I donated a couple of my new books to the local public library when I lived in Quincy, Massachusetts. The books were placed in a special room reserved for local books. This was quite an unexpected honor in the hometown of two U.S. presidents.

#

SELLING TO LIBRARIES: The best ways to approach the library market are to be accepted by Quality Books, become a stock publisher with Baker & Taylor, let all the library wholesalers know where to find you by sending them a brochure, join the PMA library mailings, make your own mailings to libraries with special collections, patronize selected library co-op exhibits and prepare a great review package for Library Journal. Be organized and persistent.

QUALITY BOOKS: The secret to having your book accepted by Quality Books is to notify them of the new title early. Quality has to get the jump on the regular wholesalers if they’re to be effective in moving books for you. The selection committee turns down 700 to 800 titles each month. Some books don’t meet the selection criteria, but most rejects are older books from larger publishers.

#

A SECOND LOOK

 

Quality rejected Parachuting: The Skydiver’s Handbook when it was initially published. The selection committee just didn’t believe the library market was large enough for such a specialized sport. Quality was handling a number of my other books and gave the handbook another look soon after Tom Drewes (then owner) took up skydiving in 1983. Everyone was pleasantly surprised— Quality moved several hundred copies.

#

The ideal time to send in the New Book Information form along with a sample copy and promotional materials is before you go to press. Then books can be shipped directly to Quality from the printer. It’s a great feeling to go to press knowing some books are already sold. If you cannot submit an advance sample copy prior to printing, then submit the book, forms and promotional materials immediately after printing. The sooner the better. An initial stocking order from Quality is usually 50 to 100 books.

UNIQUE BOOKS: Unique Books operates like Quality Books—but on a somewhat smaller scale. They warehouse about 5,000 titles and accept not only adult nonfiction and children’s books, but also fiction and university press titles. Like Quality, they send sales reps to libraries and exhibit at library conferences. Your book can be carried by both Unique and Quality—a usual opening order from Unique is 30 to 60 books.

BAKER & TAYLOR: Become one of their stock publishers. Library sales account for 68% of B&T’s business. You should have made contact as you worked through the previous section on Wholesalers and Distributors.

OTHER LIBRARY WHOLESALERS: Notify other library wholesalers through a mailing. Some of the larger library wholesalers include Academic, Ambassador, Blackwell, Book House, Brodart, Coutts, Eastern, Emery-Pratt, Midwest and Yankee Book Peddler.

BOOK REVIEWS should be sought in library review magazines. Since a good review in Library Journal or ALA Booklist will move around 1,200 copies of most books, book reviews are worth some extra effort.

Book reviews are the librarians’ overwhelmingly most popular tool for making selection decisions. Acquisition librarians just don’t have time to read and evaluate all the new books. They rely mostly on Library Journal, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Choice and The New York Times Book Review. Ninety-four percent of librarians rely on reviews in Library Journal, while 91% read the reviews in Booklist. Only 44% believe the ads in LJ, and only 35% have confidence in the ads in Booklist. The figures for Publishers Weekly are 75% relying on the reviews, and 53% buying into the ads (notice that this is higher than the ads in the two other publications). For the addresses of the publications, see Appendix 2 under Magazines for Publishers. Also see the Book Review, Magazines and Serials sections of Literary Market Place.

Follow up on review-packet mailings to the above-mentioned library review magazines with a telephone call. Never ask if they plan to review the book, but rather if they have received the book. If not, or if they can’t find it, get a name and send another book.

PMA CO-OP LIBRARY MAILINGS: PMA (the Publishers Marketing Association) periodically mails a flat envelope containing individual book flyers to 2,600 public libraries across the U.S. that have a purchasing budget of $25,000 or more. These are just public libraries, and only those that can afford to buy. Cost for participation is $145 plus your flat (unfolded) flyer on one or more books. For $165 per mailing, PMA also makes co-op mailings to 3,200 K-12 libraries, 3,300 college and university libraries and 2,600 special-interest libraries. See http://www.pma-online.org.

Consider the type of library that’s most likely to buy your book. Maybe you just want school, medical or law libraries, or perhaps you have a regional book and just want public libraries in New England. You can make mailings either alone or in cooperation with other publishers.

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: Look for special libraries or regular libraries with special collections. For instance, if yours is an aviation book, you could send brochures to libraries with an aviation section. Don’t go to the expense of mailing to all libraries when you can isolate those that have a particular interest in your topic. Gale Research rents mailing lists of libraries with special collections. See their Web site at http://www.galegroup.com.

For a list of special libraries, contact the Special Library Association at http://www.sla.org.

Many individual library associations rent their mailing lists. For example, the American Association of Law Libraries can supply on labels a list of 2,300 law libraries. For more information on contacting special libraries, see Marketing to Libraries through Library Associations from the American Library Association at http://www.ala.org.

When you plan to make a mailing to specialized libraries, invite other publishers to join you. Co-op promotions can save a lot of money and help justify otherwise marginal mailings.

LIBRARY REVIEW MAGAZINES: Library Journal, ALA Booklist and other trade magazines run special editions and special sections throughout the year. Categories covered are travel books, children’s books, metaphysical books, cookbooks, religious books, etc. Book listings (a few sentences about your book) are usually free. Advertising and listings should be planned for these special editions where attention is being drawn to a particular subject.

Contact each magazine for a list of upcoming special issues, ad rates and information about how to list your book. The addresses are in Appendix 2 under Magazines for Publishers.

 

SCHOOL MARKET

The school market spends more than a billion dollars each year for textbooks. While most of these books are developed especially for certain courses, many are regular books developed for other markets but adopted as supplementary educational aids.

ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS: In the U.S., there are approximately 64,000 public elementary, 24,000 public high and 1,800 combined schools in 18,000 school districts. Additionally, there are some 14,000 private elementary and 4,000 private high schools. Together they employ 2.3 million teachers.

In 22 states, schools purchase texts under a state adoption system, where a board approves titles for a five-year period. State adoption is a hunting license and allows the salespeople to try to sell the book to the schools. Even where there is no state adoption system, planning seems to follow a five-year cycle. In some areas, publishers have to ship to central depositories, where the schools draw on books as needed. This usually means a consignment inventory, and the publishers aren’t paid for the books until requisitioned by the schools. The school market is tough and very competitive.

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: Colleges are changing. There are more students over 25, more women are going back to school and more people are turning to continuing education courses in their specialty.

There are three types of college bookstores: (1) those that are owned by the institution, (2) those that are private and (3) those college stores with a private lessee. As in the general bookstore business, large chain franchises are devouring independent college stores.

Textbook publishers concentrate on wooing the instructors, who select books for their courses in more than 3,000 schools. This decision is easier for some professors, because they pen their own textbooks. Normally, this purchasing is done by the local bookstore, and the instructor notifies them of his or her choice by April for the fall term. Of course, there are challenges. Sometimes the choice is made too late or the estimated number that will be needed is wrong. Some students avoid buying the text by sharing or making repeated visits to the school library. The result is a store-return rate on textbooks of more than 20%.

Teachers expect to get free examination copies of books, and while some treat this privilege with respect, others just collect books or sell them to the bookstore. The bookstore, in turn, sells the book to a student or returns it to the publisher for a refund. The bookstores even supply teachers with blank Desk Copy Request forms designed to be sent to the publisher for freebies. Often, young instructors are trying to build up their libraries. Older professors, who have more say in book selection, do much less collecting.

To check the validity of these requests for examination copies, some publishers request information about the size of the course, the requester’s academic position, etc.

#

TWO LARGE DEALS ONLY; MANY SENT OUT

 

During the last 35 years, I have sent out scores of requested desk copies and so far only two have resulted in large school bookstore orders.

#

To attack the college market, analyze your book’s subject and decide which course might find it useful. The teachers are easy to find, and direct mail advertising is the most effective method of reaching them. In fact, some publishers find the lists so specialized that they use them to send free, unsolicited examination copies.

More and more college students are avoiding the college bookstore. They are getting a better deal from online textbook dealers.

 

PREPUBLICATION SALES

These sales will bring in some money early and help you pay the printing bill. But it isn’t wise to start too soon on the prepublication publicity for your first book. The first time around is a learning experience, and there will be countless delays in the writing, production and printing process. You do not want to find yourself spending all your time answering the question, “Where is the book I ordered?” On your first book, hold the announcement until it is on the press. The next time, adjust and start earlier.

Once you learn the promotion ropes, you should be able to sell enough books through prepublication sales—to both wholesale and retail customers—to pay the print bill.

Offer an early wholesale deal (“to be shipped directly from the printer”) to associations and specialty dealers. It’s nice to have a pile of orders on the desk when the book comes off the press.

If your book is specialized and you’re able to find an appropriate mailing list, you should consider a prepublication retail offer. Tell potential buyers the book is being printed, and if they want one hot off the press they should send their money now because you’ll be shipping on a first-come-first-served basis. Include an early-order deal such as “postage free if you order from this ad.” This mailing should also be sent to all your friends and acquaintances; many will respond and be pleased that you thought of them. If a prospect is mentioned in the text or the acknowledgments, that person is sure to buy one. You can also autograph selected copies.

Never discount a brand-new book! Many new publishers feel they have to offer a deal to readers. Discounting a new book makes you appear to be in a distress situation. You’re in a very strong position—you have a new book! And you need every penny of profit; don’t give it away.

 

NONTRADITIONAL MARKETS

Specialty (nonbook) outlets offer many nonfiction publishers their largest market. For example, a book on mountain climbing will sell better in backpacking shops than in bookstores, and the size of the store’s purchases will be larger. Sales to stores other than bookstores are often called “non-traditional sales” or “special sales.”

#

AN EARLY PIONEER

 

Warner Publishing cracked a new market in 1978 when Karen Lustgarten’s Disco Dancing was sold in record stores.

#

The common ground for nonfiction books is in their packaging; the subject matter of each book is unique. Non-fiction should be sold where customers for it can be found. Boating books should be placed in nautical shops, local geography–history books in tourist shops and football books in sporting-goods stores. Sell your books where the highest concentration of potential customers can be found. Most of your prospects probably never go into a bookstore. So make your books available through bookstores, but don’t confine your sales efforts to these shops.

#

At Para Publishing we tolerate, but do not pursue, bookstores.

#

SELLING TO SPECIALTY STORES: Many specialty stores will want a 40%, 50% or higher discount, but they usually buy outright. There are no returns.

In these shops, it’s very important to establish, cultivate and maintain as close a personal relationship as possible with the management. It is of the utmost importance that they like you and your book so they will promote it at every opportunity. Selling them the first time often requires a personal visit to prove the sales potential of the book. When making a promotion to these shops, remember their peak selling seasons and the required lead time.

#

The smaller houses were relatively more successful in using nonbook retail outlets than the largest houses were.

Judith Appelbaum, How to Get Happily Published

#

One innovative book marketer is Bruce Lansky of Meadowbrook Press. Bruce is good because he markets books the way he used to market candy. His wife at that time, Vicki, wrote a book on nutrition for babies called Feed Me, I’m Yours, and the Lanskys decided to publish it themselves.

First Bruce tried a local children’s clothing store. They bought, so he approached a wholesaler of infant items but was turned down flat. He had to offer consignment and counter racks to let the wholesaler prove to himself the books would move. The wholesaler called three days later and ordered 12 dozen more—the Lanskys were in business. Next, Bruce created a mailing stuffer for the wholesaler to enclose with the statements he sent to his 1,000 accounts. Sales soared.

Bruce’s secrets to special sales are:

1. Play dumb. Visit the account and learn all about their terms, key accounts, store or warehouse and the reps in their field. Think as the specialty wholesaler and retail outlet does.

2. Don’t act like a publisher. Pretend you’re in their business. Bruce was in infant accessories that day. Act as they do. Your book is a “specialty product.”

3. Use success to breed more success. Do your research, run small tests and learn the industry. Subscribe to their magazines, join their associations, exhibit at their trade shows and get to know the players. Make a mailing to distributors and retailers, and follow up with calls.

Other nonbook retail channels include gift shops, hardware stores, garden shops, auto supply stores, etc. Many are establishing book corners for an additional profit center, as well as to lend prestige to their line.

Run a test in a few local shops. Develop your approach (posters, counter displays, price, etc.) before rolling out in a wider promotion.

Just as there are distributors and wholesalers serving the bookstores, there are other distributors and wholesalers catering to the nonbook outlets. Check these stores and look for books. Find out who distributes them to the store. That distributor could get your books to other stores of the same type in their territory.

Those stores that don’t carry books will have to be accessed through sales reps of other types of products. Ask the local store manager for names of hot sales reps and rep groups who handle other lines of products. These sales reps may take on your book. They will want a sales commission of 10% to 15% of the net-billed amount (that is, a commission on the books after discount and not including the shipping charges).

For counts on the number of businesses in many categories and the number of stores in each chain, see http://www.vendorpro.com/stores.htm.

If the specialty shop is a franchise, make a pitch to the headquarters. Many franchisers do not control the buying for their individual franchisees, and, even if they do, the sale will not be easy. However, the hope of making one large sale to the whole chain is worth some of your sales time.

#

A SURPRISE MARKET

 

Years ago, I was in a local photocopy shop when the owner began asking about The Self-Publishing Manual. Forty percent off sounded good to him, and he wanted to put some books on the counter. I doubted the books would sell, but brought in eight copies in a counter display (cut-down carton) to humor the owner. Three days later, he called for more. Apparently, the people who frequent photocopy shops are the type who work with the written word—a good market after all. This lesson resulted in an expansion into other copy shops. Some outlets for books may not be obvious at first.

#

If you receive an inquiry from a market you never thought would be interested in your book, draft a letter to similar stores or groups saying, “This [store or group] ordered the book and we thought you might be interested too.” The mailing might just go out to 100 places—no great investment—and there’s a good chance of a payoff.

#

A SURPRISING DEAD END

 

A few years later, I thought I might capitalize on desktop publishing by selling The Self-Publishing Manual through computer stores. I placed books in several stores and there they sat. Very few were sold. Sometimes the seemingly obvious outlets for a book don’t work.

#

If the Appendix of your book has a source directory, do a mailing to each firm saying, “You’re mentioned in the book. We thought you would like to know and that you might like to offer this book to your customers.” Build up a strong, reliable dealer network.

