Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – June 1, 2017

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about the relevant content of a book first published 80 years ago: "How to Win Friends and Influence People." There are two excerpts that I thought were particularly relevant to selling more books to corporate buyers. First is what author Dale Carnegie calls "the law of human attraction: Always make the other person feel important." Second is "We are interested in others when they are interested in us." Show buyers that you are more interested in helping them solve a business problem than you are in selling your book. Then you will sell more books.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 31, 2017

The most successful communications and products involve a bit or surprise and unpredictability.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 30, 2017

The most novel proposals get the worst rating – business people dislike novelty, and experts tend to be overcritical of proposals in their own domain. Extremely familiar proposals fare a little better but also receive low scores. The highest evaluation scores went to submissions that were deemed slightly new. There is an optimal acceptance for new ideas

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 29, 2017

Book is a 4-letter word. Like work, love or life, what matters is what you do with it.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 28, 2017

One reason repeating the same message over and over doesn't work is that people have a built-in resistance to marketing that feels like it's trying to manipulate them.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 27, 2017

Why is word-of-mouth advertising so effective? "When savvy to the source of a message people tend to discount the stimulus as boring or manipulative. When the audience knows the formula, the magic trick isn't magic anymore, it's just a trick. "Derek Thompson

 

 

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 26, 2017

10-Step training course for selling books in large, non-returnable quantities http://tinyurl.com/jmxbxu5

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 25, 2017

If you are on LinkedIn, join the new group: APSS -- Association of Publishers for Special Sales for lots of info on how to sell more books

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 24, 2017

Ask questions in a way that will stimulate multiple responses. If you say, "Where else can we sell this book?" then the first plausible idea will answer the question. Instead, ask, "In how many other markets can we sell this book?" This will generate other possible solutions such as corporations, government agencies, associations, book clubs or academic markets.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 23, 2017

"Think like a photographer when living your life.  Learn to FOCUS, CAPTURE and DEVELOP each picture along your journey and when things don't work out, simply take another shot." Karen Bomm

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 22, 2017

How do you learn a buyer's "pain points," or need for your content? One way is to ask, "If you were to hire a product manager today, what would you want him or her to accomplish in the first 90 days?"

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 21, 2017

Take a broader view of your potential. The video program You're On The Air trains authors to create and perform on television and radio shows. It also helped train civil engineers to perform on the air when they were called upon to do so as the local expert. How many other people can utilize the information in your books?

 

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 20, 2017

If you have ever been rejected, remember that not all experts are correct. This quotation may make you feel better: "We don't like their sound and guitar music is on the way out." Decca Recording Company on declining to sign the Beatles in 1962

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 19, 2017

Talk about your book in terms with which target readers easily identify. "People gravitate to products that are bold (but not too bold) yet instantly comprehensible." Derek Thompson  (Hit Makers) 

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 18, 2017

When selling your book to corporate buyers, assess their appetite for taking risks. One way to do that is to ask them about the promotional campaigns they have completed in the past. How were they different from one another and how successful were they? What are their objectives for the upcoming campaign? Knowing the answers to these questions will put you in position as a strategic partner vs. a vendor. You will be better able to align their marketing strategy with a creative approach using your book as the focal point.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 17, 2017

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" John Wooden

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 16, 2017

A paraprosdokian is a sentence or phrase that ends in an unexpected way. For instance: "Hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they were." Or, "I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather, not yelling and screaming like the passengers in his car."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 15, 2017

When making a sales 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, 2017

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 13, 2017

Are you buying flowers for Mother's Day tomorrow? Mum's the word!

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 12, 2017

Do you need a private place to write? Take a tip from these authors. Jane Austen asked that a certain squeaky hinge never be oiled so that she always had a warning whenever someone was approaching the room where she wrote. William Faulkner, lacking a lock on his study door, detached the doorknob and brought it into the room with him. Mark Twain's family knew better than to breach his study door. They would blow a horn to draw him out. (Readers Digest)

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 11, 2017

Are you negotiating to buy a car? Wanting a good monthly report, the car-salesperson is more likely to bargain on the last day of the month

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 10, 2017

Spend 60 minutes per day on marketing (social networking, blogging, radio show, telephone sales). How much better off would you be now with 365 more hours of marketing in the past 12 months?

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 9, 2017

Each day ask yourself, "What can I do today to reach my goal that is different from what I did yesterday?" Add variety to your marketing.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 8, 2017

The more carefully you define each niche, the more successfully you will penetrate it with info people in that niche find important

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 7, 2017

"To teach children how to find books at their own reading level, tell them to open a book near the middle and read from the top of any full page. If there are five words they don't know before getting to the end of the page, the book is too hard for them." Eliza Brownrigg Graue, children's author

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 6, 2017

Selling to non-bookstore buyers is different from the ways in which most authors and publishers sell books. It's difficult to change the ways in which we've always done things. Think about what Stephen King said, then work with it: "What are we afraid of, as humans? Chaos. The outsider. We're terrified of disruption."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 5, 2017

How you say it matters. Instead of "No Trespassing," say, "Please do not trample on the poison ivy or feed the bull"

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 4, 2017

You may hear a potential buyer say, "There is no money left in this year's budget. I'll get back to you in 1Q 2016."  If so, reply using the Feel/Felt/Found technique to reduce tension before you sell: "I understand how you feel, Ms. Prospect. Others have felt that way, too. But what they found is that when they used December to set up a promotional campaign, January sales increased well over the previous year. Here is how we can do that…"

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 3, 2017

Don't let buyers say, "I'll get to it tomorrow." Increase a sense of immediacy: "As you said, employee absenteeism is increasing daily," or, "Your membership is decreasing as we speak."

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 2, 2017

Don't fear failure. "Failure means you are taking chances and pushing the envelope as far as it goes. It is a sign that you are striving high enough to ultimately build greatness," Fortune magazine

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – May 1, 2017

Success depends on what you do on the third and fourth tries