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Suggest You - Secrets of How Authors Can Sell Books by the 1000s to Organizations for Incentive Programs
When was the last time you were bored?Today? Yesterday? Last week? Last year?And when you were bored, what did you do?Eat? Watch TV? Doodle on a piece of paper? Spend an hour on www.boredatwork.com?I haven’t been bored since college. And you know what? I’m damn proud of that. It’s consistently enabled me to accomplish more stuff, meet more cool people and have more fun.And here’s what amazes me: friends and fellow professionals often ask, “Wow! Books, speeches, article, podcasts, blogs, traveling and marketing - where did you find the time to do all that stuff?”Well, um, last time I checked, all of us had the same amount of time in each day, right?Maybe it’s simply because I wasn’t bored.But don’t take it from me. Take it from these guys:Grasp your opportunities, no matter how poor your health; nothing is worse for your health than boredom. ~Mignon McLaughlinThe war between being and nothingness is the underlying illness of the twentieth century. Boredom slays more of existence than war. ~Norman MailerI am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself. ~Jules RenardBoredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face. ~Charlotte WhittonYou get the point: boredom is the enemy. Which is kind of funny considering that the world is filled with people who complain, “Gosh, there’s never enough time,” and people who complain “Gosh, I’m always so bored??”Therefore, consider these MORE's for eliminating boredom:1) MORE reading 2) MORE writing 3) MORE blogging 4) MORE podcasting 5) MORE exercising 6) MORE brainstorming 7) MORE networking events 8) MORE reviewing your goals 9) MORE audio learning systems 10) MORE research on the Internet 11) MORE enhancing your creativity 12) MORE lunches with hot prospects 13) MORE reviewing old underlined books 14) MORE calling your clients to check up 15) MORE asking clients why they work with you 16) MORE calling your friends you haven't talked to in monthsThink of it this way: if you’re bored, maybe that means you’re a boring person.LET ME ASK YA THIS... When was the last time you were bored?LET ME SUGGEST THI
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to bre
Suppose that the market dropped 20% in one year (as it did in 2001 and again in 2002). You might have to spend the bulk of the next big move up in the market just getting back to even, instead of making money. But suppose we were able to walk away with a flat return...or just a small loss instead. Would you agree that we’d be in much better shape heading into the next move up in the market, if we could avoid “the big hit?”Now, there used to be a time (throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s), that absorbing just a small loss in a year where the market drops 20% would be called “significant performance” compared to (or relative to) the rest of the market. This is because folks in the market were more interested in “relative returns” back then, not “absolute returns.”The reason so many were interested in “relative” returns back then was because throughout the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, we were barreling down the highway in a secular bull market. Every pull back along the way was simply a terrific buying opportunity. You were dubbed a hero if the market dropped 25% in one year and you were able to lose only 10%.Not so today!We’re not interested in “relative” returns and neither should you. What we are interested in is absolute returns.The methods we use (a blend of fundamental analysis and point and figure technical analysis) are not perfect every time. But they do an excellent job of telling us when supply overtakes demand. This is true whether or not we are looking at a particular mutual fund, an individual stock, a sector or the market as a whole. Whenever supply overtakes demand, lower prices are certain to follow. And we should take the steps needed to protect our retirement dollars at that time.Look, losing money impacts your returns for many years, not just one year. That’s because if we have a year where we lose 20%, we’ll need to make 25% just to get back to where we began. It’s really important that we do our very best to avoid big losses in our account...whether that account is our regular brokerage account, or our 401k account, or some other retirement plan.So what do you do to avoid big losses when the market is crashing?In 401k and other retirement accounts, we have a “safety valve” option which, if used properly, allows us to sidestep much of the damage. It is often called the “stable value” fund or the “stable income” f
By getting outside of the bookstore channel, you will have the potential of selling - not just one book at a time - but 1000s of books at a time. You'll want to take advantage of these powerful strategies if you are...
