Volume 26, Issue 26 Number 619 October 23, 2026

News You Can Use -- To Sell More Books in Large, Non-Returnble Quantities

Ideas for Selling to

Non-Bookstore Buyers

By Guy Achtzehn

Get more ROPE (Return On Promotional Expenditures) by communicating with the right target audience, appeal, timing, copy, consistency, budget and coordination with other promotions. Manage the impact as well as the message. What is your ROPE?

There are two types of innovation. One is incremental innovation where products are so similar to existing items that they require no major change in the consumers’ behavior (Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul vs. Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul). The other innovation is disruptive, one that significantly alters the usage patterns, such as moving from bookstore marketing to non-bookstore marketing. Generally, marketing incremental innovations are less expensive than marketing disruptive innovations, but the latter can be more lucrative.

Tips for Better Planning

As you start working on your 2027 marketing plan, try writing your goals differently to find new ways to reach them. A goal to “Sell X0,000 books by December 31, 2027” places your focus on selling books. If you say “Reach net revenue of $X00,000” you expand your focus to profitably selling your content through books, booklets or other formats – and in new places such as buyers in corporations and associations. And you could increase revenue through corporate sales, consulting and/or speaking.

Just For Fun

Newsjacking is a proven technique for generating sales leads, adding new customers, getting media attention, and growing your business. Its premise is simple: When there is news, editors and reporters are looking for experts to comment. Let them know in advance that you are the expert in your field, that you’re a Newsjacking “first responder,” and you can gain a tremendous competitive advantage.

Answers to Your Questions

About Marketing

"My topic is potentially offensive to some people. What tips do you have to help me get through to them?" - Michael Brewster

Hi Michael: Interesting question! If you are marketing a provocative topic or want to make a confrontational presentation, try to anticipate criticism. Think about what your detractors might say and present your position before they can critique you. If they get through to you, respond to their negativity rather than react to it defensively. Know your material so you can rebut with facts. Keep an open mind since there may actually be something you can learn from the cynics.

Choose Your Hard: Why Discipline Is the Ultimate Act of Self-Respect

By Dan Blanchard

Wouldn’t you agree that the discipline required to jump out of bed early, tackle your full to-do list, fuel your body properly, and consistently care for yourself is tough?

It’s genuinely hard to do everything we know we’re supposed to do.

But you want to know what’s even harder?

Read More Here

"You're On the Air"

Tips for Getting on and Performing on TV and Radio Shows

Practicing for your performances on the air can be as easy and fun as listening to or watching talk shows. On television, watch how successful guests interact with the host and audience. Try watching the show on which you are scheduled to appear, with the sound off to focus your attention on the guests. How do they sit? What do they wear? What are the seating arrangements and backgrounds? What are the predominant camera angles? Incorporate what you see into your own performance.

Turn the sound back on and listen to the host. How are questions asked? How does he or she stimulate audience participation? What is the pace of the show?

On radio, listen to the interaction between guests and host and between guests and callers. What makes one show better than others? How are stories woven into the author’s answers? Does the guest answer the host’s questions directly or follow his or her own agenda?

Five Touchpoints to Any Sale

By Brian Jud

Whether you are selling yourself to a potential employer, to your boss for a promotion, or to a prospective buyer to purchase thousands of your books, it takes five touchpoints to make the sale. A touchpoint may be a phone call, videoconference, extended email exchange or a personal meeting.

Business-to-business selling (B2B – selling to buyers in companies, associations, military, etc.) is much different from selling to retail buyers. Selling to retailers (including bookstores) requires a distribution partner. The sales process is less time consuming because if your book doesn’t sell, the stores return it. However, that is not an option for B2B buyers who purchase your book on a non-returnable basis as a promotional item.

Are AI Book Clubs Next?

By Brian Feinblum

Nearly every author that I speak with would love to get their book in front of book clubs. The problem is that book clubs either cost a lot of money to get in front of or it takes many, many hours to find and reach them.

But what if there was a way to bring a book club experience to every reader?