Where is the Best Place to sell your Book(s)?

Not in a Book Store, according to authors’ coach Judy Cullins.

 Why?

1. If you’re not famous, your traditional publishing support amounts to a possible three-month book tour, billed against your sales.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           And it’s common knowledge that these don’t work well. Your book’s shelf life at Barnes and Noble or other brick and mortar bookstores is about three months too. They often refuse self-published books from Create Space and others like it. And, you the author must promote each book full time to receive less than 50% of the profits.

2. Your audience (who are they?) doesn’t go to a bookstore to find your book. 

They go to browse and aren’t’ sure what they want. If your book ( as an unknown) is next to a popular author, only your book’s spine will show. Potential buyers will pass it by for the well-known name. In our San Diego Barnes and Noble, people bring their Starbucks coffee in to sit and read. If they spill coffee on your book, you will get it as a return, without a sale, and pay the postage.

3. Smart business people and personal growth authors know their audience is online.

They can sell straight from their websites.  And they market online to get their readers to their websites, with article marketing, social media marketing, and with a business blog for the same purpose–at least once each two weeks to stay in touch with their audience. The point of the blog is to build a community around your book. This happens when you capture your visitors’ emails when they sign up for your blog articles. This works for fiction as well as non-fiction.

Your audience wants to know and like you before they buy from you. They will more likely subscribe to your newsletter, your blog, and your free reports rather than get into a car and drive to the “brick and mortar” bookstore. After so many website visits, many will buy your books or use your service.

Want to know more? Read the entire post on Judy’s blog where you will find additional pearls of wisdom, for aspiring authors.

http://bookcoaching.com/wp/the-worst-place-to-sell-books-is-a-book-store/

 March 21^st of 2014 marks the forth year I will be signing my books at the Valley Tack Shop’s Annual Midnight Sale. 8pm to midnight. 6780 Center Road, Valley City, Ohio.

Stop by join in the fantastic sales, door prizes, and food. Pick out your look for the show season. More on this event on this blog next Friday!

 

Guest blogger Nancy Kaiser

The 3 P’s of Promotion: Pursuit, Perseverance, and Patience

by

Nancy A. Kaiser

            Little did I know when I made the decision to turn my personal journal into a book to help others that it would take longer to edit, design and publish than to write. When I held Letting Go in my hand for the first time I felt a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. The time and money invested seemed well spent. Being a first-time author I was totally unprepared for what follows the birth of a book.

Now what? Once I went through my circle of influence – friends, family and clients – now how do I find the people who can most benefit from Letting Go? Talk about being unprepared. I’m a pharmacist turned animal communicator. I don’t have a promoter or sales type personality. It’s just not who I am.

Frustration and discouragement crept back into my life. I spent months online trying to follow suggestions of others with more experience. I joined a local writers group in search of people with more experience than I. They became a wonderful source of support and friendship.

While many of the presenters are focused on the craft of writing, we had a wonderful presentation on book promotion by Christy Tillery French. When I went up to thank Christy for all the wonderful information she shared, she offered to review Letting Go. I mailed her a copy immediately. Her lovely review was published on TheMidwestBookReview.com in February 09.

I followed my publisher’s advice about starting a blog. After only a few posts I received a comment from Carol Upton from Vancouver. Carol has interests in animals and animal communication as well being a publicist of authors, artists, etc. I followed the path the Universe was showing me and hired Carol as my publicist. What I’d spent months trying to accomplish, Carol did in hours with infinitely more success.

As a result of Carol’s expertise and contacts, I began receiving requests for radio interviews from hosts all over the US and Canada. As the interview requests kept arriving, Carol began to submit articles I’d written. Everyone she’s submitted has been published, some in print and online, some on multiple sites. The positive response from Carol’s efforts lessened my frustration and discouragement.

With a few months, I had three features published in local magazines and newspapers. One was an article I submitted to “Western North Carolina Women.” The other two were from Carol’s efforts. What I didn’t know how to do in my own town Carol accomplished from Western Canada. I was featured in “All About Women” in my town. The third was in “The News Herald,” which is a newspaper about an hour from my home. I believe this illustrates the importance of working with someone that is far more experienced at what you need than you are.

For me, promotion is without a doubt the most challenging part of being an author. I’ve learned that as with everything in life patience is a key element. Everything has its perfect timing. I trust that the Universe knows better than I how to help Letting Go find the people who need it the most, but nothing happens without effort. Once Carol sends me a positive response to her inquiry, it is up to me to pursue the lead. It’s always about timing.

Perseverance is crucial to help survive the ebb and flow of book marketing and sales. I surrender to the timing of the Universe and let it work its wonders. I truly believe the people who are ready to read Letting Go will find it, but it requires that I do all I can to help it find them.

Without pursuit, perseverance and patience, I would have given up on promoting Letting Go by now. Calling on each of these Ps at the appropriate time has allowed me to put the hours into promotion that it requires. Although the promotion of Letting Go has delayed the start of the first of my animal-communication books, I do believe that everything happens for a reason.

Recently I was given a metaphor for all the efforts I’ve put forth promoting Letting Go and my animal work. It’s like pushing a snowball up a mountainside. It’s extremely challenging requiring an enormous amount of effort. But, once you reach the pinnacle with a tap of your little finger it effortlessly rushes down the other side building its own momentum along the way. My friend encouraged me to “keep pushing.”

So, don’t give up when you’re feeling frustrated and discouraged. Muster all the pursuit, perseverance and patience you have and keep pushing until you reach your pinnacle, and then, TAP!

Nancy A. Kaiser lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with her two Labs and Swedish Warmblood horse, where she operates Just Ask Communications. Nancy is an ordained minister in the Universal Brotherhood Movement and works as a spiritual liaison for animals and their human companions, offering consultations via phone, email, Skype, or in person. Her second book, Tales of an Animal Communicator, was released in 2012. Visit Nancy at www.nancykasieranimalcommunicator.com 

 

Note from Jackie: Be sure to check out my earlier interview with Nancy while you’re here. Thanks for choosing to visit with us again Nancy.