Sell the Book!

39 Days Until Secuestro Arrives - Coming from the sales world (real estate broker for more years than I care to number) marketing is key. Selling a house is lots different than selling a book. There's always the learning curb. Going on Cuba on My Mind's record, we've learned a few things. What we've found out applies to a regular book--not a blockbuster like 50 Shades of Gray, or Harry Potter, or a movie star, criminal or politicians book--those books seem to get a life of their own.

#1 Pre-Sales - Send an e-mail blast to all your friends that your book is out and that's without doubt the best sales outlet. Ask your friends to e-mail their friends.

#2 Private parties-- wine and cheese, tea and crumpets given by private individuals who invite their friends and acquaintances are good sales venues.

#3 Civic and Church groups--These groups invite you to be a guest speaker (they're always having to fill their calendars) and they are a captive audience who do buy books.

#4 Book Clubs - Members like to read and will purchase a book before or at the meeting and will have wonderful discussions about it--interpretations that are way deeper than you ever intended them to be.

#5 New Orleans (closest big city to me) is a very literate town and there's a literary fair about every other month- the big ones are William Faulkner Literary Festival; Tennessee Williams Literary Festival; French Quarter Book Fest, etc. etc. They big name grab most of the attention, but sometimes an ordinary writer can make a few sales, meet agents, other authors, publishers, etc. and make good contacts.

#6 Libraries. I love libraries and they have great book events. Unfortunately, most people know library books are free, so they go straight to the stacks-- but again, library events are a source of good contatcts.

#7 Book Stores--There's lots of traffic, lots of books. My most successful afternoon was the Saturday before Mother's Day--other times the day can get long sitting there. I'm not really a great Chatty Kathy--I should work on that.

My volunteer team is working to determine what works for PR and contacts; what works for sales; how to two can merge and mix and lead to success.

Anybody who has any ideas, will you please share?

Anticipation

September 27, 2010 - Forty days until Secuestro arrives. Secuestro means kidnap, but since Robert L. Stevenson already wrote that masterpiece, I chose a Spanish word to title this book on the abduction of a young girl to Fidel Castro's mountain headquarters during the Cuban revolution. Since publishing is a new experience for me, and there's all those choices to make, sharing them might help somebody else avoid the pitfalls 'cause everybody wants to write a book. Livingston Press, University of West Alabama is the publisher, Dr. Joe Taylor is the able publisher, editor, and seems to me, Jack of All Trades.

OOPS - This might be encouraging. Stuck a jump drive in my blue jean pocket with intentions of working under a shade tree since the September weather is so gorgeous, forgot about it--weather too nice to work--came home, threw the jeans in the washing machine and Washed and Dried the jump drive!
Panic! Stuck it in the computer. IT STILL WORKS. Marvelous little gadget.