Sunday, November 9, 2014

Top 30 Markets For Selling Books


There are only 30 metropolitan markets, according to the 2010 Census Bureau, with two million or more residents. Las Vegas is close, asthe 31st biggest market, with 1,951,269 residents. Rather than just looking at the largest cities in the US, looking at the largest metropolitan markets gives you a better idea of where to concentrate your book marketing and publicity efforts.

However, just because a city is big doesn’t mean they are the best fit for you. For instance, bigger metro areas invite more competition amongst authors and others. Sometimes focusing on smaller but significant areas is the way to go. Additionally, bigger doesn’t always mean on target. A smaller area, say in the south, may be a better target if you were selling a barbecue cookbook as opposed to an area that doesn’t do as many cookouts due to weather or culture.

Lastly, you need to look at the demographics of an area. If you are promoting a book where you need say a large Asian population or a wealthier population, you may look to cities that are in the top metro zones but also into areas where there is a greater concentration of the types of people you are trying to reach.

You also want to look at areas that offer more media outlets, more bookstores, and more opportunities to sell your book.  

Three states are responsible for more than 35% of the hot spots: FL has three spots, CA has five spots, and Texas has three. But one metro area has at least 50% more than its nearest competitor – New York City – and its 19.56 million nearby residents equals the combined populations of nine areas on the list.

If you are looking to tour parts of the county to promote your book, or seeking to focus your book marketing efforts in certain locations, consider the following:

Primary City                Population
New York City           19,567,410
Los Angeles                12,828,837
Chicago                       9,461,105
Dallas                          6,426,214
Philadelphia                5,965,343
Houston                      5,920,416
Washington, D.C.       5,636,232
Miami                          5,564,635
Atlanta                        5,286,728
Boston                         4,552,402
San Francisco              4,335,391
Detroit                         4,296,250
Riverside, Calif           4,224,851       
Phoenix                       4,129,887       
Seattle                         3,439,809
Minneapolis                 3,348,856       
San Diego                   3,095,313
St. Louis                      2,787,701
Tampa                         2,783,243
Baltimore                    2,710,489
Denver                        2,356,285       
Pittsburgh                    2,356,285       
Portland, Ore.             2,226,009
Charlotte                     2,217,012
Sacramento                 2,149,127
San Antonio                2,144,508       
Orlando                       2,134,411       
Cincinnati                    2,114,580       
Cleveland                    2,077,240       
Kansas City                 2,009,342

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2014

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