Can You Sell Books Without Any Competition?

 

 

“Hit ‘em where they ain’t.”

 

Those were the sage words of Wee Willie Keeler, a famous baseball player from the 1890’s. He was saying that batters, in order to get on base, should hit the ball where there are no fielders. Stated so simply and obviously, it is not always an easy strategy to execute, but it certainly makes sense.

 

Well, authors should take the same approach to selling their books and call it “Selling books Where Books Aren’t Sold.”

 

Your book struggles to get into a bookstore, and if it is lucky enough to be placed for sale on a shelf somewhere – or listed online – it is even tougher to get it discovered and purchased. Too much competition. What you need to do it sell where most authors fail to go.

 

For some books, especially non-fiction, the marketplace for your book exists beyond bookstores. Let’s say your book is about dieting. Go where people who need a diet circulate. For instance, stand outside of a weight Watchers meeting and hand out fliers for your book. Contact medical doctors or nutritionists to see if they will buy or resell your book. Partner with a weight-loss supplement company or see if a local gym will make your book available for sale.

 

You can even go beyond all of those logical locations. A diet book can appeal to many Americans since so many are fat slobs, having eating disorders or have special medical conditions that require certain types of diets. You can go anywhere to speak, hand out fliers, or ask if there are re-sale opportunities.

 

The other day I went to a comedy show – but it was not at a comedy club. The local, shared office space building makes room for about 35 folding chairs and a mic stand every other Saturday night. They bring in a few comedians and people leave laughing. Great use of space. Why not be a speaker and do a book signing at that space or another night? Why not see if a restaurant that has a slow night for its event space is interested in having you speak and sell books? You can split the proceeds or pay a small rental fee – or maybe they have you for free so they can persuade people who come to also eat there?

 

Authors need to be assertive and creative when marketing their books. Don’t just do what seems to be obvious and standard, like selling a book in a bookstore, but think beyond the bookstore to sell lots of your books –with little competition.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

How Do Writers Get Unblocked?

 

 

You want to say something great, but the words elude you. You feel the need to be seen and heard, but the substance of your message fails to form. You start to convey a viewpoint, share a feeling, or tell a story but you realize that as you read your writings you are failing to do your thoughts justice. You are in a writer’s purgatory, caught between aspirations of being a genius who writes life-altering, world-changing books and a commercial hack who just wants to slop together something that sounds good enough to sell.  

What could you do in that situation?

* Pack it in and revisit your laptop when the inspiration strikes again?

* Stick with it and force yourself to write past your blockage, like someone trying to punch through a wall?

* Change your plans for what you were going to write about and try to write something else?

* Give up on the idea of writing a book?

* Take a writing course or attend a writer’s conference

Most authors will either:

* Escape to the comforts of their addictions — porn, drugs, gamble, eat, booze, sex.

* Work out, take a hike, go for a swim, walk, or play a sport.

* Go shopping to make themselves feel better

* Go on a retreat, visit a spa, or undergo a change of scenery.

What will you do?  

I find that getting more input of content helps: Go see a play, watch a movie, read a book, hit a museum. Inspiration could come from the arts.  

But you will decide what works for you. I can assure you that you will move on and genius will return to you. It happens to everyone. Something will click and then it will pour out of you like a gushing stream, so fast and furious that you will explode with ideas and words.  

.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

How Do You Achieve Your Book Marketing Goals?

  

As an author, you should set goals for yourself, ranging from the short-term to the long-term, and from the easily achievable to the big dream. To succeed in life or as an author, setting goals can be a foundation for you to build upon. 

What type of goals should you set? 

First, general ones: to have a successful book launch and to get attention for the book. 

Next, be more specific: What defines a successful book launch and what kind or amount of attention are you talking about?  

Third, quantify your goals: I want to secure 100 sales within the first week of publication and I want to get 300 people to view my website that week.  

Fourth, identify what resources or individuals can help you achieve your goals.  

Fifth, set a budget of time and money.  

Sixth, list the specific steps to be undertaken to achieve your goal: To get 300 clicks on my website, I will give something away, lower the book price, advertise on amazon, and boost a Facebook post.  

Once you set your goals, ask yourself:  

* Are they reasonable, aspirational, or delusional? 

* How much risk are you willing to take? 