 

TARGET YOUR MARKETS

Audience specialization is accomplished by concentrating your promotional efforts on those people most likely to buy. Before you wrote your book you analyzed your potential audience, and then you slanted your text toward them. In producing your book, you considered how it might be marketed and made your product attractive in this medium. Perhaps you put extra effort into the cover. The selection of your marketing channels is very important. For example, the chains seem to concentrate on fast-moving books. If your book is very technical and is aimed at a very narrow audience, you don’t want to send it to the chains. The unsold books will only come back. Even if you get your book into a nonbook market where there aren’t any returns, you want the books to sell, not to sit on the shelves forever. You want dealers who are repeat customers. So consider who patronizes each of the various outlets, and be objective in considering whether they are your buying audience.

#

There is no secret formula for success. It’s simply a good item for which there is a need, at the right price, offered to the right market.

#

In analyzing the market, you’ll consider your principal marketing concerns, your customers (individuals, schools, libraries, international markets, subsidiary rights, industry, government, etc.) and your distribution channels (distributors, wholesalers, bookstores, specialty stores, book clubs and catalogs). Your marketing tools are book reviews, news releases, articles, direct email advertising, exhibits, sales representation, etc.

With a specialized nonfiction book, you can avoid the expensive, traditional, big-publisher methods of marketing to everyone by identifying and locating only those people vitally interested in your subject matter. Work smarter, not harder. Define your core audience, and then get to work. Select your special audience and find a way to reach them. You’ll find that magazines, stores, catalogs, broadcast interviewers, mailing list servers, specialized book clubs, columnists, associations, conventions and others serve your target group. For example, if my book is on skydiving, I know I can reach my customers through the U.S. Parachute Association, the Para-Gear catalog, Skydiving magazine, at the national championships and so on. Who are your customers? What is their profile? Where can you find them? Where do they congregate with others who have like interests? Where is your customer?

You don’t have to attack the whole group; you can skim the cream off the top. Mail to the libraries with the largest purchasing budgets, visit the buyers of the larger chain stores and target the larger category catalogs.

Hedge your bets by balancing your markets. Put most of your energy into selling your primary target group. Next, attack your secondary group, then your tertiary group and so on. Sell to anyone outside those groups who approaches you too, but don’t spend a lot of time courting him or her. Invest your time and money where they’ll bring the greatest return.

Focusing on where you can sell the most books most effectively is the same strategy used by many of the national book distributors who primarily court buyers at the major bookstore chains and wholesale operations, where a single order can be placed for hundreds or thousands of copies. Then smaller book outlets that buy only a few copies are called on maybe once or twice a year or just sent a catalog and contacted by telephone.

REPETITIVE AUDIENCE CONTACT is your mission once you have identified your marketing area. Establish and maintain a presence in your marketplace. Join associations, attend conventions, read magazines, take part in mailing list servers and so on. If you’re a participant in your book’s subject matter, you probably already do.

#

Love what you write; write what you love.

#

It helps, as well, to have more than one product, because each customer who buys is a prime target for similar books and products. People who buy how-to books on a specialized subject often collect them all. Slowly build your clientele and your product line.

 

SEASONS AFFECT YOUR SALES

You should plan your major marketing efforts around the prime selling seasons. The big publishers bring out most of their new titles in the fall, targeting them at the December holidays. Their second major season is in the spring. June graduates are a good market. Business books move best in the late spring and late fall, not during the summer. Outdoor books do best in late winter, when people are confined indoors and are thinking about the activities of the coming summer. Travel books will do well a few months before the applicable travel season.

Most publishers find December and late August to be slow. In December, it’s because of the many competing end-of-the-year activities; in late August, it’s because people are concentrating on the transition from summer activities/vacations (play) to fall (work/school). Business picks up again after the first of the year and after Labor Day.

 

SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT AND MILITARY

There are 2,300 libraries in the federal government library system and 80 agencies that purchase books, according to Publishers Weekly. Most of the libraries come under the Department of Defense.

Some of the army’s libraries must be approached through central offices, but others can be approached directly. For example, the Army Library Program procures hardcover books for army libraries around the world and softcover (or paperbacks) for distribution in the field. Of the about 60 hardcover titles chosen monthly, some 60% are nonfiction. About 100 softcover titles are procured each month and distributed in 900 kits; selections are highly recreational. Centralized purchases are made under annual contracts with wholesalers.

Navy libraries spend more than $3 million each year on books. The International Communications Agency (formerly the U.S. Information Agency) runs 129 libraries in 110 countries with 6,000 to 25,000 volumes each and devotes about $2 million each year to procurement. They like to see brochures and review copies.

Sending brochures to military buying-offices is not nearly as successful as sending information to specifiers. For example, a brochure I might have on a parachute book should be sent to parachute lofts in the army, air force, navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps. The parachute riggers in lofts know how useful the book can be and will tell the buying offices how many they want.

For more detailed information see Document 637, Selling Books to the Military Market by Michael Sedge, at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

PREMIUMS AND INCENTIVES

First, let’s define some terms. Premiums are products that are given away or sold at a discount to promote business. Premiums may be given away by a store or other business to attract customers. (An ad specialty is an imprinted product, such as a pen or key chain, which is given away.) Meanwhile, incentives are given to salespeople as prizes for achieving sales goals.

The premium/incentive market is a $20 billion per year business. Books are in eighth place with $500 million in sales. According to Potentials in Marketing magazine, 16.8% of the companies using premiums also use books. Books make especially good premiums because you can customize their covers and they have a higher perceived value than some other premium trinkets. (Interestingly, in some areas, regulated industries such as banks are prohibited from giving away certain items or the value of those items is limited.)

Look for a company with products or services that closely match the book’s subject matter. If your book covers a regional topic, try local businesses. The books can be digitally imprinted with “Compliments of…,” for example. If you cover a subject with wider appeal, such as a book on beer-can collecting, contact the beer, aluminum, can and packaging companies. Such a book would make an ideal corporate gift or could be worked into a promotion. A tour guidebook might be sold to a motel chain.

#

A PREMIUM SUCCESS STORY

 

Judy Dugan was working in a graphic arts shop when the first edition of The Self-Publishing Manual was being typeset. As she pasted up the pages, she read the book and became increasingly interested. She had been toying with two manuscripts (one on Santa Barbara highlights and history; the other a children’s book) for years. She began asking me all sorts of questions about the possibilities for her books. One challenge she had was a lack of money to invest.

I noticed that Valley Federal Savings was moving into downtown Santa Barbara. I explained that it was a prime candidate for a regional book such as her Santa Barbara book, because it would tie the out-of-town bank to the local community. A premium could be used to lure potential patrons into the new bank.

In two short visits, she walked out with a purchase order for 5,000 copies in softcover and 1,000 copies in hardcover. She was paid one-half on signing and one-half on delivery—at full list price. The money allowed her to print 11,000 books so she could serve the local tourist market with her own 5,000.

The bank’s copies had special back-cover printing that said, “Compliments of Valley Federal Savings.” The bank advertised in newspapers, on radio and television. They invited people to come into the bank for a free, autographed copy of the book. They set up Judy with a table and a sign and she spent the week greeting people and signing her name.

#

Publishers have sold premium books to doctors, dentists, chiropractors and other health-care professionals (both individual and group practices), and to those in finance, real estate, insurance and other fields. The possibilities are endless.

Premium orders are large, usually 1,000 or more books, and the customer can ask for 60% off or more. Such a discount can be justified for a large order that eliminates the problems of financing, storage and individual shipping. A typical premium discount schedule might look like this:

*

Discount schedule for premiums

 

# Copies: Discounts

25-99: 20%

100-499: 40%

500-999: 50%

1,000-14,999: 60%

15,000 up: Cost of printing plus 10% of list price

 

Terms: Nonreturnable, net 30 days, FOB warehouse/printing plant, freight collect

*

If you can strike some premium deals before going to (or back to) press, you might increase your press run and achieve a lower per-unit cost. Making a premium sale is time-consuming, but the payoff is big.

Don’t forget to capitalize on a premium sale. For example, you might use “Official Recipe Book of the Pillsbury Company” or “Recommended by Radio Shack.” Premium deals are not just sales; they are also endorsements for the quality of your book.

SPONSORED BOOKS are those you are almost commissioned to write. There may be an institution that wants your book printed and will offer a large advance order. For example, when we wrote our book on the Frisbee, the Wham-O Manufacturing Co., which makes flying disks, might have wanted to help the publication of the book, thinking the publicity could help their sales. With this sponsorship, they might have asked for some sort of cover credit, such as “Published in Association with Wham-O.” Such an endorsement is to your advantage, because it lends credibility to the book.

Some industries need favorable publicity and find that sponsoring a book is much less expensive than placing full-page ads. They may pay for much of your production, printing, marketing and publicity. A book is also much more effective promotion because it appears to be more objective.

You may write a book for them or spin off a customized version of your existing book.

 

FUND-RAISERS

Nonprofit organizations are always running sales to raise money for their cause. These flea markets, bake sales, street fairs, etc., promoted by church and civic groups can provide you with an opportunity to move some books.

Every nonprofit has a constitution and bylaws. In the document is a mission statement. The primary mission will be education—to spread the word on what the organization does. All you have to do is match your book to their mission statement.

Find a group that agrees with the subject of your book. Offer to sell them books by the carton at 40% off. They can sell them at list price (or offer a slight discount to their members) and put the money into the club’s treasury.

#

THINKING OF THE UNOBVIOUS

 

Leila Albala in Quebec wrote and published Easy Halloween Costumes for Children. When writing the book, she included a short chapter on UNICEF, since it’s traditionally connected with Halloween in Canada. After the book was printed, she sent copies to the UNICEF branch in Calgary. The branch liked it and ordered 10 copies on consignment. Leila capitalized on the order by sending a press kit to the Calgary Herald. The story on the book mentioned UNICEF, and 400 copies were sold in just a few days.

Next she contacted UNICEF Canada. They were impressed and agreed to take the book for the whole country. Then she sent press kits to all the major daily newspapers. UNICEF Canada has sold more than 3,000 copies in English and 1,000 copies in French.

Leila thought of a market that was not so obvious, placed the books and then created the demand for them. Who cares that UNICEF had never sold books before?

#

Try approaching some local organizations first to get a feel for the way they operate. A gardening club might sell a gardening book, for example. If you’re successful, consider contacting similar groups nationwide. Don’t forget to tell them of your past good track record for sales and assure them that the unsold books can be returned—they can’t lose!

When an organization buys your book, they are giving it an implied endorsement. You can mention this in your promotion materials.

 

CATALOGS

More than 7,000 print catalogs are published in the U.S., and each year 11.8 billion are mailed. For our purposes, there are two types of catalogs: (1) general book catalogs, which are not interesting, and (2) special-interest catalogs, which are. Catalogs can move a lot of books, and they’re committed to you for the life of the catalog—usually one year. If your book sells well, it may appear in issue after issue.

Special merchandise catalogs feature a line of merchandise but devote a page or two to related books. Since you’re already in the field (having written about it), you probably know who they are. See the various catalog directories at your public library.

For more information on catalogs, see Document 625, Selling Books to Catalogs, at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Essentially, subsidiary rights give someone else permission to reproduce (repackage) your material. They include book clubs, mass-market paperbacks, film rights, translations, etc. The two major classes of subsidiary rights are print rights and rights to nonprint adaptations.

#

The bottom line makes it abundantly clear: subsidiary rights have become less and less subsidiary.

Nancy Evans

#

Subsidiary rights are so important to the big publishers that the rights are often auctioned off before the original book is printed. Such a sale is also a great morale booster for both the author and the publisher—not only because of the money, but also because someone else obviously likes the book.

The main reason publishers can sell the subsidiary rights for so little is that they’re not paying production costs to their printers—or, more important, royalties to their authors. Most author–publisher contracts call for a 50/50 split of subsidiary-rights revenues. Some contracts give 90% of revenues to the author on any nonprint (e.g., film) subsidiary rights. The publisher gets 10% as an agent.

#

A publisher’s attitude toward a manuscript ought to be similar to a coal-mine operator’s attitude toward coal: get every last bit of value out of it.

Sol Stein, president, Stein and Day

#

MASS-MARKET REPRINT RIGHTS are for those pocket-sized books selling from $1 to $5 in the supermarkets. This is the one market where it is easier to sell fiction than nonfiction. Mass-market publishers like seven-year contracts with renewal options and initial print runs of 30,000 to 50,000 copies. Mass-market publishers offer 4% to 7.5% in royalties; the cover price is low and the royalty scale does not slide up until sales reach 150,000 copies. Advances are usually just a few thousand dollars. Unless you have a very popular book, the mass-market firms won’t be interested.

The secret is to match your book with a publisher that has experience with that type of material. Look at other books and search for publishers who have produced the same subject matter. Not every editor in every house is interested in everything. Mass-market publishers can be contacted after your book has been out for a year or so.

#

Without subsidiary rights, publishers would operate in the hole.

John Dessauer, Book Publishing: The Basic Introduction

#

PERIODICAL RIGHTS may be serializations or condensations.

Serializations and excerpts by magazines and newspapers may be first serial rights, if before publication, or second serial rights, if afterward. Both generate a lot of good publicity. Big periodicals pay more than small ones, and first rights are more valuable than second rights. The subject matter has to be of great interest to the periodical’s readers.

Always request that the periodical include the ordering information for your book in the article. Place the exact wording in your contract or letter as well as on the material submitted, such as:

*

Reprinted with permission from The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter, copyright ©2006. See http://ParaPublishing.com.

*

Such a notice will generate book sales. Anyone who reads the whole article will be a prime prospect.

Magazines will probably contact you regarding serializations after receiving a review copy of the book. However, you should make the offer to the most appropriate magazines prior to going to press. Send advance information to those magazines most closely related to the topic of your book.

Condensations in magazines do not normally pay a lot, but the publicity they provide will sell more books. Make sure the magazine is a quality product, one you will be proud to be associated with. Check their past condensation work, and call the publishers of the subject books. Ask if they are happy with the way they were treated and with the quality of the condensation, and compare the price they were paid with the one you’ve been offered.

The magazine normally farms out the rewrite, and the work should be a true condensation, not a reprint of two meaty chapters. You can expect them to offer a couple of hundred dollars, up to several thousand, depending upon the publication and circulation. Expect an offer of $600. Remember, they have to rewrite the text and that costs money. Sell the condensation rights on a nonexclusive basis; the magazine will be first in print, but you want to retain the right to sell again to other publications. Always retain text approval, because their writer could completely miss your point when making the condensation. Read the draft over carefully and make corrections; your name is on the piece, and the condensation will be a major sales tool for your book. You want it to be right. Make sure the condensation includes information about where the original book can be purchased. See the example in “Serializations,” above.

Magazines will probably contact you regarding condensations after receiving a review copy of the book. However, you should make the offer to the most appropriate magazines prior to going to press. Approach just a few magazines with a good book-to-readership match.

