| Author |
Message |
    
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
395
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 08:03 am: |   |
STORE LOCATOR LINKS
B&N http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/store/index.html
Borders: http://www.bordersstores.com/locator/locator.jsp?tt=gn
BAMM: http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?stores=1
BOOKSTORE ADDRESSES
If you would want to do a mailing, use the phone, etc, there is a link that will provide all that info and more…even designated by area codes.
http://www.gy.com/biz/451211/index.htm
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Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
408
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2003 - 08:22 pm: | |
ENVELOPES
Print a small (thumbnail-size) picture of your cover in the bottom left-hand corner of envelopes. Beside it, put a 1 x 1 inch text block with the ISBN and a 1-2 sentence blurb. Use these envelopes to mail EVERYTHING. Then, insert 1-2 of your business cards inside. Hey...think of how many people handle your envelope...
COLLEGE COFFEEHOUSES
Various trendy spots support local authors. They offer readings or books for sale in some cases. Seek them out. They post ads on boards etc.
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Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
907
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2003 - 11:38 pm: | |
I like finding something unique to my novel and dropping the item off at bookstores or other places to hand out as freebies. For example, for Rebel Road, which has the backdrop of a civil war/rebellion type thing, I had little water guns, with my business card attached. On the back of the business card was a sticker that read, "Win Your Own Battle!" For Hoodwinked,which was an office romance story, I had special memo pads printed and bound. Haven't given much thought to Calico yet, but I'm sure something will come up...
Jenn |
Todd Hunter
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
967
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 27, 2003 - 07:21 am: | |
I hand out A&W hard candies during my book signings...
A&W
Aston West
Don't worry, very few others get it either...
But what it does do for me, is it gets a customer to stop long enough for me to hand over a business card, and for me to tell them a small tidbit about the book...
I usually just leave business cards for bookstores to hand out as freebies...because when I go back in, they all seem to have disappeared, and there's no way for me to know whether they were picked up by customers, or simply disposed of...hmmm...
I need to find some of those college coffeehouses... |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
417
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 07:32 pm: | |
In the catagory of it Can't Hurt...
REVIEWS
Build relationships and get a review, favorable or otehrwise. It is all about exposure.
Some outlets?
Baryon: http://www.baryon-online.com
Blue Iris Journal: http://www.io.com/~phlbbrtn/Blue_Iris/
Dark Realms: http://www.monolithgraphics.com/darkrealms.html
The Dream People: http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/thedreampeople
Ebook Reviews: http://www.ebook-reviews.net
The Eternal Night: http://www.eternalnight.co.uk
Fables: http://www.fables.org
Futures: http://www.fmam.biz
The Hacker's Source: http://www.hackerssource.cjb.net
Huntress Reviews: http://www.huntressreviews.com
Sime~Gen: http://www.simegen.com
Timeless Tales: http://www.timeless-tales.net
Shawn P. Madison: http://legendarts.com/shawn/
S. Joan Popek: http://www.sjoanpopek.com
Peggy Jo Shumate: http://brutaldreamer.tripod.com/
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LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1110
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 08:06 pm: | |
NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT
I have offered this idea up a few times in the past, but it is always worth a second glance. If you can get it approved, and can get a good enough discount on wholesale, contact the Circulation Director/Manager about offering your book as a subscriber premium. The best time for this is when it is a new release. This generally will only work if the wholesale price falls between $6 and $10 each. Then, the newspaper can offer your book to new and/or renewing subscribers (depending on their take on renewals and churn) without having to offer a discounted product. The best bet here is to convince them that they can also offer the book for sale at the counter if someone should want the book without having to buy the paper. The selling point for the Manager is that revenue from selling the book itself gets to be CREDITED to the PROMOTION EXPENSE ACCOUNT, thus making his expense bottom line look better. An average 1-month promotion could see anywhere from 30 books (for new subscribers only) to 400 books (including renewals in the offer) being sold to the newspaper.
(Done it--hit that 400 # here) (disclaimer--not MY book, I am the Director at this here newspaper office.)
LaurieAnne
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com |
Fred Dungan
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
440
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 09:12 pm: | |
My newspaper gave me a plastic bag and a rubber band for subscribing.
http://www.fdungan.com/publish.htm |
LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1111
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 08:11 am: | |
Yeah, well, Fred, That's why I'm still the CD after 5 years. This is the most volatile position in the industry, and it usually turns over every 2-3 years because upper mgmt blames problems on the circ dept.
Obviously, I'm good at what I do.
