If you’ve ever channel-surfed your way to QVC you’ve probably experienced the QVC “buzz” firsthand. You don’t watch QVC as a rule but for some reason, you can’t seem to switch the channel once you’re there. It’s engaging, fun, and dare I say, even a bit exciting. As the time ticks by with only seconds left to sell a product, you feel so compelled to buy it you’re already reaching for the phone when the smiling host says: “Sorry folks, we just sold out.” And suddenly you feel like you just missed out on the buy of the century.
If this has ever happened to you you’re not alone, in fact you’re in good company to the tune of 90 million other Americans that have that exact same “buzz.” It’s what’s kept QVC (which stands for quality, value and convenience) at the top of the home shopping channel food chain for over ten years and counting. If you’ve watched QVC for any length of time (and I highly recommend that you do) you’ll notice that while they’re serious sellers, there’s also a very homey, next-door-neighbor feel to it. It’s as though you’re sitting with a bunch of friends swapping hot shopping tips, and that’s exactly the way QVC wants it. It’s what makes their buyers some of the most loyal in the industry. This type of selling “friend to friend” is a relationship builder and while the show may seem folksy, it’s anything but. In 2004 QVC racked up $5.7 billion in sales and $760 billion in operating profit making them roughly twice as powerful as Amazon.com, 93 percent of those sales came from repeat customers.
But while QVC might seem like an “anything goes” shopping channel they take no chances with their products and will quickly remove any item that gets complaints totaling more than one percent of units shipped. Even getting into QVC is tough. On average QVC receives 20,000 applications a year, only 4 percent of those landed on the show. Why such a low margin? Well first off, QVC knows their audience and so should you. With 90 percent of their product purchased by women this is the primary demographic you’ll want to target. Also, keep in mind that as an author you’re probably not going to want to tout a book unless it’s part of a product line or book series. Independent books don’t tend to do well on the show unless you’re a celebrity author or the book is a cookbook, which will lend itself to demonstrations. If you’re trying to determine whether your book or books are right for QVC their criteria is not that dissimilar from the media. They want something that solves a problem, is easy to demonstrate (so for example if you have an organizing book you could do a messy desk makeover), and is timely. This is what QVC calls “developing your story” and that “story” will end up being your selling tool when you pitch QVC, they’ll want to know right off the bat what your product will do for their viewers, so don’t make them guess, point this out right up front in your sales sheet. A full list of product and submission guidelines is listed by following the link below. Once you submit your product you’ll hear back within three weeks if QVC is interested; if they are, be prepared to put your products through a series of rigorous tests and possible repackaging. Then, QVC will ask you to deliver a minimum of $20,000 in inventory (at wholesale pricing). There is also a series of on-line as well as in-person sessions you’ll need to attend before you’re “camera ready,” but all of this is handled by QVC and segments are often planned at least a month after a product is selected for their show.
Getting a book onto QVC can mean big dollars, in fact books selected have been known to sell as much as $40,000 in product in three and a half minutes of airtime (segments are typically eight minutes in length). The only downside is if you’re looking for a spike on a bestseller list, you won’t get it through QVC since books sold there do not register in the surveys or databases that contribute to most national best-seller lists. Still a sale is a sale and getting on QVC is a great way to get your book or product out there and make the kind of splash you can only get from a QVC “buzz.”

FMI on selling to QVC head on over to their product submission page: http://www.qvcproductsearch.com/

Penny C. Sansevieri
The Cliffhanger was published in June of 2000. After a strategic marketing campaign it quickly climbed
the ranks at Amazon.com to the #1 best selling book in San Diego. Her most recent book: From Book to Bestseller was released in 2005 to rave reviews and is being called the “roadmap to publishing success.” Penny is a book marketing and media relations specialist. She also coaches authors on projects, manuscripts and marketing plans and instructs a variety of coursing on publishing and promotion. To learn more about her books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank email to: subscribe@amarketingexpert.com
Copyright  2005 Penny C. Sansevieri

Last 5 posts by Penny Sansevieri

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• Super Savvy Internet Promotion - February 1st, 2006
• Solving the Riddle of Book Publicity - December 6th, 2005