If you’re heading off to Book Expo America this month, you already know that it’s the largest book trade event held in the U.S. and second only to the Frankfurt Book Fair internationally. And whether you’re exhibiting a self-published book at the show, signing autographs in your publisher’s booth, or just planning to walk the floor, you can make it a more profitable experience. Here’s how:

Your telephone can be a valuable asset to help you sell more books, especially in non-bookstore markets where you have to do the selling. Yet many people feel apprehensive about using the telephone to talk with strangers. If you can learn to use the telephone in spite of your fear, you could experience increased sales and profitability. There are techniques you can use to overcome your dread and improve your oral-communication skills. Remember these points, and you won’t miss your calling.

Blogging is a relatively easy way for you to publicize your book and even improve your writing while you’re at it. If you can write an e-mail, you can write a blog—it’s the easiest, cheapest, and perhaps best way for authors to find an audience and connect with readers. Blogging is an informal, intimate form of communication that inspires trust among your readers.

It’s wonderful to get media coverage for your book or business. But even if you’re successful in getting publicity in magazines and newspapers—how can you guarantee that your publicity will translate into sales? Here are five ways to up the odds that your media coverage will translate into sales:

Did you ever try to lose weight? If so, you may have set a goal to lose 24 pounds in one year, broken down into twelve monthly two-lb. increments. Then you probably weighed yourself regularly to see if you were on track to reach your goal, and you may have had to make adjustments to your diet or exercise program

I looked up the word “sell” in the dictionary. This is what it said:”To persuade (another) to recognize the worth or desirability of something.” This definition assumes value. It assumes that you recognize the value of whatever it is that you are selling. Inherent in the definition is the concept of worth or desirability.

There are many ways to make a publishing firm succeed, but there is one sure way to make it fail — conducting business without a marketing plan. That is especially true when preparing your special-sales marketing plan, since this is usually foreign territory for the traditional independent publisher. In this case, a strategic plan is like a compass, constantly pointing the way to profitability.