Like Politics, Selling Books Starts with a Grassroots Campaign
January 22, 2008
One of the benefits of being the Customer Service Manager for a publishing company is getting the opportunity to speak with authors from all walks of life, about all stages of the publishing process.
A question that frequently comes up in conversation is “how do I sell more books?” While I am the first to admit that I am not at all a marketing guru, I have been able to collect information about what works and what doesn’t work from hundreds of authors over the last four years. Perhaps some of this information can help you.
We all know that the ultimate goal is to find your book on the shelves of all Borders or Barnes & Noble stores across the world or to become an elite member of Oprah’s Book Club. The reality, however, is before that could ever possibly happen, you have to start small.
I recently read an interesting article in Publishers Weekly about independent bookstores across the country. In my own home state of Indiana, more than 65 percent of bookstores are independents. 65 percent! I’m not sure if that’s as surprising to you as it was to me, but I think this illustrates a very interesting point: While it’s very tempting to get your first book order, load them in the car, and immediately head to the nearest Borders store to find the manager, I’ve heard from many authors that it’s not the most effective approach.
Think about it: by ignoring the independent bookstores, you’re limiting yourself to only 35 percent of the market (at least in Indiana). That’s a huge constriction that lessens your chances before you even get started. Plus, major chains have strict regulations on which books they can shelve in their stores. So, even if your book is the next The Da Vinci Code, it may not make any difference if your book doesn’t play by their corporate rules.
In sharp contrast, independent bookstores don’t have the same bureaucratic red tape to cut through. Therefore, they are more likely and much happier to shelve or even feature a local author’s book on their shelves. Plus, they are more likely to set up a book signing, reading or speaking event to a local, niche audience that will likely be more receptive than the general public.
But you don’t have to give up on your goal of getting into the big chain stores. After pumping up that author resume with valuable experience in independent stores, you’ll be much better equipped to approach Borders about stocking your book when you’ve got a proven track record of book sales.
So when you get those first five copies in your hand, remember: you’re probably better off visiting Larry at the local independent than trying to get an appointment with the manager of the local book superstore. Maybe it’s not as glamorous, but it’s the first step in the right direction. And, hey, you’ll be helping to support local business in the process!
To find local independent bookstores in your area, visit http://www.booksense.com/.
Kelli
Entry Filed under: Marketing. Tags: book, bookstore, independent, retail, selling.
3 Comments Add your own
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
1.
Barry Davidson | February 6, 2008 at 7:44 am
Kelli,
It is for that reason that I went to work at a local Borders store. Well, that and the free coffee, not to mention the cheaper books. I’ve also has several long talks with the managers in the store. While I may not make it into ALL Borders stores, I can start out locally.
My goal is to eventually understand all sides of the publishing process. I want to know about typesetting, editing, and having the big presses bid to print a book. I want to know about distribution, and the deals they have to make with the book stores to even get them on the shelves.
If a minimum press run is 3500 books, I’d like to know the average prices for books 500 pages or more in hardback, TPB, and paperback.
2.
kjshute | February 6, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Thanks, Barry. Looks like you’ve got the right idea starting locally (and the free coffee!). There’s a lot of info about publishing out there, but to get an idea about the services Wordclay offers, you could take a look at the Services Store. Wordclay does offer typesetting and editing services.
Regarding the print runs, Wordclay utilizes print-on-demand technology. So, there’s no minimum number for a print run. Just to give you an idea, the cost of a 200 page 6×9 inch paperback through Wordclay costs about $7.42 per copy if you order 500, but only $6.74 if you order 1,000. Wordclay gives discounts on larger book orders.
But, the beauty of print on demand is that you don’t have to order 2,000 books to store in your garage and lug around in the trunk of your car. You can order smaller numbers if you want, or you can just direct customers to order the book online.
Perhaps we’ll try to cover more details about this topic in a future blog entry. Thanks for your interest!
3.
Barry Davidson | February 7, 2008 at 2:52 am
Sorry to confuse… I was talking in general, rather than the POD Wordclay uses.
I only own InDesign, Illustrator, and a few other programs because eventually I’ll need them. I’m not real worried about myself. I’ll tell you my story.
My wife writes… Alot… She has at least forty completed manuscripts, each in the range of 100 to 120k words. I agreed to help her get published, but whenever I ask for an MS to start mailing out she starts editing it. (Eventually I’ll just steal a few for mailing out)
Anyway, I’ve researched different types of publishers, presses, and programs out there. I’d determined to get some of her books traditionally published. Yes, I know how hard that’s going to be.
In the meantime, I do have my own work. No 100k manuscripts, but I’ve got quite a few short stories and poems. There are two things that usually keep me away from POD publishing. Well, more than two, but two main points. The quality of the books, and the cost of the finished products.
Most POD publishers, Lulu and some of the others, aren’t that interested in quality no matter what they say. The finished books look like paperback textbooks, and they cost upward of thirteen dollars(depending on page count). Simple economics is what kills many self-published author’s dreams. Most people just won’t spend 19.99 on a new author’s TPB of questionable quality. This is why I started researching how to deal with the big presses.
I’d love to see a company, like Wordclay, eventually offer deals like people can get with the presses. You’re probably wondering, “What in the world is he talking about?” Well, offer people the option of ordering a super quantity of their books at prices close to the big presses. It is possible, if you choose the right time of the season/year, to order 5000 5×8 paperback books in the 500 page range for three dollars or less each (that’s including the covers). If one is patient, they can get 10k paperbacks for less than a dollar each.
The only thing one needs to be concerned with when ordering that kind of quantity is the initial investment, storage space, distribution, and of course getting the books on shelves. (There are a few more worries, but you get my point)
I’ll shut up now. I just happened to catch this response when I was in a talkative mood. You can move this entire post to another thread, or store it somewhere for the time when you can broach these subjects.