ANTHOLOGY RIGHTS: An anthology is a collection of writing selections from one or more authors, usually on the same theme. You may be able to sell a chapter or two of your book for a compilation. Editors of anthologies may offer you a flat fee or a percentage of a normal royalty. If 10 authors are each contributing a chapter, each might be offered 1% of the list price or one-tenth of a 10% royalty.

You could also spin off a piece of your book into your own anthology by contacting other authors in your field for submissions. Many times “experts” in a field who have not authored many books will contribute a chapter to an anthology for only a small fee or even free copies of the final book that they can use for promotion and to impress their peers.

BOOK-CLUB RIGHTS: Book clubs offer you some money and a great deal of prestige. Since they were established in the mid-1920s, the Book-of-the-Month Club (BOMC; at 3.5 mil-lion members) and the Literary Guild have been helping their members by selecting the best books of the thousands avail-able at lower than normal prices. Now there are more than 200 national book clubs moving over $500 million worth of books each year, most of which cater to highly specialized groups. There are also a growing number of community book clubs or reading groups serving specific regions and cities. Some local book clubs have several thousand members.

#

A book not submitted is a book not chosen.

#

The usual book club royalty is 10% of the list price, plus production expenses. For example, say it costs you $2 to print the book and the list price is $20.The clubs like to discount the book to their members, so knock off 20% and you have $16 as the membership price. You will receive $3.60 per book, representing $2 for production and $1.60 as a 10% royalty on the $16 membership selling price. If the book club invests in the printing, you get just the royalty of 10% of the club’s selling price. Book club purchases are usually nonreturnable.

Larger clubs will make their own printing or join you in your original print run. Smaller clubs will want to buy from your finished stock. Those doing their own printing or joining yours should benefit from a 10% royalty deal. Book clubs buying 500 to 1,000 books from your stock should be treated as a large dealer and be given a discount of 55% or 60%.

The larger clubs usually want an exclusive; they don’t want other clubs to carry the book too—at least not at the same time. Smaller and specialized clubs aren’t so particular, because their memberships do not overlap.

#

SEPARATING THE CLUBS BY SPECIALTY

 

When Alan Gadney and Carolyn Porter placed their contest/grant book with seven national book clubs, they were able to separate the clubs by specialty—film and video, writing and photography book clubs. Each group didn’t care about the others because there was little overlap. The two large photography book clubs also agreed to split the book itself—one took hardbound, the other softbound (they considered them separate books at separate prices). And they each offered the book as a Special “ALA Award Winning” Book Club Selection, which meant featured promotion in the club mailings. All of this took considerable negotiation among the seven clubs—that’s where the fun came in!

#

A book-club sale is an important endorsement. If you can make the sale before going to press, the endorsement can be noted on the back cover as well as on all your promotional materials. For example, on the back cover of Is There a Book Inside You? it says, “Writer’s Digest Book Club, Main Selection.”

Do sales to book clubs hurt regular sales? Absolutely not! They help you start off with a large number sold, pro-vide you with a valuable endorsement and draw a lot of attention to the book via the book-club promotions. Your per-unit printing cost is lower because of the additional book-club copies added to the print run, and you can make some money on the deal.

Approach book clubs when you have a completed manuscript or galley to show them. If they don’t respond, write them again after publication and enclose photocopies of your reviews. They have to be convinced it is a desirable book, and that is where clippings of reviews can help. Send a letter to every club that might possibly be interested. Check Literary Market Place for book clubs and make up a list for a mailing. Also, see Book Clubs in Appendix 2.

PERFORMING RIGHTS cover stage, motion pictures, radio and television.

The usual royalty rate is 15% of the net, and this is usually a bad deal. Film companies are notorious for their creative accounting procedures that result in a very small net, if any; some have been known to write off everything possible against the film. Always insist on a smaller percentage of the gross; the gross figure is much more objective. Another possibility is a fixed fee or percentage each time the book or film reaches certain pre-established performance levels. For example, when the book becomes a best-seller or receives a major award, the film is sold to television, major cable, video, foreign distributors or it achieves high box-office grosses.

Performing rights involve complex contracts and should not be negotiated without advice from a book attorney. See one immediately if you receive a firm offer.

TRANSLATION RIGHTS: A publisher in another country may wish to buy the translation rights. The foreign publisher will pay you an advance, take care of translation, production and distribution and pay you a royalty on sales. Normally, you supply the text and photo files and a couple of copies of the book with late changes noted. Royalties might be 5% to 7% for hardcover rights and 5% to 10% for softcover. Usually measurements are changed by the publisher to metric.

Foreign publishers and foreign-rights representatives are listed in International Literary Market Place.

#

It is easier to sell another edition of an existing book than to write a new book.

#

When negotiating a foreign-rights contract, consider the number of copies to be printed, the printing schedule, cover price, royalties for both hardcover and softcover editions, the advance and the government tax, if any. Some countries impose a tax on exported royalties. Japan, for example, charges 10% of the remitted amount. Generally, you should negotiate as high an advance payment as possible, because with certain publishers in certain foreign countries policing your royalty payments and actually getting paid may prove difficult. Always get references on foreign publishers, distributors or wholesalers you’re not familiar with.

For complete details on foreign sales, see Exports/Foreign Rights: Selling U.S. Books Abroad under Para Publishing Special Reports in Appendix 2 or at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET: Foreign sales of American-language books exceed $2 billion annually, with most going to Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, The Netherlands, Taiwan and Germany—in that order.

The most common way to cater to the international market is to fill and mail foreign orders the same way you fill domestic ones. Most of your export sales will come via email. Most of the foreign bookstores get your address from

R.R. Bowker’s Books in Print. Ship small quantities of books via the Postal Service’s Global Priority Mail. Adding a country to your U.S. distribution will not double your sales. For example, expanding from the U.S. to Canada may increase sales only 7% to 10%. You must com-pare the sizes of the English-speaking populations. For more details, tips and contracts, see Exports/Foreign Rights: Selling U.S. Books Abroad in Para Publishing Special Reports in Appendix 2 and at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

MERCHANDISING RIGHTS: If the subject of your book suddenly becomes hot, customers will beat a path to your door with offers to make T-shirts, decals and coffee mugs. They will want to license your title or logo to put on their products. Note all the Chicken Soup for the Soul products.

RECORDINGS AND BRAILLE EDITIONS are published for the visually impaired. If your book is well received, you may be approached for permission to translate your book into Braille or to put it on tape. When you fill out the copyright form for your book, you’ll have the opportunity to give the Library of Congress a nonexclusive right to reproduce your book in recorded or Braille form. In a recent year, Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic distributed nearly 225,000 recorded and computerized books to 45,000 members. See their Web site at http://www.rfbd.org.

See Literary Market Place for more subsidiary-rights possibilities. For subsidiary-rights wording, see Publishing Contracts on disk under Para Publishing Special Reports in Appendix 2 or at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

OPPORTUNITIES WITH OTHER PUBLISHERS

CO-PUBLISHING is a way for two firms to spread the risk and the reward in a new book. Usually, one publisher is large and the other small, or the two concentrate on different markets. The larger publisher typically handles the bookstores and libraries, while the smaller one sells directly to user groups and fills the individual mail-order sales.

Get an agreement on who decides, performs and pays for the following: book and cover design, editing, page and cover production, printing, marketing strategy, promotion and sales to the book trade versus special markets, fulfillment and accounting. Be wary of supposed co-publishing deals where you pay for everything, and the co-publisher uses their ISBN (so all sales go to them), and they market the book and handle accounting without you being able to monitor their performance or break the contract. Don’t let a co-publisher take advantage of you.

For a co-publishing agreement, see Publishing Contracts on disk under Para Publishing Special Reports in Appendix 2 or at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

SELLING OUT TO A LARGER PUBLISHER: Many new author–publishers publish their first book and then sell it to a large publisher—and many sell too cheaply.

Acquisition editors from major houses make the rounds of the booths at book fairs such as Book Expo America (BEA) in the spring. These editors are hunting for good books to add to their lines. Small publishers are usually thrilled to be courted by a big house and often make the mistake of selling for the same 10% (or less) royalty an author gets for a manuscript.

Ten percent of the net receipts is small reward after expending so much time and money to package and promote a book as well as to test the market. The big publisher is exploiting the little publisher at 10% because all the risk has been removed. Successful books should cost more. The large publisher must understand that even though your company is small, the book is coming from another “publisher”; this is not just an untested manuscript from an author. A fee should be paid to the small publisher for packaging, market exploration and establishing a sales record, as well as a royalty to the author.

When a large publisher buys a book from a small publisher, the price should be two or three times the production costs, plus 10% of projected sales. They should pay for all your time, work and financial risk. The deal should be made “royalty inclusive,” which means receiving your money up front—not waiting until months after their books are sold.

Sell only the North American rights to the book trade. Retain all rights except those to bookstores and libraries in the U.S. and Canada. Always keep the nonexclusive individual sale, mail-order rights. The big publisher will not be interested in individual sales anyway. Make sure you can buy books for resale for the printing cost plus 10%. Normally, you’ll be required to buy in lots of 500 or more, but this is a bargain because you don’t have to invest in a large print run. Make sure all rights revert to you once the publisher lets the book go out of print. In evaluating a contract, consider the advance, the royalty, when you will get paid, who gets what part of other subsidiary rights, the duration of the contract and free copies to the author.

Give the publisher the rights for only what they are publishing in-house. For example, if they publish audio, give them the audio rights. But if they try to tie up the eBook rights and only intend to look for a buyer, give them a 90-day option on the electronic rights.

Small publishers and self-publishers are better off cutting a distribution deal or co-publishing with a larger publisher. In a distribution arrangement, the big publisher buys several thousand books for 60% to 70% off list price on a non-returnable basis with an advance to cover your printing—the remaining payment upon delivery or 30 days after delivery— and they have an exclusive in the book trade (that is, bookstores and libraries). Insist on a large quantity so the large publisher is in deep and has to promote the books.

With the book trade covered, the author–publisher is now free to concentrate on retail mail-order sales and the nonbook markets. But be forewarned: If you do sell out to a larger firm, you’ll probably make less money and lose control of your book.

BOOKSHELF BOOKS: Offering other books in the same line as your anchor product will spread costs and make you the “information center” for your interest area. Find other books that complement yours. If the other publisher is small, offer to trade cartons of books. Now both of you have another product to sell—at no additional cost. The other books cost you what your books cost as you just traded inventory.

Since you paid printing cost for the traded books, you can even afford to wholesale them to your (nonbook trade) dealers.

FLYER EXCHANGES: Some publishers in your specialty field may be interested not in buying and reselling copies of your books, but rather in a simple cross-promotion—you include their sales flyers in your consumer mailings and/or book shipments, and they do the same with your sales flyers. You can locate similar publishers in the Publishers Marketing Association Resource Directory and at book fairs and publishing events.

 

BOOK EXHIBITS

Specialty shows—such as sport and boat exhibitions and trade shows—are rarely worthwhile for a small author–publisher with a single title, because the costs to exhibit (booth space, travel, food, lodging and shipping) are expensive. However, you can make sure that your book is carried and offered for sale by someone in the show. Find one or more booths with related merchandise and offer them some books on consignment; sign them up as a dealer. Give them a carton of books and an examination copy for the table. They will get a 40% piece of the action and you get the exposure while moving your books. Place your book in as many booths around the show as possible.

BOOK FAIRS provide important exposure for your book. The major national U.S. shows are sponsored by the following:

* Book Expo America (BEA): This is the most important book-trade convention in North America. It’s often held in late May and gets an attendance around 35,000. BEA is a book-industry event, not for the general public. See http://www.bookexpo.reedexpo.com.

* American Library Association Book Fair: This major library conference is held in late June and gets an attendance of about 25,000. The ALA also holds a midwinter exhibit in January, with an attendance of around 10,000. See http://www.ala.org.

* National Association of College Stores Book Fair: Usually held midspring, this fair is attended by college bookstore managers. See http://www.nacs.org.

* Christian Booksellers Association Book Fair: This fair is usually scheduled in July, and a midyear expo in January. See http://www.cbaonline.org.

* Frankfurt Book Fair: The world’s largest international rights convention, this fair is usually held in early October with a location of Frankfurt, Germany. http://www.frankfurt-book-fair.com.

* London Book Fair is usually held in March. See http://www.lbf-virtual.com/.

Contact these organizations about the fairs and then attend a nearby one yourself to assess how you might fit in and use it to your advantage. The big associations sponsor regional and local book fairs. Also, many cities throughout North America sponsor book fairs open to the general (buying) public. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books held at UCLA each April is becoming one of the largest, with a weekend attendance of 150,000.

International book fairs are held all over the world, the most important being in London and Frankfurt for all types of books and in Bologna, Italy, for children’s books. They can give your products good exposure and may lead to foreign-rights sales, but are not worth your own exhibiting effort yet. Use a co-op exhibit service instead.

Conventions and conferences of professional, academic and trade associations will present you with a targeted or “qualified” audience for your books if you match your subject matter to the show. Educational books do well at educational exhibits, and these conferences are especially fun because they provide you with an opportunity to meet with authors as well as customers. For more ideas, consult National Trade & Professional Associations of the U.S. and Canada Directory and Gale’s Encyclopedia of Associations, available in your public library.

Exhibiting at a book fair is often an inspiring experience; it will recharge your batteries. You’ll learn more about the industry, meet some great people, make valuable contacts (distributors, wholesalers, retailers, reviewers and the media), sell a few books and perhaps even sell some subsidiary rights. Typically, the show’s management provides a space measuring about 10' x 10', a draped table, curtained side and back panels, a sign, carpet and a chair or two. Check their brochure closely. Get some book stands, mounted blowups of your book covers, and take a good supply of books and brochures.

#

THE POWER OF BANNERS & LOCATION

 

Find out what promotional opportunities the book fair offers. One-On-One Book Marketing was able to secure a 10' x 30' book-banner space for their publisher clients above the main entrance to the BEA in Chicago. They reserved the space in advance, after hearing that, because of construction, all 30,000 people attending would enter the BEA main hall through one set of escalators past the banner. With traffic in and out six to eight times a day for three days, they estimated well over a half-million advertising impressions during the show. And they know the banner worked. There was constant activity at the booth, buzz around the floor, and the authors were mobbed at their book signings. The banner turned heretofore unknown authors (and books) into stars of the convention.

#

EXHIBITING SERVICES will put your books on display with those of other publishers very inexpensively, and some do a very good job of representing your wares. Some of the larger co-op exhibit services are: Combined Book Exhibit (CBE) and PMA for library and book-trade events, Association Book Exhibit (ABE) for professional conferences and Academia Book Exhibit and Scholar’s Choice for academic meetings. Write to several of them to compare prices and see which fairs they plan to attend; some offer package deals if you sign up for the whole season.

