Ask the book doctor.Dear Dr. Rosie Rosie could not deny love to anyone. [Br. Lit.: Cakes and Ale] See : Generosity , I recently self-published self-pub·lished adj. Having one's writings published by oneself: a self-published memoir; a self-published poet. a nonfiction non·fic·tion n. 1. Prose works other than fiction: I've read her novels but not her nonfiction. 2. The category of literature consisting of works of this kind. book. However, I am running into roadblocks when attempting to obtain a national distributor and trying to get my book in the small press department of Barnes and Noble. Both are asking for a marketing plan and I don't don't 1. Contraction of do not. 2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not. n. A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. have a clue as to what they really want from me. What is a marketing plan and why are they requesting it? Please help! Dear Author, You are not alone in your dilemma. A marketing plan is a crucial component of a business plan. An author must see their book as a business venture and not a simple hobby A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit. Origin of term A hobby-horse was a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like the real hobby. From this came the expression "to ride one's hobby-horse", meaning "to follow a favourite pastime", and in turn, . Every self-publisher should have a business plan. A business plan is a description of your venture. It is a management tool that helps you achieve success much easier. The marketing plan is the blueprint blueprint, white-on-blue photographic print, commonly of a working drawing used during building or manufacturing. The plan is first drawn to scale on a special paper or tracing cloth through which light can penetrate. of a business. Consider purchasing a book on marketing plans or check one out at your local library. Distributors as well as many bookstores are now requesting a marketing plan before considering carrying an author's book. They have legitimate reasons for doing so. A marketing plan in simple language is the strategies used to drive the intended buyers to purchase your product. Your book is your product. There are thousands of books released every year and what all books have in common is a need for self space in the bookstores as well as space in a distributor's warehouse. Bookstores and distributors have space concerns, therefore, they are driven by "book demand" when selecting a product to sell. A marketing plan tells the booksellers how you plan to create demand for your book. Bookstores and distributors are interested in books that have the greatest selling potential. Below are some low-budget Adj. 1. low-budget - made on or suited to a limited budget; "a low-budget movie"; "a low-budget menu" cheap, inexpensive - relatively low in price or charging low prices; "it would have been cheap at twice the price"; "inexpensive family restaurants" marketing strategies: * Send press releases to local newspapers. * Write articles for local newspapers and magazines. * Give away books for promotions on local radio stations. * Promote your book to book clubs. * Send a review copy of your book to reviewers. * Send a complimentary book to 50 top bookstores with a press release asking them to consider carrying your book on consignment The delivery of goods to a carrier to be shipped to a designated person for sale. A Bailment of goods for sale. A consignment is an arrangement resulting from a contract in which one person, the consignor, either ships or entrusts goods to another, the . * Exhibit your book at local expos and book fair. * Join Toast Masters and become a speaker. * Volunteer to speak at your local clubs and community functions. Hopefully this information will help you to fill in the blanks of the form sent to you by distributors and bookstores. In the next issue I will detail three marketing plans for self-published authors: one plan for a budget of $500; one for $1,000; and one for $2,500. Please remember that bookstores are not the only avenue for selling your books and do not overlook the many large churches that have bookstores or book fairs. Volunteer to speak at your local clubs and community functions. And advertise your book in Black Issues Book Review magazine. Good luck with your new book. E-mail your questions to Dr. Rosie at drrosie@aol.com America Online's Internet domain address. When sending e-mail to an AOL subscriber via the Internet, the aol.com is the last part of the address; for example: jjones@aol.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion