Book Marketing Matters™
Brian Jud's free, bi-weekly ezine dedicated to helping you get your fair share of sales in special-sales (non-bookstore) markets, and sell more books profitably
Volume 14, Issue 121, Number 339 October 12, 2015 |
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| | Greetings!
Here is your October 12 edition of the Book Marketing Matters special-sales ezine by Brian Jud. It contains regular columns with tips from Dan Poynter, John Kremer, Guy Achtzehn, Rick Frishman, Eric Kampmann, Paulette Ensign, Judith Briles, Tonya Evans and Roger C. Parker. The guest columnist in this issue is Jeff Davidson.
This newsletter 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 prefer to have this sent to you as a pdf, please reply with "pdf" in the subject line or body copy. If you no longer wish to receive this -- or if you received it in error -- please reply with "Remove" in the subject line. All of us at Book Marketing Works wish you success in your book-marketing efforts, Brian Jud Click here to view this newsletter as a pdf document |
(The Association of Publishers for Special Sales -- formerly SPAN) | Introducing APSS-Chicago The Newest APPS Chapter
Kim Bookless is the President of the latest APSS Chapter. She is a publishing consultant and editor, helping authors bring their books to life by guiding them through the self-publishing process, serving as their advisor, advocate, and project manager. She is President of Chicago Women in Publishing (CWIP) and Founder of the Chicago Self-Publishing Group. Brian Jud will be in Chicago on Nov 5 to talk about special-sales marketing and to introduce Chicago to APSS.
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Discover This Week's "Marketing Tips" - at www.bookapss.org (changed every Thursday)
- The Top Ten Causes of Poor Sales
- Get your book cover or marketing message on promotional items such as coffee mugs, pens, pads, bookmarks, key chains, shirts, umbrellas or any of hundreds of other promotional products. Get free consulting on using promotional items
- Find sample marketing plans for selling books in many genres
- Are you solving the right problem? Find out how you can. Get Unstuck with a new idea every week
- Novel Ideas - Chosen for the 101 Best Writing Websites by Writer's Digest for 15 years running, this website offers the inside scoop on grants, funding, crowdfunding and paying contests in its free and fee-based newsletters.
- Read It and Reap -- A new book business book is reviewed each week
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| We can sell your books to non-bookstore buyers -- non-returnable | | Do you want us to sell your books?
Commission-based special sales. Non-returnable. We pay shipping
We get about 3,000 hits per month  on the ESP search engine. Most of the titles in our program receive some action on a regular basis. We cannot show them all, but here is a list of the direct inquires for which we send sample books. We usually customize them with the customer's logos or with a tip-in insert page. www.premiumbookcompany.com |
Notes From the Front Lines (Excerpted - with permission - from the Book Publishers' Handbook, by Eric Kampmann, President, Midpoint Trade Books ekampmann@aol.com) | The Seven Signposts on the Road to Good Publishing. Publishing books is like taking a journey. You need a map to point the way; or signposts to guide you. For example, when I backpack I look for blazes on trees. Or, if I am above the tree line, I seek out cairns or stone markers that I follow with care so I stay on the trail. As with any journey, a good publisher knows he must follow certain signposts to successfully produce, sell, and market his books. Ignore an important signpost and you can get lost, or go in the wrong direction. Each marker represents a decision you must make - sometimes on your own or with the advice and counsel of someone with more experience. Over the next few issues of Book Marketing Matters I will describe one of seven signposts on the road to good publishing. Here is the third. Signpost #3: Printing. How do you pick a printer you trust? And how many copies should you print? These are two big financial decisions that can support or undermine the entire venture. A good publisher understands how to evaluate and choose what to invest in terms of paper weight, opacity, and binding. Even more important is the question of how many copies the first printing should be. You must be able accurately predict the quantity you can sell within the first four months. That is what you need to print to cover immediate demand without being stuck with excess inventory.-and lost revenue. Just in time printing saves you money and worry. Having a professional sales team takes the guesswork out arriving at that number. |
| | Promotion services. Do not hire the spammers who flood your email box with offers to promote your site or product. Doing so will cost you a lot of money, incur the wrath of potential customers and will encourage more spam. Direct Contact Media Services will send out your news release to carefully selected media via fax and email. Paul Krupin will rewrite your news release to make it more useful to the media. He will send your announcement to thousands of targeted print, radio and TV outlets. Contact him at dircon@owt.com and see http://www.book-publicity.com |
(Peri Poloni-Gabriel of Knockout Design has been in the business of designing books for over 15 years. | Before: This book is a historical account and the original cover feels disjointed with elements that are not relating to one another. The main character in the book is subordinate in the title. This book will be the first of a series of historical accounts.