For more information on book fairs, see Book Fairs: An Exhibiting Guide for Publishers under Para Publishing Books & Reports in Appendix 2 or at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

#

Selection is directly related to sales.

Jon Glazer, Little Professor Book Centers

#

It’s much better to have reps selling the list to 1,000 buyers across the country, making independent decisions, than having five buyers at the chains deciding what is or isn’t a worthwhile or viable book.

Sales Director of a major publishing company in Publishers Weekly

#

Self-publishing was the only form of publishing for 400 years between Gutenberg and the Victorian era. It is not only honorable, it is historic.

Godfrey Harris, author and publisher

 

* * * * *

 

9 ADVERTISING YOUR BOOK

Using ads smarter & thinking beyond them

 

It’s said that advertising will make a good book sell better, but it can’t turn a poor one into a success. Don’t spend money on advertising until all the free publicity is exhausted. Advertising is just too expensive and rarely pays when selling books. You’re selling a $20 or $30 book, not a $20,000 or $30,000 automobile. You have to sell a lot more product to pay for the ad, and you can’t even justify as much need to your buyer.

When in doubt, do not advertise.

#

The secret to successful publishing is not to publish more and more books but to effectively market those books already published.

#

 

YOUR WEB SITE

Your Web site is the center of your promotion program. You want to sell your books there, post all your press-kit materials, let visitors register for your mailing list and so on. Make your company “Websitecentric.” All of your promotional materials should start on your site.

Expensive (to print and distribute) four-color brochures may no longer be necessary, but you do need ways to get people to visit your Web site. Your business card and most promotional materials should be designed to drive eyeballs to your Web site. The Web site is your new brochure, and it is also your storefront—open to the world 24 hours a day.

Try to get URLs incorporating your company name, your name, your book titles, etc., and point them all to your Web site. Dot com is the default extension. Even with the proliferation of dot extensions, only .com counts. Most people try .com first when searching for a site and .com can make you appear to be more established. Spend money on Web site optimization or learn to do it yourself.

 

DIRECT MARKETING

Direct-response marketing is any promotion or advertising that provokes a measurable response or order from the individual it was targeted to reach. In book publishing, direct marketing consists of order blanks in books, catalogs, package inserts, radio, TV and direct email.

#

Don’t confuse “direct mail” with “mail order.” Direct mail is a form of advertising that competes with space ads and television spots, whereas mail order is a delivery method or form of distribution that competes with storefronts.

#

TARGET MARKETING: This is the Age of Specialization—of the narrow focus. For example, years ago we had general weekly magazines such as Look, Colliers and The Saturday Evening Post. They are gone. Today we have specialized magazines such as Graphic Arts Monthly, Publishers Weekly and Parachutist magazine. We also have specialized newsletters, Web sites, ezines and cable-TV programs. As consumers, we have the advantage of buying only those products that are specific to our wants and needs. As entrepreneurs, we must tailor our products to special segments of the population and then tailor our pitch to bring the product to their attention.

#

A book will not sell unless people know about it.

Bob Greene, Esquire

#

DIRECT EMAIL ADVERTISING allows you to pinpoint your target market with a specialized pitch. For example, the people I target with a mailing might be skydiving instructors. The instructors have different needs and desires than skydiving students, or jump pilots, or parachute riggers, or drop-zone owners. Each is involved in skydiving in general, but each requires a different pitch.

Direct-mail advertising is a targeted shot at the customer. This is not a shotgun blast at every household in the neighborhood, hoping to find a couple of people interested in your books.

#

Tell not what the recipient can do for you, tell what you can do for the recipient.

#

Use email, not postal mail. You won’t have to wait several days for the mail house to assemble the packages and for the Postal Service to deliver them. And email is cheaper. You don’t have to spend money on envelopes, stuffing or postage. Email also provides feedback sooner. Responses often start within 30 minutes. Then you can test another pitch. Most broadcast email costs you some time, but little money.

SPAM: Don’t rent email lists; you won’t want to be accused of spamming recipients. Build and maintain your own email contact lists. You’ll use them over and over. You can collect email addresses by offering a free InfoKit on your Web site and building an ezine subscriber list.

#

The ad worked because it reached the right audience... because it aroused curiosity and because it offered a reward.

John Caples

#

DIRECT MARKETING TECHNIQUES: What makes direct marketing successful is: (1) the offer of the right products, (2) via the right medium, (3) with the most enticing propositions, (4) presented in the most effective formats, (5) with proven success as a result of the right tests. The successful direct-mail campaign is made up of planning, list selection, copy, layout, timing and testing.

Creating Ad Copy: You’ll need a good, basic description of the book that will appeal to the consumer. Start with Copying/Pasting your back-cover sales copy. This material, altered as required, will then be used over and over. Come up with very few words to describe the book. This becomes its “handle” and can even be the subtitle for the book. Once this is done, the future copywriting will be easier because you won’t be starting from scratch each time.

#

If you include a FREE offer, be sure there are no strings attached. People get might fed up with “free” offers that wind up costing them money.

#

Repetition: Many publishers send a weekly email memo or ezine to their clients. The memos contain news and often some humor. These periodic messages help you to keep in touch; they are constant reminders.

Timing: The best time for your email offer to arrive is midweek, on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. A lot of email arrives on Mondays and the day after holidays, and your piece could be lost in the clutter. Friday’s messages are often put aside because the recipient is about to leave for the weekend. Fortunately, it’s easier to time the delivery of email than it is with bulk-rate postal mail.

The best times of year for offers to arrive, according to some experts, are after the start of the New Year or well after Labor Day. Conversely, some say that March to April (income tax time?) and May to June are the worst months for offers to arrive. Other experts warn against the summer months, when people are away and the messages pile up. Most agree December is bad because the potential customer is busy with family and holiday activities.

The truth is that it’s the subject of your books that will determine the best months for your efforts. For example, if your books are on outdoor sports, the best months are January through May, with a peak in March, and September through November. During the summer, the prospects are more likely to be out doing what they were reading about during the winter. The best time to email to federal libraries is March and April, when they’re preparing for their next fiscal year. May appears to be the best month for schools. Professional books seem to sell better in the first quarter of the year; the third quarter is second-best. All factors must be considered in relation to your specialized subject and audience. On the other hand, you may have a reference book that people need throughout the year.

#

I know that half my advertising is wasted, but I don’t know which half.

William Wrigley

#

INTERNATIONAL MAILINGS: The U.S. is a culturally influencing country. The world consumes great quantities of U.S. information and thought. With the increase in both the standard of living and purchasing power in many other countries, the potential for book sales worldwide is good. There’s a demand for books on leading-edge subjects.

English became a world language in the last century. In fact, although 6,000 languages are spoken in the world, more than 40% of the knowledge base is in English. English has replaced German as the scientific and technical language, replaced French as the diplomatic language and is the international language of aviation, business, computers and the Internet. Business books from the U.S. have done very well in the last few years with the surge of worldwide interest in U.S. management thought.

Naturally, books in English should be promoted with sales copy in English, and prices should be quoted in U.S. dollars (with checks drawn on a U.S. bank) since it is customary to settle international accounts in U.S. currency. Converting foreign money into dollars is expensive.

As you build your house email lists, don’t delete the international clients.

ECHO EFFECT: Every promotion campaign you wage for a book will bring in some sales that are not directly attributable to that campaign. Some people find it easier or faster to buy your product somewhere else, such as drop-ping by a retailer’s store. There are many ways people can get the book besides responding to your email. For instance, college professors who receive interesting mailings often request their libraries to order the book.

#

The “echo effect” is difficult to measure, but some direct marketers claim these indirect orders often exceed the direct orders.

#

Since more than 75% of libraries use wholesalers, most of the orders from an emailing to libraries will come to you through Baker & Taylor, and you won’t know the name of the actual purchasers. Sometimes publishers even help the potential customer in this direction and, in effect, give him or her choice of purchasing by mail or visiting a bookstore. The promotional message might say, “Available at your local Waldenbooks or direct from the publisher.”

WHITE MAIL: Orders not traceable to any promotional effort or source are called “white mail.” The longer you’re in business, the more orders you’ll receive that are not traceable to any specific promotion. The marketplace is a vast web of connections. A brochure sent to one source generates a multibook order from another. A review book sent to a single reviewer winds up syndicated in newspapers across the country. That’s what makes the book business so constantly exciting—the always unexpected response.

SINGLE LINE OF BOOKS: Publishers should concentrate on a single line of books, such as aviation, regional subjects or wastewater treatment. Then all the books on your Web site will relate to each other. Think like a specialized book club and define your audience. Stay in one field with your books, related products and services.

TESTIMONIALS: People today are overwhelmed with exaggerated claims and hype from the media. Therefore, it’s important to incorporate a confidence factor into your promotional copy. Testimonials from readers and reviewers will help justify your claims for the book and draw attention to your customer service. Testimonials help build the reader’s perception of believability, stability, honesty and value. Shorter testimonials can be placed in your email letter, promotional materials and on the book itself. Longer ones should be on your Web site.

#

Your book is a success when people who haven’t read it pretend they have.

#

To be valuable, the endorsement must be from someone who has a name or title recognizable and important to the reader. For example, if you have a book on golf, you might want a few nice words penned by Tiger Woods or a testimonial from the executive director of the PGA. Buyers respond first to quotations from well-known people (if appropriate), then to people who have professional credentials (doctors, lawyers, educators, authors, Ph.D.s, etc.) or who are connected with well-known organizations.

For more information on gathering testimonials, see Document 609, Blurbs for Your Books: Testimonials, Endorsements and Quotations, at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

CO-OP ADVERTISING

Co-op ads are a popular way the big publishers direct sales to bookstores with local-space advertising. Typically, the publisher pays 75% of the ad cost (but no more than 10% of the value of the books shipped to the store), and the bookstore pays 25%. If the store is a regular advertiser in the local papers, they usually get a slightly better rate. The procedure is to have the store place the ads, but the tear sheets of the ads and bills go to the publisher. Then the publisher credits the store with 75% of the ad bill toward book purchases.

To justify co-op advertising, you have to anticipate that the store will move a lot of books. And while the stores may be a major outlet for a big publisher, they’re usually a minor one for a small firm that concentrates on nontraditional markets.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations insist that any deal offered to one dealer must be made available to all. Small publishers who test co-op ads with one store could find themselves in great financial difficulty, being obligated to advertise for everyone else.

Many small firms feel that co-op advertising is just too complicated and too time-consuming, and they routinely answer all inquiries in the negative. This saves time and money, and avoids related problems with the FTC.

On the other hand, some online booksellers provide an advertising credit to the publishers based on their sales. The publishers can use the credit to match a title with another well-selling book on the bookseller’s site. This placement increases exposure.

 

POINT-OF-PURCHASE SALES AIDS

These sales aids include bookmarks, dumps, posters, etc. Posters can be very useful in specialty shops and at exhibits, but there just isn’t any room for them in a bookstore, where every inch of space is used as efficiently as possible. Librarians like posters, but they rarely buy more than one book. Free bookmarks with advertising printed on them are used 30% to 38% of the time by bookstores. Dumps are special shipping cartons/display units, which are used by 38% to 40% of the stores, depending on the available counter and floor space. Many larger stores suggest and request them. Some clever publishers have designed small tabletop dumps with directions for detecting counterfeit bills on the back. This ensures pre-mium display space on the counter near the cash register.

#

RECYCLE & BENEFIT

 

Dumps can often be found for recycled use in trash bins behind bookstores. Many publishers ship their books in counter dumps, floor dumps and shippers (cartons). Bookstores don’t need all of these dumps because they have shelves, so they end up tossing dumps and shippers into the dumpster. You’ll find a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. Use the dumps for testing new (non-traditional) markets.

#

 

ONLINE ADVERTISING

Some online booksellers will sell you ad space on their Web site just as chain bookstores sell ad space in their stores. For example, see Paid Placements at Amazon.com.

You can also buy adwords on search engines such as Google. Adwords match your book to items that people are searching for on the Internet.

#

A strong book market must rely on the prospect that many different writers may have their works appraised and published by numerous competing firms and sold by numerous competing bookstores in diverse markets.

Richard Howorth, president, American Booksellers Association

#

Try to submit to an agent or publisher and you will be dead before you hear back.

Denny Hatch, author and columnist

 

* * * * *

 

10 FULFILLMENT

Moving your book out the door

 

Book-order fulfillment consists of inventory storage, invoicing, picking, packaging and shipping. These routines involve opening the orders, keyboarding the invoices, wrapping the books, affixing the shipping label, applying postage to the package, making the trip to the post office (or other delivery system) and maintaining a record of the sale. Inventory management includes storage and stock-monitoring, so you’ll know when to order another printing.

Fulfillment is expensive. According to publishing consultant John Huenefeld, most small to medium-sized publishers spend about 10.5% of their gross on fulfillment. All costs, including labor, storage and shipping materials, average $2.44 per order handled, or 66¢ per book. If your business is mostly wholesale (many copies of the same book to fewer customers), you may be able to drop your fulfillment percentage to 6% or 7%. If all your orders are for individual books at retail, your fulfillment costs may be as high as 14%.

 

MAIL-ORDER SELLING

Mail-order selling offers you the opportunity to run a high-volume, worldwide business without a large cash investment in multiple facilities. To compete with larger companies, all you need is a better product and more efficient promotion. Since we’re far from most of our customers, book publishing is primarily a mail-order business for us.

Mail-order businesses deal with their customers at a distance, without face-to-face delivery. Orders might come via email or telephone. The product might be delivered via the post office or a large shipment might go by truck. Mail order is particularly appropriate for the distribution of books. In fact, over half the business and professional books are sold and shipped directly from the publisher to the ultimate consumer.

Smaller publishers are attracted to mail-order selling because it’s easier than getting into bookstores. They ship to wholesalers and stores, but they don’t spend money visiting them. In fact, there are many stories about books that did poorly earlier in the bookstores but—when properly promoted—sold well through mail order.

Mail-order buyers probably do not frequent bookstores, and it’s likely they don’t even think of themselves as book buyers. Some of these customers are ordering from online bookstores and some get their books directly from the publishers. A Publishers Weekly article about Bantam noted that, geographically, mail orders equate proportionally to population figures. The majority of orders come from the most populated states, California and New York—not from the states with fewer bookstores.

Mail-order purchasing is a habit. Many people prefer to buy informational books this way. Once they begin, these customers often collect everything they can find on a subject. Many Amazon customers love the convenience of ordering from home with speedy 1-Click(R) processing.

