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

Which culture began celebrating the new year with a feast of food an alcohol? The earliest recorded New Year's festival was in ancient Babylon (now Iraq). Before the introduction of a calendar year, the celebration took place in spring during the planting season. The Babylonian feast was elaborate, lasting eleven days, and included copious drinking and eating in a tribute to the gods of fertility and agriculture. Celebrating the new year was both a thanksgiving and a plea for a successful new harvest.  (The Little Book of Answers, by Doug Lennox) Happy New Year!

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

What is the origin of New Year's resolutions? In medieval times, during the last feast of the Christmas week, knights of the realm were required to place their hands on a peacock and vow to continue living up to their pledge of chivalry. New Year's custom of resolving to live a better life originated with the Babylonians, who promised the gods that they would return all borrowed farm and cooking tools and pay off personal debts. (The Little Book of Answers, by Doug Lennox)

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

Be "positively negative." When most people see a new idea they feel uncomfortable and have a natural, negative bias. Instead, think of the acronym PIN when you have a new idea. First make a Positive comment, then something Interesting, and if necessary make a Negative observation. And when making that observation, be "positively negative" by offering a twist that could make the idea potentially successful. An idea is like a round peg that won't fit into a square hole. It needs some re-shaping. What is positive about your latest "round" idea?

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

Sometimes we get so caught up with "hardware" and "software" that we forget "peopleware." The right human expertise can make a sale, business or process run more smoothly and successfully.

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

Failure doesn't do something to you, it does something for you. It doesn't take something out of you, it gets something out of you. Learn the lessons from your mistakes and then move on, applying your new-found-knowledge in different ways.

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

In special-sales marketing, your customers may place a (blanket) standing order (a given number of books to be shipped automatically on some predetermined schedule) if your book is used as a textbook or a successful premium. This recurring revenue improves the volume and velocity of your cash flow.

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

What was the original meaning of merry in "Merry Christmas?" Today merry, as in "Merry Christmas," suggests gaiety, a mood for celebration, but its original meaning was quite different. For example, the carol we sing as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," should be read as "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." The word was at least four hundred years old when but was first written down in 1827, and at that time merry didn't mean joyous, but rather, peaceful or pleasant. ("The Little Book of Answers," by Doug Lennox)

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

Five Questions to Ponder for 2018. According to Fortune magazine, the answers to these five questions can help your business grow next year: 1) Would you rehire your key employees? 2) Can you state your strategy simply? 3) What's your cash conversion cycle? 4) What 25 relationships do you need to nurture? 5) What could disrupt your business?

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

An old adage tells us that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. But what if that step were in the wrong direction? The traveler would waste unnecessary time, energy and money going the wrong way. Plan your book-marketing actions for 2018 so you are on the right path, going in the right direction next year. Particularly, plan for special sales to non-bookstore buyers

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

Your corporate buyers' mental bandwidth is scarce and valuable, particularly as information and available options increase, and competitive differences decrease. Target your pitch to their needs, clearly and concisely, to create an image of your content as unique and valuable.

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Brian Jud is the Executive Director of APSS (www.bookapss.org) - formerly SPAN. He is also the author of How to Make Real Money Selling Books. Brian offers commission-based sales of books to buyers in non-bookstore markets. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT  06001-0715; (860) 675-1344; brianjud@bookmarketing.com or www.premiumbookcompany.com   twitter.com/bookmarketing

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

Given limited amounts of time, money and energy, begin by defining the ultimate readers who are most likely to be interested in your content, and why. Then think about where they shop, work, go to school or congregate. This will direct your prospecting and marketing efforts and create the criteria against which you can qualify and prioritize your prospects.

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

Have you ever heard people say, "break a leg" and wondered where that phrase originated? In the early days of Greek theater, a stage was built as a temporary platform. After a performance, people in the audience would surround the actors on the stage to congratulate them. The better the actors' performances, the larger the number of people who would approach them. If too many converged on the stage the supporting legs could – and often did – break. So, when you are on the air, break a leg!

   The concept of your marketing platform is analogous to a stage. You are the only person on it, clearly visible to all your devotees. But your fans are in the audience looking up at you on your platform, which is propped up by a number of legs. Build a strong foundation of "legs" -- relationships with people who will support you through and beyond the introduction of your book.

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

Publishers place great attention on the figure at which to price their books, but too often they ignore the customers' perspective. Potential corporate buyers seeking a promotional product compare the available options (books, coffee mugs, golf shirts), so they evaluate your price differently. They weigh the perceived value of your content (for increasing sales or employees' productivity) against the asking price. If that value surpasses the requested expenditure they will make the purchase.

