Sarah Bolme

DON’T OVERLOOK BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATIONS

by Sarah Bolme ~ September 11th, 2005. Filed under: Book Marketing, Publishing Basics.

DON’T OVERLOOK BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATIONS

One new small publisher I know failed to understand how joining his local regional booksellers association would benefit him in selling books. As a result, he missed many opportunities to effectively and efficiently market his books to booksellers in his corner of the United States. When putting together a marketing plan for your new publication, don’t overlook the marketing opportunities available to you through regional and specialized booksellers associations.

Regional and specialized booksellers associations provide small and self-publishers affordable access to a reachable group of independent brick and mortar booksellers. These smaller bookseller associations’ memberships range from around 40 to over 600 stores. Many of the opportunities for marketing provided by these associations do not require the publisher to be a member of the association, but often a discount is provided if the publisher is a member.

Participating in the regional booksellers association where your publishing company is located will provide the most benefits to you. Many independent retail book stores feature titles from local authors and titles about the region where they are located. Similarly, participating in a specialized booksellers association where your title fits the specialty provides you access to those booksellers most interested in your book.

Here are six marketing opportunities available to small and self-publishers through local and specialized booksellers associations:

1. Advertise in Membership Directories

Most associations provide their members with an annual updated membership directory. The directory serves as a networking tool for the members. Placing an advertisement in an association’s membership directory provides you year-long exposure to member retailers.

2. Utilize an Association’s Newsletters

Many regional and specialized booksellers associations provide their members with either a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly newsletter that gives their members announcements, information, and tools for selling more books. Placing announcements, articles, and advertisements in these newsletters allows you to keep your publishing company and your titles in front of booksellers four to 12 times each year.

3. Exhibit at an Association Tradeshow

Almost all regional and specialized booksellers associations have an annual tradeshow for their members. Publishers who exhibit their titles at these tradeshows receive personal exposure to the book buyers attending the show. Its a great way to personally get to know booksellers and to hand-sell your books to them.

4. Participate in an Association’s Holiday Catalog

Holiday catalogs are a promotional tool for an association’s member retailers. Associations assemble the catalogs featuring holiday and general book titles for the Christmas season. Associations sell their holiday catalogs to their member retail stores and the stores then mail or hand them out to their customers to generate sales. Advertising in these catalogs is smart marketing for a publisher. Publishers who advertise in these catalogs can obtain maximize their advertising dollar through dual exposure; promotion of the title to the retail store at the same time it is being promoted to the consumer.

5. Rent Lists and Mailing Labels of Member Stores

Renting a list of member booksellers provides you the contact information of regional or specialized booksellers for your sales team to call to promote your titles directly. Mailing labels allow you to market your titles via direct mail to regional or specialized booksellers. In marketing, the more your product is in front of potential buyers, the more likely they are to purchase your product.

6. Annual Book Awards

Bookseller associations generally nominate the titles for their annual book awards and have their member booksellers vote on which titles should receive an award. Your title cannot be nominated unless it is brought to the attention of the bookseller association. This is best accomplished through utilizing the marketing resources the association provides you as a publisher. After all, receiving a book award guarantees more exposure for your book, increasing your sales.

American Booksellers Association’s (ABA) website lists 12 regional booksellers associations. I have listed them below. A few do not have websites and their contact information can be found on the ABA website at http://www.bookweb.org/orgs/286.html.

Specialty booksellers associations include:

I encourage you to take advantage of the marketing opportunities provided by regional and specialty booksellers associations when developing your marketing plan for your next bestseller.

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Sarah Bolme, MSW is the co-founder of Christian Small Publishers Association (www.christianpublishers.net). She is an author and the owner of Crest Publications (www.crestpub.com). Sarah can be reached at cspa@christianpublishers.net.

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