#

For smooth-running fulfillment, you must have a well-thought-out system.

#

 

ORDER TAKING

Initially, you will take, process and fill orders yourself to keep it simple. You want to streamline the workload to avoid any duplication of effort. For example, keyboarding an invoice and then typing a separate label is a waste of time and money (cost of label, etc.). Just print out three copies of each invoice and use one copy for the shipping label/packing slip (see “Order Processing” a little further into this chapter for more instructions). This one-time writing also avoids trans-position errors in figures and addresses. Once your business grows to the point where you have several titles and employees, you’ll require a more elaborate fulfillment system.

To enable you to visualize the distribution system, the fulfillment process will be discussed in sequence.

ORDERS: Most of your orders will arrive electronically via telephone, fax and email. These orders are usually charged to a credit card. A few orders will arrive in the mail with enclosed checks or money orders. Since many orders will be received electronically, you will need “merchant status”—the ability to accept credit cards.

Many of your orders will be generated by your Web site. If most of your promotional efforts are on the Web, most of your orders will arrive via email and most of your correspondence will be via email.

Draft stock paragraphs that can be copied and pasted into an email to answer questions, to announce new products and services and to take care of routine business matters.

Today, more and more people use the telephone to order. Not only is it easier and faster—if they’re paying 10¢ per minute or less for telephone service, a three-minute call is cheaper than a stamp.

Telephone contacts are important opportunities for sales and increased sales. They take place when you have the attention of the prospect. Consequently, an untrained employee should not handle telephone calls. Make sure everyone knows who is to take calls, except in case of overflow, or train every staff member to take calls. Have an order form ready, or route orders to the order-entry computer operator for direct punch-up. Order forms prompt questions, making it easier to obtain all the necessary information (such as the ship to address).

Be sure to ask for their email address. Retain it for your mailing list and use it if there is a question about their order.

For a free copy of our Telephone Order Form, see Document 147 at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

VOICE MAIL ORDERS: Answering machines are very useful in business because they can take orders after business hours. They’re a great convenience to both you and the customer. Clients don’t expect you to answer after hours but they do expect to be able to leave a message at any time. It’s nice when you return after a weekend away to find a number of orders waiting for you on your answering machine or voice mail.

#

OUR ANSWERING-MACHINE MESSAGE

 

Many people like our recording, which says: “Para Publishing, this is Dan Poynter. If you would like an information kit on publishing or parachuting, please leave your name and address. If you would like to charge a book to your VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express card, please leave your name, address, tele-phone number, the name of the book, type of charge card, the card number and the expiration date. Thank you.” (beep)

#

FAX ORDERS: Fax transmissions don’t replace the telephone, but they can replace the Postal Service for delivering purchase orders. Some of your orders will come in by fax.

Get a fax machine and install it on a separate telephone line. List your fax number on your Web site, business card and order blanks. Get a plain-paper model.

TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBERS AND CREDIT CARDS: It’s generally accepted that a (800/888/877/866) toll-free order number will increase the response to an offer. Some clients will respond to your solicitation via email, but some would rather call than send their credit-card numbers into cyberspace. Toll-free numbers raise the confidence level and the level of customer service.

Try to get an 800 number as opposed to one of the other toll-free area codes. When people see “toll-free,” they think “800.” Though their eyes see 888 or 877, their fingers may still hit 800.

The best 800 numbers are those that tie into your company such as Para Publishing’s 800-PARAPUB. To find if a number is available, just call it. If someone answers—it’s not!

Toll-free numbers work best when paired with credit-card charge arrangements.

#

There is more to fulfillment than immediately comes to mind.

#

 

CREDIT-CARD ORDERS

TAKE CREDIT CARDS—GET MERCHANT STATUS: To increase sales and size of sales, publishers must accept credit-card payments. Getting Merchant Status used to be difficult. Local banks were told not to accept merchants who engaged in telephone and Web site sales or who operated from home rather than a storefront.

Some publishers have found that getting Merchant Status through Costco is a good deal. Others have been conned by Independent Sales/Service Organizations (ISOs). ISOs make their money when they sell or lease you the terminal and printer, often at exorbitant rates with a long-term contract. ISOs don’t process your charges. They find a bank and get a commission on all your sales.

We’ve made a deal with QuickBooks (the processor we have used for 10 years) to make an offer available to book publishers, and it can save you money. There are no setup fees, no application fees and no service fees for two months. The credit-card feature works with the QuickBooks accounting program. You’ll process the credit-card numbers when you cut the invoice.

To get Merchant Status, call toll-free 1-888-335-4541. To get the savings, mention “Dan Poynter, Para Publishing, 1-805-968-7277.”

We have been accepting credit-card payments for more than 20 years. We used hand-operated imprinters, MiniTerminal with printers, credit-card software and now QuickBooks. QuickBooks saves us a lot of time and desk space.

In addition, Publishers Marketing Association (PMA) has a Merchant Status program that its members can apply for through First National Merchant Solutions. The rates for credit- and debit-card processing are low, and there’s no monthly minimum transaction requirements. For more info, see http://www.pma-online.org/benefits/creditcard.cfm.

If you still want to try to work through a bank, get merchant card packets from several banks and compare prices and restrictions. The merchant card packets from most banks list the prohibitions (such as no telephone orders, no mail orders, no working from home), but they also have lists of exceptions. Some have higher start-up and monthly fees than others. Ultimately, the bank may send a representative to check out your place of business.

Credit cards boost sales and increase the size of sales while cutting down on collection problems. VISA and MasterCard are used the most in telephone orders, American Express is third, with Discover and the others used to a much lesser extent. Credit cards increase your cash flow and may decrease your need for expensive short-term loans.

Credit-card orders take more time to process, but the sale always comes out even. As a result, there’s no additional billing or difference to refund.

 

ORDER PROCESSING

Get an inexpensive order-entry/accounting program such as QuickBooks (http://www.intuit.com/) or PUB123 (http:// www.adams-blake.com/).

Print out two copies of your (accounts receivable) invoice or (cash-with-order) sales receipt. One copy of your invoice is folded in thirds and slipped into a 4.5 x 8.5 clear packing-list envelope (Stock #45-3-23, Associated Bag Co., http://www.associatedbag.com). This copy serves as the invoice, packing list and shipping label. The second copy is stored in a binder. This is your hard-copy backup. A third copy can be generated and sent separately to the customer if requested. Many wholesaler orders (libraries, schools, government, etc.) require that the invoice be sent separately from the actual shipment.

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_1ccc6b46.jpg

 

Individual orders come from readers and are usually paid for in advance, cash-with-order (CWO). Enter the sale into your computer and print out a sales receipt. The sales receipt looks like an invoice but shows a zero balance. Set the check aside for deposit or process the credit-card number.

Save envelopes with their orders enclosed. At the end of each week or month, rubber-band the envelopes and date the pile. Save them for 12 to 18 months, in case a customer contacts you about the order or the package is returned as undeliverable. If a book is returned by the Postal Service as undeliverable, check the postmark to determine when the shipment went out and then go through the envelopes to find the original order. The book may have been sent to the address on the check rather than the one on the envelope, numbers may have been transposed, etc.

If a customer complains that the wrong book was shipped, he or she did not order the book or a missing check was actually enclosed, looking up the original order will confirm or deny the claim. When replying, enclose a photocopy of the original order so the customer can see what he or she did.

ORDERS NOT RECEIVED: Occasionally, a customer will contact you saying that he or she has not received the book. Check back through the original order envelopes and computer record to make sure you received and processed the order and that the book was sent out and on what date. Then contact the customer, stating the date the book was shipped and how it was sent. Slower, but cheaper, Media Mail can take up to 30 days in the U.S. and 120 days to foreign addresses. Remind the customer that the package had a return address and it was not returned to you. Rarely does the Postal Service lose books. Tell the customer that if the book doesn’t arrive in a couple of weeks more, you’ll ship out another book. This is a good way to keep a potentially valuable customer happy.

When you ship the second book, write up the transaction on an invoice, make three copies and mail one to the customer. Note on it that if the customer receives two books, he or she should refuse delivery of the second one. If the customer does that, the Postal Service will return the book to you with only postage due. If the customer accepts delivery, he or she may never get around to sending the book back and you’ll be out a book. Explain that you’re sorry for the inconvenience and don’t wish to trouble him or her further by having him or her rewrap and reship the (second) book. Once the customer receives a book, the chances are very good he or she will refuse delivery of the second one because there’s no need for two copies.

One way to avoid most of these “books not received” challenges is to ship most books via Priority Mail. You can use the free cardboard Priority Mail envelope and the package arrives in two or three days.

UNDERPAYMENTS: Short slips can be used to collect small amounts due. Some customers, ordering by mail, will not send enough to cover the book, shipping and sales tax.

Sometimes the shortage is too small to bother collecting. Very small improper payments (high or low) are not worth haggling over as it costs more to process a short slip than the amount you might collect. Just ship the book.

If you decide to use short slips, set certain limits such as:

 

0 - .40: Forget it!

.40 - $4.99: Enclose a short slip.

Over $5.00: Cut an invoice for the balance.

*

Sample short slip

 

Short Slip

Your order was short $___. We know you’ll appreciate our sending the books now rather than holding up the shipment pending payment of this small amount.

Please return this slip when you next contact us—now OR with your next order or payment. THANK YOU.

Your name: ___

Check number: ___

Send to:

Para Publishing

Accounting Department

PO Box 8206

Santa Barbara, CA 93118-8206

USA

orders@ParaPublishing.com; 805-968-7277

*

Collect these small payments as they come in and bank them once a month. The small amounts add up and are worth collecting. But you must compare the costs of collecting small amounts with the amount that can be collected. Most people are good about short slips and will pay; however, it’s not worth badgering them for 30¢ if they have to use first-class postage to send it to you.

OVERPAYMENTS: If the customer sends a little too much, ship the book a faster way, such as UPS. If he or she sends a lot too much, issue a refund check for the balance. Fortunately, credit-card orders come out even.

BAD CHECKS: Checks to book publishers rarely bounce, and it’s not worth the record-keeping and loss of customer goodwill to delay shipments until checks clear the bank. When a check is returned, look at the original order envelope to make sure you have the correct address. Then send off a photocopy of the returned check and the bank notice that came with it. Write across the photocopy: “Please send another check” and circle the bank charge and the new total amount. Most of these customers will make the bad check good. You can always include a short, direct letter, but this photocopy technique is faster and simpler. Since books have a high markup, it’s probably not worth your time to expend more effort trying to collect these few small debts from “check bouncers.”

SHIPPING INSURANCE: Insuring book shipments is a waste of your time and money. The shipper should replace books lost or damaged in the mail. Your only alternative is to insure each parcel. It is far cheaper to self-insure by replacing the occasional lost or damaged book. There will not be many lost books, and the cost of replacement is small compared to the price of insurance and the paperwork and hassle involved processing a claim—to say nothing of the value of a happy customer.

REFUNDS: Refunds should be handled promptly. The customer is always right. A cheerful, fast refund will let customers know they can trust you, and there is a good chance they will be back.

*

Sample guarantee

 

Unlimited Guarantee

We guarantee your satisfaction. Order any book and look it over. You may return it at any time if not satisfied and your full purchase price will be refunded, no questions asked. There is no 10-day or 30-day limit; you may return it even after a year.

*

Set up as few barriers to ordering as possible. If your product is good, most customers will keep it. Since there is no limit on the free trial period, most unsatisfied customers will put off the return—forever.

#

The customer usually pays the shipping on an order and on a return. This means that you will refund or issue a credit (against future purchase) only for the price of the book.

#

SALES TAX: Sales tax will have to be added on to the invoice on those retail sales made within your state to an end user (the reader). Don’t collect sales tax on books sold for resale to bookstores and other resellers in your state because they will collect the tax.

When you sell to other resellers in your state, you must record their state resale number. The point is that the ultimate reseller will collect the tax (either to you or to the store). You must either collect the sales tax or get a resale number that indicates who will collect it. In most states, libraries are not exempt from sales taxes; after all, they don’t resell the books. Usually, the sales tax is not collected for any sales made out of your state. The sales tax is calculated on the merchandise only, not the shipping charges. Record the dealer’s resale number on the invoice or in the customer’s record in your accounting program. QuickBooks provides a box for the resale number. (Also see the discussion on Sales Tax in Chapter 3.)

Keep in mind that the bottom of the invoice can be used for any other pertinent information or even a nice personal note.

SHIPPING LABELS: Labels are not needed for most shipments; you’ll use a copy of the invoice, as this has the “ship to” address at the top. However, you do need labels for sending out review copies and other promotional material.

Labels come in rolls or sheets, and small quantities can be generated on your laser printer. Here’s an example of a 3” x 5” label:

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_223b780f.jpg

 

Custom-printed labels are available from label manufacturers in various sizes, colors and typestyles. One is Discount Labels at http://www.discountlabel.com. Do not order labels on slick gloss stock. Addresses will smear and the ink takes much longer to dry.

 

CREDIT AND INVOICING

Dealer orders come from your distributor, commercial wholesale customers and those individual retail customers (such as libraries and large companies) that must be billed. These customers are usually extended credit and invoiced.

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_1e1470bb.jpg

 

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: When payment arrives, match the check with the invoice and date-stamp the invoice to give yourself a record of the date payment was received. Then move the invoice to a binder of a different color for storage. Update your computer file.

EXTENDING CREDIT: The customer may send a check, authorize you to charge his or her credit card or you may extend him or her credit (e.g., net 30 days). Most publishers require a check or credit card from individuals and extend credit to bookstores, libraries, their distributor and wholesalers (as long as the orders are not unusually large and the purchase order looks professional).

Individual contracts are rarely required with dealers such as bookstores. That’s because the terms of sale (net 30 days, consignment, etc.) are printed on the invoice in the box marked “Terms.”

 

DELAYED ORDERS

“Back orders” are those that cannot be completely filled when the order is received. Notify your customer immediately via email of the status of the order.

Most publishers use a common code of abbreviations to cover the most frequent back-order problems: OS (out of stock), TOS (temporarily out of stock), OP (out of print), TOP (temporarily out of print), NOP (not our publication) and FP (future publication). If you use these abbreviations, make sure they are explained somewhere on the invoice. Only librarians and bookstores will already understand the codes.

THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION (FTC) has some strict rules for CWO (cash-with-order) mail-order operations. If you receive money for books:

* You must ship the order within 30 days of receiving it (or charging their credit card), unless your offer clearly stated that shipping would take longer.