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

The value of your content (to the buyer) is a fluid concept because it is unique to each customer and changes over time. An example of recognizing and responding to this fluidity is Amazon Prime. In 2005 it was initially focused on reducing costs and saving time for its customers by providing unlimited two-day shipping for a fixed annual fee. Then Amazon expanded Prime to include streaming media (added value was access and entertainment) and unlimited photo storage on Amazon servers (to reduce risk). Each new element attracted more customers and increased the value to existing ones. How can you apply this concept to selling more of your books?

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

There are four general promotional tools you can use at different times – online or offline -- to accomplish your marketing goals. These are 1) publicity (press releases, media appearance, reviews) is perhaps the most economical element of the promotional mix, 2) advertising (including direct marketing) can reach many consumers simultaneously with the same message with a relatively low cost per exposure, 3) sales promotion uses items such as premiums, giveaways, brochures and coupons for generating awareness, and 4) personal selling (trades shows, sales calls on corporate buyers) can be the most persuasive selling tool because it allows two-way communication.

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

The Top 10 Colors for Genre Book Covers:

1. Self-Help – Mellow Yellow;

2. Western -- Hi-Yo Silver;

3. Yuppies – Purple Haze;

4. Medical – Gang Green;

5. Humor – Tickled Pink;

6. Political -- Better-Dead-Than Red;

7. Cookbook – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Lime;

8. Entertainment - Moulin Rouge;

9. Fiction -- Dorian Gray;

10. Fiction -- Back to the Fuchsia

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

"Can't get started? "Focus on the "joy of completion' to motivate you. Instead of dwelling on how much you dislike the task, focus on how good it will feel when it is done."  Julie Morgenstern

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

Do you want to write a better press release? Use the copywriter's formula AIDA. First get Attention, then expand by increasing Interest, then add a few points to hook the reader with Desire and then close with a call to Action. For a description and examples of different headline techniques see my article "How to Turn Publicity Into Profits," among other free articles at http//tinyurl.com/85o9f3k

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

There are four general promotional tools you can use at different times – online of offline -- to accomplish your marketing goals. These are 1) publicity (press releases, media appearance, reviews) is perhaps the most economical element of the promotional mix, 2) advertising (including direct marketing) can reach many consumers simultaneously with the same message with a relatively low cost per exposure, 3) sales promotion uses items such as premiums, giveaways, brochures and coupons for generating awareness, and 4) personal selling (trades shows, sales calls on corporate buyers) can be the most persuasive selling tool because it allows two-way communication.

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

Listen to your gut. According to experts, our subconscious minds constantly record and store unrelated data from the outside world. Later, it combines these data into good answers – hunches – if you simply ask, trust and listen. These hunches can lead you to making a call to a corporate buyer today instead of tomorrow (when the buyer just left for vacation), or asking a well-timed question that closes the sale. On what hunches can you act to sell more of your books?

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

Exercise your risk muscle. Do you hit the bull's-eye every time you shoot? If so you are probably standing too close to the target. As comedian Woody Allen puts it, "If you're not failing every now and then it's a sign you're not doing anything innovative." Everyone has a risk muscle. You keep it in shape by trying new things. If you don't it atrophies and may no longer be able to take chances. How can you exercise your risk muscle?

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

Shakespeare coined thousands of new words (neologisms) in his plays and sonnets. Among these are: amaze, bedroom, excellent, fitful, majestic, radiance, and summit (from the book,"That's A Fact Jack!" by Harry Bright).

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

Change your marketing message regularly. 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. Be consistent in reinforcing your brand, but do it in a variety of ways, media and messages

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

"Creative people often bristle at the suggestion that they have to stoop to market their ideas. It's pleasant to think that the idea's brilliance is self-evident and doesn't require the theater of marketing. But whether you're an author or entrepreneur, the difference between a brilliant new idea with bad marketing, and a mediocre idea with excellent marketing can be the difference between bankruptcy and success."  Derek Thompson, Hit Makers

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

You don't die from a poisonous-snake bite. You die from the venom that remains in your system. Similarly, criticism about your book can hurt you only if you internalize it. Instead, learn from it and use it to grow and succeed

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

Start-up retailers are creating showrooms as places for "brand experiences" rather than mere sales. Amazon Is bucking the trend. Its sensor-packed Amazon Go convenience stores, set to open later this year, won't even have cashiers. (Fortune)