I started my first job in a printing company over 35 years ago. After a short stint in the pressroom, I was moved into the production office where I started dealing with customers. I have been dealing with customers in one way or another, ever since. I moved to New York over twenty years ago. I was employed as an outside salesman for a Baltimore … [Read more...]

Audio Author Showcases – Let your first radio interview be an edited interview (where you control the editing) - WBJB Publishing Basics Radio host Ron Pramschufer, interviews Allan Hunkin, an Internet audio pioneer, about selling books on the web with sound. Most of us only recently heard the word "PodCast" for the first time. Mr Hunkin has been … [Read more...]

I am a firm believer in the notion that everyone has a story to tell and that everyone’s story should be told. The primary consideration for copyeditors in relation to this principle is the writing ability of the author. POD publishing services, such as AuthorHouse and Xlibris, offer what they call “copyediting” services for a single per-word … [Read more...]

Ever do a booksigning where you didn’t sell a single book? Ever go to a book fair where you ended up spending more than you earned? It doesn’t have to be that hard. Here’s how to maximize your sales at any book signing or book fair: Jazz up the table. Most bookstores and book fairs provide plain, uncovered tables at which to exhibit, and … [Read more...]

Three important concepts are fundamental to successful book marketing. Two are fairly obvious and you probably invoke them without even thinking. First, the content and format of your promotional material should communicate the benefits your titles offer to the recipient of the message. A one-message-fits-all press release is doomed to failure. The … [Read more...]

(This column first appeared in the St. Louis Publisher's Association newsletter.) Every March, book people across the country celebrate Small Press Month. While the term "small press" can refer to a modest-sized publishing company with multiple titles from various authors, it most often applies to self-published authors. That's another term … [Read more...]

If you have pondered whether your publishing company should enter the realm of religious books, you will be delighted to hear that this category of books is selling well. Religious books were ranked second in sales growth for 2005 (first in sales growth for the year were Education/Curriculum books). Religion book sales, with their nine percent … [Read more...]