After: Bringing history to life is the idea for the series. The graphic unit of the title, subtitle and image of Meriweather now work together. The background has added interest with an actual account written by Meriweather Lewis, given color and texture along with the blood spatters and gun to intrigue the reader. The name in the title now has the attention required as uses traditional fonts to convey the historic content of the book.
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| The Book Shepherd - Judith Briles Dr. Judith Briles is The Book Shepherd (www.TheBookShepherd.com) and Chief Visionary Officer of AuthorU (www.AuthorU.org). She is the author of 34 books including The CrowdFunding Guide for Authors & Writers and Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Author and Book Platforms. Register for her online course, How to Write a NonFiction Book in 4 Weeks and connect on Twitter @MyBookShepherd. Her radio podcast, AuthorU-Your Guide to Book Publishing, gets over 300,000 downloads each month and can be heard at http://bit.ly/AuthorURadio | Author Nugget: Seek Reviews ... Ask and You Will Get As an author, it's not the time to be shy. You want your buyers to post reviews. The two main ones would be Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. Amazon has millions of buyers of books-they read reviews. The more reviews that you can get posted, the better. They count and tell the viral world that others are reading and liking your words. Goodreads is a source that many librarians check out. The want to see what readers and consumers are saying about current books, especially in the self-published and independent published arenas. Tip: Make sure that you make a habit of going into Amazon and Goodreads and copy the Reviews that get posted. Use them on your website in a type of "people are talking" format and make sure you create a "master" of them on your computer in a special folder. |
You're On The Air (Lori Dolney Levine, Senior Talent Executive, Fox After Breakfast) | Producers want a good segment, but sometimes you have to get the discussion back to where you want it. It may not come off as planned, but if it's a good show, it's still good television. |
The Very Idea (Editorial by Brian Jud) | You have two segments in which to sell your books: to retailers (including bookstores) and to non-retail buyers. As a general rule, it is not necessary to choose between the two. Sell to both, but know your options and choose the best combination of distribution channels for each of your titles. See www.bookapss.org for more information |
Ideas for Selling to Non-Bookstore Buyers Guy Achtzehn (President of The Promotional Bookstore, offering commission-based sales of books to non-bookstore buyers, guy@msgpromo.com) | Case Study - Premium Book Company A local bank used a personal finance book as a business gift to new clients opening saving accounts. The promotion was geared towards high school and college graduates. The book featured information on loans, investing and saving techniques as well as information on stocks, bonds and other investment vehicles. The bank realized that an educated customer is a long term customer... and focusing on young clients insured years of good relationships. Over 7500 books were sold on short discount. |
Leadership and Growth Concepts - Tom Hill (Founder and CEO of the Eagle Goal Coach, an organization devoted solely to assisting others find and follow their life's passion. Tom can be reached at tom@tomhillwebsite.com) | During a recent conversation with a SEAL commander, he offered tangible advice that can be applied to almost any business:
1. Teamwork is your top priority. A mission cannot be successfully executed unless the team is functioning as one. The SEALs continual emphasis on teamwork corresponds closely with the daily requirements of the business world.
2. Early leaders are good leaders. This opportunity is unparalleled in the corporate world, where an employee may need 10 to 15 years to reach a position of significant leadership and high level of responsibility.