* A published author who desires to help more people through higher book sales
* A published coach, consultant, speaker or trainer who wants to catapult your reputation and open opportunities to sell other products and services
* A published author who wants to make serious money by selling books by the 1000s at a time
* A published author with disappointing book sales who wants to recover your financial investment in your book
* A self-published author who wants to leverage better sales into acquiring additional sales channels or a publishing house
* A published author who is ready to update an existing book but needs to sell the remaining inventory of the current version to help finance the update
* An aspiring author who is looking for direction about what kind of book will be attractive in the marketplace
* An aspiring author who knows you will be much more successful if you plan ahead about how and to whom you will market the book before and during the creation of it
Why Authors Get Frustrated with Book Sales: The Bookstore Trap - Boxes of Books with Nowhere to Go
If you're like most authors, the process of writing and getting your book published was a painful experience - whether you self-published, were fortunate enough to get a traditional publisher or opted for a print-on-demand publisher. It took far longer and far more effort than you ever imagined it would.
Next you may have experienced the "post-partum blues," the separation anxiety that comes with your book finally being "delivered" - a vague empty feeling haunts you.
After getting your life back to some semblance of normalcy, the day came when you fully confronted a realization. The books aren't selling in any significant numbers. You have boxes of books sitting in your garage or basement, your office, a warehouse somewhere. Sure, you've sold a few books at events, or a dozen here and there at book signings and such. But at that pace, you're in the storage business more than you're in the practice-building business!
You begin musing, "What's the point of creating a book to help people and promote yourself if nobody ever sees it? What's the point of taking time away from my clients or other work to do book signings, only to sell a mere dozen or so books per event?"
Since the books aren't going to sell themselves, you may have made some efforts to figure out the book marketing and distribution business to try to break into bookstores, only to find it all archaic, complex and frustrating. You may even have gotten into a bookstore or two. But the books didn't move, because nobody knows the books are there.
"I don't have time for this!" you probably exclaimed at some point. "This is not how I want to spend my life!"
But the reality is, if book sales are to be, it's up to thee.
Welcome to the Bookstore Trap.
You're not alone. The vast majority of authors have a disappointing publishing experience. At The Book Standard Summit 2005, Nielsen Bookscan reported that 93% of the books sold at retail in 2004 sold less than 1000 copies!
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to bre
1. Create an irresistible offer. You have to give McDonalds credit for the “supersize me” offer. It may only generate another 40p or 50p per sale, but because it's such an irresistible offer, more than 30% of customers will say yes. And that 40p or 50p is almost all profit, as the company's fixed costs have already been absorbed in the price of the smaller item. The scale of the offer must be relative to the purchase, but once you have acquired the customer you can start to create lifetime value.2. Add point of sale purchases. Those associated purchases or impulse buys that the supermarkets put by the checkouts aren’t an accident. Small low-price items that are perfectly positioned will face the least resistance from a buyer who’s already decided to make a purchase from you.3. Get them hooked with a free sample. Prospects that test your product or service risk-free will hopefully recognize its value and continue purchasing what you offer. Or even better, your prospect will get "hooked" on your product or service and won't be able to live without it. And the fact that it was given away free will compel them to return the favour by continuing to purchase from you. This principle is called the "Law of Reciprocity". Simply stated, people naturally feel an obligation to return favours as a way of expressing their thanks.4. Educate them if they could use the product differently; benefit more from using associated products in conjunction; buy this much, get this one free, etc. Remember the famous story of the shampoo company who doubled their sales with the simple phrase “rinse and repeat”.5. “Other customers who bought XYZ also bought…” This clever approach is used by many online retailers to position more of their product lines in front of customers who might be interested. Where key components like batteries aren’t included, make sure you offer them.6. Communicate with customers more often about your full offering as part of your sales process. This could take the form of newsletters, emails, mailshots, letters, advertising and PR, events, brochures and literature.7. Consider what else your customers buy that you could sell. The more you know about your customers, the more back-end products and services you can provide. This means that their main purchase simply becomes a foot-in-the-door, and now you can increase the frequency of purchase and average spend8. Offer incent
* A published author who is ready to update an existing book but needs to sell the remaining inventory of the current version to help finance the update
* An aspiring author who is looking for direction about what kind of book will be attractive in the marketplace
* An aspiring author who knows you will be much more successful if you plan ahead about how and to whom you will market the book before and during the creation of it
Why Authors Get Frustrated with Book Sales: The Bookstore Trap - Boxes of Books with Nowhere to Go
If you're like most authors, the process of writing and getting your book published was a painful experience - whether you self-published, were fortunate enough to get a traditional publisher or opted for a print-on-demand publisher. It took far longer and far more effort than you ever imagined it would.