* What will these goals, if achieved, lead to — and why does that matter to you? 

To have a chance at achieving some, many, or all of your goals, please do the following; 

* Write them down. Acknowledge your plan.

* Read them allowed. Hear the words and embrace your truth. 

* Challenge them: are they achievable, is this what I want, and how will I build on their achievement?

* Visualize them. See yourself achieving them.

* Commit to them. Make a vow.

* Take action. Execute always.

* Embrace repetition and follow through. 

* Break up big goals into smaller ones. 

* Put deadlines to them. 

* Personalize them.

* Monitor and evaluate your progress.

* Shift your perspective and take a hard look at yourself.

* Reset your goals periodically. 

You achieve what you believe. Take the first step and set your goals. Then, follow through and act with confidence, urgency, and resilience.

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum

How Effective Is Your Book Marketing?

The 80/20 Rule says 20 percent of your efforts will yield 80 percent of your results/sales and 80% of your time/effort tends to chase 20%. When you are marketing your book, consider how the 80/20 Rule might play out for you.

Let’s say you sell 500 books this year. You will probably look back and see that certain things yielded the majority of your sales, while a handful cane from many scattered places.

For instance, you may see that speaking at bookstores or events helped you sell 200 books. Maybe the news media, such as interviews, feature stories, and book reviews sold 150 copies. The rest came from a lot of buckets — maybe 35 from amazon ads, 20 from social media, 30 from libraries, etc. In this hypothetical model, for this particular author and book, it becomes easy to identify which efforts had the bigger payoffs — and which did not.

Now, are these numbers the result of more time or money being used to get sales? Possibly. The key is to compare total sales from each area, such as speaking at events, and divide it by the time spent or the cost spent in that part of your marketing.

When looking at advertising you can easily say you spent $100 and sold six books, so the cost per sake is $16.66. Match that up to the cost of something else that you undertook to generate sales.

Look at your time spent, as time is money. Maybe you lined up three interviews with the news media, at say, three local weekly community newspapers. Perhaps it took 12 hours to write pitch letters, research media lists, send out emails to the media, respond to their queries, and spend time preparing for and doing the interviews. So that was one interview per four hours. Let’s say you sold 36 books from these interviews. That is 12 books per interview or 3 books sold per hour.

Compare that to spending 10 hours to set up and conduct three speaking appearances that sold 85 books. That is 8.5 books sold per hour of effort.

When it comes to marketing your book, you will need to experiment and diversify your efforts and test-case what is effective for you. Overtime, you will figure out your best practices and zone in on what consistently works for you.

Until then, stay grounded on what to do but every so often you should swing for the fences.

.

D4o You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/

Off-Broadway Play Explores President Truman’s Role In Israel’s Formation

  

Truman Vs. Israel is a well-written, solidly-acted, perfectly-directed Off-Broadway play at Greenhouse Theater Center, that runs through January 4^th. It is highly recommended for those who love American history or are fascinated with how Israel was formed as a nation during a tumultuous time.

 

Though the play is a fictionalization of the events surrounding the 1948 formation of Israel and the early days of its fledgling existence, it puts Truman under a microscope and questions his political motives and shows a contradiction exists between his actions, private behavior, and public comments. Was he a racist? Did he actually help or hurt Israel? Was he just a politician who covered his own ass?

 

Truman had to make many critical decisions in regards to World War II, including the double-bombing of Japanese cities just days apart that brough Japan’s surrender. He also was involved in Israel’s formation after the Holocaust was exposed. A lot of research was done to create this play, digging into letters, documents, and records form the Truman Library.

 

Director Randy White notes: “Truman is really a compelling character. A man at the center of so many consequential decisions, and getting it form all sides. But claiming to have no regrets. So, when a young Bella Abzug shows up – eager to make her mark as a junior lawyer – the interrogation begins. Truman vs. Israel is like a fabulous and riveting first draft of history.”

 

Playwright William Spatz crafted a creative device to tell the story of Truman, and a cast of Tony Award nominee Willy Falk, Matt Caplan, Helen Laser, and Mark Lotito did a wonderful job of allowing for us to ruminate on who Truman really was.

 

For more information, please visit: www.trumanvisrael.com

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,000,000 page views. With 5,400+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum