Publishing Poynters
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Book and information marketing news and ideas from Dan Poynter
October - December 1999 |
Welcome to your last Publishing Poynters of this century.
EBooks, such as the Rocket eBook, are "electronic devices". When traveling by air, they must be turned off for takeoff and landing. BTW, the Rocket now holds up to 120 books.
Electronic editions of The Self-Publishing Manual and Write & Grow Rich can be purchased at http://www.1stBooks.com and http://www.FatBrain.com. Check them out.
Buy digital; analog is history. Whether you are in the market for a cell phone, voice recorder, television set or any electronic device, look at digital models first. Then look for models without moving parts; they use more energy (batteries). For example, the cassette tape is history. Spinning minidisks could be next. Voice recorders are using stationary Flash Cards.
When selecting a toll-free number, call the 800, 888 and 877 variations. People will mix them up and call the wrong one. You do not want to pay for misdials. Try to avoid (high volume) catalog and customer service numbers.
For bar code software, see http://www.taltech.com. Get software capable of producing Bookland EAN bar codes with the price extension.
Book clubs are feeling the competition from online bookstores. Amazon.com and others also recommend books and sell for less.
Research is easy online. When you need facts, statistics and answers, try http://www.itools.com/research-it/. BTW, the rhyming dictionary is helpful for designing book titles/subtitles. Bookmark this site.
Book Industry Trends has just been published by the Book Industry Study Group. Contact Bill Raggio: bill@bookinfo.org. See http://www.bisg.org
Where are you listed on the Web? Just type in your name at Egosurf and get a list. http://www.egosurf.com. Also see http://www.search.com
Autographing tips. Write your own announcement for the bookstore PA system and print up bookmarks with your advertising to have something to give away.
Poetry and quotations can be sold when made part of an art form. Randy Kjerstad publishes broadsides featuring his woodblock-print artwork with inspirational and thought-provoking quotations. For examples: randy@kjerstad.com
Getting permission to use material from other publications. For 14 Permissions, Caveats, Curveballs and Nasty Little Secrets, contact Jack McHugh at j.b.mchugh@worldnet.att.net
Book promotion is less expensive and more successful when you use book reviews, news releases and, if appropriate to your book, a limited amount of highly-targeted direct mail advertising.
Book reviews are editorial copy that is much less expensive and far more credible than space advertising. For most nonfiction books, there are over 500 appropriate magazines, newsletters and newspapers columns that should receive review packages.
For lists of appropriate media, visit http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=/bookprom.html&userid=10027052. To find out how good our lists are, call a recent client: Godfrey Harris at Harris/Ragan Management Group: 310-278-8037.
When paying bills, slip in one of your brochures with your check. The utility companies send statement stuffers to you so why not send one back? (By the way, Dan Poynter spent two college summers working in the Stub Room of the Pacific Gas & Electric Company in San Francisco. He would have seen your brochure).
Netsurfing in your subject area is like working a room at a conference. Interesting and valuable connections come to you. Take part in (your) subject-specific e-mail lists (listservs) and other discussion groups.
Who does Para Publishing recommend? We receive many calls for recommended printers, book designers, publishing attorneys, etc. So we have assembled a list. For a free list, see http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=/supplier.html&userid=10027052
Awards bring attention to books. Over 300 book awards are listed in Literary Market Place. Authors and publishers should submit to all in their category. Even when you do not win, many judges become familiar with your work and they are opinion molders.
To exhibit your books in targeted (non-book trade) conventions, contact Mark Trocchi at Association Book Exhibit. Write him atinfo@BookExhibit.com for a list of the shows he covers.
The Para Publishing web site has been completely overhauled. We have some 500 pages of helpful resources. See for yourself at http://ParaPublishing.com. Log on and bookmark it.
