Explore opportunities to extend your personal brand and profitably sell more books by looking beyond the obvious, i.e., traditional retail bookstores and sales directly through your own website.
There’s a world of opportunity waiting for you in special sales and specialty markets.
Special sales refers to selling case-lot quantities of books to firms and associations who may use them for:
- Employee training and motivation
- Premiums used as list-building incentives or purchase incentives
- Distribution to members as a benefit of membership
Special markets refer to looking for distribution in outlets that offer access to enthusiastic niche markets whose customers may only infrequently visit traditional bookstores or search online.
A book on safe scuba-diving techniques might be “lost” in a big box retail bookstore, but would stand out and be welcomed in a sporting-goods store, or in a store renting diving equipment.
Advantages of selling your book in non-traditional markets
There are several advantages to marketing books through non-traditional channels, but the 2 main advantages are:
- No returns. Books sold through traditional retail channels are sold on a consignment basis; if they do not sell, they can be returned. Publishers must struggle with the handling and bookkeeping issues involved in handling returns. Books sold to non-traditional markets are not returnable, however.
- Faster payment. Authors and publishers must wait for payment when selling through traditional markets; but, books sold to non-traditional markets are usually paid for in advance.
How to learn more about non-traditional markets for selling your book
Brian Jud’s BookMarketingWorks.com is an excellent starting point for authors exploring the world of non-traditional book marketing and sales.
Brian’s written 2 books on the topic, Beyond the Bookstores, shown above, and How to Make Real Money Selling Books, reviewed here.
To learn more new ways to sell your book through special markets, visit Brian Jud’s Premium Book Company. The Premium Book Company offers authors a variety of services, including opportunities to promote their books through a 40-page catalog sent to buyers in special markets. You can download a sample copy for free. Have you explored the profit opportunities available through special markets? Share your experiences and questions below, as comments.
Author:
Roger C. Parker‘s Published & Profitable blog offers personalized help and over 1,000 blog posts and tips for planning, writing, promoting, & profiting from a brand-building book.
