·         Why should I be interested in special sales?

·         What are the three segments of special sales?

·         What actually is a Special-Sales Profit Center™ (SSPC)?

·          What is a Book Marketing Matters™ ezine?

·         What is Book Market Direct™?

·         Can a Special-Sales Profit Center be used to sell fiction, too?

·         Why should I get a Special-Sales Profit Center if I don't like to market?

·         What contact information do I receive in Special-Sales Profit Center ?

·         How current is the information in a Special-Sales Profit Center?

·         How many contacts do I get in the Special-Sales Profit Center ?

·         How much do Special-Sales Profit Centers cost for more than one title?

·         Is it possible to pay for my Special-Sales Profit Center  over time?

·         What are the steps in getting a Special-Sales Profit Center?

·          How do media performances help with special sales?

·         What do previous recipients say about your directories?

Why should I be interested in special sales?

Approximately half of all books sold every year are not sold in bookstores. The term "special sales" is used to describe book sales that are made in these other markets. This may include sales to libraries or to companies that use books for premiums and incentives.

When you sell into special-sales markets you can increase your revenue, boost your profitability and reduce returned books. This is because in most cases will most likely sell directly to the buyers – or to the consumers themselves – thus bypassing the middlemen and their massive discounts. You receive more money for each book sold and most are sold on a non-returnable basis.

What are the three segments of special sales?

The general market for special sales is divided into three segments. Buyers in each niche purchase books for different reasons and your promotion must address these differences in order to be successful.

Segment One: Special Distribution. This group utilizes middlemen to reach retailers that sell to mass markets. In this case (as in the traditional book market) you do not sell directly to the retailer, but through a distributor that takes a commission for its work. For example, you will have to sell through distributors to reach libraries, discount stores, warehouse clubs, supermarkets, airport stores, educational markets and the military.

Segment Two: Commercial Sales. Prospective buyers in this category purchase books for a specific, captive audience. Buyers in corporations and network-marketing companies use books as premiums for their customers, or as incentive items for their employees. Associations, foundations, organizations and government agencies all have specific factions of primary interest and may purchase books for resale to them. Rights sales (serial, foreign, electronic, movie) are typically included in this segment, too.

Segment Three: Niche Markets. Most books are significant to defined groups of people with similar interests, creating a market niche. People in these groups usually exhibit similar demographic characteristics (How to be Healthy Over 50) and geographic concentration (Bike Trails of New England). They can be reached most profitably using "narrowcasting" instead of broadcasting. Niche markets in special sales include targeted retail stores, magazines, newsletters, newspaper sections, ezines, reviewers, internet opportunities, communities, forums, syndicated columnists, book clubs, catalogs, and through appearances on targeted television and radio shows.

What actually is a Special-Sales Profit Center?

    A Special-Sales Profit Center is customized information, strategies and tactics that help authors and publishers increase their profits through sales to customers in special-sales markets. In addition, you receive instructions and a free newsletter.

 But what you really get is...

 1) Click-and-send convenience.  The leads in your SSPC have hot links so you can immediately send emails by simply clicking on them.

 2) A time-management program. Time is money. We have saved you tens of hours by doing your the market research for you. The leads in your SSPC are current so you won’t waste time going down dead ends. Your Quick Start Instruction Guidebook helps you organize your prospects so you optimize your time by first calling on those most likely to purchase your books. Other tips help you organize your SSPC to save you time. You get more for less, and on time – your time.

 3) A profitability booster. Every element of your SSPC is designed to help you sell more books to interested buyers. You reach the right person quickly, one likely to purchase in large quantities, with short discounts on a non-returnable basis.

 4) A way to preserve the investment you made in your book. You have already invested thousands of dollars in the production of your book. Don’t let it languish. Your SSPC directs you to the people most likely to buy your books most profitably so you will recoup your initial investment and begin making more money faster.

 5) Control. Your SSPC places you in command of your destiny. You no longer have to wait six months as your books travel through the traditional distribution channels. It is not necessary to stand by helplessly as bookstores hide your books between competitive titles on their shelves. You now have the power to take your titles to the people who can make the decision to buy from one to one hundred thousand or more of your books. Your fate is in your hands and luckily your Special-Sales Profit Center shows you how to use your hands most productively.