* If it appears the order will not be shipped when promised, you must notify the customer before the promised date, giving a definite new date, if known, and offering him or her the opportunity to cancel the order with a refund or consent to a definite delayed shipping date or an indefinite delay.

* Your notice must contain a self-addressed, stamped card or envelope for the customer to indicate a preference. If there is no response to this notice, you may assume agreement to the delay but must ship the order within 30 days of the original shipping date promised or required, or the order will be automatically canceled. A prompt refund must be made if the order is canceled.

* Even if the customer consents to an indefinite delay, he or she retains the right to cancel the order at any time before the item is shipped.

* If the customer cancels an order that has been paid for by check or money order, you must mail a refund within seven business days.

* If the customer cancels a credit-card order, you must issue a credit within one billing cycle following the receipt of his or her request. The customer can stop payment pending settlement of the matter if the purchase is over $50 and he or she is within 100 miles or within the same state.

* Credits toward future purchases are not acceptable.

* If the book ordered is unavailable, you may not send substitute merchandise without the customer’s consent.

This FTC discussion regarding credit-card rules may be redundant, because your contract with the credit-card company probably says if the customer purchases by mail or telephone (that is, without physically handing you the card) and later contests the bill, you must issue a credit.

See A Business Checklist for Direct Marketers and A Business Guide to the FTC Mail or Telephone Merchandise Order Rule from the FTC. Search for them at http://www.ftc.gov.

As long as you guarantee satisfaction by offering to send a refund for any merchandise returned for any reason, you shouldn’t have any run-ins with the FTC. Just treat your customers right and keep in touch with them. Use email and keep printouts.

PROMPT SHIPMENTS: Orders should be shipped as soon as possible after receipt, usually the next day. The sooner the orders are processed, the sooner the money will be deposited; this is the best incentive for speedy fulfillment.

Customers want their books as soon as possible. A few who are not familiar with mail order will even call two days later asking about their package, but this is rare.

UNORDERED BOOKS: Customers receiving unordered merchandise cannot be pressured to pay for it or return it. They may use it or discard it as they see fit. So be careful where you ship books. See the Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual.

 

QUALITY CONTROL

One way to avoid shipping errors is to employ as few people as possible in the order-entry and packaging functions. Having fewer people in the loop provides accountability. The second secret is cross-training so everyone understands the system (and can fill in during absences). If an error is made punching up an order, the packer may spot it if he or she understands the system. In very small companies, one person will perform all these functions, but as you hire staff, be sure to cross-train. If the same person handles mail opening or order entry and accounts receivable, he or she will remember the bad debts and other challenges and will flag the questionable new orders.

#

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

Bill Gates

#

COMPLAINTS: A complaint must be viewed as an opportunity, not a problem. Complaints can be expensive if not handled quickly, and they mean a lost sale unless you can make a substitute or convince the customer you are worthy of a future order. Complainers can also spread their hostility to others. Some mail-order companies, such as Quill (the large office supply company), enclose a return form with every order to emphasize how easy it is to do business with them.

Complaints should be answered promptly. Even if the book has probably arrived by the time you get the complaint, you should answer. You must maintain credibility.

Written complaints should be handled with a call, unless a lot of photocopied documentation is required. Customers can be cooled down more easily over the telephone.

When customers call in a complaint, you have an opportunity to wrap up the problem on the telephone at their expense so don’t offer to get back to them. Remind the caller or writer that you guarantee satisfaction. You will try to work out the problem, and if you can’t, you will refund the money. Most customers want the book, and the problem works itself out.

Find out what the customer wants before suggesting a solution. Ask, “What do you want?” The answer is usually much easier and less expensive than you would have offered.

A checklist form letter can be used to handle common small problems. However, because they’re impersonal, they should not be used for major complaints.

 

INVENTORY AND STORAGE

Book storage cannot be taken lightly, because books are not light. If your floor will not support a waterbed, don’t haul in a ton of books.

Often the best place to store your new product is in the garage, alongside a shipping table. This way, the books can be off-loaded in the driveway and stacked in the garage, wrapped as needed and placed back in the car for the post-office run. All these operations can be done with a minimum of carrying. Hauling books down steep steps into a cellar, only to wrap them and haul them back up, gets very old very soon and makes no sense at all. This is heavy work.

Tell the printer you want the finished books plastic shrink-wrapped in stacks of two or more books each. The plastic wrap will keep the books clean, dry and dust-free, and the books will not rub on the carton. Small publishers need shrink-wrapping and tightly packed cartons because they often store the books in places without climate control, such as in an unheated garage. If the cartons are not tightly packed (filled to the top), they will crush and tip, rather than stack well.

Don’t stack cartons directly on top of each other. Stack them to overlap like bricks (this is the way your boxes are usually stacked on the wooden pallets from the printer). The alternating stack will be solid and will not tip over. Very little shelving is required in your shipping area, because you should store books in their original cartons.

If your state has an inventory tax, you can avoid most of the bite by careful ordering or by having your printing done in another state. Then, keeping an eye on the tax date, have the printer ship you a pallet of books as needed.

As noted above, the books should be shrink-wrapped at the printer, boxed and sealed. Then the cartons will be palletized, banded three ways (with straps or plastic wrap) and trucked to you as a unit. This keeps the books from shifting in the cartons, which can scratch the covers. Palletized and banded cartons are less likely to be broken open en route, but always expect to find at least one torn carton (perhaps a curious trucker has opened it to check out the contents).

New titles can be “drop-shipped” directly from the printer to your wholesale accounts in various quantities. This cuts down on reshipping. There is no reason to expend the time and money to route them, for example, from Michigan to you in California and then back to your distributor, wholesaler, book clubs and other major accounts.

Books must be kept in a cool, dry, dust-free place. Dampness can ripple or curl the pages, make covers stick together and rust wire-stitches (staples) in saddle-stitched books. Depending upon your location, moisture and type of flooring, it might be wise to stack the cartons on pallets, so air can circulate under the boxes. Always leave an air space between the stack and a wall. Sunlight will fade and yellow paper. Dust will scratch the covers and dirty the edges of the books.

Fire is always a concern, but insuring the inventory in a noncommercial (hence non-fire-rated) area may be impossible. Ask your insurance agent.

If your books become damaged, slowly or quickly, you’re out of business. Therefore, your inventory must be protected, and this means leaving the books in their protective cartons and bags and opening only one carton at a time as needed. Unbelievably, some publishers unpack their books and place them on shelves, exposed to sun and dust.

If the pages of the books ripple due to high humidity, they may straighten out when the moisture returns to nor-mal. Again, leaving the books stacked in their cartons will hold the pages flatter.

INVENTORY CONTROL is simpler if all the books are stored in a single place. When you have cartons of books scattered around your garage, in the office, at the printer, with friends and in your distributor’s warehouse, some will disappear and you’ll have trouble counting them. If you don’t have a garage or spare room available, try renting storage space at a self-storage facility. These storage centers are quite common now; check the Yellow Pages under “Storage.” Then try to store books in one place, or no more than two: the bulk in the rented storage space and a few cartons in the shipping area.

Physical inspection is the easiest way to get stock information. If you quickly count the books on hand monthly, you’ll be able to plot a good inventory chart. These figures will be a great help in your planning next year. Reorders must be scheduled so the reprints will arrive just before the previous supply is exhausted. Having to report a delay in filling an order costs money in terms of paperwork, and time is money. The decision to reprint will be determined by the rate of sales, stock level, seasonal sales expectations (outdoor books sell better in the spring), the time required to print and, in some states, the date of the inventory tax.

Dun & Bradstreet reports that 9.5% of all business failures are due to excessive inventory. Keep the inventory low and order more often.

 

PICKING AND PACKING

The Shipping Area is where you do the picking, packing and posting. It should be arranged so as to require as little motion as possible; books, bags, cartons and other materials must all be within easy reach. Position the fast-selling books closer to the shipping table.

Packing involves the placing of the books in a protective wrapper so that your customer receives the clean, non-mutilated goods he or she is paying for. Books must be packaged well enough to arrive in good condition the first time. It costs too much to ship them twice.

Single orders can be prepackaged and stacked to wait for a label. When this is done in front of the TV set, the time passes quickly.

Books can be safely shipped in Priority Mail flat-rate envelopes (two pounds or more). Flat-rate envelopes are mailed at the two-pound rate, regardless of the total weight. These envelopes are provided free from the Postal Service. The Postal Service will even ship quantities of these envelopes to you at no charge. Just call 800-222-1811.

Get the right type and size (EP 14F-flat rate) and fold the envelope to immobilize the book(s). If the envelope is too large, the book(s) will slide around inside and the covers will be scuffed. (See the Postal Service Web site at http://supplies.usps.gov.) Put the book(s) into a plastic bag before inserting them into the cardboard envelope.

PADDED BAGS: Review copies can be sent in padded bags at the Media Mail rate (formerly Book Rate and Special Standard Mail), which is less expensive than Priority Mail.

Fiber-filled padded bags are heavy, dirty and can only be stapled closed. The plastic-bubble Jiffy-Lite(R) bag, on the other hand, is clean, light and waterproof when sealed. Compared with other plastic-lined bags, the Jiffy-Lite is not as smooth inside, making it difficult to stuff large books, but it offers the best protection. We have tested every type of plain and padded bag, lightweight and heavyweight, and have found the Jiffy-Lite bubble bag to be the best.

Jiffy-Lite bags cost more than fiber-filled bags, but you’ll save on postage. A standard 6'' x 9'' hardcover book measures a half-inch wider and longer and is a quarter-inch thicker than its paperback edition. Both fit the #1 Jiffy-Lite bag when they have less than 200 pages. Contact Sealed Air Corp. for the name of the local paper dealer who handles their Jiffy-Lite bags. See http://www.sealedair.com.

Also contact Quill Corporation for a catalog and compare bag prices. Call 800-789-1331 or see http://www.quill.com. Remember to add in shipping charges when comparing prices.

STAPLERS AND HEAT-SEALERS: The shipping bags can be stapled closed (get the heavy, hand-grip type of stapler); some have their own adhesive strips or are heat-sealed. Sealing machines come in several sizes and provide a moisture-tight closure.

OVERSIZED PAPERBACKS: 8.5 x 11 softcover books can be shipped in Postal Service Priority Mail envelopes. Put the book(s) into a plastic bag before inserting them into the cardboard envelope.

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_m6231c5e2.jpg

 

Some thinner 8.5 x 11 books require more protection for the spine and require a Vari-depth mailer. Vari-depth mailers are die-cut, flat shippers that can be folded around one or more books. The mailers cost more than padded shipping bags but offer excellent protection when the books are first placed in a plastic bag. Amazon.com uses this packaging for individual books.

CARTONS: Three or more books require a carton for protection. Check the Yellow Pages for nearby paper-goods dealers, and purchase standard 5.5'' x 8.5'' or 6'' x 9'' cartons (as applicable) of various depths. They ordinarily come 25 to the bundle. Many times, large-box manufacturers and distributors will give you free samples so that you can select the right-sized carton for your books.

Bookstores are a good source of shipping cartons. They usually get more than they can recycle, and disposal is expensive. Ask the storeowner and check the dumpster.

If you standardize the trim size of all your books, you’ll minimize the carton and bag sizes required for shipping. The best measurements for books are 5.5 x 8.5 and 8.5 x 11, because they will stack together (two of the smaller-sized books, side by side, over one of the larger books).

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_6be849ea.jpg

 

Incidentally, some states, such as California, don’t charge sales tax on shipping supplies such as cartons and tape. This is probably to encourage exports. Check on this with your office-supply store or state sales-taxing authority.

PAPER TAPE AND DISPENSERS: The least expensive way to seal cartons is with 3'' nonreinforced brown-paper tape. Reinforced paper tape is strong, but it’s also dirty and hard to cut with inexpensive tape dispensers.

Fancy paper-tape machines cost several hundred dollars—quite a shock—so look around for a used one. Check used office-equipment stores and swap meets. Compare the prices at Quill at http://www.quill.com. Also contact Arrow Star Discount for a catalog at 800-645-2833.

The water will flow onto the paper tape more easily if you add a little vinegar to the reservoir in the tape machine. You may, alternatively, use a couple of drops of detergent, but detergent can gum up the machine more quickly than vinegar will.

PLASTIC TAPE: Plastic sealing tape costs more to use than paper tape and is harder to apply, but the handheld dispensers are much less expensive. The lightest-weight plastic tape is sufficient; buy the cheapest, lowest-mil thickness available. But be very careful of the special sales on rolls of plastic sealing tape, because the rolls vary in length and some offers are no bargain.

You will need 1/2-inch reinforced “strapping tape” for large cartons, so you should also use it on the small ones. Don’t waste money buying wider tape.

Don’t use twine; UPS does not allow it anymore. String takes too long to put on and it catches in mail-handling machinery.

PLASTIC BAGS: Take a carton and 20 books to your paper-goods store. Pick up some large garbage-can liner bags to line large cartons. Measure the bags against the carton. Then stack some books in one pile to fit the smaller cartons you’re buying, and get some smaller plastic-bag can-liners to match. You have to run these packaging tests each time you buy, because the bag manufacturers are continually changing the measurements, mil thickness and gussets.

RAZOR KNIFE: Get a common razor knife for opening cartons, and keep it sharp. A sharpening stone will prolong the life of the blades. Be very careful when cutting open cartons. It’s common to score the covers of the top books by cutting too deeply.

RUBBER STAMPS: The common rubber stamps you’ll need are pictured in the illustration. Order them from your local office-supply store. Some are commercially available, and others must be made to order.

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_m614196e8.jpg

 

When shipping a package by air, stamp the “air mail” notice near the address on the package so that it will be more noticeable to the mail sorters. A red air-mail stamp over in one corner of the carton might be missed, resulting in a high-priced, slow delivery.

Rubber stamps come with a variety of inking mechanisms: (1) nonrefillable (not very economical), (2) refillable (with the ink held in a reservoir) and (3) those that use a stamp pad. If using a stamp pad, turn it over every night to make the ink flow to the top of the pad.

LADDER: Get a short, sturdy ladder or step stool so you can stack cartons higher and retrieve them more easily.

SCALES fall into two categories—spring and electronic— and two general ranges. Electronic scales are more accurate.

The two ranges are 0-2 lb. or 0-5 lb. letter scale and 0-50 lbs. (or more) large parcel scale. The larger scale need only read from 0-50 lbs. Packages heavier than 40 lbs. do not protect their contents well (will be dropped) and should not be shipped.

Book publishers don’t need fancy zone and rate-computing scales since books shipped by Media Mail and in flat-rate Priority Mail envelopes are not zoned. A simple scale and a rate chart are all that are needed.

