I recently moderated a discussion at PMA University on this subject. Since printing is probably the largest single expense a small publisher faces I thought I would share it with you here today.

You don’t have to leap high buildings to get your book selling well, just follow these eleven tips. 1. Write a book that people need and want. People want how-to books; they want skills. Notice the demand today for eBooks. It’s best to see the need and fill it rather than have an idea—then look for an audience.

In the last four weeks, one of my clients sold over 10,000 books, without ever hassling with bookstores. Here’s how your book can generate this kind of quantity sales this quickly:

Not without Divine intervention, and even then it might be “iffy.” And of course, your book won’t sell itself. If the public is not aware of your book’s existence, it really does not exist. This means someone has to promote your book so it can be sold. That someone is you. To paraphrase Pogo, “I have met the publicist and it is me.”

I received a voice mail from a sales representative:
‘The purpose of my call today is to introduce myself and take a moment to briefly describe for you two core-based technologies; laser Internet on-line office and an Internet broadcasting technology. I don’t know whether or not if any of these applications may be of interest to you, I would appreciate a brief moment of your time to review that.’

Raising awareness of your book and making a beaten path to your door is considered one of the hardest aspects in the book industry. To have recognition for your work even to feel satisfied with yourself is a tough path that everyone has to walk. But, there are a great many resources and companies that will help you attain your goals as a publisher and/or author along the way making your journey smoother

In 1988 a first-time author, British mountaineer Joe Simpson, wrote of his disastrous climbing accident in the Peruvian Andes. His book, Touching the Void, got good reviews, but wasn’t too popular outside England. It sold modestly and then, like most books, began fading into obscurity.