Hi everyone,
This is a new spot I am creating on the CDS NEWS page for my own personal blog entitled Notions for Promotion. It's some tips, hints, observations, reservations, discriminations, and things that may be handy for you to use as a author/artist to use in your promotion of your products. Hopefully we will put these online on Youtube as well for you to view in the near future taught by moi.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM
OBSERVATION - BOOKS-A-MILLION - ORANGE PARK MALL - SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2010 - DEE-DEET-DEE-DEET-DEET-DEET
This is an OLD observation, but one that makes my blood boil everytime I see it. It is easy to identify the unexperienced, usually self published authors sitting in a bookstore. We were passing through Books-a-Million at the mall on Saturday and authors were noted at either end of the store's doors coming in and out.
BAD AUTHOR #1:
As we entered the store there sat a lady with her little book on display sitting at the table, reading a magazine. She had a little handwritten sign with an arrow pointed to her saying "Meet the Author". Well, HELLO! Don't let me interupt you dear while you are reading a magazine. You obviously don't give a flip that people are passing you by and you are not even looking at them or acknowledging your presence. Selling many books are you? My answer would be NO.
If you are an author at an event, booksigning, selling it on the corner of 295/Blanding - STAND UP! Even the folks begging for money with the cardboard signs are STANDING UP! They are not sitting there reading a newspaper or counting blades of grass. If you want to make a sale - STAND UP, say HI! If I ask you where the bathroom is in the store - TELL ME, and then you know what tell me that your book would make GREAT reading material for the bathroom, the beach, my vacation to the Bahamas or my vacation just to the bathroom, just get up! You want us to acknowledge that you are the author. I did not bring my sign pointing to me when I walked into the store saying, "I'm the customer." Sit down only for breaks when you need too. Stand up, pass out a bookmark, a flier, sell yourself, your book, get up folks. Even Sarah Palin does not just sit and read magazines at her events, why? Because she is too busy meeting, greeting, shaking hands, TALKING to people. Lose the chair.
Anyhoo.... as we went to exit the store into the mall we passed BAD AUTHOR #2, and what did we see?
Again, another sitting author. This one said a meek "hi", but that was it. There was another big pile of books stacked on the table for her to sign, but guess what? This one gave away "special purchase items". Buy my book and get a free calculator, alarm clock, flashlight with purchase your choice of gift! Do you know what this tells me?!
Again #1 it tells me you are self-published and not very confident that you can sell your book unless you have to BRIBE someone to get a "free gift with purchase."
#2: This tells me your book must not be that good if you have to offer a consulation prize for attempting to read your book. What the story is good and can stand on its own? Then why do I need the calculator, alarm clock or light? Is this to wake me up when I fall off the toilet asleep from reading your book? Is the calculator to figure out how much money I wasted on pages spent reading chapters 1 - 3? Is the flashlight for me to find the book after I chuck it out in the garbage can and then remembered I could have used the pages for bird cage liner? WHAT? Do NOT do give aways with your products at bookstores. Excuse me but isn't the bookstore already getting 40 - 50% of your retail price? How much will you be making? When are you going to get paid for today's sales anyway? How much did all the give away junk costs? What is your profit margin now? Your book should stand alone on it's own merit. At the most give away your autograph on the book with purchase for FREE.
Stay tuned folks. I will have more observations, information, and notions for your promotions coming soon! Get smart about selling your products!
I'd love to hear from you and get your comments, observation, recommendations and experience as well! Share what you know! E-mail me at Caryn@CDSPublicity.com.
