Hand (Bill) Selling Your Books
Patricia Bragg (Health-Science) publishes health and fitness books. To promote her mini-seminar at a local bookshop in Santa Barbara, she posted handbills in all the local health food stores. Then she made a postcard mailing to her customer list within a 50-mile (driving) radius. The store was packed and she was on for over four hours-until closing time. The store sold out on many of her titles and gave out rain checks.
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Book Publishing Tips of the Day
Daily words of wisdom from Dan Poynter and other publishing industry experts. (Search on "tip" in archives for complete list.) - Today's Tip from Poynter: "Don't Host Autograph Parties."
PUBLISHING TIP OF THE DAY"Don't Host Autograph Parties."
When my parents taught me not to write in books, they did not know they were raising an author who would autograph them.
An autograph party says, "Come and appreciate me (and buy a book)"; a seminar says, "Come on down and I will give you something free (information) that will improve your life." Always think of the benefit to the potential customer. How can you lure them out of the house and down to the store?
Autographings are not a party in your honor-you and your book are not even known yet. Your appearance is a promotional opportunity requiring hard work.
Book signings are a form of product promotion not available to producers of other goods or services. Bookstores, both chain and independent, stage events to attract potential customers into their stores. Authors are the draw.
These mini seminars may lead to longer ones for other groups at other locations-for money.
"Never do an autographing; always offer a mini seminar. Attract buyers to your autograph parties." -Terri Lonier, author, Working Solo.
(c) 2000 by Dan Poynter. For more tips and information on book writing, publishing and promoting, see the Para Publishing Web site.
MARKETING TIP OF THE DAY
Editors and reports use sidebars to quickly catch the eye of the reader, and attract the right audience to the meat of the article. Why shouldn't you use the same strategy to grab the attention of the media? Good sidebars are often a list of resources or bulleted tips to demonstrate a point.
(c) 2000 by Tami DePalma. For more tips and information about "Marketing with a Twist," visit the MarketAbility Web site. Don't your books deserve MAXIMUM EXPOSURE?