Next you may have experienced the "post-partum blues," the separation anxiety that comes with your book finally being "delivered" - a vague empty feeling haunts you.
After getting your life back to some semblance of normalcy, the day came when you fully confronted a realization. The books aren't selling in any significant numbers. You have boxes of books sitting in your garage or basement, your office, a warehouse somewhere. Sure, you've sold a few books at events, or a dozen here and there at book signings and such. But at that pace, you're in the storage business more than you're in the practice-building business!
You begin musing, "What's the point of creating a book to help people and promote yourself if nobody ever sees it? What's the point of taking time away from my clients or other work to do book signings, only to sell a mere dozen or so books per event?"
Since the books aren't going to sell themselves, you may have made some efforts to figure out the book marketing and distribution business to try to break into bookstores, only to find it all archaic, complex and frustrating. You may even have gotten into a bookstore or two. But the books didn't move, because nobody knows the books are there.
"I don't have time for this!" you probably exclaimed at some point. "This is not how I want to spend my life!"
But the reality is, if book sales are to be, it's up to thee.
Welcome to the Bookstore Trap.
You're not alone. The vast majority of authors have a disappointing publishing experience. At The Book Standard Summit 2005, Nielsen Bookscan reported that 93% of the books sold at retail in 2004 sold less than 1000 copies!
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to bre
2006 is already here and many ask me what we should expect of the emerging interesting market of Audio Books. Audio books have been here for over 20 years and they have become so popular in the last couple of years but yet I claim that the audio books revolution has just begun.Find out the hot trends in the audio books market for 2006:1. Less audio books on CD and cassettes and more downloadable audio books – MP3 audio books and other formats of digital audio books will become cheaper and more reachable, While audio books on CD and books on tape are much less convenient and user friendly. The amount of podcast listeners who download audio books from the internet to listen on their mobile devices such as iPod will rise significantly.2. Audio book rental services will become the most common method of listening to audio books – Similar to the DVD market, most audio book listeners will prefer renting audio books instead of buying them. This trend will be the strongest for downloadable audio books but also true for audio books on CD and books on tape.3. Free audio books – More online audio book services will offer low cost and free audio books by free trials and special sales.4. Audio books will invade Europe – While the audio book market in the United kingdom is developed and have reached a turnover of 124$ million in 2004, The market in Germany is constantly rising and have already reached a turnover of 120$ million in 2005. The audio book market in the whole continent is expected to rise in about 20% during 2006.Sony has also recognized the emerging market of digital audio books and has recently announced of a new audio book mobile player. The new product will let the users store and listen to digital audio books and is predicted to gain the same popularity as the “iPod”.Audio books will be a part of everyone’s life. Join the audio book revolution!
Next you may have experienced the "post-partum blues," the separation anxiety that comes with your book finally being "delivered" - a vague empty feeling haunts you.
After getting your life back to some semblance of normalcy, the day came when you fully confronted a realization. The books aren't selling in any significant numbers. You have boxes of books sitting in your garage or basement, your office, a warehouse somewhere. Sure, you've sold a few books at events, or a dozen here and there at book signings and such. But at that pace, you're in the storage business more than you're in the practice-building business!
