Book Marketing Matters™
Brian Jud's free, bi-weekly ezine dedicated to helping you get your fair share of the special-sales markets, and sell more books profitably
Volume 8, Issue 10, Number 178 June 15, 2009
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Here is your June 15 edition of the my special-sales ezine. It contains regular columns with tips from Dan Poynter, John Kremer, Marcella Smith, Penny Sansevieri, Rick Frishman, Eric Kampmann, Pam Lontos, Paulette Ensign, Judith Briles, Robin Bartlett, Dick Margulis and Roger C. Parker. The guest columnist in this issue is Ellen Reid.
This is sent by subscription only. Please pass this information along to people you feel may benefit by it. If there were any problems with this delivery, please let me know.If you no longer wish to receive this -- or if you received it in error -- please unsubscribe below.
This issue introduces a new regular column: Online Book Promotion by Dana Lynn Smith, the author of The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing. For more information about Dana visit http://www.SavvyBookMarketer.com or http://www.BookMarketingMaven.com
I wish you success in your book-marketing efforts, Brian Jud
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| Notes From the Front Lines
(Excerpted - with permission - from the Book Publishers' Handbook, by Eric Kampmann, President, Midpoint Trade Books ekampmann@aol.com) | Getting Lead Times Right. One of the biggest mistakes a publisher can make is to accelerate the publication date to meet some artificial deadline. The most important date you should keep in mind is the lead time demanded by the largest book retailers. They do this to establish a coherent budgeting procedure, which means if you insist on a one-month lead time, you will not get your book onto the shelves of America's biggest accounts. Most distributors will counsel you on the best timing for your book. Listen to them because they are trying to maximize your initial sales with book retailers.
| Poynter's Pointers
(Excerpted - with permission - from Dan Poynter's Fifteenth Edition of The Self-Publishing Manual: http://www.parapublishing.com) | If you speak on the subject of your book, set up a speaking sub-site with all the information on what you can do. Post your speech descriptions, client list, fee schedule, facilities forms, speaking calendar, audio/video clips, etc. Replace your press kits; avoid printing and mailing. For an example of a speaking sub-site, see http://parapub.com/getpage.cfm?file=/speaking/index.html
| The Cover Story -- Tamara Dever
(Tamara Dever, Owner, TLC Graphics and Narrow Gate Books. For more information about book design and publishing, please visit www.TLCGraphics.com. )
| |
This is the first in a series of books to help kids understand various weather phenomena. Because it's a series and includes merchandise, it must be branded carefully and well.
The first cover's type is colorful and cute, but does nothing to brand Katie. The title is split in half, there is no subtitle, and the illustration is menacing with its dark clouds and Katie coming at us with her umbrella. The quality of the illustration is that of a beginner's self-published book. The publisher has much higher aspirations!
Cover #2 sports a new logo that allows the publisher to brand all of their books and merchandise properly. The illustration is more inviting to children, who are often afraid of storms. The quality of Katie, however, is still not good enough to truly compete well in the marketplace.
The third book is soon to be released and Katie now looks wonderful! She's wearing updated clothes, a better hair style, the shading and detail are very nice, and her face is sweet. The kids' market is extremely competitive and the entire package makes a huge difference to the readers, publicists, distributors, and buyers.
| Marcella's Magic
(Marcella Smith, Small Press Business Manager, Barnes & Noble) | We've actual found that signings are the least effective author promotion which can take place in the store. What really works are events or panels. For instance, the topic of taxes is something that starts to concern everybody after the first of the year. What we do is put together events by various tax money management people or financial consultants from January through March in the stores.
| The Book Shepherd
(Judith Briles, www.TheBookShepherd.com Follow me on Twitter, http://twitter.com/JudithBriles) | Covers Are the Barker ... Your book shouldn't look like it was "self-published." Covers are a critical investment in the presentation of your book... not just the front, but the back. Where the front is designed to say what the book is about and convey, "Pick me up now," it's the back cover that should get them to fall in. Buyers spend more time on the back-does it have a bold "grab them" headline? How about three to five bullet points that are designed to hook the reader with "That's me, That's me," as they read through them. A paragraph or two about the book and they should be sold. Don't get stuck on a bunch of endorsements-unless they are knock your socks off, you probably don't need them. Always think benefit to the reader.
| You're On The Air
(Benita Zahn, Noon News anchor and talk-show host on WNYT-TV, Albany, NY) | The perfect guest on television is someone who believes in his topic, can answer concisely and can sit nice and steady.