3. Excel at ethics. In the world of business, the ethical leader is sometimes a rarity, and truly esteemed.
4. Stay calm. The military trains its team to be more comfortable taking risks with incomplete information. This is the daily function of a CEO, but it is rarely passed down to employees.
5. Hard times help you adapt--quickly. Young executives who go through hard times should learn to appreciate them, recognizing that those times will not only strengthen them, but truly train them to properly and successfully lead their own teams when battling the competition.
6. Ambush the competition. In an ambush, always take out the radio operator and the unit leader (usually the guy next to the radioman). Without leadership or good communication, the enemy is forced into disarray and can be picked apart. A good lesson for all leaders and their organizations.
7. Study Darwin. Survival is not about who's the strongest or fastest, but who can best adapt to change. Navy SEALs are masters of adaptation, being able to operate in jungle, desert, or artic conditions. In comparison, CEOs must adapt to the ever-changing market conditions they face daily and should train their staff to do the same. |
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) | Do the right things, and do them right. Put your plan into action. Without action, planning only gives the illusion of progress. |
Book-Marketing Tips - Roger C. Parker | A co-author's platform can be as important as their writing ability! When considering a co-author for your next book, evaluate the size and quality of their online presence. Ask yourself questions like: - What kind of blog and website do they have?
- Do they have a large and enthusiastic following?
- How relevant and recently updated is their website?
- Are they active bloggers, as shown by frequent posts and reader comments?
- What kind of Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube presence do they have?
Platforms count, because when you write with a co-author, you're forming a partnership with them. Ideally, they'll expose your book to their clients, prospects, and readers, contributing to a strong launch of your book. Given the choice of two equally qualified co-authors, preference should be given to the co-author who commits to promoting your jointly written title, before, during, and after its launch. |
Marketing Strategy
(Excerpted from Brian Jud's e-booklet, The Buck Starts Here: 635 Tips for Creating Successful Marketing Strategy; www.bookmarketing.com) | Define your prospects and customers demographically (sex; occupation, income, education), psychographically (attitudes, beliefs and habits) and geographically (i.e., regional pockets of opportunity). Of all the books facing people browsing the shelves in a bookstore, why should they choose yours? |
Legal Matters That Matter to Writers (Contact Professor Evans at Legal Write Publications, info@legalwritepublications.com or www.legalwritepublications.com; The information contained in this column is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you need advice regarding a specific legal matter, consult a lawyer as each case is fact-specific.) | Intellectual property is defined loosely as property created with the mind, as distinguished from real property (land) and personal property (laptop). - Copyright: A copyright protects an author's original artistic or literary work, whether published (meaning distributed to the public) or unpublished (not distributed at all or only to a few people). Under copyright law, the term "author" has a special meaning: the creator of an original literary or artistic work.
- Trademark: A trademark protects a word, phrase, symbol, or device - the mark - used in business to identify and distinguish one product from another.
- Service Mark: A service mark protects a word, phrase, symbol, or device - again, the mark - used in business to identify and distinguish one service from another. The purpose of trademark law is to avoid consumer confusion.
- Patent: A patent protects an invention by granting the inventor the exclusive right to exclude others from producing or using the inventor's discovery or invention for a specific period of time.
