Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 31, 2016

Yo-Yo-Ma was by age 30 regarded as one of the world's finest classical cellists. He has since branched out, and in an interview in the Harvard Business Review (June 2016, p 120) he was asked, "Why do you take so many risks?" He answered, "All great music is the result of invention. There's risk involved, but you welcome it."  I think the same applies to book marketing.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 30, 2016

"It's not creative unless it sells," goes the advertising line. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't sell it you won't get very far. What are three reasons that someone would want your idea or product? What benefits does it provide? What does it promise? How can you make your idea more attractive to other people?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 29, 2016

Amazon and other online booksellers are changing the rules of cover design. "This has led to a spate of brightly colored book jackets with blaring yellow covers now appearing in profusion… yellow jumps off online pages and can support both dark and bright type and graphics. Also, it carries no gender association and can signify anything from sunshine and optimism to a danger warning … makes it a strong choice for a variety of genres and topics." Wall Street Journal, May 27, p D3. More reasons to sell to non-bookstore buyers.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 28, 2016

Yo-Yo-Ma was by age 30 regarded as one of the world's finest classical cellists. He has since branched out, and in an interview in the Harvard Business Review (June 2016, p 120) he was asked, "How did you handle childhood fame?" He answered, "When I was a child, people said things to me I wish they hadn't. "You're such a genius." That's dangerous. The best approach is to have a healthy confidence but also the self-knowledge to ask, 'What do I and don't I do well?' so that you can be the architect of your own life."  

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 27, 2016

Follow the AIDA formula. Your promotion must first get the recipient's Attention. Then stimulate additional Interest. Increase Desire by adding more benefits and end with a request for some Action

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 26, 2016

Have something at stake. A frozen-fish processor had trouble selling a new line of frozen fish because it tasted "flat." The company tried everything to keep the fish fresh including holding them in tanks until just before processing -- but to no avail. Then someone suggested, "Put a predator in there with them -- that should keep them fresh." This idea worked like a charm. The fish kept moving and retained their vitality. Moral: have something at stake -- survival, self-esteem, money, reputation -- so that you will be motivated to make your special-sales effort successful. What do you have at stake?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 25, 2016

How to sell more books? Begin with unique content written to meet a market need. Price it properly and profitably. Define your target readers. Create a plan to reach them with coordinated distribution (through bookstores and non-bookstore buyers) and promotional actions (publicity, advertising, sales promotion and personal sales) online and off line, then "early to bed, early to rise, promote like heck and socialize."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 24, 2016

Give yourself a pat on the back. What have you done well lately? Where have you made progress? What have you accomplished? What obstacles have you overcome? Congratulations. Give yourself a pat on the back. Now go out and earn another one.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 23, 2016

Ten things you can do that require no special talent:

1. Being on time
2. Good work ethic
3. Honesty
4. Self-motivation
5. Energy
6. Smiling
7. Good attitude
8. Passion
9. Persistence
10. Giving it your best effort

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 22, 2016

Hear the knock of opportunity. A leading school did a study that showed that its graduates performed well at first, but in ten years they were overtaken by a more streetwise, pragmatic group. The reason, according to the professor who ran the study was, "We taught them how to solve problems, not recognize opportunities." Where do you hear opportunity knocking? How can you answer it?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 21, 2016

When making a sales presentation, give people a reason to care. Make a human connection and stirs their curiosity.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 20, 2016

It is important to know who your potential customers are demographically, but it is also important to know what they want and how you can help them. In an article in the Wall Street Journal Matthew Gwyther made an interesting observation: "These days what organizations desperately lack with their customers is intimacy. They often don't really know them at all. They are numbers, not names. The rise of the web has meant the death of the face-to-face. The personal."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 19, 2016

Translate your business strategy into a profitable product line. Decide how many titles to publish, what form, and how many books to produce

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 18, 2016

In 2009 Brian Acton's application to work at Facebook was rejected. That same year he co-founded WHATSAPP. In 2014 Facebook bought WHATSAPP for $19 billion. What will you do the next time you are rejected?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 17, 2016

"The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book." Mickey Spillane

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 16, 2016

 "Sometimes good books sell well; sometimes good books sell poorly; sometimes bad books sell well; sometimes bad books sell poorly. A lot about publishing is unfair and inscrutable." Curtis Sittenfeld

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 15, 2016

When making a presentation, ask yourself if you have something to say. Focus on identifying an idea that a listener would receive as a gift.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 14, 2016

When making a presentation, slash back the scope of your talk so that you unpack that idea properly.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 13, 2016

Our attitude to rules is a closely related aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset. Entrepreneurs are rule makers and often rule breakers.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 12, 2016

Leisure activities (arts, sports, travel) can be mechanical and routine if we approach them in the usual way. Or, we can experiment and try new things so that we approach our extracurricular time with a renewed zest. But we don't always live that way. So it's important to remind ourselves from time to time that we have much to gain by taking on that challenge. 

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 11, 2016

When evaluating whether or not to attend an event, don't think only in terms of how much it will cost. If you get one idea, or make one unexpected contact, it could take your business to the next level. See you at BEA this week?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 10, 2016

Increase your chances of success with innovation test drives. Use your website to test cover designs; send a limited mailing to test your direct mail (list, timing, offer, pricing) before sending it to a larger audience; test headlines and book titles among people in your social network.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 9, 2016

"Never send off any piece of writing the moment it is finished. Take on something else. Go back to it a month later and reread it. Examine each sentence and ask, 'Does this say precisely what I meant? Is it capable of misunderstanding? Have I used a cliché where I could have invented a new and therefore asserting and memorable form? Have I repeated myself and wobbled around the point when I could have fixed the whole thing in six rightly chosen words? Am I using words in their basic meaning or in a loose plebian way?' … The English language is incomparably rich and can convey every thought accurately and elegantly. The better the writing the less abstruse it is. Say 'No' cheerfully and definitely to people who want you to do more than you can do well." Evelyn Waugh on Writing, The Wall Street Journal, May 4 2016, page A13

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 8, 2016

We wish a Happy Mother's Day to all Moms. FYI, The first Mother's Day was observed in 1908 by Anna Jarvis and she was instrumental in having Mother's Day recognized as an official holiday. Hallmark began selling Mother's Day cards in 1920.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 7, 2016

Learn from your less-than-successful ventures (otherwise known as failures). There is really no such thing as failure – you simply you create a result. An example from Brian Jud: "During one campaign to get on TV and radio shows I sent out 500 letters. I was ignored by 490 and rejected by the others. I didn't fail 500 times - I learned a different way to succeed. I sent a "thank-you" note to the rejections, thanking them for having the courtesy to respond. One actually turned into an on-air appearance. Then I created a business-reply card and re-sent that to the other 490 and got a 33% response – and many media appearances."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 6, 2016

Are you in the right LinkedIn groups? You should be in 3 types of groups: 1. where your competitors/peers are 2. where your prospective buyers are, and 3. groups than enable you to stay up on industry knowledge/trends.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 4, 2016

"There's no sense in doing a lot of barking if you don't really have anything to say." Snoopy

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 3, 2016

Dogbert: "This is called a yawn. When you see one, stop talking about yourself."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 2, 2016

Create a supporting product line and generate additional revenue. For example, if you have a book for businesspeople, then "own" their physical desktops. Examples include products with your book cover imprinted on them: pens, pads, screensaver, mousepad, paperclip holder and coffee mug.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 1, 2016

"Writing about things you know best goes only so far…  find a story, as Truman Capote did, in his novel In Cold Blood." Salman Rushdie