 6) Motivation. In many cases, procrastination is just a result of not knowing what to do next. Your SSPC lists the steps you need to take and in the order in which you need to take them. The Book Marketing Matters™ ezine gives you more hints and motivational ideas every other week

 8) A special-sales mentor. Our website at www.bookmarketingworks.com features free articles, camaraderie and information to help you move forward successfully.

 9) An out-sourced marketing department. You do not have to hire a marketing staff to find out how and where to sell your titles in special sales. We are an information provider with the latest knowledge of special sales markets. We do that for you without a salary, benefits or vacation days, 24 hours a day.

What is a Book Marketing Matters™ ezine?

This is a free, bi-weekly ezine with up-to-the-minute news and ideas for selling more books into the special-sales markets. It is edited by Brian Jud and written by experts in the book-marketing field with regular columns by Dan Poynter, John Kremer, Rick Frishman, Jan Nathan and Marcella Smith. It also features the latest tips for selling more books and for improving your appearances on the air, and for creating marketing strategy and a marketing plan. Guest columnists offer more hints for improving your publicity, distribution and pricing strategies.

What is Book Market Direct™?

This is a service that provides automated contacting of all prospects listed in your Profit Center. We will send your direct mail pieces, and/or fax or email your press release. We can even write your releases for you. These services are at an additional cost.

Can a Special-Sales Profit Center be used to sell fiction, too?

Yes, there are many outlets for fiction in the special-sales markets, even for new, unknown authors. It is less likely that fiction will be sold in the Special Distribution segment (except libraries) unless you can demonstrate that you are a determined author, experienced in promoting books and have a well-defined and creative marketing plan.

However, niche markets represent an opportunity for fiction equal to that of non-fiction titles. Niche bookstores and gift shops (religious or children’s) serve as examples. Authors of fiction, with the right hook, can become guests on targeted television and radio shows. Rights sales can represent an enormous opportunity for fiction titles. You can sell serial rights to magazines, newsletters, newspapers and ezines. Online bookstores (not just Amazon.com and the other majors) such as coffeetablebooks.com, adventuroustraveler.com can be targeted to specific genre. Fiction authors can create a name for themselves – as well as increased sales – by participating in communities, forums and discussion groups. Similarly, there are many targeted book clubs and catalogs that sell fiction titles.

Why should I get a Special-Sales Profit Center if I don't like to market?

A Special-Sales Profit Center may be implemented by people who love to promote themselves and for those who don’t. Each SSPC contains the contact information for hundreds of potential buyers, and this may include email addresses, URLs, telephone numbers, addresses and fax numbers for each prospect. Furthermore, every Special-Sales Profit Center is designed so you can reach your prospects by whichever means with which you feel most comfortable.

You can call your prospective buyers, fax them, email them or send direct mail letters. Your SSPC contains detailed instructions for using the telephone and for creating news releases and press kits. It goes on to help you implement persuasive direct mail campaigns and give you hints for exhibiting at trade shows. The appendices include a template for designing sales literature and one-page marketing plan to include with your submission to distributors. Some SSPC recipients have hired people to implement the plans for them.

If you still do not want to go through all that trouble, we can do it for you through Book Market Direct. We will create and send your direct mail letters for you. We will write your news release for you and fax or email it to your prospective customers. Although there is an additional fee for these services, you now have the option of marketing your books yourself or having someone else do it for you. The end result is the same – increased sales of your book to special sales markets.

What contact information do I receive in my Special-Sales Profit Center™?

In every case, we strive to give you the most complete contact information available. Although it varies by lead, this may include name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, fax number and/or URL. Go to Special-Sales Profit Center to see actual screen shots.

The email addresses and URL are provided to give you "click-and-send" convenience. Just copy your press release, highlight an email address, paste your release and send the document. Personalize the subject line and salutation to minimize the perception of mass mailing and spam. You can even create and save templates to use for future email campaigns.

The Special-Sales Profit Center automatically keeps records of the date you made contact and the person with whom you made contact. There is ample room to record the results of the discussion.

How current is the information in a Special-Sales Profit Center?