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Booklet Ideas - Paulette Ensign | Much like how associations are both your large quantity buyer and then your marketer to their members, many companies that are structured as franchises can be that type of client for you, too. Working with that kind of structure means you can reach and help many more people, and everyone involved within the franchise can increase their revenue. Think about the various places where you are a customer. Maybe that is a coffee shop chain (yes, there are more than the one that may have come to mind first!) or a tutoring, cosmetics, cleaning, or any of the thousands and thousands of franchises just within North America. There are at last two divisions in that company's structure - the corporate folks and the ones who deal directly with the consumer. There may be more than that; however you can count on at least those two. You may find that by bringing your bite size how-to brilliance to the marketing or franchise development people at the corporate headquarters, not only do they love what you've got, they also realize their franchisees can learn from your material and can use your information products to market their own product and service to their customers. So the corporate asks the typical "how much does it cost" question along with whether they could have their company name and website address on the cover customizing your publications for each of their franchise owners. Your answer is "let me crunch some numbers and get back to you, and yes, of course we can put your franchise owners' name and contact information on the cover." Because headquarters wants to invest in a sizable quantity of your booklets or other formats of your content, they get a great price from you, and can turn around and sell it to their franchise owners for a bit of profit. That brings the transaction to the revenue side of the corporate accounting instead of the expense side. The franchise owners now have a unique way to differentiate their company from among others in their field, helping to educate their clients, customers, and prospects rather than only sell to them, and make more sales along the way. Greater trust is established. People have a better idea of what they are buying because they learned how to make better decisions before making the purchase, and everyone from the consumer to the franchise owner to the corporate headquarters has a better relationship and has used their resources wisely. ACTION - Consider which franchises could benefit from your content, whether what you have is specific and niched or is generic and applies well to various industries, life circumstances, and individuals. Like so many other prospective buyers, start where you know someone even if that is on a local level. They can more easily find out who to talk with at headquarters, or they may be able to test out your offer locally in their own franchise to provide data about results that can then be rolled out locally, regionally, or nationally. Approaching someone at headquarters without an introduction is certainly possible; it is often more challenging. |
Guest Columnist - Jeff Davidson
(Jeff Davidson is "The Work-Life Balance Expert®" whose passion is helping organizations achieve rapid progress for their employees. The premier thought leader on work-life balance issues, Jeff is the author of 59 books, among them "Breathing Space," "Simpler Living," the "60 Second Innovator," and the "60 Second Self-Starter." Visit www.BreathingSpace.com for more information.) | Clear Your Mind and Write More. Kevin Costner plays a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers in the movie For the Love of the Game. During the last game of his career, Costner is throwing a no-hitter. More than that, it is a perfect game: no one has reached first base. As Costner proceeds to mow down one batter after another, he finds himself straying from focus, so he turns to a self-developed mental technique. He says to himself, "Clear the mechanism." With that phrase, Costner is saying that all the noise and commotion surrounding him in the stadium must take a backseat to his supreme concentration on the game, on the batter, and on his next pitch. In other words, he creates a mental clearing that gives him the best chance of throwing his desired pitch. Allow Nothing to Linger Years later, during the television program The Last Comic Standing, Jay Leno was among the many celebrity comedians brought in for different episodes to coach the budding comedians. Leno explained how important it was to deliver his monologue in peak form. He said that if he had an argument with his wife, was cross with someone on his staff, or was otherwise perturbed about some situation, he would resolve the issue before going on air. According to Leno, if he did not resolve the situation, he ran the risk of subconsciously reflecting on it during his monologue -- thereby, not offering the audience his best work. This was a profound insight, and all of the comedians greatly appreciated this advice. Similarly, as author, we can do a better job if we "clear the mechanism." Like Leno, we should resolve small issues that might otherwise, even in the most miniscule way, impair our performance when writing. How About You? Leno's insight has certainly affected my work. I have employed his wisdom, and wouldn't trade anything for the "clearings" I've been able to create and the resulting writing accomplishments that have been highly worthwhile and satisfying. What issues do you need to clear up -- right now -- so that you're mentally free to be your best? Often, the answer is abundantly clear, because it is the issue that you are currently stewing over. Coming to terms with the issue, calling the other party, and achieving resolution offers a double win. You get to move on from this road bump in your daily experience of life, and you are better positioned for highly productive day of writing.
