Taking Advantage of Your Distributor to Market Your Book

By: Bette Daoust, Ph.D.
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:43:02
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Are you using a distributor? If so, how many books do they carry? How many in your genre?

The answer is usually there are plenty of books in my genre and my distributor does not always pay a lot of attention to my book. There may be many reasons for this. If you are an unknown author, your book becomes more difficult to sell to the bookstores and libraries. If your cover design is not what the distributor likes, the book may be shuffled to the bottom of the pack.

If you do not have a distributor, find one that will work with you. This means find a distributor that has a big enough presence in the marketplace but is not so big that they only look at you as net profits. Once you have a distributor in place, get the names, addresses (including email), and phone numbers for all the representatives. Send a copy of your book by Priority Mail with your marketing plan, press releases and all types of testimonials from reviewers, friends and so on. The more material you provide, the easier it is for them to sell your book.

If your distributor is attending a trade show such as Book Expo America or any of a number of smaller shows. Offer to be there and help out. You want them to get to know you so when you call, they will recognize your name. You want them to know who you are without being a pest.

If you have press coverage for your book or yourself, send an electronic version the reps immediately so they can use it. The more information you feed your distributor, the better your relationship.

Find out when the distributor has marketing calls and get on the call list for them to tell you what they want. When you do find out, go out and do it - don't procrastinate on this one. They are there to work for you and make money on both sides. If you do not actively participate, don't count on their support to sell your book. YOU are the active ingredient in the whole process.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Book Marketing category

  • How to get rich by writing fiction - By: Sudhir Sharma
    Some of us write simply because we cannot not write. Ideas grab us, move us, and demand to be written. We strive to make it as real as we possibly can, to improve at our craft every day, hopefully to make it into the realm of literature as well as entertainment.
  • Book Marketing 101 - By: Jasmeet Kahlon
    For beginning authors, book promotion is the key to success. Whether an author self-publishes or is published by a major house, most often that author needs to market her book herself if she wants there to be any chance at all of it being successful.
  • The REAL TRUTH on How to Write an eBook - By: Diya Sood
    The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain.
  • Book Marketing - How Rich Authors Make Money - By: Bob Burnham
    Ever wonder how some authors seem to steal the limelight and the profits while others collect dust on bookstore shelves? Some of those really well off authors are not even that good. You read their books and think "I could write better than this."
  • How To Write A Book, 4 Simple Strategies - By: Bob Burnham
    Writing a book doesn't have to be complicated. The image of the frustrated writer sitting at their typewriter with piles of balled up paper at their feet is a myth. In fact, when you use a few simple strategies, writing a book can be accomplished quickly and professionally - no writer's block and no piles of balled up paper.
  • How To Get A Reporter's Attention For Your Book - By: Jitender Sharma
    Reporters are busy people. On any given day they are fielding dozens of phone calls, making calls of their own, reading stacks of newspapers and magazines and rushing to meet deadlines. So how do you break through all the noise to get a reporter or an editor on the phone to listen to your pitch?
  • Kick Off Your Brochure Marketing With These Simple Steps - By: Janice Jenkins
    Brochures are very effective tools to have when you want to grow your business. However, most brochure marketing campaigns need to be redesigned and restructured because they don’t get the results you expect from them. In order for your promotional efforts to be effective, designing brochures should be in order. Here’s how you can kick off your brochure marketing campaign with these steps.
  • Book Publicity: The New York Myth - By: Melissa Sandford
    While there are some exceptional book and literary publicists working straight out of The Big Apple, it should be noted that having a publicist located in New York does not automatically guarantee an author that their writing will reach readers.
  • Interviewing Tips for First Time Authors - By: Melissa Sandford
    As you prepare for your first or next interview, always remember the hardest part is over. You have already written 300+ pages, found an agent, a publicist and survived the excruciating editing process. Interviewing well is essential, however, it is also one of the easiest and most enjoyable aspects of publishing a book.
  • A Secret to Make your Book a Best Seller - By: Barry Sheppard
    There is a secret to writing your bestselling book. I would like to tell you about it, so that you can use it as I have.