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Editorial: Call processing machines answer the telephone and instruct callers to push certain numbers to direct their call. These systems seem to be all the rage with larger companies receiving numerous calls as they eliminate a receptionist. They are also extremely time-consuming and irritating to the caller. Is the saving worth having your customer in a bad mood when he or she finally gets through to you? Call processing machines and software certainly do not improve customer service or satisfaction. At Para Publishing, we answer our own telephones. Is this any way to run a publishing company? We think it is and we have been doing it for over 30 years. |
Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter is full of direct mail and copy writing tips. See http://www.bly.com
Free email marketing tip of the day. To receive it via email, contact Markus Allen at media@MarkusAllen.com
Have questions about book fulfillment and shipping? See http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=resource/fulfill.html&userid=10027052
Book writing and publishing are often isolated solitary endeavors. If this is a new business to you, you owe it to yourself to get coaching from Dan. Do not waste time trying to figure it all out for yourself (reinventing the wheel). If you have been in publishing for a while, Dan can show you some surprisingly easy tricks that will take your business to the next level. He hosts Book Promotion Workshops in Santa Barbara. See http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=resource/edutrain.html&userid=10027052#edutrain1
Confine your news release to just one topic. Covering multiple items and news angles makes your release lose focus and it is hard for an editor to use it. See http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=resource/promote.html&userid=10248176
Limit travel with your notebook computer. Sooner or later, it will be stolen. They are too easy to steal and too valuable to pass up.
Our Fax-On-Demand system has been in operation continuously since 1994. While all of it’s free and for-sale documents have been duplicated on our Web site, it is still running—and clients are still using it. We recognize that the future is in the Web but we will keep the FOD computer (an old 386) powered 24 hours until clients stop using it or it dies. Call (805) 968-8947 from your fax machine.
When answering the telephone, try a positive, helpful approach. Our example is as follows: "Para Publishing, this is Dan Poynter and I can help you".
Ordering and time zones. People who regularly order products by telephone are finding they can sometimes get faster service from suppliers in the Pacific Time zone. Overnight delivery firms, such as FedEx, make their last pickup of the day three hours later in the west than in the east while delivery costs are the same. Customers are finding they can call from the east as late as 8 p.m., just make the 5 p.m. western pickup and get delivery by 10:30 the next morning.
Dan Poynter will be speaking: In addition to the Santa Barbara workshops, Dan is taking his book-marketing message on the road. Come and meet Dan or send someone from your staff. Call telephone numbers now for details. Dan will be speaking on:
1999
October 14: International Coach Federation, Orlando, FL. Fmi: Cindy Reinhardt, 806-829-2105, cindy@successzone.com
October 19: How to Write and Publish Books, a seminar by Dan Poynter at the Learning Annex, Los Angeles. 6:30 to 9:30 PM. fmi (310) 478-6677.
October 23-24: Book marketing/promotion/distribution seminar in Santa Barbara with Dan Poynter. For details, contact Para Publishing, PO Box 8206-896, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206. Tel: (805) 968-7277, Fax: (805) 968-1379. workshop@ParaPublishing.com
November 18: How to Write and Publish Books, a seminar by Dan Poynter at the Learning Annex, Los Angeles. 6:30 to 9:30 PM. fmi (310) 478-6677.2000
January 15-16: Book marketing/promotion/distribution seminar in Santa Barbara with Dan Poynter. For details, contact Para Publishing, PO Box 8206-896, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206. Tel: (805) 968-7277, Fax: (805) 968-1379. workshop@ParaPublishing.com
January 18: How to Write and Publish Books, a seminar by Dan Poynter at the Learning Annex, Los Angeles. 6:30 to 9:30 PM. fmi (310) 478-6677.
Dan Poynter also speaks on parachute topics and how to be an expert witness. Request his parachute and expert witness calendars. Want Dan to address your group? See http://www.parapublishing.com/getpage.cfm?
file=resource/edutrain.html&userid=10027052#edutrain1
It is time to share: Please send us your book marketing tips for inclusion in Publishing Poynters. You will be helping the thousands of publishers who receive this informative newsletter. When sending marketing opportunities, you must include full details and your telephone number. Send them to DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
Para Publishing, Dan Poynter, PO Box 8206-210, Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206 USA. Tel: (805) 968-7277; Fax: (805) 968-1379; email: DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com; Web site: http://ParaPublishing.com
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