Single-Title Authors Can Create Multi-Book Campaigns

by Brian Jud
Bowker | Tue May 11, 2021

Authors may become discouraged after trying to sell their book to non-retail buyers in corporations, associations, etc. In many cases they are making the sale more difficult than necessary. Selling to a prospective buyer with one book and an implied “take it (your book) or leave it” offer generally results in “leave it.” However, if you go to the buyer with multiple alternatives your chances of getting the sale increase significantly. But how can a single-title author do that? Read on.

When meeting with potential buyers do not start by talking about your book. Begin by finding out what problems they want to solve, i.e., their pain points. Do this by asking questions, and here are a few examples.

Q. Have you ever used books as a promotional item?

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Marketing & Publicity

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5 Inspirational Blog Post Ideas for Savvy Authors

by Penny C. Sansevieri
Bowker | Wed Apr 28, 2021

In a recent post here on Self Published Author, I talked about five features of a terrific and effective author website, and today I’m going to go deeper into one of those features: author blogs. Websites with blogs get 55% more traffic than websites without. And you can’t sell more books without more traffic. It’s hard to argue with that number and the logic that follows it, but while that statistic might convince your brain it’s time to start blogging, it’s also important that you also believe with your heart that the connection you can make to your readers is worthwhile.

Reading is very personal. Genre preferences and the types of books we seek out to fulfill needs or answer questions in our lives say a lot about us as individuals. The days of the elusive, mysterious author are over. When 4,500 books are being published every day, personalization becomes a cornerstone of your author marketing if your goal is to sell more books. But I realize it’s easier said than done!

Inside Publishing

Marketing & Publicity