Advocating for Authors by Kira Henschel When was the last time something made your blood boil? Mine hit the 100 degree Celsius point when an author approached us for marketing support for his new series of mystery stories. He had just been accepted by a publisher, his book was being edited and it was due for publication in September or … [Read more...]

Why Bother Submitting to a Publisher By Linda Jackson Although I am a gung-ho proponent of self-publishing, I would still advise new authors to first submit their manuscripts to traditional publishers before venturing into the bold world of self-publishing simply because of the cost. I chose self-publishing (after only five submissions to … [Read more...]

NOTES FROM THE FIELD—HOW SALES REPS WORK Every sales rep works differently—they have to be flexible in order to present your books in the way that a particular account or buyer wants to hear about them. Some buyers want to get a catalog and samples with the rep following up by phone. Some buyers never want to hear from a rep—as long as they … [Read more...]

July 4th Opportunity By Fern Reiss Savvy book folk will wait to take their July 4th holiday until several days after the 4th. July 4th—and, indeed, almost any government holiday, including Labor Day and Memorial Day—offers a wonderful publicity opportunity for the right author. Because businesses and government institutions close early … [Read more...]

Selling to Specialty Stores Brian Jud Every store that sells a product on your book’s topic can be a source of sales for your books. You can sell your cookbooks at food stands or gourmet shops; your book about dogs or cats to pet shops; your book about foot care in shoe stores. You may find yourself selling your books to museums, to zoos, … [Read more...]

Editor of the Harris report, Godfrey Harris has written 7 books on word of mouth advertizing and including Talk Is Cheap, How to Generate Word of Mouth Advertising, Don't Take Our Word for It!, Let Your Fingers Do the Talking, Talk Is Easy, and Watch It! These books have sold an estimated half million copies in 13 languages. … [Read more...]

My printer tells me that the price of paper is increasing so my printing cost is going to rise. Is that true? There is only one industry that I enjoy “ragging on” as much as the Vanity Presses and that is the paper industry. The short answer is, yes, paper prices are increasing. I have been in the printing industry for well over 30 years. In … [Read more...]