Barbara Walters Price

Status of book project

I've been out of town for several days and in my absence not much has been accomplished on the buy-sell agreement book.  Ugh.  However, there is a new wrinkle ... on-demand publishing which was suggested by our CEO and the author of the book. 

We're checking out this option because of the flexibility it provides.  By using on-demand printing, we can change the cover and co-brand the book with, say, industry associations who want to offer it to their members.  If law firms want to send the book to their clients, one of their attorneys can write a forward and we can produce a number sufficient for them.  You get the picture. 

I'll keep you posted as to the pros and cons of on-demand printing vs. traditional printing.  Should be interesting.

Bookstores are Lousy Places to Sell Books

The title of this post is true and is often stated by Dan Poynter, the self-publishing guru.  Now we have some outside confirmation.  In yesterday's "Just an On-Line Minute" by Tobi Elkin of Media Post, comes this information (keep reading):

According to a survey conducted by BizRate Research for comparison shopping site Shopzilla, bricks-and-mortar bookstores are becoming good venues for meeting blind dates. After restaurants, bookstores are the second most popular locations to meet blind dates for both women and men (61 percent versus 52 percent).

Yet when it comes to buying books, 78 percent of respondents say they are regular shoppers at online bookstores like Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and big discount retailers like Target.com and Wal-Mart.com.  (emphasis mine)

For you who are considering self-publishing but really wanting to see your or your firm's book at Borders, get over it!  Remember, one of the primary goals is to sell your book so make sure it's on Amazon.com. 

Regarding Barnes & Noble, the last time I checked, you had to have a distributor which not all self-published authors do.  We don't.  We stick to Amazon.  Anyone can get on Amazon.  I have no idea how you get your book into the big box retailers but I'm positive that most self-published works have no chance. 

So, give up the dream of seeing your book on the shelves at Borders or Books-a-Million in favor of actually selling the book through direct channels and the internet.  And, as a brief aside, don't spend an inordinate amount of time and money on the cover since most covers are designed to catch your attention, where?  ... at the bookstore!  That doesn't mean the cover is unimportant.  It is.  It, alone, however, will not sell the book.

And, as for a bookstore being a great place for singles, I have to think that's true.  If I were single, that's one place I would hang out.

"You can find out a lot about a guy in a bookstore," Rebecca Opp, a production manager from Los Angeles, Calif., told BizRate. "I especially look for single men in the cookbook, business, and pet sections of Barnes & Noble."

Good luck, Rebecca!

  -- Barbara Walters Price