We understand how demoralizing it can be to start contacting prospects only to find a series of dead ends. Therefore, every entry in your SSPC is as up to date as is electronically possible. Our proprietary software checks each URL to make sure it is current and working properly. Of course, some websites cannot keep up with personnel changes so we cannot guarantee that every piece of contact information is absolutely correct. However, even if the individual’s name is not right, in most cases you still have accurate titles, addresses, telephone and fax numbers with which to reach the decision maker.

We know how important it is to you to have information that is relevant and current. That is why each Special-Sales Profit Center includes a subscription to Book Marketing Matters™, our bi-weekly ezine with the most current information on special sales markets that is available. 

How many contacts do I get in the Special-Sales Profit Center?

The number of contacts in a Special-Sales Profit Center varies with the topic of your title. History has proven that you can expect to receive between one and eight hundred leads initially for prospective customers, customized to your unique title. We update your list regularly.

How much does the Special-Sales Profit Center cost for more than one title?

We recognize that many publishers have multiple titles in different genre, each in need of a distinctive SSPC™. Therefore, we offer quantity discounts for multiple Profit Centers purchased at the same time or at different times during a one-year period. For example, if you purchase one SSPC now and then decide to purchase another for one or more titles later, you would receive the price in the category for the total number of Profit Centers ordered within one year of your initial SSPC.  For the current prices in each quantity category please send your request to brianjud@bookmarketingworks.com.

Is it possible to pay for my SSPC™ over time?

     Yes, the system is designed so you can make twelve monthly payments.     

What are the steps in getting a Special-Sales Profit Center™? 

The first step is to sign our one-page, easy-to-understand Letter of Agreement in which we commit to giving you exactly what is promised. Send us this letter with your payment, and two copies of your book, your marketing plan and any other information you have (reviews, newspaper articles, news release, press kit, author bio) that will describe your title and help us prepare your SSPC.

We will then have a "brainstorming" meeting to come up with innovative new places in which to sell your book. Once this list is complete, we share it with you to stimulate even more ideas. Within three weeks of our agreement on the niches, we will send you the directory of Special Distribution contacts (discount stores, warehouse clubs, home-shopping networks, book clubs, catalogs), the current edition of a Book Marketing Matters™ newsletter, your instruction book and your Quick Start Guidebook, giving you a head start on getting your first order.

How do media performances help with special sales?

Rarely will people purchase a product the first time they hear of it. In fact, it takes about ten exposures to a message about a product before people feel compelled to buy it. The objective of media appearances is not necessarily to sell more books, but to gain maximum exposure.

You never know who will be in the audience. It could be a premium buyer at a large corporation, an acquisition librarian or the book buyer at Wal-Marts. These people need to hear about your title before they can purchase it and media appearances will accomplish that feat.

There are more benefits to media appearances that will help you well more books into special sales:

· You generate free exposure

· You start and maintain relationships

· You multiply your marketing effectiveness

· You create a promotional frame of mind

· You receive an implied endorsement from the host (and his or her loyal audience)

· You generate additional opportunities such as speaking engagements that can translate into increased sales

What do previous recipients say about your SSPC?

"My book was accepted by the largest chain of airport bookstores. Your directory is invaluable!"  Jim Houtz, Chairman of Southwest Jet Aviation and author of "Seize the American Dream"

"I couldn't be more pleased." Ted Kheel, author of "The Birds of Punta Cana"

"I can see that the market is almost endless. My challenge will be choosing the best places to start." Mark James, author of "Estate Planning in Pennsylvania"

"My SSPC, customized to my book It's About Time: God's Plan for the Ages Revealed, gave me the names and addresses of the right people to contact in over 2000 places, most of which I never would have thought of! I am sure thousands of additional copies will be sold as a result." John Palmatary, author and publisher

"Many of the listings are of organizations and people that I never would have thought about contacting. I am thrilled beyond words." Michael Craig, author of "Who’s That Girl. The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book"

"Absolutely phenomenal!" Amanda Goodman-Cohen, Nehora Press

"... this service is a goldmine!" Raleigh Pinskey, author of "101 Ways to Promote Yourself" and the "Be Your Own PR Expert" Seminars