How to Develop Market-Specific Merchandise
Posted on January 30, 2008
Your book establishes you as an expert in your field. Now you need to continually figure out more ways to improve people’s lives with the knowledge you have acquired.
Get creative. Don’t just think mugs and T-shirts—what can you create or put your name on that would enhance your brand image? What ancillary products are aligned with your platform?
For some ancillary product examples:
• Gary Ryan Blair, otherwise known as “The Goals Guy,” created the Goal Setting Countdown Clock: www.goalsguy.com.
• Author and productivity-and-efficiency expert David Allen developed a software program (and a separate instructional manual) that interfaces with Outlook to help you manage your emails more efficiently: www.davidco.com.
• Personal development guru Tony Robbins developed a software program called “Results Planning Method” to help you manage your time and ultimately your life based on his audio program, A Time of Your Life. Check it out at: http://www2.anthonyrobbins.com/rpm/.
• Robert Kiyosaki, financial expert and author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Warner Business Books, 2000), produced a popular educational board game called Cashflow 101: www.richdad.com.
If you’ve already developed a platform, a new product release provides an ideal opportunity to schedule interviews, submit articles, develop new promotions, send the news to your email list, promote it at your speaking engagements, and send the new merchandise to your “VIPs.”
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Merchandise, Marketing
How to Develop an Audio Program Through Nightingale-Conant
Posted on January 28, 2008
Nightingale-Conant is the largest publisher of motivational and educational audio programs in the world, with over two million customers.
Nightingale-Conant currently publishes and/or distributes more than 150 authors and over 1,400 titles in six key areas: Personal Development; Business Strategy; Sales and Marketing; Wealth Building; Skills and Learning; and Mind, Body, Spirit.
All-stars like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Brian Tracy, Dennis Waitley, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, and Tom Peters all have multiple product offerings through Nightingale-Conant. A deal with Nightingale will give you lots of additional exposure through their catalogs, promotional mailings, and website, in addition to further solidifying your “expert status.”
Go to www.nightingale.com, click on “Customer Service,” and look for “Submission Guidelines” under the “New Product Development” section.
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Publishing, Marketing, Uncategorized
How to Create a “Live” Audio/Video Product
Posted on January 24, 2008
Between 10 and 15% of your audience will come ready to buy what you’re selling. As your platform evolves, you’ll need to be constantly developing new, insightful, value-added products to “feed the frenzy.”
What else can you sell besides your book? There are lots of different product ideas in this e-book, but one of the easiest things to do is to professionally record one of your speaking engagements and have it edited and packaged as your first audio product.
Also, a single “lecture” CD can be created in your home and manufactured on a relatively inexpensive budget (one device that can be used for home recording is Sony’s Net MD Walkman MZ-NF810—make sure it has a microphone jack). You can convert the audio file into digital format (like an .mp3) and stream it on your website. If the content is unique and highly-specific, you can even sell it!
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Publishing, Web, Marketing
How to Craft an e-Book
Posted on January 22, 2008
E-books and “Special Reports” can be used in a number of ways.
If you have timely, market-specific information that addresses your audience’s key frustrations, you may be able to create a landing page (a variation of the traditional website) and sell your product online. (Outlining the strategies for implementing this successfully is beyond the scope of this book, but there are examples all over the web—www.bestsellingauthor.com is one of them.)
E-books can also be presented as a “free gift” for people who subscribe to your mailing list or visit your site, respond to a survey, etc. For consultants/coaches, e-books can serve as a “brochure” to showcase and sell their services. Finally, if you use pay-per-click services like Google Adwords (covered below), you can promote your free e-book as part of your campaign to drive traffic to your site.
For more information on how to create and sell your e-book, check out:
www.7dayebook.com/
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Publishing, Marketing
How to Generate Testimonials and Endorsements
Posted on January 19, 2008
This may seem simplistic, but it’s important.
Testimonials sell books, because others’ recommendations give your book—and you—more credibility. Whenever you’re interacting with a fan, a customer, or a client, condition yourself to ask for a testimonial (assuming he or she had a satisfactory experience, of course).
Testimonials or endorsements are valuable sales tools that should be positioned on all your promotional mediums: your website, media kit, speaker’s kit, and any other promotional literature. Be sure to capture each individual’s full name, city/state, and title/company (if appropriate).
You can make it easy for readers to submit book testimonials on your website by creating a “Submit Review” online submission form that asks for a full name, city/state, and title/company, along with an area where they can write their messages, followed by a “Submit” button. Their reviews can automatically be sent to a predetermined email address.
For an example, go to: http://www.andyandrews.com/contact/
Then scroll down until you see “Testimonials.”
This post is an excerpt from the FREE Become a Best-Selling Author eBook, 60 Effective Strategies for Selling More Books. Download it here.
Posted in Marketing
