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

"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." Tom Clancy

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

The objective of the planning process is not a physical plan, but a course of action. The written plan documents the course of action.

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

Your marketing plan serves as your roadmap, detailing your course from where you are to where you want to go.

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

When preparing your sales presentation, do not automatically convert a spreadsheet into a chart. That only visualizes data. It doesn't communicate your idea.

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

Say "yes," and then figure out how to do it.

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

Get corporate buyers to trust you and they will buy more books. Trust evolves from a demonstrated commitment to work together collaboratively, solve problems jointly and share responsibility for any operational challenges that arise.

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

 "Whenever I mentor young people, I tell them, never give up. Work hard, have a good heart and be disciplined. Those are the ingredients to success." Andrew Ly

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

There is a difference between the words action and accomplishment. You can be busy doing something without accomplishing anything.

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

When preparing your sales presentation, design skills are less important than idea generation - form follows function.

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

He was told that if he hadn't written a book by age 35, chances were he never would (he was almost 40). He was told that for every book published 95 were not. He was warned that short stories weren't popular or considered for top prizes (his book won the Pulitzer). Hollywood told him his book held no dramatic possibilities and Broadway said it would never make a musical. Would you have given up or would you have hung in there and written "Tales of the South Pacific" as James Michener did?

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

Publishers place great attention on the figure at which to price their books. Too often they ignore the customers' perspective. As potential corporate buyers compare the available options, they look at your price differently. They weigh the perceived value of the content (for increasing sales or increasing employees' productivity) against the asking price. If the alleged benefits surpass the requested expenditure they will make the purchase.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 20, 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 – October 19, 2016

"It takes years to make a musical. So I've got to choose projects knowing that even if they open and close in a day, I will not regret the time I spent on them. And so you can't choose on what you think is going to be a financial success. You've got to pick the idea that excites you and inspires you to write." Lin-Manual Miranda, creator of the musical Hamilton

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

Want a 20-minute consultation on your book by two sales pros (Guy Achtzehn and Brian Jud) tomorrow? APSS will do that for you at Noon ET. We have one consult left for $49.95 ($39.95 for APSS members). Or, just listen to the consults for $15.95. Register at http://tinyurl.com/zv43upc Please visit Paypal to complete the payment process (account is brianjud@bookapss.org). Or call with your credit-card number (860) 675-1344. Consults tomorrow are for a self-help book and a book that provides professional guidance and encouragement throughout the publishing process. Join us at Noon ET.

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

When people ask you about your book, do you describe it as a 6" x9" softcover book with X00 pages? Or does your description spring from your belief in your content and message? Project your passion.

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

There are two types of innovation. One is incremental innovation where products are so similar to existing items that they require no major change in the consumers' behavior (Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur's Soul vs. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul). The other innovation is disruptive, one that significantly alters the usage patterns, such as moving from retailing to etailing, or moving from books to ebooks. Generally, marketing incremental innovations is less expensive than marketing disruptive innovations, but the latter can be more lucrative.

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

You know that a palindrome is a word that reads the same forward and backward (racecar, radar). But did you know that an ambigram is a word or phrase that reads the same upside down? Examples are pod, NOON and WOW MOM.

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

"The phone will be driving future ebook sales and changing book marketing. The trend is impacting cover design and fonts. Publishers are customizing marketing material to be read on phones, too."  'Here Come the Ring Tomes' in the Wall Street Journal

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 13, 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 – October 12, 2016

Two APSS webinars this week (note different times).

Sell More Books During the Holiday Season; sponsored by APSS-Washington State; today at 3 pm ET; http://tinyurl.com/jycy5hk

Tomorrow: "What is the basic step for building a profitable business?" APSS webinar by Jared Kuritz; 6pm ET; http://tinyurl.com/jqy9dfg

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

Three APSS webinars this week (note different times). Today at Noon ET: "How to Negotiate Large-Quantity Sales" sponsored by APSS-NJ -- http://tinyurl.com/hhs5dk7

Sell More Books During the Holiday Season; sponsored by APSS-Washington State; tomorrow at 3 pm ET; http://tinyurl.com/jycy5hk

Thursday: "What is the basic step for building a profitable business?" APSS webinar by Jared Kuritz; 6pm ET; http://tinyurl.com/jqy9dfg

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

"Today, design is not proprietary. What is proprietary is your brand. You need a clear point of view that is consistent and delivers on expectations." Kenneth Cole in Fortune, Sept 15, 2016

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

Are you planning to discount your books for the Holiday sales period? How you phrase the discount makes a difference. An experiment at Santa Clara U provided participants with an opportunity to buy a discounted coffee mug. Those who were told they had been randomly selected to get the discount were 3 times more likely to want to buy than people who believed everyone got the discount. See my webinar, "Sell More Books During the Holiday Season" at 3 pm ET on Oct 12; http://tinyurl.com/jycy5hk

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

How many books to print? Produce an ebook, too? High price or low? Too many decisions to make? If you are tired of making decisions you may be suffering from decision fatigue. "The cause of this condition is having two things that have become abundantly available: data and choices. Having data feels like power. Having choices feels like freedom. Sometimes having both is having neither." (Wall Street Journal,)

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

A tip for picking a name for your company (or book title) is to "clear the clutter." Adding a "Corp, Group or LLC" after your company's name makes it clumsy to say (particular on a TV or radio show). (Fortune, Oct 1, page 28)

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

Watch your body language when selling. According to the Aili McConnon (Wall Street Journal, Oct 3, pg R8), striking the right balance of power and authority with warmth and empathy is essential when communicating. Here are Aili's important cues. Hold your head straight and avoid tilting it or cocking it to either side. A smile should be used sparingly because too much smiling makes one seem weak. Too little eye contact can make one seem deceptive, but too much can turn into a "stalker stare." When making a point, use the whole hand rather than just you index finger. Pointing with just an index finger makes you appear overly aggressive. People often touch their neck, pull on their shirt collar of lift their hair when they are anxious. "Steepling" with your hands conveys that you are confident. Speaking slowly and pausing makes you seem more authoritative.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 5, 2016

In his book, "Competing Against Luck," Clayton Christenson says, "consumers hire products to do a certain job." What job does your content do for your readers?

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

Confucius said, "If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees." What seeds can you plant today that will impact your sales in ten years? Perhaps training for selling or speaking? Joining APSS (www.bookapss.org)?

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

"To expand, you can either find more people to sell to or find more things to sell to the same people." (Fortune, Sept 15, 2016) In special sales you can do both, and build your business even more quickly. APSS can help you do it.

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

"Watching a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis shows you a drama. Reading about it shows you a dilemma. The book makes you imagine the color, sound, tone and tension, the logic of the events: it makes your brain do the work. A movie is received passively: you sit back, see, hear. Books demand and reward. When you read them your knowledge base deepens and expands. In time that depth comes to inform your work, sometimes in ways of which you're not fully conscious." Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal, Oct 1, pg A11

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

"If you stand on what you've accomplished, it gets in the way of what you still need to do. Stay focused on what's ahead." Fortune, Sept 15, 2016