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

Where is the most haunted place in every state: http://tinyurl.com/ycvzwedn   Happy Halloween

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

Plant the seeds for word-of-mouth advertising buy finding untapped needs in foreign markets and among other non-retail buyers such as associations, schools, government agencies and the armed services.

Book-Marketing Tip of the Weekend – October 28 - 29, 2017

Not an introvert? Not an extrovert? Maybe you're an ambivert. "Ambiverts have introverted and extroverted traits, but neither is dominant. As a result, they have more balanced, or nuanced, personalities." Wall Street Journal

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

In the past, corporate buyers chose a single promotional item to give to attendees at a company event. Now it is about the ability to select a gift to match personal tastes and style. Your line of books can be the perfect solution. If you don't have a full line, join with other APSS members to create multiple items that can solve the company's promotional problem. 

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

Ask a negative question ("You don't want to buy any books today, do you?") and you will get a negative answer.

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

The Wall Street Journal listed "Do and Don't" entrepreneurial lessons from the movies. For example, lessons from "Tucker: The Man and His Dream" with Jeff Bridges as 1940s auto designer Preston Tucker: Do be a publicity hound. One magazine's article about Tucker's plans generated 150,000 letters. Don't expect prior success to guarantee anything.

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

Publishers do it backwards. They accept a manuscript, produce the book and then seek a buyer for it. Start with a market need and then find the content to meet it.

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

"You can't be overconfident, but you have to believe in your ability to get the job done. I may jump from a 70-year-old plane one day to a two-year-old state-of-the-art jet the next. All planes fly differently, but there's a certain faith that the plane will take me from point A to point B, as long as I'm doing my job right." Rod Lewis, Pilot and Founder, CEO of Lewis Energy See a 10-Step training course to get from A to B when selling books in large, non-returnable quantities at http://bit.ly/2tdA8Eg

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

Sell more books and increase your cash flow by mastering the art of listening to customers and prospects, understanding their needs, and developing products and services that meet those needs.

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

"Children as young as six months who read books with their parents several times a week show stronger literacy skills four years later, score higher on intelligence tests and land better job than nonreaders." Readers Digest, Sept 2017, p 68

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

Some people looked at Goliath and thought he was too big to hit. David looked at him and thought he was too big to miss. You might look at the non-bookstore market for books and think, "Is that market big enough to approach, or is it too big?" The answer is yes. A special-sales market of $14 - $16 billion is too big to pass up. However, it can be too big a market in which to compete profitably -- if you look at it as one goliath market. Divide your special-sales opportunity into manageable segments (retail, corporate, associations, schools, military, etc).

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 19, 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 – October 18, 2017

"Techniques for breaking writer's blocks include spontaneously writing in a journal, talking into a tape recorder, screaming, chopping wood, throwing heavy objects …" John Long

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

Companies in search of new reserves of oil and natural gas conduct years of research to find potential deposits. They only drill where those resources are most likely to be found. Follow their example by looking for potential buyers where they are most likely to be found. For example, if you have a children's book try selling to non-bookstore segments such as daycare centers, children's libraries, children's museums, home-schooling groups, PTAs, Book Are Fun, government agencies, military schools, mom's organizations, work-at-home moms, toy stores, airport stores, supermarkets, discount stores, etc

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

Just because something is obvious after the fact doesn't mean it could have been predicted. Perform a premortem (vs. postmortem) by imaging yourself in the future and experiencing some problem. Use "hindsight" to think about how to avoid it.

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

"Total sales at Barnes & Noble dropped 6.6% in the quarter ended July 29, compared to the same period a year ago. Sales in the quarter, the first of fiscal 2018, were $853.3 million, down from $913.9 million in the quarter ended July 30, 2016" (Publishers Weekly). The future of profitable book selling is in non-bookstore segments. Discover how APSS can help you exploit that opportunity at www.bookapss.org

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 14, 2017

Part of The Active Listening System described in the book, "Code of Trust:"

1) Listen for what matters most - to them

2) Keep your opinions to yourself

3) Check your own stories at the door

4) Leave no doubt that you're listening

5) Don't use debating tactics

6) Put away your cell phone

Book-Marketing Tip of the Day – October 13, 2017

Why is a concise promotion called a blurb? The word blurb, meaning an inspired recommendation, comes from an evening in 1907 during an annual trade dinner of New York publishers where it was customary to distribute copies of new books with special promotional jackets. For his book, humorist Gelett Burgess caused a sensation with a cover drawing of a very attractive and buxom young woman he named 'Miss Belinda Blurb." From then on, any flamboyant endorsement would be known as a "blurb." ("The Little Book of Answers," by Doug Lennox)

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

Have faith. "You can't be overconfident, but you have to believe in your ability to get the job done. I may jump from a 70-year-old plane one day to a two-year-old state-of-the-art jet the next. All planes fly differently, but there's a certain faith that the plane will take me from point A to point B, as long as I'm doing my job right." Rod Lewis, Pilot and Founder, CEO of Lewis Energy  

   See a 10-Step training course to get from A to B when selling books in large, non-returnable quantities at http://bit.ly/2tdA8Eg

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

Have faith. "You can't be overconfident, but you have to believe in your ability to get the job done. I may jump from a 70-year-old plane one day to a two-year-old state-of-the-art jet the next. All planes fly differently, but there's a certain faith that the plane will take me from point A to point B, as long as I'm doing my job right." Rod Lewis, Pilot and Founder, CEO of Lewis Energy See a 10-Step training course to get from A to B when selling books in large, non-returnable quantities at http://bit.ly/2tdA8Eg

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

"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 1-2, pg A11

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

Display your book at the bi-annual meeting of the American Association of School Librarians for $115 with your APSS-member discount; the deadline was extended to October 11. Register at  http://tinyurl.com/y7bpzgld

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

Success in publishing is driven by your ability to create and control the perception and delivery of quality and value to a buyer who understands and needs it. Make yourself irreplaceable to niche B2B buyers by becoming the complete value chain.

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

"Stand firm for what you know is right! It's wise, as I have found. The mighty oak was once a nut that simply held its ground." Agnes Thompson

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

 Display your book at the American Association of School Librarians for $115 with your APSS discount (save $20). The deadline is October 9 and you can register at http://tinyurl.com/y7bpzgld

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

Follow up if you are rejected. Here is an example why. Jenna Lee was rejected after applying for a position as a TV news reporter. She inquired seeking feedback that could help her improve her demo tape. The response was they didn't like her accent. But she felt she had no regional accent, and followed up again. They found that a different person, Jennifer Lee, did have an accent, and was disqualified. They assumed they were the same person and never saw Jenna Lee's demo tape, but did later. She was hired.

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

"A good headline is not overly familiar but familiar enough, a welcome surprise expressed in the vernacular of the intended audience, a promise to advance understanding in a broadly acceptable subject."  Derek Thompson

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

"Techniques for breaking writer's blocks include spontaneously writing in a journal, talking into a tape recorder, screaming, chopping wood, throwing heavy objects …" John Long

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

"Wishing without taking action is like sitting in your car with the engine off. You can imagine where you are going, but unless you actually do something you're never going to get there." Aspire Magazine

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

In a book-selling situation, ask questions and listen to the answers to find reasons why the prospects will buy. "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand. They listen with the intent to reply." Stephen Covey

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

When networking, do not try to join a group of people laughing uproariously and high fiving. They are having too much fun to want people to break in. The Best Ways to Network at a Party, Wall Street Journal