The
Book-Marketing WizardsTM By
Brian Jud 1) Write your own press release. A press release is an important tool for selling books successfully. It is most effective when it describes what your book does for the people who read it -- the value the readers receive by reading the information in your book. And to make matters more difficult, the benefit changes with each audience for your book. Television producers want to know how the information in your book will benefit their audiences. Newspaper editors want to know how it will benefit their readers. Your release aimed at buyers in retail outlets would demonstrate how your local promotion could bring more people into their stores, increasing their inventory turns and profitability. However, an appeal to profitability would not entice a librarian to purchase your book, nor would it persuade a college instructor to buy it as a textbook. The key is to match the appropriate benefit to each prospective customer's reason to be interested in reading more about it. The Press Release Wizard® provides step-by-step instructions that will help you create a practical press release. Brief directions are found in the left-hand column. Read the instructions for each step, and then write your response in the gray text block in the right-hand column. Use as much space as you need. Use these techniques as guidelines, not as rules. Write for the recipient, not about your book. Practice writing headlines in several different styles and then write supportive body copy for each. After you have completed all the requested information, click the “View Press Release” button at the bottom of the page. You will find your text in the form of a complete press release, ready for printing.
2) Do-it-yourself marketing planning.* Is your publishing
venture headed in the right direction? Are you sure? Is there another way that
is easier and more profitable? There is a lot you can do to write a successful
marketing plan -- if you want the maximum sales, revenue and profits. Discover
how you can best coordinate your product lines with innovative distribution
networks, pricing programs and promotional campaigns. Stop following the Ready.
Go. Get Set. planning sequence and start becoming
more profitable. Use this Wizard to help you plan exactly what to do,
when to do it and what should happen when you do. It will walk you through all
the steps necessary to write your mission statement, set your objectives,
create marketing strategies and devise an action plan to sell more books and
increase your profits.
3) Book-Production Checklist and
Marketing Timeline.* Did you ever wish you had done something differently in the
early stages of your book’s life? The real success of a book may be determined
long before it is printed. This checklist will not only show you all the steps
to take and the order in which they should be taken, but it gives you links to
suppliers who can help you with them.
4) The Distribution-Profitability
Calculator.* Are you using the most effective
distribution system for your titles, your customers and your business? Find out
how using dual distribution can double your sales and revenue. Learn how to
manage your distribution channels for more profitable sales. This program will
help you find the most profitable combination of distribution channels, using
distributors and wholesalers to reach both traditional and special sales
markets. The net revenue for selling your books -- given each distribution
alternative -- is automatically calculated.
5) Find the Break-Even Point for
direct-mail campaigns.* Targeted
direct-mail campaigns can be a powerful way to bring your message to interested
readers. This Wizard automatically calculates your gross margin per book sold
and your break-even point in terms of the number and percent of responses.
6) Find the Break-Even Point for Media
Tours.* A media tour can be an
exhaustive, financially draining process if you do not prepare in advance. The
Media Tour Wizard will help you determine the number of books you have to
sell to break even on any media tour. .
7) Find the Break-Even Point Trade Shows.*
A trade show such as BEA can
be very expensive, but also very lucrative. The difference is in the planning.
The Trade Show Wizard will show you how to stretch your marketing
dollars and prepare for a financially successful trade show.
8) Summary Marketing Plan to enhance your
chances of getting into a bookstore.
Marcella Smith and Brian Jud created an outline for a summary marketing plan to
include with your submission to a bookstore. According to Marcella, “If a
publisher were to submit this information to me with a copy of the book, it
could increase its chances of being accepted by 100%.” Complete this form and
submit it to a bookseller and you are much more likely to get accepted. * If you have a copy of Brian Jud’s book, Beyond the
Bookstore, these Wizards are included in the CD-ROM that accompanies
it. |