Monday, September 30, 2019

Where Can You Sell A Book?




On a hot sunny day, people will sell cold soda on the sandy beach. At concerts, people will hawk T-shirts. Outside a political rally, people will sell pins. It seems many opportunities to sell pop up everywhere, often based on timing and circumstance. How can an  author capitalize on similar opportunities? What should you do to sell your book beyond the bookstore?

Give it some thought. Identify who your reader/buyer is and then determine where they will be – not just where they normally hang. Will they be at an upcoming event or occasion, and if so, can you maneuver to sell your book there? Of course, many places are inappropriate for selling books, including:

  • Any place where you need to get a license or buy a booth (don’t try to crash the party).
  • Funerals, angry demonstrations, or any situation where there could be violence or people are less in the mood to buy a book and more in the mood for something else.
  • Places where you will get lost – such as where there are too many other vendors or peddlers next to you.
  • Any place so loud that you can’t be heard if you need to speak to the customer.
You have to be creative when it comes to pursuing sales. If you want to find out about local events, consult various newspapers, community web sites, and local listings posted at public places like a library. Seek to understand  how many people would attend and if their demographic matches somewhat , or a lot with your book’s targeted reader. Think about what type of message they would need to hear from you. Find out what your competition might be at the event. Determine if you want to hand out fliers or sell your book – or do both. Maybe you want to network at the event or inquire on speaking opportunities. Perhaps you can strike a deal with existing vendors and see if they will carry your book for a decent commission.

You must always figure out what you can buy, barter, or profit-share with someone so you can make a buck.  Plenty of people are just like you and welcome an opportunity that you could be presenting to them. No need to be shy or make wrongful assumptions -- reach out, experiment, take a chance, and analyze how to improve the situation after it takes place. Then repeat these steps, and do so on a larger, more frequent scale.


“To imagine is everything, to know is nothing at all.”
--Anatole France

“The propagandist’s purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.”
--Aldous Huxley

“You cannot avoid a decision, because even the avoidance is a concealed decision.”
--Karol Irzykowski

“Don’t just count your years, make your years count.”
--George Meredith


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No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019 Toolkit For Authors -- FREE


Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.

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