PublishMe author Michelle Mackinnon has made ground with her book in the Nationwide bookshop PaperPlus. We asked her how she found approaching them and maybe if she had some tips for other PublishMe members. These are her ideas;

 So, that wonderful day has finally arrived and you have the proof copy of your fabulous hard work in your hot little hands! Congratulations! Before you sent your manuscript files off to the printers, you should have thought about marketing – if you didn’t, then here are some tips. I had my novel Escape From Eden published by PublishMe™ in New Zealand in October 2008 and we have sold over 170 copies in the past week. You can check it out on www.michellemackinnon.com or www.publishme.co.nz 

The Proof Copy

Don’t waste too much time ‘looking in the mirror’ as it were and admiring yourself (your book) – check it through carefully and, in pencil, mark any errors on the pages. Have a few others do it for you as well. Once you have done that, if there are not too many mistakes, you can start your marketing.  This part is very exciting and can be heady stuff!  

Publicity

Phone the local newspapers to tell them your great news – some papers do book reviews. They will probably want to read the book, so decide whether your excitement can let you wait until you have your final printed tome in boxes all over your living room floor. I couldn’t wait and I handed over my proof copy to a reporter before I got my finished product. Two weeks without your baby to show off can be a bit embarrassing when you have been shouting it from the rooftops and everyone is calling round to see! Check out the radio, TV, libraries etc and let them know about your book too. 

Setting up your office

Have your business cards printed, if you haven’t already got any – make sure your name, contact details, email, website etc are clearly shown and don’t forget to state that you are an author.  A nice photo of you helps. Next, have advertising posters of your book made. You will need a decent diary to record names and addresses of bookstores and distributors etc. In New Zealand we have business directories at the back of the phone book – check out the local bookstores and copy their details into your diary. Get a simple accounting package for your computer, or if that’s too hard, get a cheap cash book from the stationery store and an invoice book. Record all your expenses and keep receipts in date order for everything! Talk to someone at the Inland Revenue Department about tax implications and decide whether to register for GST. (New Zealand) 

Presentation

Now you are ready to go sell yourself!!! Dress nicely – smart clothes, neat hairdo, not too much perfume / cologne, modest makeup (none if you’re a guy!), look professional. I hear you thinking’ this was supposed to be about selling books…’  Rule – before you can sell a product to a customer, you have to sell yourself. If it’s the personal approach – you have to look good. If it’s the written approach – your letter or advertisement has to be perfectly presented. 

Attitude

Be confident and believe in your book. You will sell far more if you have a great smile. Expect them to buy. Don’t apologise for your writing, don’t lie but if this is your first publication and you have a box full of reject letters in your basement that jeer at you in dark moments, avoid mentioning that tiny fact. 

The Approach

Don’t telephone first – just go to the bookstore with your posters, samples, invoice book etc and ask to speak to the manager. Show them your book and smile a lot. Tell them that you have already had interviews with the local newspapers (or that this is pending), see if they would like the opportunity of doing the book launch. Offer this to a prominent store, not just a small back yard type one. I was extremely fortunate to have my launch at a store that was part of a nationwide franchise.  

The Launch

Make a list of all your friends and family AND PROMOTE LIKE CRAZY. Consult with the shop manager about how they would like to run the launch – food, wine, invitations, who pays for what, is there going to be a master of ceremonies? Most shop owners will cover the cost of the launch and hope that they sell a lot of your books (plus other stock from their shop) to recoup the financial outlay. You can negotiate with the manager over things like free giveaways, whether or not there are going to be tickets sold to attend etc.  Send invitations about 3 weeks early and remind people. Don’t be disappointed if only 30% of the people you invited turn up. Invite plenty of people and tell them to bring friends. Some actually will. Again, dress well, and smile a lot. Be gracious. Have a decent pen to sign books with and decide on a few nice phrases to add to your signature when you sign a book for someone. Don’t drink the wine until after the launch!  

Distribution

If you haven’t already done so, send a copy of your book with a full description to the Head Office of all the bookstore franchises. Contact them to see what guidelines / forms they have for submissions to their new book consultant. Most bookshops want at least 40% plus GST profit from a book they sell. So work out your costs and be prepared to negotiate on things like selling on your behalf, sale or return, outright sales, bulk orders.  

Contact any independent distributors and see what they charge. Work out if it is cheaper to let them do the travelling, or if you want to be your own distributor.

If you are doing all the distribution, make sure your telephone manner is great when answering all those calls from bookshops. Don’t let the kids answer the phone if you work from home! Check out the prices for postage and packaging and allow for that in your costs. Again, presentation of your product is important. Bubble wrap, or box in sturdy cardboard. Check whether the post office or courier services are cheaper.

All the best of luck with selling your book. Many thanks to PublishMe for all their help in publishing my novel, Escape From Eden. http://michellemackinnon.com