The scale should be accurate, but don’t be obsessed with it being perfect. The Postal Service rarely checks the postage on a stamped package at the loading dock.

 

THE PACKING PROCESS

There are two important steps in successful book packaging: (1) keep the books clean and (2) keep them immobilized.

Start with cartons that are close to the size of your book. If you have 5.5'' x 8.5'' books and can get 5.5'' x 8.5'' cartons in several depths, the fit will be perfect and there won’t be any sliding and scuffing between books. Slip the books into a plastic bag and slide them into the carton. For the best fit, cut down the top of the carton rather than fill it with dunnage. The books will be kept clean by the plastic bag and immobilized by the perfect-fitting carton.

STUFFING MATERIALS: Foam peanuts and disks are greasy, gritty and will work their way between the pages of a book if not separated by a plastic bag. Reuse any peanuts sent to you, but don’t buy them. The best shipping carton is a perfect fit or one that has been cut down to fit. The next best choice is to stuff with newspaper; however, remember that newspaper is dirty—another reason to place the books in a plastic bag first. Other stuffing materials include cheap newsprint paper in sheets or in rolls, plastic bubble wrap and inflatable plastic and rubber balloons. Uline offers a wide range of shipping supplies; phone 800-295-5510, or visit http://www.uline.com.

LABELING: Once the bag is stuffed or the carton is wrapped, it’s time to apply the packing list/shipping label. This copy of the invoice is simply folded and inserted into a large, pressure-sensitive, adhesive-backed clear envelope and placed on the bag or carton. (Stock #45-3-23, Associated Bag Co., http://www.associatedbag.com) Now the person receiving the shipment will have exactly the same information as the person receiving the bill.

Occasionally, the person receiving the separate bill will not want the person receiving the books to know the prices and terms (such as in a drop shipment). In this case, simply use scissors to clip off the pricing information. When the ship to address is not the same as the invoiced address, cross out the latter and circle the former with a felt-tip pen, or use a common 1 x 3.5 address label to cover the sold to address.

TAPING: Using nonreinforced paper or plastic tape, seal the ends of the carton as well as the long flaps. Sealing the ends will make the carton far sturdier. Place the shipping label/packing slip in its self-adhesive, clear envelope on top. Place this envelope over the carton closure, so the recipient will have to remove the envelope to open the carton. Then reinforce the carton by banding in at least two directions with reinforcing tape. Run the tape over the clear packing slip envelope to secure it to the carton. Then if another heavy package is skidded across this one, the label will not be spindled off.

When assembling cartons with paper tape, cut the tape long enough to hang over the carton by 2 to 3 on each end. Since folding down the four flaps and taping is a three-hand job, try this: With all four flaps closed, place the tape on the far long flap. Pull the carton up against you, and seal the tape over the near long flap and the ends of the carton.

 

SHIPPING RATES

Obtain both the domestic and international rates from the Postal Service at http://www.usps.gov and make up postal charts for both the invoicing and wrapping areas. Inflate the figures on the chart for the invoicing area to allow for the price of the shipping bag, invoice, tape, envelope, the first-class postage of the invoice and self-insurance (because you’ll replace any books that are lost or damaged in transit). It’s cheaper to replace a lost book than to pay for postal insurance.

For Postal Service publications and Web sites, see Postal Books, Manuals & Web Sites in Appendix 2. For the most current rates, see http://www.usps.gov.

MEDIA MAIL (BOOK RATE): Books can be shipped via the Postal Service’s Media Mail (formerly called Book Rate and Special Standard Mail). To qualify, books must have at least eight pages, contain no advertising and be permanently bound. Media Mail is cheaper than regular parcel post, and there are no postal zones to compute. The same low rate applies to any destination with a zip code from Guam to the Virgin Islands, including APOs and FPOs.

If, however, you’re shipping a heavy parcel in the nearest postal zones to yours, compare the Postal Service’s Media Mail rate with their regular parcel-post rate, and with UPS, courrier for the lowest rate available.

Get a copy of the Postal Service Domestic Mail Manual from the post office or print it from the Postal Service Web site at http://www.usps.gov. For a free comparison chart, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Upper Access Books, PO Box 457, Hinesburg, VT 05461; 800-310-8320, 802-482-2988; Fax: 802-482-3125; or print it from their Web site under “Publishers Services” at http://www.upperaccess.com.

PRIORITY MAIL: Flat-rate envelopes (EP-14F) can be shipped for just $4.05, regardless of the weight. And since you save 30¢ because the envelope is free, your cost is really just $3.75. You can get up to four books in the envelope, or just over four pounds. Eighty-four percent of Priority Mail is delivered anywhere in the U.S. within two days. See http://supplies.usps.gov to order free supplies. We ship virtually every single book via Priority Mail. Customers love the quick delivery.

#

Among other things good and bad that modern civilization has produced, surely the postal system which covers the whole world, is one of the most beneficial activities.

Jawaharlal Nehru

#

UNITED PARCEL SERVICE: UPS provides excellent service, including daily pickup, but their prices for single books are not competitive with the Postal Service, and their shipments require more paperwork. Daily pickup service starts at only $7 per week. Contact your local UPS office for prices and a UPS Customer Materials Kit or see http://www.ups.com.

By way of comparison, a 1-lb. parcel shipped coast to coast in the U.S. in early 2007 cost the following:

*

Postal Service

Media Mail (surface): $ 1.59

Library Mail (surface): $ 1.51

Parcel Post (surface): $ 2.96–$3.95 (depending on zone)

Priority Mail (air): $ 4.05

Express Mail (air): $18.80

See http://www.usps.gov

 

United Parcel Service

Surface: $ 6.59

Second Day Air: $14.51

Next Day Air: $33.08

See http://www.ups.com

 

Federal Express

Ground: $ 5.40

Second Day: $16.73

Overnight: $35.40

See http://www.FedEx.com

*

OVERNIGHT DELIVERY SERVICE: Some customers want the books right away, and they’ll pay the extra cost, so it’s wise to offer the option overnight delivery. Federal Express is the largest of the overnight companies, followed by UPS, Airborne, Purolator and Emery. UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Express are the three largest second-day delivery services. Most offer pickup service, but charges are lower if you drop off the package at their office or drop box. Check the Yellow Pages and contact all the overnight services listed for supply kits of envelopes, cartons and bills of lading.

Overnight and fast deliveries to foreign countries vary greatly in price. Always call for prices before selecting a carrier. DHL is the oldest and largest international carrier.

See the Web sites of these delivery services in Appendix 2 under Shipping Services.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS: International parcels of printed matter are limited by the Postal Service to 5 kg (11 lbs.). Larger shipments must be broken down into 5 kg increments or wrapped in a larger carton weighing over 15 lbs., inserted into a mail sack and shipped as a direct sack of prints in M-bags. Visit your post office for some No. 2 sacks and PS 158 tags. Also take some time to read section 225.953 of the International Mail Manual.

 

tmp_e6be7eaf679aa2a371bebc6e92d788b4_vk3DSA_html_m5e8e5a90.jpg

 

To ship in direct sacks of prints, line a carton with a heavy plastic bag and insert the books. Make sure the books are tightly packed and that they fit the cartons perfectly. Seal and reinforce the carton in all directions to guard against splitting. Then “double-box” by inserting the package into another carton and seal this with paper or plastic tape. Copier-paper cartons are slightly larger than the cartons holding four stacks of 5.5'' x 8.5'' books and work very well. Affix the shipping label with the added words “Postage paid—direct sack of prints.” Then band with reinforcing tape in all three directions. Weigh the package at this point and affix postage to a PS 158 tag. (Postage is paid on the contents, not the weight of the bag.) Turn the carton on end and slip a No. 2 mail sack down over it. Attach a shipping label to the PS 158 tag and attach the tag to the cinch clip on the mail sack. The Postal Service will pull the package out of the sack at the border, keep the sack and let the package continue by itself.

Most international shipments weighing more than 1 lb. require a “customs sticker.” The type (PS2976 or PS2976A) depends on weight and/or shipping method.

#

Neither rain, nor snow, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these publishers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

#

 

POSTING

If your shipment weighs less than 1 lb., you can drop the weighed and stamped package off at the loading dock at the rear of the post office or the counter up front. There’s no need to wait in line. Most postal employees don’t know much about classes and rates (just quiz one about direct sacks), so they aren’t much help after a long wait in line. If you have a postage meter, you can drop off heavier packages at the loading dock because the meter imprint has a serial number and is traceable to you. If you don’t have a postage meter, you have to hand over packages that weigh more than 1 lb. to an employee inside the post office because of the Unabomber rule.

Mail is usually sent from each post office to a centralized mail-handling facility before it is shipped out of town. If you drop the packages at this central facility, they will move out faster and will be subjected to less handling. For the address of your nearest mail-handling facility, consult the white pages of the telephone directory under the U.S. Government listings.

#

A LESSON LEARNED

 

Some years ago, I dropped off a load of packaged books at the branch post office where I have my postal box. Six days later, I was dropping off another load at the central mail-handling facility and discovered the previous shipment. It had taken the books six days to travel 10 miles at book rate (now Media Mail).

#

If you like the large 3'' rubber bands used by the Postal Service, you can get a box free. Just stop by the bulk mail office (ask your local post office about its location) and tell them you’re planning a large mailing. While there, pick up some mail bins and some No. 2 mail bags. The bins can be used to carry many small parcels to the post office, and the sacks will be used for Direct Sack shipments. Don’t be bashful about asking for bins and sacks. The Postal Service wants to lend them to you, because they make it easier for them to handle the mail.

#

Designs in connection with postage stamps and coins may be described, I think, as the silent ambassadors on national taste.

W.B. Yeats

#

 

ALTERNATIVES TO LICKING AND STICKING

POSTAGE METERS: Metered mail travels faster and is handled less. Stamped parcels are taken out of the bins at the post office, canceled and thrown back in. Another advantage is that whereas the postal clerks may compare stamps with weight, they rarely return metered mail for more postage.

Once your business has grown and there’s the potential temptation for employees to walk off with stamps, you might consider a meter. You can never stop employees from running a few personal letters through the machine, but this is better than losing a couple of $1 stamps every day.

A meter imprint makes your publishing company appear more established by eliminating that “postage-stamped, loving hands at home” look. The meter also allows you to print an advertising message on the outgoing mail.

On the other hand, postage meters cost money. There’s no discount on postage, and the machine must be rented from a meter company.

Most postage meters come in two parts: the meter and the base unit. The base unit can be purchased outright, but the meter (the part holding the postage) can only be rented. Shop for a base unit that imprints on both envelopes and tapes for packages. Make sure your base is for an electronic meter. Mechanical meters have been phased out.

There are other meter companies besides just Pitney Bowes but PB has the best deal currently. See the Mailstation(TM) at http://www.PB.com.

ONLINE DIGITAL POSTAGE is more expensive and more time-consuming than having your own meter. You must go online to type in the address of your customer and then print out the postage on your laser printer. Online postage is not yet as fast or as easy as a meter. See the online demonstrations. Compare the monthly service charge with the cost of a meter, and the time each involves.

For details, see http://www.usps.com/onlinepostage/welcome.htm?from=home&page=onlinepostage.

METER SUPPLIES: Address labels are cheaper than buying meter tapes from the meter company.

Some newer meters use a thermal print-ribbon instead of ink, which has the advantage of a consistent imprint, no smearing and no inking (you just have to replace the ribbon). If your meter uses ink, don’t use just any ink. The postal machinery that turns the envelopes face up recognizes the fluorescent red ink supplied by the meter companies.

 

RETURNED BOOKS

Processing returns is not the best part of the book business. Anytime you’re feeling depressed over a returned book, remember that some large publishers get a lot of their books back. The industry considers 20%, or a little more, to be normal. Smaller publishers rarely suffer such a high return rate.

When a book comes back, make out a receiving slip. This doesn’t have to be a fancy form; a note on a scratch pad or your notation on the packing slip will do. But you need some written record. Note the date received, the sender and the condition of the book. Determine whether any damage was caused in mailing, or before shipping, by the condition of the package.

Bookstore shipments almost always arrive damaged, because books usually aren’t packed correctly. Most bookstores dump the books in a carton without a protective plastic bag or cushioning material, so the books rattle around and become scuffed and bent. Or they throw three books in an oversized Jiffy bag, and the books rub against each other as they journey across the country.

On receipt, the good books should be returned to the storage area and the bad ones set aside in their box, pending settling up with the customer. Return the damaged books with an invoice for the shipping and an explanation regarding the condition. Be sure to mark the books so they’ll be easy to spot if returned to you again. One publisher places a small black dot with a fine felt-tip marker on the bottom edge of the book near the spine.

#

One well-known Eastern book wholesaler frequently orders books and returns them from different departments on the same day.

#

The object is to get your books into the stores. If the store has tried your book on the shelf and it hasn’t sold, they should not be penalized for returning it. If, on the other hand, the book is not just shelf-worn but was obviously damaged in return transit due to poor packaging, the store or wholesaler should eat the cost.

Books returned by the customer because they were received damaged should be replaced at once. This is a cost of doing business and keeping clients happy.

Damaged books can be offered to acquaintances as selected seconds and donated to institutions. Some publishers offer them to the walk-in traffic at a 50% discount with the explanation that “all books look like this after a week.”

When an individual retail order is returned by the Postal Service marked “Undeliverable,” check the original order to verify the address. If the address is wrong, type a label with the correct address, then slip the whole book and package into another, larger package so the addressee will see what happened and why the shipment took so long. If the address is correct, date the package and put the order and book aside and wait for your customer’s anxious letter or call.

Some publishers have “order from” addresses that are different from their “return shipping” addresses. That’s because it’s expensive and disruptive when cartons of books are delivered to the editorial offices. Be specific about your receiving address in your returns policy.

 

ORDER FULFILLMENT ALTERNATIVES

There are many ways to fulfill your orders besides doing it yourself. The alternatives are listed below.

Remember, however, that even with outside fulfillment for orders, you’ll still need a small shipping facility yourself for review copies, sales samples and other mailings. Keeping your fulfillment in-house will provide better inventory control, faster shipping of orders, fewer shipping errors, fewer damaged books and lower fulfillment costs.

JOINT REPRESENTATION: This is where a large publisher accepts a smaller one with similar titles. Commonly, the big firm takes over all the marketing, distribution and billing functions as well. The cost can be high: 25% or more of the net sale. Like the commissioned sales reps, the firm gets credit for all the sales regardless of who generates them. Not only does the arrangement cost more than doing it yourself, but you also never learn the ropes. You become more dependent than ever, and the large publisher may push its own titles (which are more profitable) before selling yours. Unless you simply don’t have the time or the will to do your own marketing and fulfillment, joint representation should not be considered until you have operated long enough to make an educated decision and draft an ironclad contract.

