When I produced my first self-published book, “The Ojai Valley, An Illustrated History,” part of my promotions plan was to go after library sales. At that time, libraries paid full price for books. Some still do, but most of them prefer getting a discount whenever they can. Here’s how I sold to libraries in 1983. I gave a few copies of my … [Read more...]
The Amazon POD Ultimatum: What Does It Mean To You?
April 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment
What was the ultimatum? Roughly paraphrased: All POD printed books must either be printed at Amazon’s own printers, be part of the Amazon Advantage program or Amazon will stop selling them. They’ll still be listed, but only in the “used and new” section. Amazon’s printers, BookSurge and CreateSpace, limit the discounts at which they … [Read more...]
Is Amazon’s BookSurge Really a Raw Deal?
April 17, 2008 By 5 Comments
Recently, Amazon announced that all self-, subsidy, and small publishers would have their “buy” buttons turned off on their Amazon pages unless they produced those books through its BookSurge POD printing/publishing unit. The outcry from the self- and small publishing community was immediate and fierce. How dare Amazon force them into an … [Read more...]
Amazon Just Doesn’t Understand Ethics
April 17, 2008 By 3 Comments
Since this Amazon brouhaha started, I have maintained that I really don't know whether Amazon's actions are illegal (anti-trust, restraint of trade, etc.). I'm not a lawyer, after all, nor do I play one on YouTube. But, in my opinion, Amazon's actions are unethical with all the hallmarks of a marketplace bully. Whether they are doing anything … [Read more...]
Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do – Overcoming Obstacles, Adversities and Discouragement
April 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment
NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF ALL NEW BUSINESSES GO OUT OF BUSINESS WITHIN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OR LESS. WHY DO THEY FAIL? There are many starters in life - but very few finish what they start. When the going gets tough, most people fold. They don’t persist hard enough or persevere long enough. They don’t have a red-hot flaming burning desire to … [Read more...]
What do you think about Amazon’s announcement that small publishers need to print with their printer in order to be listed on Amazon?
April 17, 2008 By 10 Comments
What do you think about Amazon’s announcement that small publishers need to print with their printer in order to be listed on Amazon? To regular readers of this column, this announcement should have come as no surprise. I wrote about this last summer. Most “experts” thought I was out of my mind. Looks like I get the last laugh, now. First … [Read more...]
How to Turn Your Book Signing into a Sell-Out!
April 17, 2008 By 15 Comments
Everyone loves a successful book signing! When I had my very first book signing it was a total flop! Well, maybe not totally, the book store did order six books and I did sell two of them! But success comes after failure only if you try again. So what went wrong? I asked myself. Several things went wrong. First, I didn't invite anyone to come to … [Read more...]
Recent Comments