The biggest enemy to sales is the status quo. When sales trainers say that phrase, we are usually referring to prospects. The idea is that most people find it to be very difficult to let go of what they are used to doing (even if it’s not working for them) and so it is frequently difficult to persuade a prospect to make a change. Hence, the biggest enemy to sales is the status quo.

1. Get Reviews – The way most libraries make their purchasing decisions is via the reviews in the major trade journals—Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Foreword Magazine. So it’s important to be sure your book is reviewed in those publications. If you’ve published traditionally, you can expect your publisher to handle this step (though it can’t hurt to ask the publicist or editor if this will happen automatically—and follow through to make sure it does.)

Competitive doesn’t begin to describe today’s book market. The booming print-on- demand and self-publishing industries, coupled with mainstream publishers, has flooded the market with thousands of new releases each month. “The LA Times receives 600 to 700 books for review each week,” reports Steve Wasserman, book review editor —book publicity is a tough, sometimes brutal business.

1. Prospects will take calls.Stop worrying that your prospects do not want to speak with you. If your offer has value and you have done your homework, targeted your market and are able to speak about your product/service intelligently and articulately, most prospects will be more than happy to listen to what you have to say.

How do you publicize a children’s book? Many authors of children’s books don’t spend much time trying—but publicizing a children’s book can be easier than publicizing an adult novel. Here’s how to get started:

Direct mail has been given a bad reputation because of overuse and poorly designed mailing pieces. Unfortunately, people perceive all direct mail as junk mail, and its Internet equivalent as spam.

Marketing plans are great guides for business owners, and a book marketing plan is the specific tool you will use to find and create places to sell your book(s). Learn how to develop a smart marketing plan that will help you sell more books.