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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) | First serial rights are the rights sold to magazines and newspapers to excerpt part (or sometimes all) of a book before its date of publication. While most first serial rights are sold for anywhere from $400 to $5,000, they have gone for as high as $200,000. Woman's Day paid that much for exclusive rights to excerpt Rose Kennedy's autobiography, Times to Remember. |
| | We're sorry to have to tell you that publishers, even the biggest of them, don't promote all of their books. And, they probably won't publicize yours, especially if you're a first-time author, except perhaps for the first few weeks out of the gate. The top brass at publishing houses usually determine which books and authors they will publicize and how extensively. Publishers also don't invest the same amount for publicity in all titles they release. For example, they may authorize extensive campaigns for Titles A, B, and C, but provide little, if any, publicity for the other new releases on their lists. They may not even send out a press release when a particular book is about to come out. Furthermore, if a publisher decides to promote a book, its efforts may not prove sufficient or successful, and you might have to jump in and try to save the day. Although the amount of promotion a publishing company provides will differ from house to house, book to book, and author to author, most publishers will usually: - Announce the deal to publish the book in Publishers Lunch
- Announce the publication of the book in their catalog for that season
- Include the book on their publication list
- Solicit endorsements or blurbs for the book
- Send free advanced reader copies to selected reviewers, the media, and those who could influence book sales
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Helpful Website of the Week - Adele M. Annesi
(Adele is a freelance writer and an editor with a high-tech analysis firm in Stamford, CT and may be reached at a.annesi@sbcglobal.net) | 
Pagegangster Pagegangster is an easy way to publish a magazine, catalog, brochure, report or book online.
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A Social Media Primer for Authors and Writers By Barbra Drizin Today, it's not a choice. It's a necessity for authors /writers to have a social media presence in order to succeed. Even publishers will ask you, "What social media platforms are you on and how many followers do you have?" So what are the top social media platforms today? Which ones will benefit you? Why? How?
Barbra presents a practical overview of social media platforms with live examples. Our tour includes:
*Facebook *Twitter * LinkedIn *Goodreads * Blogs *E-Newsletters *YouTube *Pinterest *The Benefits of a Facebook Author Page. Nov 5 - 6:00 PM EST Register at |
Get Links to All of Jud's
Book Marketing Webinars | I have conducted over 50 webinars that can help you sell more books. Watch and listen as I describe how to increase your sales to non-bookstore buyers, how to get on TV and radio shows, get more publicity, conduct bookstore events, get more reviews and awards and more.Get links to recordings of my 60 - 90 minute webinars.
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Buy Lines -- Free Information | Do you need a jump-start to get your sales moving? 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
Beat your competition
Become more profitable
Sell in untapped, lucrative markets
Minimize -- if not eliminate - returns
Contact BrianJud@bookmarketing.com for more information |
| Book Lemur - Promote your eBook and get results |  BookLemur connects ebook readers to books and authors and we enjoy finding new authors and books and introducing them to thousands of subscribers. So there are 6,800+ subscribers, and it's growing at about 100 per day!
APSS members receive a 20% discount to promote their titles
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| Sell More Books, Make More Money In Special Sales |  Now Available - the most current and complete resource for increasing your sales and profits in non-bookstore markets.
The ultimate do-it-yourself guide to selling your books in large quantities with no returns. Not just who to contact, but when and how.
By Brian Jud -- $24.95
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| Do You Want to Increase Your Sales, Revenue and Profits? |  A one-day workshop in your office -- customized to your titles -- shows your staff how to make large-quantity sales |
| |  Increase Your Profits with Sales Promotional Items Get your book cover or marketing message on promotional items such as coffee mugs, pens, pads, bookmarks, key chains, shirts, umbrellas or any of hundreds of other promotional products. See more examples at www.bookapss.org/PromoItems.pdf Find out how you can use promotional items to: · Lure new customers · Remind procrastinators to buy · Encourage repeat purchases · Create brand awareness · Boost sales · Create customer loyalty · Attract more people to your trade-show exhibit · Spread word-of-mouth advertising · Have a fun giveaway for book signings and other events Contact Guy Achtzehn at The Promotional Bookstore, guy@msgpromo.com or (717) 846-3865. Provide your APSS membership number for a 10% discount on promotional items
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Contact Information for Brian Jud
| | For copies of all the previous issues of Book Marketing Matters visit www.bookmarketingworks.com/mktgmattersnews To subscribe to Book Marketing Matters click here: I won't share or sell your email address. 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-based 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.
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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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 |
| | | Brian Jud now offers commission-based 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. 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, marketing and writing. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (860) 675-1344; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or go to http://www.bookmarketing.com |
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