You begin musing, "What's the point of creating a book to help people and promote yourself if nobody ever sees it? What's the point of taking time away from my clients or other work to do book signings, only to sell a mere dozen or so books per event?"
Since the books aren't going to sell themselves, you may have made some efforts to figure out the book marketing and distribution business to try to break into bookstores, only to find it all archaic, complex and frustrating. You may even have gotten into a bookstore or two. But the books didn't move, because nobody knows the books are there.
"I don't have time for this!" you probably exclaimed at some point. "This is not how I want to spend my life!"
But the reality is, if book sales are to be, it's up to thee.
Welcome to the Bookstore Trap.
You're not alone. The vast majority of authors have a disappointing publishing experience. At The Book Standard Summit 2005, Nielsen Bookscan reported that 93% of the books sold at retail in 2004 sold less than 1000 copies!
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to bre
Some naysayers way back in the 1990s predicted that online shopping wouldn’t last. Sure, and they said television was a passing fad, too! As we all know, just the opposite has occurred. There’s a television in every household, and more than likely, the homeowner bought their television online—along with his books, music CDs, clothes, and maybe even his home.Internet shopping is bigger than ever. You can find anything and everything for sale online. Many times, you can find it cheaper online than anywhere else. Internet shopping offers so much more than a discounted price tag, though.Imagine a shopping mall where there are no lines, where there are no jammed parking garages, and no pushy sales clerks. This is no land of make believe. It is the Internet, where you can discover unprecedented selection, convenience, and opportunities. Online shopping gives you the luxury of browsing hundreds of stores from your living room, while saving on time and frustration. It provides you the chance to compare prices to your heart’s delight on a near limitless selection of brands and models.For even more benefits, try your hand at classifieds and auction Web sites. These sites are like yard sales and flea markets rolled into one. Unlike retail shopping sites, they offer:Access to super secondary markets. Take your pick of secondhand or brand-new wholesale goods at steeply discounted prices. The vendors at classifieds sites can get away with it because they aren’t paying high rent for a storefront or a warehouse. And in many cases, you’re not paying taxes.Tools to locate unique and rare collectibles. Imagine a classifieds site to be like a sunken pirate boat, laden with cultural artifacts, hard-to-find heirlooms, and priceless antiques. The Internet is your deep-sea vessel, sonar, and oxygen tank all in one.Reach beyond your neighborhood. Search through the inventory of a vendor from your home town, or if you don’t find what you’re looking for there, try that fellow in California, Texas or Canada for that matter.Close relationships with vendors. You deal with real people—not big, impersonal corporations—when you buy on classifieds sites. They can provide more details about the product, which you can then use to bargain for a reasonable price.Despite this bounty of benefits, you might still be hesitant to dive into Internet shopping. Don’t be embarrassed. You have good reason to
Since the books aren't going to sell themselves, you may have made some efforts to figure out the book marketing and distribution business to try to break into bookstores, only to find it all archaic, complex and frustrating. You may even have gotten into a bookstore or two. But the books didn't move, because nobody knows the books are there.
"I don't have time for this!" you probably exclaimed at some point. "This is not how I want to spend my life!"
But the reality is, if book sales are to be, it's up to thee.
Welcome to the Bookstore Trap.
You're not alone. The vast majority of authors have a disappointing publishing experience. At The Book Standard Summit 2005, Nielsen Bookscan reported that 93% of the books sold at retail in 2004 sold less than 1000 copies!