FULFILLMENT WAREHOUSES: If you are unable to spend the time picking, packing and posting, lack the necessary space or would rather concentrate on writing and marketing, there are commercial fulfillment firms that will do the job for you. Typically, they have a price list of charges for packaging and many other services, plus postage and packing materials. Some charge a percentage of the order. They may also charge per month per skid of books for storage.

Figure roughly 1¢ per book per month for warehousing. You can send your orders and invoices to these fulfillment warehouses (or they will cut the invoices for you). Most also accept credit-card orders from your customers via a toll-free telephone number and offer accounting, invoicing, order tracking, returns and sometimes even collection services. The best have 24-hour order taking via email, postal mail, phone, fax and their Web site.

Fulfillment firms are listed at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/supplier.cfm.

Remember, fulfillment houses only store, take orders and ship; they do not sell. They will not get your books into bookstores or sell subsidiary rights. Moving books from your garage to someone’s warehouse does not mean your books have been turned into cash.

For more information on fulfillment, see Book Fulfillment at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm or under Para Publishing Special Reports in Appendix 2.Also, see the list of fulfillment services in Appendix 2.

 

REMAINDERS

Remainders are overstock books that are sold off to remainder dealers at greatly reduced prices. The big publishers are only interested in books while they’re maintaining a certain level of sales. When the demand drops for a title, out they go. Your situation is different, because you’re storing the books at home, have a lower overhead, like the prestige of having a current book and can get by on the occasional sales. Initially, each book adds to your size. You’ll have to have several titles before you drop any. You can always run off another 500 copies or print single copies on demand; there’s no reason to go out of print. If it’s a good how-to book and you have kept it up-to-date with revisions at each printing, it should continue to sell indefinitely.

Typically, a remainder dealer will offer you 1% to 3% of the list (cover) price of the book. On a $19.95 book, that would be just 20¢ to 60¢ each. Don’t remainder a book until the value of your storage space exceeds these amounts.

Publishing consultant John Huenefeld offers the following rule of thumb for determining when to drop a title. Multiply the quantity on hand by the list price. Then divide by 20 to get 5% of the list price value of the stock. Now compare this 5% figure with the net sales for the last 12 months. If the sales were not greater than this 5% figure, it’s time to call the truck.

Remaindering is big business. More than 20,000 titles go out of print each year, and 25 million copies are remaindered. A lot of large companies are in this business. Many wholesalers carry remainders or “bargain books,” which can account for one-third of a bookstore’s gross. Some books see their sales pick up once they have been remaindered. The new price and marketing effort have turned books completely around. Remaindered books have sold out and then gone back to press.

Notify your distributor before remaindering a book and offer to take back their stock.

Lists of remainder dealers can be found in Publishers Weekly, Literary Market Place and the American Book Trade Directory at your library. Write to a number of remainder dealers (some of them specialize in certain types of books, sold to special markets), indicating the quantity, list price, title, hardbound or paperback, condition, location, whether they are prepackaged and, if so, in what increments. Enclose a copy of the book and your sales materials. Establish a closing date and announce that you’ll accept the best offer for any quantity. Shipping is FOB your warehouse, terms are net 30 days and the books are not returnable. Once you have selected the highest bidder, call them and make sure you have a deal.

Most remainder dealers want 1,000 to 5,000 books, minimum, and they want your entire stock so they have an exclusive. Some will take your slightly damaged stock or “hurts” (scratched copies returned by bookstores).

For detailed information on remainders and other forms of inventory reduction, see Document 633, Beyond Remainders, at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal in remainders.

HURT BOOKS: Remainder or donate damaged returns (hurts) to a charity. You can deduct the value of the book at its original acquisition cost plus your storage and handling costs and the postage out. Prisons, foreign libraries and church bazaars will be very happy to accept your books. By donating your scuffed books, you recover your original investment in them.

#

A book has but one voice, but it does not instruct everyone alike.

Thomas Kempis

 

* * * * *

 

11 COPING WITH BEING PUBLISHED

Or what do I do now?

 

Once you become a published author, your life will change. Being in the limelight may not always be as much fun as your earlier dreams about it. This chapter discusses some of the interesting challenges you’ll face, and it provides suggestions on how to deal with them.

 

YOUR NEW STATUS

Your status will change from that of a private person, the “writer,” to a public person, the “expert”—possibly even the “celebrity.” Your friends will treat you differently once you’re published. Some will be very happy for you, and some will be jealous—envious because they didn’t write the book. People new in your field will treat you like an idol, while those who have been around for years may feel threatened and be rather unkind.

Many new authors do not foresee their new popularity, their growing celebrity status. There is little you can do about your new treatment, except be prepared for it. Be nice, and in a few years your reputation will be so solid that no one will take swipes at you anymore.

#

AUTHORS FACE THE CHALLENGES

 

Gary Glenn spent 27 years working as a fire investigator. When he and his wife, Peggy, wrote Don’t Get Burned! A Family Fire-Safety Guide, life at work changed. The new firefighters put him on a pedestal—they followed him around the firehouse, hoping he might drop a few pearls of wisdom. Meanwhile, some of his con-temporaries in the very status-conscious firefighting community were cool toward him.

Bob Johnson wrote the first book on the triathlon. When he was 62, Bob took off for Hawaii to practice for the IronMan competition. He found himself followed by a covey of young groupies. This was quite a problem—while Bob had an obligation to his public, he wanted to get away to practice alone.

#

 

HOW TO AUTOGRAPH BOOKS

Autographing books is something you will be asked to do both in person and by mail. It’s surprising how many prolific authors have never given much thought to how they might autograph a book. Confronted with an admiring fan, they’re suddenly at a loss for words. Most authors simply sign “To Kathy, with best wishes,” then add their signature and sometimes the date. However, it’s a good idea to think of a more clever standard line to use that relates to the topic of your book. At times, you’ll want to be more personal, such as thanking a contributor for his or her help and support on a book. And if there’s something special about a particular buyer, I recommend including it in your autograph. Yet, often there’s a question of time. At a well-attended autograph party with many people standing in line, it’s difficult to think of a few well-chosen words while trying to give witty answers. And, by the way, especially when rushed, make sure you spell your buyer’s name correctly. In all the hustle, it’s easy to draw a blank and misspell the simplest name or word, ruining a book.

#

To autograph your book to a stranger is easy, to autograph it for a friend is difficult.

Rex Alan Smith, Moon of Popping Trees

#

Make up a sign for book signings and exhibits at events. They prompt people to buy now rather than delaying their purchase. One author takes the sign below along with him.

*

Sample sign for book events

 

Autographed books are more valuable.

Ask the author to sign your book.

*

Some authors autograph a number of books before an event so all they have to do is add the name of the individual.

 

WRITING ARTICLES

Once your book is published and you become better known, editors will contact you for material. Usually they will ask you to write an article on your subject—something you probably will not have time to do. Additionally, once your book is in print, you will find new, pertinent information and will devise unique ways of explaining your program and methods. Your solution to these two challenges is the “interview article.”

#

Other people are the pioneers and make the history. I just write it down—and sell it back to them.

#

As you think of a point you want to make, draft it in the form of a question and answer. Let these questions and answers build until you have several pages of them entered into your computer. Then when editors call, just say you are too busy to generate a specific piece, but that you have this Q&A article with all the very latest information. Tell them they may select the Q&As most likely to be of interest to their readers, and to call if they need any more. Editors love this system and rarely can think of any more questions. Some editors run the Q&As as is, while some reporters use them to generate an original article. What’s important is that you have supplied an interviewer with written, well-thought-out answers. This system gets editors off your back, saves you a lot of time, fulfills your obligation to the media and generates a lot of publicity for your book.

THE SPIN-OFF is an important concept. Repackaging the same information for various markets or in various for-mats (expanded and condensed versions, various sizes and bindings, etc.) will bring in more money while promoting the original book. Magazine articles can be extracted from the book, book chapters can be used as a basis for conference workshops, a series of magazine articles can be combined into a new book or the book can be rewritten and directed toward a new audience. With a computer, it’s easy to pull out part of the book, add an introduction and a conclusion and turn the piece into an article, or add new material and turn it into a special report.

Always end your article with an “Editor’s note,” where you mention that the article was extracted from your book, and then give ordering information. Do not simply ask the editor to do this for you; place the words at the end of the article yourself.

#

The lover of letters loves power too.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

#

Continue to recycle. After an article is printed, post it in an article bank on your Web site. Then alert other editors that you have articles available to them. For an example of an article bank, see http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/articlebank.cfm.

CONSULTING

Many authors consult on their area of expertise. For example, I consult as a technical expert in parachute and skydiving legal cases. If you decide to sell your time, set your fee schedule early, so you will be ready with figures when you receive a call. Be advised that most beginning consultants price themselves too low. For guidance on legal consulting, see The Expert Witness Handbook at http://parapub.com/sites/para/speaking/edutrain.cfm. Wring more value out of your expertise.

 

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

As a published author, you’ll be asked to address all sorts of groups. Make sure the gathering will be large enough to make the trip worthwhile. Even if they guarantee a large group where you might sell a number of books (“back-of-the-room sales”), you should require an honorarium.

Place photographic blowups of your books at the front of the room when you speak. They will act as continuous communicators because your audience will look at them all during the speech.

Make sure your book can be sold in the “back of the room.” Don’t try to handle the money yourself; you’ll be too busy fielding questions. Try to get the organization sponsoring the event to sell the books, and give them a 20% commission on each one they sell. That way, you’ll gain their support and an implied endorsement for your books, possibly even some extensive promotion. If they don’t wish to sell the books, draft an assistant to sell them for you. Compensate this helper with a free book.

Another approach is to have the room set up classroom style, with long tables in front of the audience members. Put books on the tables at every other sitting place, with an order form. Explain that the books are not part of the course but may be purchased and that you put them out for inspection because there’s not enough time to look at them during the break. Tell the audience: (1) all they have to do is to fill out the form (you accept cash, check and credit cards), (2) to turn in the form and (3) to then take the book. This procedure is a self-service and honor system. Process the credit-card numbers when you get home. You’ll sell a much higher percentage of the room.

Your book may become a springboard to professional speaking at a higher rate; you could emerge as a sought-after expert who speaks. For more information on professional speaking, see http://www.NSAspeaker.org. For an example of a speaker’s Web site, see http://parapub.com/sites/para/speaking/.

 

AUTHOR PROMOTION

Once your book is out, you will have to switch gears and put on your promotion hat. Your creativity will be redirected to drafting copy for your Web site, sending out review copies, writing articles, etc. When sales slow down, you’ll then have time to write the next book. Remember that writing the book is just the tip of the publishing iceberg. The real work begins after you send the disk off to the printer, because books will not sell without constant promotion.

 

YOUR WILL

Your books are valuable assets. Draw up a living trust or have your current trust amended. You will eventually die, but you want your work to live on. Name an executor who understands publishing so that your books and papers will continue. The cost of a living trust is very little compared to the expenses of taxes and litigation, not to mention the time and the heartache a trust could save your family and friends. By doing this, you insure that your “intellectual property” will continue its life.

 

STAY IN YOUR FIELD OF EXPERTISE

It is nice to have your eggs in more than one basket, but you might spread your talents too thin. You are primarily an expert in one field—that one in which you are a participant. You can stay in that field and become a “super expert,” or you can branch out into another field and run the risk of being unable to keep up with both of them adequately. So spin off your current message into speeches, articles and more books. Do more of what you do best.

PUBLISH MULTIPLE BOOKS: Distributors will be more interested in your publishing company if you have a line of books. With more books, you can pursue repeat business. It is much easier to sell additional product to an existing customer than to find a new prospect. Spin off your information into multiple products (books, reports, audio and video tapes, CDs, electronic books, etc.).

#

Your big day arrives when your second book is out, someone calls to order a book and you get to ask, “Which one?”

#

PRODUCT-LINE PACKAGING: Maintain consistent and appropriate packaging. If your books look similar, you will have a recognizable product line. They will look as though they are members of the same family. Standardize your measurements to facilitate shipping. You want to stock as few shipping cartons and bags as possible.

 

LOCAL STORES

Place your books in local stores. Then, when traveling fans call up asking where they can purchase your book, you can send them to one of these stores. This approach avoids the awkward situation where fans try to talk you into a free book, and it limits their later-hour visits. A one-hour visit for a one-book sale is not very cost-efficient. The store is a more objective sales rep. You don’t have to try to talk the customer out of his or her money, and the customer doesn’t have to decide whether to make the purchase with you standing there.

#

There is probably no hell for authors in the next world—they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this.

Christian Nestell Bovee

#

 

THE HONOR OF BEING COPIED

When you do research to revise your book, you may get a surprise. Other books may have come out on the same subject after yours was published. In reading them, you will find many interesting (though familiar) ideas. Many will be copied directly from your own work. Remember that when you are writing you are committing history—you will be quoted, or at least copied (but hopefully not completely plagiarized). See Document 619, Write It Once—Sell It Forever, at http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

Next, see “Your Book’s Calendar” in Appendix 1 of this book. Its purpose is to assure that you’re doing everything possible for your book and that you’re performing the tasks in the right order. Also, review “The New Book Model” at the end of this chapter.

#

The book that he had made renders its author this service in return, that so long as the book survives, its author remains immortal and cannot die.

Richard de Bury

#

Once you have published, you’ll know what it’s like to be an author. Before or after publication, treat yourself to a copy of Successful Nonfiction for tips and inspiration for the journey. See http://parapub.com/sites/para/resources/allproducts.cfm.

#

The chief glory of every people arises from its authors.

Samuel Johnson

 

* * * * *

 

AFTERWORD

 

We learn by doing, and your first book will be your hardest. We learn from our mistakes and, hopefully, through the use of this book, your mistakes will be small ones. Learn the entire business by doing everything yourself before you begin to farm out some of the work, because doing it all yourself will provide you with a better understanding of publishing. I hope it introduces and guides you to a richer, more rewarding life.

The first step, the next one, is up to you. I hope you will take it. Then as you write, publish and market, refer to this manual. As you learn the business, make notes in its pages. Also, tell me your experiences, and let me know where this book could be improved. When you do get that first book into print, please send me a copy—autographed, of course.

 

Dan Poynter

 

#

The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in.

James Baldwin (1924 1987)

 

#

 

I’m all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let’s start with typewriters.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1868 1959, architect)

 

* * * * *

 

Appendix 1