| Kremer's Korner
(Excerpted - with permission - from John Kremer's Sixth Edition of 1001 Ways to Market Your Books. Contact John at http://www.bookmarket.com) | If you would rather not sell your overstocked books at a loss, you can donate them to specific causes. For example, in the past publishers have donated books to schools, libraries, churches, prisons, charities, public television stations, 4-H clubs, scouting groups, garden clubs, and other nonprofit groups. Publishers can deduct 100% of the production costs of any books donated (200% if the company is incorporated), plus 100% of the freight and 100% of administrative fees.
| Interior Designing
(Dick Margulis, editor and book designer, New Haven, Connecticut.
Contact Dick at dick@dmargulis.com) | A picture is worth a thousand words. Maybe.
Some images are okay to use in books and others are not. There are three general criteria to consider:
1. Does the content and composition of the image add value for the
reader (even if the value is purely decorative)?
2. Is the image legally available to use?
3. Is the image of a technical quality that can be successfully printed?
1. Content and composition. Some photos are valuable as historical documents. Others help illustrate and explain. Others merely brighten the reader's mood. But a few well-selected images will have more impact than a bucketful of mediocre snapshots. Professional photographers may snap anywhere from a hundred to a thousand pictures for every one they publish.
Look critically at each image. Does it include distracting or confusing elements that will be hard to crop out or eliminate some other way? (In journalism, science, and scholarly work, manipulating a photo has ethical implications; but in many fields it is perfectly acceptable to do a little touch-up in Photoshop to add clarity for the reader.) Does the composition draw the reader's attention to the most important element or away from it? Does it draw the reader's eye off the page or into it?
Sometimes you have a limited choice of images and have to make the best of what you have. One thing you can do is rotate an image that seems askew. Usually the problem is just the natural perspective when the shot was taken from the wrong place in the scene. You can improve the situation dramatically by rotating the image to make the most central vertical element, such as the corner of the room or the edge of a doorway vertical on the page.
To be continued...
| Author 101
(Excerpted - with permission - from Author 101: Bestselling Book Publicity, by Rick Frishman and Robyn Spizman; FRISHMANR@PlannedTVArts.com or www.author101.com) | When agents and editors receive a proposal, they wonder, "Can the author actually write this book; can he or she complete it?" "Does the author have the qualifications to write it and will he or she deliver and energetically promote a first-rate book that will sell?" The "About the Author" section can help dispel these fears.
In this proposal section, blow your own horn by clearly and factually showing why you're so ideally qualified to author your book. Since your platform plays such a pivotal role in acquisition decisions, emphasize your platform in your biography. List your media experience; authorship credits; and where you have spoken, taught, and appeared. Also describe your newsletter and how many people subscribe, as well as your Web site and how many hits it gets. If you have an extensive mailing list, state its size. Providing this information will show that you can deliver the items in your proposal.
| The Very Idea
(Editorial by Brian Jud) | 
Reported in PW Daily on June 11, 2009:
According to preliminary estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau, bookstore sales have fallen every month this year, and the April decline (2.6%) was slightly higher than the 1.4% drop reported in March.
Some publishers look only to bookstores for selling their books. That is analogous to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Instead, look to the enormous opportunity in the hidden market for non-bookstore sales. Limiting sales to traditional channels may be the least effective and most costly way to sell books. Non-trade marketing can increases sales, revenue and profits if you take your books to people where they buy, rather than waiting for consumers to come to you. That is essence is special-sales (non-bookstore, non-traditional) marketing.
Special-sales marketing is not a separate way of doing business. It is not even a new way of doing business. It is an integral part of overall marketing strategy, an extension of what you are probably already doing. If you are selling to bookstores now, you can sell to special markets without changing your habits or inventing new skills.
| Marketing to Non-Bookstore Buyers
(Excerpted from Beyond the Bookstore a Publishers Weekly book by Brian Jud http://www.bookmarketing.com) | Partnership marketing creates an alliance between companies who are targeting similar customers. A common scenario is when a bank partners with a publisher of a title about home mortgages. In this case, the bank would purchase the book and give it to its prospective borrowers. In return, they might be more likely to borrow from that bank. The bank wins because it loans more money. You win because you get incremental revenue. Consumers win because they get the information they need to "own the most home for the least dollars."