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to bre
If you are involved with any Network Marketing business you know that the more people you expose to your opportunity the more money you will make. It’s a complete numbers game. Now if you are not utilizing the internet to build your Network Marketing down line you need to get with the program. Article Marketing combined with Network Marketing is a fantastic way to generate free traffic to your website.Article Marketing allows you to educate people on subjects that you have a solid knowledge base for. For example if you are involved with a Network Marketing business and you are looking to generate traffic to your website. Write an article that pertains to Network Marketing. Article Marketing allows you to edify yourself as an expert in your field. When people join Network Marketing companies they are joining people not the business. People want someone who is an expert and can help them achieve success.Also if you are familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) it is possible to have an article appear on the first page of a Google for a particular keyword. This can be beneficial if you use keywords that are associated with your business. For instance if your company name is “Scotts Medical Products” you could have an article end up on the first page of Google every time someone searches “Scotts Medical Products”. This is a way to generate free leads to your business.Remember when writing articles that pertain to your Network Marketing business it is important that you are providing your reader with beneficial material. You want to position yourself as an expert. It is important to understand that people join people!
Self-publishers don't do as well. Overall, the average self-published book sells around 250 copies! (Granted, it allowed them to get their book published when it probably wouldn't have been published otherwise. But yikes!)
The problem is, most authors and independent publishers focus almost exclusively on trying to get their books into bookstores. Even if you're initially successful in passing muster, if your marketing efforts don't drive people to the bookstore to buy your book in significant numbers within the first 30 days or so, the books are going to be returned. Bookstores return some 60% of all books they order!!!
But There is Good News
Here's the fact that I'm asking you to focus on to break out of the less-than-1000-copies bookstore sales trap: According to a Feb 2005 report from the Association of American Publishers, of the $23.7 billion of books sold in 2004, only 45% were sold through bookstores, the most competitive and challenging-to-penetrate channel for selling books. That means that non-bookstore outlets account for more book sales than bookstores!!!
So, if you learn how NOT to be dependent on bookstores for sales, you're tapping into the majority of the book market (55%)!!!
So, What's the Author's Answer?
One of the most powerful strategies for tapping into the non-bookstore market is selling large quantities of books to organizations for use as incentives, the billion-dollar book portion of the $29 billion* (and growing) incentives marketplace. (*year 2000)
The what? The incentives marketplace is that part of non-bookstore sales comprised of organizations - corporations, associations, charities, etc. - that buy books to use as a incentive (gift ) for customers and prospects or as an incentive to employees or channel partners. (Some people use the term "premiums" to differentiate the merchandise portion of incentives. That is, to distinguish merchandise from cash, travel, etc.) When these organizations buy a book, they order it by the 1000's, the 10's of thousands, even the 100's of thousands.
A study conducted by the Incentive Marketing Association (IncentiveMarketing.org) among a broad spectrum of companies revealed that 82% of them used merchandise or travel as incentives. Even more significant, they reported an 80% success rate in achieving their goals.
Is Your Book a Candidate for Incentive Sales?
If your non-fiction book provides quality how-to information, if it inspires or entertains, if it's well designed and put-together, it's a candidate. Any corporation, association or other non-profit which has target audiences that match those of your book, and whose management feels your book reflects positively on its brand values, are potential candidates.
How Big are Incentive Deals, Really?
* As a incentive for joining their condensed book club, Reader's Digest gave away 750,000 copies of Judith King's Greatest Gift Guide Ever.
* Grossett & Dunlap offered Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books as a self-liquidating (break-even) incentive on 20 million boxes of Post Raisin Bran cereal, resulting in the sale of over one million books!
* R.J. Reynolds distributed 1.5 million copies of the Great Trails Road Atlas as an on-pack (attached to the package) incentive offer on cartons of Marlboros to promote the image of the Marlboro Man.
Are all the deals that big?
No...
* U.S. West purchased 2,000 copies of Talking with Your Customers to demonstrate appreciation to their Yellow Pages advertisers
* Before its publish date, Kenneth Blanchard sent copies of Who Moved My Cheese to the CEOs of corporations. The Bank of Hawaii bought 4000, Mercedes Benz 7000, and Southwest Airlines 27,000.
* Judy Dugan sold 5,000 copies of her self-published book, Santa Barbara Highlights and History, to a Santa Barbara bank who gave a copy to every customer who came in to a new branch opening
The Average Size of Deals
According to MotivationShow.com
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