Book Marketing Information

Book Club Sales -- Increasing the Odds


What is a book club sale? It is actually a rights sale or a licensing agreement: you are granting permission to a book club the right to "borrow" your work. You have written a book, and now you are allowing a book club to print and distribute your book to its members.

You allow the book club to reprint your book in a specific language, in a specific format, for a specific period of time, in a specific geographic territory, to a specific group of people. You ensure in your contract that you maintain ownership of the copyright and of all other intellectual property rights, such as electronic, movie, other languages and territories, and serial rights - to name a few. Always seek good legal advice before signing a contract.

There are many book clubs, but most of the major clubs fall under the bookspan umbrella (www.bookspan.com). To find other book clubs that are appropriate for your book, do an internet search: on your browser, type in +(your book genre, e.g., cooking)+book+club.

The chances of having your book selected by a book club are roughly one in ten, which is really quite good. Imagine if your chance at winning the lottery was that great!

Tip #1 for increasing the odds:

It is important to know that book clubs are always looking for new ideas to entice their members, so if your book is well written and edited, has plans for professional graphic design, AND demonstrates a unique slant on your topic, your chances of being selected rise considerably.

Tip #2 for increasing the odds:

In saying that, it is important for you to know that the earlier you submit your book, the better.

Tip #3 for increasing the odds:

Book clubs are much happier receiving a typed manuscript six to twelve months in advance of your publication date than receiving a bound galley or finished book close to the publication date. A book club likes to introduce your book to its members near your publication date in order to take advantage of the reviews and publicity that you will be generating when your book is launched. The bigger the media splash you make, the better everyone's sales will be.

Tip #4 for increasing the odds:

There are many categories of book clubs, so be sure to submit your title only to the appropriate clubs. Do not send your book to every book club that you can find. Each club's membership has specific interests so be sure to submit your book only to clubs that might buy-you will again increase your chance of being selected.

For instance, if you have a humor book, it's unlikely to be of any interest to a cooking club or to a mathematics club. If your book is regional, it will not likely appeal to a general interest book club, so submit that a regional title to suitable specialty clubs.

Tip #5 for increasing the odds:

There are rules to follow when submitting your book to the book clubs, so following them carefully should avoid unnecessary rejections.

Here they are:

  • Send your manuscript to the Editorial department at the appropriate club(s).

  • Include a cover letter that details the following information:

    • summary of the book contents

    • description of the book (size, binding, hard/soft cover, black & white or color)

    • expected selling price

    • number of pages

    • number and type of photographs and/or illustrations (indicate if black & white or color

    • notation if the book will be part of a series

    • which volume the book is in an existing series and a sales history of the series

    • intended publication date

    • plans for publicity and promotion, and your intended budget

  • Include a brief author biography written in the third person. Be sure to talk about any previous books published and their sales histories.

  • Send photocopies of some of the illustrations and photographs. Please do not send original copies - they will NOT be returned to you.

  • Don't forget your contact information and website if you have one.

    Unfortunately, you cannot contact book clubs to follow up on your submission. It's a case of "Don't call us. We'll call you". Book clubs receive too many submissions to allow follow up calls or letters. If they are interested, they will call you, usually within two to six months.

    Do you think that a book club sale is worth pursuing? Absolutely! For very little effort you can achieve the sale of thousands of copies of your book. You will likely be paid a minimum sum per copy, but you will also not have any production costs, and a small sum multiplied by thousands can equate to a very nice check. Your only effort will be to sign a contract, provide your book on disk and collect that check - and just think of the free publicity! Thousands of book club members will read about your book. You can't buy that kind of publicity!

    About The Author

    © Copyright 2004 Ink Tree Ltd.

    Ink Tree Ltd. helps authors publish, market and sell books. From "101 Things You Need to Know About Publishing" to our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit, we will help you make your book a success. http://www.inktreemarketing.com

    info@inktreemarketing.com

      


    MORE RESOURCES:

    AdAge.com

    Ford vs. Chevy: Did Attack Ad Backfire?
    AdAge.com
    According to the analytical marketing folks at Kelley Blue Book, more visitors checked out the Ford truck area on KBB's website than visited the section devoted to Chevrolet directly after Chevy's Silverado ad that zinged Ford during the Super Bowl.

    and more »


    Small Business Trends

    How to Drive Buyers for Your Book, in Droves
    Small Business Trends
    The topic of marketing your book was one we explored recently in an hour-long chat on Twitter. We tapped into the expertise of 4 “guerrilla book marketers,” plus savvy members of the community. Talk about creative ideas for marketing books!

    and more »


    CompTIA Strengthens Global Marketing and Communications Capabilities with ...
    MarketWatch (press release)
    13, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Named new senior vice president for marketing and communications at leading IT industry association CompTIA, the leading trade association for the world's information technology (IT) industry, today announced the ...

    and more »


    Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck Are Joined by a New Conservative Voice, Hudson Flynt.
    San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
    "Hudson Flynt returns from CPAC to unveil his new voice on conservative talk radio", cites Flynt's sponsor, Monster Marketers. His first commentary will be delivered today to the Atlanta market on Rush and this Wednesday on Beck via 640AM and WGST.com.

    and more »


    Heat Up Valentine's Day With ASI's Top 10 Sexiest Promo Products
    PR Web (press release)
    A search for romantic giveaways in ASI's exclusive promotional products database reveals marketers are in hot pursuit of everything from condom shaped USBs and a safe sex kit to the Little Black Book of Sex Toys. The Advertising Specialty Institute ...

    and more »


    Author Solutions dances into the DIY e-book market with Booktango
    CNET
    by David Carnoy February 8, 2012 1:41 PM PST Follow @DavidCarnoy With the boom in e-readers, self-publishing has become big business, and Author Solutions, one of the largest self-publishers in the US, has entered the DIY e-book market in a big way ...

    and more »


    First Comprehensive Do-it-yourself Book Marketing Service Offers Low-Cost ...
    Sacramento Bee
    New Book Marketing Service: YouDoPR.com educates, enables, and empowers authors and publishers to promote books like professional publicists. Authors get press release distribution, updated media lists, sample professional press releases and pitches, ...

    and more »


    Format changes, but books are still good sales tools
    Chicago Daily Herald
    By Jim Kendall E-books have changed the marketing dynamic entrepreneurs enjoyed when they handed their book to a prospect or followed up a meeting with a handwritten note that said, for example, “There's more on how you might approach selling on page ...



    Dr. Michael Jaffe's New Book Helps Golfers Overcome Back Pain
    Albany Times Union
    AuthorHouse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is a leading provider of book publishing, marketing, and bookselling services for authors around the globe and offers the industry's only suite of Hollywood book-to-film services.

    and more »


    The Art and Science of Success, Volume 4" Has Just Hit Best Seller on Amazon
    PR Web (press release)
    On February 10, 2012, The Art & Science of Success Volume 4, Proven Strategies From Today's Leading Experts hit #5 in Global Marketing and #2 in Work Life Balance categories on Amazon. The book is the fourth volume in the best-selling series of The Art ...

    and more »

    Google News

  • Article List | Index | Site Map
    All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
    The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.