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