Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by A marketing maven on April 8, 2011 at 10:51pm

Russell -

 

Let me give you a couple of blog posts to read that might help you. I looked at your "galley" - I'm not sure what it is that you have created (plus all the advertising around it is very annoying - book sellers will hate that). What a book store is looking for is a "one sheet' - one piece of paper with all your book details, a summary statement and your brief marketing plans.

Here are the links to help you:

http://www.carolwhitemarketing.com/is-distribution-for-pod-an-oxymoron

http://www.carolwhitemarketing.com/why-wont-the-book-stores-talk-to-me

http://www.carolwhitemarketing.com/when-do-you-start-marketing-your...

http://www.carolwhitemarketing.com/a-bad-distribution-experience

 

Hope that helps. feel free to ask more questions after reading those posts.

 

Carol White

Carol White Marketing * P O Box 1115 * Wilsonville, OR  97070

The Marketing Maven * www.carolwhitemarketing.com * 888 522 8747

Speaker, Writer & Marketing Coach

A member of IBPA, SPAN, NSA, & NWABP

Official Marketing Coach for About Books, Inc.

Follow me on Twitter: amarketingmaven

Permalink Reply by Russell Mickler on April 9, 2011 at 8:20am

 

Wonderful! Thanks so much for the links - and for the critique on the galley. I pieced together what I'd read about. Let me take a look at them right now. Curious: do you have an example of a "one sheet"? Thanks!

R 

Permalink Reply by Russell Mickler on April 9, 2011 at 8:48am

 

Hi Carol - thanks for these links.

 

Do you believe as I do that carrying inventory will be too inefficient when competing with POD so the days of the trade distributor are numbered? And that - really - the only way in the future to drive interested consumers to the niche indie bookstore will be driving consumer demand?

 

Also, do you believe that indie book stores have more options? That they'll be more flexible than the box stores as to offer difference?

 

You know, I live in Portland, OR, and I called Powells Books when I finished Simple Social Media. They told me on the phone that they'd be happy to consider the book. Bring down a cover letter and a sample, and their acquisitions people would review it. It must be in Ingram, they warned me. But what do you think of this response from an indie bookhouse? It seems more flexible - and interested in the local author - than what you described in your articles.

 

Curious? Thanks for your time!

R

Permalink Reply by A marketing maven on April 10, 2011 at 3:40pm

Russell -

 

The only way to sell ANY books is through driving customer demand - and I believe that you need to be everywhere that your customer might go to look for your book. That is defined by your goals for your book and your marketing plan. Both of those are driven by your knowledge of the markets, time to devote to marketing and finances.

Don't count standard trade distribution "down for the count" at this point. You have to remember that roughly 40% of all books are still sold in bookstores and the only really viable way to be there is through trade distribution, other than on a very limited (perhaps local author) basis. Again, it depends on your goals for your book - do you want to be in book stores nationwide? Do you have the "stomach" (and cash flow) to deal with returns and long payment cycles? Do you have the ability to do a print run of 1,000 books?

As I talked about in one of the articles above, standard distribution for POD is really an oxymoron. BUT, you can get distribution *availability* through Ingram using LSI. This does not get you store stocking unless demand picks up to the point that one or more stores start stocking it due to demand.

Yes, Indie's do have more flexibility as they are individually owned and not controlled by the buying dictates of the corporations. But they want the same terms and returnability as the chains - including the ability to buy from Ingram at a standard discount (55% to Ingram, 40% of that goes to the book store) - that is why Powell's asked you that question - they aren't going to set up an account for little old you - no matter how good your book is. Sorry  (<:  Their feeling is, if you want to play the book store game (and your book is that good), you can get it into Ingram to make it easy for them. The reason they want to see the book is to make sure it is book store quality before they even put it on their "orderable" list (and yes, they will sell your review copy that you send!)

If you'll email me at carol (at) carolwhitemarketing.com I can send you a one sheet.

If you are in Portland, why don't you belong to NW Association of Book Publishers? www.nwabp.org We just had a really good seminar yesterday at PCC where we talked about these very issues.

Carol White Marketing * P O Box 1115 * Wilsonville, OR  97070

The Marketing Maven * www.carolwhitemarketing.com * 888 522 8747

Speaker, Writer & Marketing Coach

A member of IBPA, SPAN, NSA, & NWABP

Official Marketing Coach for About Books, Inc.

Follow me on Twitter: amarketingmaven

 

Permalink Reply by Russell Mickler on April 10, 2011 at 5:59pm

 

Hi!

 

Thanks for all of this information - very valuable!

 

I have put NWABP's events into my calendar and I wanted to attend the next one at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to it! Maybe you'll be at the event at the end of the month? 11am-1pm or something if I'm remembering ... I plan on being there!

 

So if Simple Social Media is available through Ingram - I've verified this - I could encourage an indie to carry the book (purchasing through Ingram as the distributor, right? - trying on the vocab here...!) with a cover letter, copy of the book, and the one-sheet? Should I include anything else, you think?

 

Hmmm I look at the idea of "inventory" and the tech consultant side of me says "unsustainable". Inventory in any form is competitive liability in a world of digital products.

 

I think of a "distributor" as an "intermediary" that will eventually get cut from the deal.

 

I think as an author like a pharmaceutical company that can bypass the doc to convince the consumer to buy the drug, and therein we find some common ground, I think. But certainly, especially with Border's ch. 11 and B&N being up for sale, I think the big-box bookseller's days are numbered. I do think the indie niche reseller is in store for a golden revival :) ... especially if they offer an experience more valuable than the cost savings.

 

I would also think that authors will want to retain their rights rather than sacrifice them for distribution. And why not? Won't Spielburg eventually bypass Warner Brothers? Of course he will :). Just as Trent Reznor went directly to his audience; just as Seth Godin is redefining publishing now.

 

At some point, books will go as video and as music, where physical inventory and limited catalog is too expensive to distribute and maintain, and limited by oil & gas.

 

As with music, you can still get a record label to produce an album on vinyl, but the costs are too high and most people don't have a record player and most prefer digital; I'd just as much presume printed media will also become a premium product. And I'm sure plenty of people will pay for a tangible book, but I'm betting against it (grin). I don't know how a mass physical inventory of any kind is economically viable. Niche stores, maybe < 5-7k titles, selling at a premium, and marketing an experience, is more economically viable?

 

Hence my indie pursuits!

 

And I'll shoot you an email here in just a sec for a copy of a one-sheet.

 

Again, very, very kind of you, thank you - !

 

R