Where Do I Sell My Books? How do I tell the world my message?
Is your Marketing Strategy: New & Improved…Tried & True… or Old & Tired…?
Recently, Christian Retailing featured an article on “Self-publishing”. It outlined new developments and statistics and included highlighting some “big brand name” publishers who have become involved in self-publishing. And, predictably, it quoted some quite overused and outdated arguments against. But, one quote that stood out to me was a quote from a respected industry agent (and friend) regarding sales and distribution,
First of all, I have to respond by saying, that I highly respect the very essential role of agents in the publishing process. But, that said, it must also be understood that good agents are good at selling books to publishers. But, even good agents don’t generally participate in the actual selling process into the “real marketplace”. And, that statement also caused to me to reflect on an industry “trend shift” that is not readily perceived and often overlooked.“I think the chances of those books actually having a very effective distribution channel [into retail bookstores] are very slim.”– RG, Christian Retailing Dec 7, ‘09
Books are sold in bookstores right? Well, about half of them are… “52% of books are not sold in bookstores. They are merchandised [directly] via mail order, online, in discount or warehouse stores, through book clubs, in nontraditional retail outlets, etc.” “The worldwide book market is almost $90 billion, and every year [more than] half of those sales are made in non-bookstore markets such as museums, schools, libraries, warehouse clubs, catalogs, book clubs, book fairs, and to corporations, among many other markets.” – http://BookStatistics.com, Para Publishing – http://bit.ly/14nOAFBookstores are now “a sales channel” and, are now not “the only channel” for book sales. And, selling books to the “traditional retail channels” is likely not the most profitable way to sell books – especially for a smaller publisher or new authors. For most, the required “sales hoops” that must be jumped through are simply insurmountable. This includes high discounts, expensive marketing and merchandising programs, and a high percentage of returns. And, all of that is done for a very short “selling window” – usually 3-6 months. Another whole discussion involves the very definition of “what is a published book?”–it’s many forms and formats that are now available–and the related new emerging sales channels. So where/how do I sell my books? The most basic and fundamental objective of marketing is connecting with the right audience–that is introducing a product, solution, or service to those that are most likely to benefit. Developing a productive author platform that engages and develops relationship with the intended audience is essential. The good news is that there are now many ways to connect to your best audience – that is to directly access your intended niche market - and common interest affinity groups. The Online Trend: Building an “Author Brand” with Social Media Marketing Develop a Social Media/ “Web 2.0″ strategy for building & expanding author platform on established associations, identity, and audience.
- Develop integration process for EVERYTHING – create a sales “funnel”
- Drive target audience to a specific direction/destination – author website and ecommerce page(s).
- Use all web 2.0/social media priority “standards”: Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Youtube, LinkedIn, and bookmarking sites such as Digg.
Related Links
- Are you a trust agent? Do you need to be? (myventurepad.com)
- The Power of Tribes on Blog Talk Radio (theimuniversity.com)
- Julien Smith – Social Capital and the New Tribe (andreavascellari.com)
- Reach Matters – Even In Social Media (socialmediatoday.com)