How could you offer your book as a tool for partnership marketing? One answer could be bundling. The marketing technique of bundling occurs when two or more associated products are packaged together and sold as one item. This tactic proved successful in a direct-mail campaign I conducted to parents of graduating college students. I offered a bundle comprised of my three titles, The Art of Interviewing, Help Wanted: Inquire Within and Job Search 101, offered at a discounted price.
Terry Roberts has another way to look at this concept. He suggests that every incentive company is a prospect for bundling its products with a book. He describes his strategy with an example, "Suppose Spalding wanted companies to use its basketballs as an incentive. They might be able to increase their sales of basketballs by bundling with it a book on NBA all-stars." To do this, Terry says to "talk with sellers who want to make their incentives more attractive. If they buy your book, then their sales force is out there selling it, too."
| Savvy Self-Promotion
(Penny Sansevieri, author of From Book to Bestseller, penny@amarketingexpert.com. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bookgal) |
Google Alerts Marketing Tip. If you've used Google Alerts to keep track of your appearances on the web, there's another great to use them too. By identifying and using key words or phrases that your readers/audience uses you can start getting news alerts every time something is featured on your topic. Then you can see who's being featured, who's doing stories on your industry, and what blog posts are being generated on your topic. For the news appearances you'll want to contact the reporter or interviewer and comment on the story, perhaps even offer additional insight and suggest that the next time they do a story on this topic that they consider you as well. If you find blogs that are featuring your topic, target them for an interview, book review, or perhaps see if they'll let you offer content for their site. Google Alerts is a great way to not only stay on top of your own media, but to expand your reach as well...
| Booklet Ideas - Paulette Ensign
(Paulette is President of Tips Products International, Paulette@tipsbooklets.com; Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/pauletteensign) | Think about what companies, associations, publications, and websites want to reach the same end-user that you want to with your information products. Those larger entities are the ones to contact to sell or license your product to as a promotional item to help them sell more of their product, service, or cause. Who are three people you already know that you can contact today?
| Pam's Publicity
(By Pam Lontos, Owner of the publicity firm PR/PR and author of I See Your Name Everywhere; sign up for free publicity tips at www.prpr.net) | Use your printed articles to market to industries of that type. If you have an article in a financial journal, write letters to related associations and companies and do a promotional mailing. For example, the financial industry can include banking, mortgage, and insurance outlets. Send a reprint of your article along with the letter and mention that you have been published in one of their industry's top trade magazines. That'll surely get their attention.
| Book-Marketing Tips - Roger C. Parker
(Roger C. Parker is the $32 Million Dollar Author. Test your Book Publishing IQ at his www.publishedandprofitable.com) | Should your book contain a ReadMe file? Many software programs include ReadMe files. These help computer users prepare to install new software programs, or upgrades, on their computer. ReadMe files typically highlight tips and information that can ensure a trouble-free installation.
The idea of ReadMe files could be applied to many books, especially self-help and business how-to books. The book equivalent of a software program's ReadMe file could help authors:
§ Focus the reader's attention on key ideas, chapters, benefits, and features found in the book.
§ Help readers prepare for reading the book by listing resources that readers might want to assemble before reading, such as
preparing not-taking sheets, printing-out forms or worksheets, gathering information that might be required while reading.
§ Provide instructions for reading the book, helping readers pre-qualify their interests and needs, so they can go directly to specific chapters or indicating which chapters can be skipped, or read later.
§ Reinforce the book's benefits and value. By summarizing the benefits of the book's contents, authors can precondition readers to enjoy a positive reading experience, resulting in more referrals and online reviews.
Conciseness is a key to a successful "ReadMe" experience. Although most books have introductions covering the above points, often the information described above may not be noticed because it's contained in paragraphs distributed throughout the introduction.
Perhaps more readers would benefit if a book's ReadMe information was consolidated in 1 or 2 concise, easily-scanned, pages where it would be easier to notice and easier to read.
| Bartlett's Quotations on
Powerful Publishing Ideas
(Robin Bartlett is a former member of the IBPA Board of Directors and is the Publishing University Chair rbbartlett@aol.com) | Give yourself a "check up from the neck up." Buyers who see a lot of sales reps and hear a lot of pitches make up their minds fast, sometimes even before you've made your presentation! They base their evaluation on your nonverbal messages: your appearance, your attitude, how you look at them, how you smile, your tone of voice and more (see below). So make sure that everything is working in your favor before you make every sales call.
