Book Marketing Bestsellers

Out-Sell New York Times Bestsellers

Without Breaking a Sweat!

by John Kremer

1. Start locally and let it build.

The One-Minute Manager was a self-published and became a San Diego success because the writers wanted a certain format but the publishers refused. Joanna Lund, an Iowa housewife/ secretary that saw her son go to war, decided to lose weight so she’d be alive when her boy came home. She lost 120 pounds with recipes sold 30,000 copies in Iowa alone. Penguin picked it up. Now she’s the best-selling author on the QVC home shopping channel.

2. The second way to roll out a bestseller is to do it city by city.

A children’s book Old Turtle was done that way. Voted by booksellers as a favorite book to hand-sell, it hit the bestseller list and sold a few million copies. That’s a good strategy, city by city, and you can do it without a big budget. You can do it cheaper if you work with family members, etc, and can write off all your visits to those cities. Second example: James Redfield’s The Celestine Prophecy.

3. Build slowly.

Do it over several years. One author sold 4 million books of short stories and women’s poems, self-published (When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple). Second example: 1001 Ways to Be Romantic.

If there is one key market for your book, work on it. Send them something every day. People become aware during repeated exposure to you. Send letters to the same person continually. In most cases you will be successful with that person.

4. Get out there and speak.

This is especially true for new age or self-help books as well as religious titles, and very useful for church bookstores and speaking groups. Examples: The Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Conversations with God, etc.

Read the newspaper of the towns you go to, that will give you ideas as to how to best sell books in that town. Libraries will pay to have you speak. Some authors make more money doing that vs. book sales. Workshops, speaking engagements, professional associations, etc., create lots of opportunities to sell a book.

5. The packaging and branding of the book is important!

Some books you pick up and don’t let go; it’s hard to describe why but the phenomenon is very real. You have to try to do that: does the book “feel right?” The cover design, title, content, and interior design are all important in creating a bestseller. Examples: Girlfriends, the Mars/Venus books, What Color Is Your Parachute?, and Worst Case Scenario Handbook.

6. Timing is everything.

The Beanie Baby Handbook was a bestseller by a small publisher. The bigger publishers came in and couldn’t do a better job. Smaller publishers get a jump on the market. The Prayer of Jabez has all kinds of knockoffs now. 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth beat the 20^th anniversary of Earth Day by 6 months. The self-publishers did it early and had the only books available when the media wanted to write about it. They got a lot of coverage. If you’re going for a significant date, get it done early.

7. Pick a perennial topic.

If you want the topic to be current 10 years for now, choose a perennial topic. The Microwave Cookbook has sold over 1 million books. Other examples: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, 1,001 Ways to Be Romantic, The Small-Time Operator, etc.

8. Use the Internet to create word of mouth.

If you have a novel, one of the best ways to promote it is to put the text on the net. Give away content to get word if mouth. Other Internet keys: viral marketing, email newsletters, search engine positioning, pay for placement, etc. Examples: Lonely Planet travel guides, M.J. Rose.

9. Work with bookstores to sell more books.

Buy up-front space or end-cap display space in the chains. The chains won’t sell it to you unless the book will succeed there. Learn how to make use of in-store merchandising to sell more books, especially with the chains. Also bookstore catalogs, newsletters, etc.

10. Keep knocking.

Develop your Kremer 100 list and work it every month. Build relationships. Do something every day for the books you love.

For more information, check out http://www.bookmarket.com.