You could price your book competitively at $14.95. But if you use the traditional distributor wholesaler -- bookstore network with a maximum discount of 70%, your revenue per book would be $4.49. From this figure you must deduct your unit costs for production and promotion, leaving any residual profits. If this amount is satisfactory, then indirect distribution would be a logical alternative. If it is not acceptable, you must lower your costs or choose a different distribution network.

If you choose a different distribution network, you have the option of marketing through the wholesaler -- bookstore channel in which your maximum discount would be 55%. In this case your net income per sale (at $14.95) is $6.73. However, before you put the extra $2.24 into your pocket you must consider that wholesalers take orders for books but do not actively solicit orders as distributors do.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-25-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

There are a few things you can do to get in the distributor's door. First, personal contact. Getting to the decision maker can help a lot. Second, references. If you have someone backing your project who knows the decision maker, that helps. Third, you need to have something to show and show off. Fourth, how do you plan to get the public (your market) to buy your book? What is your plan and whom have you hired to help execute it? Fifth, have you set a realistic publication date? Have you left enough time for your distributor to do a proper selling job on your behalf? Right now, enough time is around 6 months. And sixth, a good sense of humor. You will need it.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-29-2008  » [ 1 ] comments

1. Your distributor's sales force will take your books to independent stores personally or through telemarketing. Large distributors also have major-account reps that call on buyers for the large chain stores and wholesalers.
a. What territories and markets do they represent well?
b. Do they have regional strengths?
c. Do they use rep groups (commissioned?), in-house sales people or some combination?
d. What results can you expect?
e. How many sales representatives do they have?
f. How many distributors do their sales people represent?
g. How are they told about your titles and what sales-support tools do they receive or require? At a minimum, you must supply each rep with a cover of your book.

2. Does the distributor make it easy for customers to order your books (electronic ordering or toll-free numbers)? Some also have toll-free fax numbers to facilitate the ordering process.

3. Sales support is vital to successful book marketing. Follow up is necessary. Reps may require sample copies. Wholesalers and bookstores will have questions, and sales-support people will handle these situations as they arise. Make sure you choose a distributor offering a knowledgeable support staff.

h. Is there a major-account sales force?
i. How many people are in on the sales-support staff?
j. What access will you have to them?
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-29-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

The package you send to potential distributors should include the following information:

k. A cover letter, describing your title.
l. Your resume, listing your credentials for writing the title.
m. A sample of your book, or a galley with the final cover.
n. A fact sheet listing statistical information.
o. A list of bullet points summarizing the top ten reasons why people would want to buy your book.
p. Your marketing plan, with details on competitive titles and your promotion plans.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-25-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

The fact sheet that you send to distributors should include your name, the title of your book, its publication date, price, number of pages, trim size, number of illustrations, type of binding, ISBN, publisher, copyright date, PCN and the names of your editor and graphic designers. Also list any celebrity endorsements and note if any notable industry person wrote the foreword.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-25-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

In most cases, you pay the freight to your distributors or wholesalers, referred to as FOB (Free On Board) destination. This is not as unreasonable as it may appear at first. You can ship hundreds or thousands of your books to your distributor at bulk rates. On the other hand, your distributor ships these a few at a time to its customers. Their unit shipping and handling costs mount rapidly.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-25-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

1. The type of book you write may dictate your decision. Indirect distribution is a logical alternative for fiction or nonfiction books applicable to a large, national audience. Or if your book is written for a non-English speaking audience, and you are not familiar with the buying habits of people in this group, it would behoove you to seek the assistance of distribution partners who are familiar with that market.

2. The second criterion is the author. He or she may have a day job without the time or inclination to contact bookstore buyers, ship, invoice and collect for books sold. In this case it would be well worth his or her time to have a company do it for them. This will free up more time for the author to promote his or her titles as well as do more writing.

3. Third are the purchasing practices of the industry. Bookstores prefer to buy from wholesalers and not from independent publishers or authors.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-29-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

The book wholesaler should be seen as a service provider to bookstores. They do not create demand; rather they efficiently respond to demand whatever the cause and whatever the title. They envision their task as serving the interests of bookstores and similar outlets with their main object of getting product A to store B in the shortest possible time and at the lowest possible cost. Look at them as a kind of UPS or FedEx of the book business.

Book distributors represent the interests and activities of book publishers. Instead of hiring your own sales and marketing personnel and running your own shipping, storage and returns processing warehouse, you would outsource all of these activities to a book distributor who focuses on these activities on your behalf.
Posted By: Brian Jud » Beyond the Bookstore » Date Added: 08-25-2008  » [ 0 ] comments

When should you rent a blimp and blanket a football stadium the day of the big game with leaflets promoting your book about the history of Peruvian Ocarina (ceramic effigy flutes)? Never. Very few of the fans watching the game are members of your target audience. It’s time to get specific.

Self Publishing, Inc. suggests the following exercises to help you get started on the right foot with your marketing processes. While these exercises can be done on computer, try them out with paper and pen to get the greatest sense of accomplishment.

First, create a list of your target audiences. (Use a single page for each main group.) Start with the broad groups of readers that you believe will want to read, enjoy and benefit from your book. Who are the biggest and most general groups? (You can always come back and whittle them down into subgroups as needed.) As you compile keep in mind which of the groups you might count on to refer others to your book if they really like it. Teachers, parents, grandparents, plumbers, sciences fiction fans, sports fanatics, environmentalists, religious believers, spiritual seekers, young readers, Harry Potter fans. You get the idea. (Fans of specific movies, TV shows, or books might be ideal readers for your book.)

Don’t forget your local community, where a lot of your initial marketing will occur. “Residents of my town” should always be one of the first groups on your list. List other groupings of local people you may or may not relate to: work colleagues, civic group members, church members, school friends, local book clubs, organizations related to the topic of the book.

Next, think bigger, moving to a larger geographical area or broader groupings: members of national organizations, professional associations, civic groups, occupation-related groups. Remember to list groups that you know of on the Web: folks who visit “Web site X” might be the perfect fit, online bulletin boards, chat groups, blogs, and etcetera. Once you have a comprehensive list of these audiences you’re ready for the next step.

The second exercise helps you focus on where and how you’ll reach these audiences you’ve identified. For each target group or audience, list the sources where they get information and where they’re likely to hear about products they’re interested in buying. For example, start with a broad group like “parents.” If you’ve written a parenting guide, you’ll want to think about where parents go to get information when they have a question. Identify the types of media that reach parents with information about products and services they need? You can be broad at first, but you’ll want to eventually get as specific as you can. You can start with “magazines, Web sites, healthcare providers” and work your way deeper to “Parenting Magazine, Parenting.com and Parenting.org, KidsHealth.org” and so on. Don’t forget newspapers, radio programs, specific stations or networks that relate to your book. Don’t be afraid to think big. A book on changing ecosystems might be a good fit for folks who watch the Discovery Channel. A book on national trends of teacher difficulties with administrators might play well to Newsweek as well as the big news wire services.

The more detailed you get, the more options you’ll find to reach out to broad and specific groups. The more you know about who you want to reach and how you want to reach out to them, the more easily you’ll be able to put together a manageable marketing plan to reach people when your book is released.

Posted By: » » Date Added: 11-05-2009  » [ 0 ] comments