Some Book Promotion Price Tags

As we could see from Amazon book sales numbers for print-on-demand self-publishing companies titles, they actually do not sell (see the previous post).

The new authors usually think that if they self-published with a self-publishing POD (print-on-demand) company for several hundred dollars or better yet for free, they are going to sell their books and make money. No way! The business model of POD companies is selling TO AUTHORS (or their families and friends), but NOT TO PUBLIC.

It means that if the authors' intention is to sell to public, the authors must do their book promotion themselves to make public aware of their books and to create the demand. It takes time, effort and money.

Some ideas for books self-promotion can be found in the following article:
Your-Newly-Published-Book-Marketing-and-Promotion

Here are some examples of HUGE price tag book promotion campaigns:

Source: Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition; 3/23/2007, Vol. 249 Issue 68, pB1

"A Few Sales Tricks Can Launch a Book to Top of Online Lists"

The article reports on a service available to authors who want their book titles at the top of online bookranking lists at websites such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. The service is offered by a public relations firm. For $10,000 to $15,000 they will propel an author's book to the top of the list with a mass email it calls the Best-Seller Blast.

Source: Bookseller; 1/13/2006 Issue 5212, p14

"Huge campaign for self-published novel"

The article reports that electronics entrepreneur Larry Tracey is to launch his self-published novel with an advertising campaign that outstrips most of those from large publishing houses. The chairman of power supply solutions provider XP Power is backing "Seagulls Dance" with £50,000 of television advertising and a full-scale musical, financed from his own pocket. The romantic novel, set in early 19th century Ireland, will include a CD of the lead song from the musical.


Source: Forbes; 1/30/2006, Vol. 177 Issue 2, p72
"Promote It Yourself"

The article reports that with book sales flat, authors are promoting themselves. J.A. Konrath got a the book deal with Hyperion in 2003, but quickly realized the publisher was only promoting its most promising titles. Konrath now spends 90% of his time and about $40,000 per year hawking his books. So far it's working. The first two have sold 70,000 copies, prompting Hyperion to give him another six-figure advance for three more. Other authors also find creative ways of selling their work.

So, get creative with your promotion... to pay less... but there is no way to sell books without promotion...

http://www.linkedin.com/in/olgakellen