| Marketing Planning
(Excerpted from Brian Jud's e-booklet, Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan: 461 Tips for Profitable Marketing Planning; www.bookmarketing.com) | If you try to do a little bit of everything, you will not be able to create and maintain a distinct competitive advantage. Plan and coordinate the ways in which you will allocate your resources.
| Marketing Strategy
(Excerpted from Brian Jud's e-booklet, The Buck Starts Here: 635 Tips for Creating Successful Marketing Strategy; www.bookmarketing.com) | The way you combine and execute the four marketing variables will impact your cash flow, profits and unit sales. An integrated marketing mix entails producing a saleable, properly priced product that is distributed and promoted to the right people at the right time.
| Online Book Promotion -- Dana Lynn Smith
(Book marketing coach Dana Lynn Smith is the author of The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Successful Social Marketing, http://www.SavvyBookMarketer.com. For more book marketing tips, visit http://www.BookMarketingMaven.com.) |
Do a virtual book tour. A virtual book tour is a great way to promote your book by making guest appearances on blogs, ezines, podcasts, or other online forums. Content can include interviews, how-to articles, book excerpts, videos, book reviews, or an article about how you developed the plot or characters for a novel. Provide unique content to each host on your tour, and create a webpage for the tour. Promote your tour on your blog and social networks, and encourage your hosts to promote it as well.
| Guest Columnist - Ellen Reid
(To learn more about Ellen please visit www.bookshep.com and e-mail Ellen at bookshep@mac.com or ellen@bookshep.com)
| The Seven Deadliest Mistakes Authors Often Make. The world of publishing is changing on what seems like almost a daily basis. And a rapidly growing percentage of the 400,000 new titles reaching bookstores annually are independently or self-published. So if you are considering putting out your own book, there are a number of pitfalls you can avoid to save you time, save you money, and give you a far better shot at success. There are seven deadly mistakes I have seen new authors make, with ideas to help you avoid them. The first four were described in previous issues of Book Marketing Matters, and here is Number Five.
Getting too many subjective opinions. I can't begin to tell you how many clients I've seen undermine a great cover design, title, or subtitle by asking people who have subjective opinions but no basis for them other than "I like it." By all means, if you're not sold on a particular title or subtitle for your book, ask for opinions. However, don't ask indiscriminately. Ask people who have a reason for selecting one choice over another. The flip side of this (a bonus mistake not counted in the seven) is authors who are in love with a title they come up with, even though a book browser would not understand the significance of it. With works of fiction this can be less of a problem than with self-help or how-to books. A professional copywriter can assist in coming up with titles and subtitles that motivate browsers to become buyers.
| Helpful Website of the Week | Book Fairs and Festivals
http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bookfair.html
This site lists book fairs and other literary events in the U.S. and worldwide. | Buy Lines -- Free Information |
Do you need a jump-start to get your sales moving?
Do you have a quick question or two about how to get started in special sales?
If so, consider a one-hour consultation with Brian Jud. Get answers that will ignite your sales efforts. Brian can help you create a quality product, distribute it to markets you may not even know exist, price it profitably and promote it more effectively so you can...
Sell more books
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Minimize -- if not eliminate - returns
Contact BrianJud@bookmarketing.com for more information.
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| | | Beyond the Bookstore is now available in Softcover and as a pdf document
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| | I wish you success in your book marketing efforts. There are several ways in which I can help you sell more books more profitably. Let me tell you how by emailing your contact information to me at brianjud@bookmarketing.com.
Sincerely, Brian Jud
Book Marketing Works | | | | Contact Information for Brian Jud
For copies of all the previous issues of Book Marketing Matters visit http://www.bookmarketingworks.com/mktgmatters.asp
To subscribe to Book Marketing Matters click here: <mailto:brianjud@comcast.net?subject=subscribe>
Discover even more information about non-bookstore marketing by visiting the Special-Sales Tip of the Week at www.bookmarketing.com
Brian Jud now offers commission-only sales to buyers in special markets and several other programs to contact prospective buyers in special markets for you through personal sales calls, customized mailings and telephone calls. There is a program for any budget. www.premiumbookcompany.com
Brian is also an author and book-marketing consultant helping publishers market and promote their books to increase their sales and profits. Find rated lists of suppliers to publishers at www.bookcentralstation.com. Brian is a media trainer, frequent speaker at publishing events and host of the online Publisher's Bookstore listing many discounted titles on publishing, publicity, planning, marketing, publishing law, design and writing. Visit his blog at http://blog.bookmarketing.com and contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or go to http://www.bookmarketing.com
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