If you’ll just take a moment to lie aside some of your stereotypes and many of the myths you have grown up believing, I can proceed with providing you with a source of untapped potential that can propel your book sales to a whole new level. If you think about it the primary purpose of marketing is to promote (sell) your product or service.
It has been my experience that prisoners, their families and prison staff are a virtually untapped source for marketing your products or services. I have written a book entitled “Inside & Out” which describes in details the lives, habits and more of prisoners, the family members who support them, the staff, victims and even politicians. These are often some of the most overlooked and potentially the most loyal clients
First, you must understand that approximately 67% of the current prison population is made up of those convicted of some drug related crime, (They have or had access to money) and 95% of all prisoners (sooner or later) are released (will have or had the potential to earn money). Furthermore, many of those who are incarcerated spend most of their disposable income on reading materials, books, newspapers and magazines, etc (followed by hobby items, and junk food).
In case you missed it, prisoners are not only permitted to have but can afford your book, even those who have financial limitations, often have loved ones who are willing to purchase reading material for them in order to provide the prisoner with the much needed relief associated with a good book, your book.
Authors, self-publishers, and others often overlook this gold mine based upon past stereotypes and myths associated with prisoners and those who support them. Prisoners, contrary to popular myth, do not spend all of their time being raped, fighting each other and watching television (okay maybe some of them do, but this is far from the majority). The point is that you can tap into a market that is virtually untapped by self-publishers that can make the difference between your success and failure as a self-publisher.
I have been providing professional workshops, seminars and boot-camps for over twenty years (www.wilkins-associates.com) and have discovered that due to some self-publishers avoidance of the “F” word (that’s right “FREE”) they have missed some golden opportunities in marketing their products or services to a ‘captive audience’ so to speak.
I have told literally thousands how important it is not to pass up opportunities to showcase their ‘stuff’ by turning down opportunities to speak for organizations that may not be willing to pay you upfront. As a Preferred Professional Speaker (PPS), with the National African American Speakers Association (NAASA), I am the last to recommend free speaking engagements. Nevertheless, experience has proven that many times those so-called “free’ engagements have often proven to be the most lucrative, based upon the back of the room sales and potential for future referrals.
It is imperative that you look a little closer at opportunities that you have avoided in the past, some due to your own prejudices and some due to your ignorance. Either way, if you want to accomplish something different in your goal to becoming successful, you have to do something different.
In my book “The Business of Professional Speaking”, I give some detailed steps to obtaining both free and paid speaking engagements, and for those of you who believe that writing and speaking are totally unrelated, you are probably the ones with a garage full of unsold books and a mortgage that is a book sale away from foreclosure.
Listen it is not my intent to offend anyone, but I have been long since been fed up with the “look into the mirror and repeat how great I am” techniques of success (in my book “No Secrets to Success” I bluntly deal with realistic success and how to achieve it, and yes, I write a lot of books, and I also sell a lot too.), so if it seems as though I am direct and maybe even a little abrasive sometimes, it is simply because it has taken me years to achieve many of the successes that I have, and I believe that I could have achieved them a lot sooner, had someone taken the time to do what I do, and that is to provide you with the un-sugar coated version of the truth, as it pertains to success and what it means specifically to you.
My disclaimer is simple, “what works for one, may not work for all” , with that in mind I provide you with some serious methods, principles and alternatives to achieving success in doing that thing that you do. I have proven time and time again, that not only are there still sources of untapped potential out there, but that many times the greatest untapped potential is that potential that is still inside of you.
Dr. Michael V. Wilkins, Sr.
Author, Self-Publisher, Professional Speaker
www.wilkins-associates.com
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Wow! I never thought of this ‘captive’ market’s potential for sales!
Thank you for enlightening me and being truthful and authentic in your approach.
I appreciate it.
As well, I too am a speaker!
Cool article Michael.
Adrienne Zurub
Author, ‘Notes From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles’
http://chasewunderlickpublishers.com.cn
Thank you so much for this article. I will engage your suggestions for the sales to the untapped captive audiences of those incarcerated. I have inspirational books, and some i know have been sent by family members to prisoners. Their response i heard was very positive and shared through out the institution. I never thought of soliciting them because I was not aware there was any money available there. Again, I say thank you and God continue to bless you.
Grace and Peace,
This encouraged me very much. I believe the men at the shelter will really be pleased to read this.
Thank you,