LaurieAnne
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
2469
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 03:19 pm: | |
I can't get any of my area newspapers to even talk to me. It's like I am invisible, nonexistent. I have better luck out of my own area than I do here. |
LaurieAnne
Unity Member
Post Number:
1113
Registered: 12-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2003 - 03:46 pm: | |
Laurel,
That, sadly, too, is typical. Unfortunately, in a rural setting, the newspapers are ran by extremely tight staffs. Not uptight, just a lot to do with few people to do it. And many of those people have double-duties. Where a sister company of ours has 3 people for classified ads, we have 1, with me being the back-up person. We have only 1 person for accounts receivable, and she also has to help with classifieds, circulation questions, legal notices, and reception....
The case is the same with the newsroom. Sadly, you are likely to get further in a local setting by placing some advertising FIRST, and dropping a hint to the rep that you'd really like to see something done. Once you get on a good first name basis with the office staff and the sales rep, then you can walk right in and "accidently" get lost on the way to the rest room, finding yourself somehow in the newsroom. LOL.
But then, that is just my experience with the industry...and what I've seen when I've traveled to train newbies and such elsewhere, and what I've heard at conventions from others in the industry...
like I said...just my opinion...
LA
LaurieAnne
http://www.authorsinkbooks.com |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
420
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 05:14 am: | |
CONVENTIONS
For example...Attend the WORLD HORROR CONVENTION in 04 in AZ; the HORRORFIND one in Maryland, etc. Look for COMIC BOOK conventions all over. Do as you can. These places are goldmines to press the flesh and meet folks who BUY books. If anything, give out cards.
LEARN WHAT CONSIGNMENT MEANS
Some stores, drug stores (WAL MART) etc will refuse to take a book not from a distributor. Other stores buy on consignment. Buy 5 copies and hand them over. In a certain amount of time, if they do not sell, you may have to take the books back, or, you may sell a few. If not, head to the used book shop. Todd hunter I think knows more about this than me...
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Todd Hunter
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
984
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 04, 2003 - 05:46 am: | |
The only issue with consignment is the percentages involved...try to negotiate the percentages so that you'll still make a profit. Many places will attempt to get 40% (which, I believe, is the same percentage as they normally get through their distributors...for most books), leaving you with 60%. When setting the sales price, do the math first, and find out how much you have to sell the book for to make a profit, and adjust accordingly.
Most consignment deals have a time limit, as Steven mentioned. I've heard 30, 60, 90 days...
Make sure and check back OFTEN, to see if books have sold. Don't count on the store to keep an accurate total.
Unless you're simply wanting to dump book stocks you have, have to be careful with used book shops. People shopping there are interested in one thing: Getting books dirt cheap. If you're interested in breaking even on your expenses, you'd probably want to stay away from them... |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
432
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 05:43 am: | |
AMAZON PIGGY BACKS
On AMAZON one can recommend a book by dropped the ISBN # on a title. For example, more than one have attached a book to my title and I theirs. There is a chance this link is followed or seen. This will work on various titles, but trying to do it on a zillion of your favorites will not go through. Do this at your own way...
Well, I think I have arrived at the end of my file for promo stuff. I am always open for suggestions and add ons.
REMEMBER THE PROCESS NEVER STOPS
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Todd Hunter
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
1000
Registered: 02-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 05:05 pm: | |
However, to be able to work with the "recommendation" module over at Amazon, you have to have ordered a book (any book......maybe anything, not just books) through Amazon...always good to know, before you attempt to go through the process only to end up rejected (from experience). |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
434
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 14, 2003 - 06:29 am: | |
Yeah, good point Todd. Amazon costumers only 
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Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
948
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 07:39 pm: | |
We've talked about banner ads on this thread. Does anyone know of an inexpensive, easy to use program to create an animated banner? I've got to start getting things together for Calico, and haven't a clue where to start.
Jenn |
Tony (Unregistered Guest)
Work-in-progress guest
Posted From: 24.31.215.202
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 09:45 pm: | |
Try GIF Movie Gear from Gamani (www.gamani.com).
You can evaluate it for 30 days before it disables itself. During the trial period you can save files as animated GIF (called filmstrips) as well as individual GIFs, AVIs, etc.,
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Jennifer Lynn
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
949
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 01, 2004 - 10:24 pm: | |
Thanks Tony, I'll give it a go. |
Matt Dinniman
Wandering Member
Post Number:
119
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 02, 2004 - 11:27 pm: | |
"For example...Attend the WORLD HORROR CONVENTION in 04 in AZ; the"
Steve, you gonna be there? |
Steven Shrewsbury
Hsympothai Member
Post Number:
459
Registered: 04-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 03, 2004 - 05:16 am: | |
Popular rumor is I may be...
Details are still up in the air... |
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