#BooksAsMarketingTools

How many times have you received a shopping bag, a hat, a mug, a pen or a T-shirt as a company's promotional item? More times than you can count? Me too.

How is it that books are so over-looked as promotional tools? Books are ideal because-

• they are valued
• they are rarely discarded (shared or traded but not thrown in the trash)
• they make great conversation pieces
• they are placed on display
• and for many other reasons.

In your book marketing plans, don't forget to approach corporations. Sell them on the idea of books as valued marketing tools.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#HowManyPagesDoesMyBookNeed?

Another question: "How many pages does my book (or in this case cookbook) need?"

Answer: That question comes up frequently. We usually recommend that your book has at least 200 pages. There are practical reasons for a number of pages - 

• books are shelved in book stores with the spine facing out
• skinny books "disappear" in a book store
• the spine needs to be wide enough to attract attention, so the font needs to be large enough to be easily read from several feet away
• the spine needs to be wide enough for its background color to "pop"
• books are rarely displayed with the front cover facing out (shelf space is at a premium so facing out is reserved for hot sellers or for publishers who have paid for shelf space)
• a thin book has less perceived value than a larger book.

Your book is your silent sales force. You are certainly not available at any given time in any given book store so the book must sell itself and people really do judge a book by its cover. It is important to pay attention to all issues of your book's cover, both front and back (that is why we have many pictures of good front and back covers in our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit). 

Of very great importance when preparing your book for publication is the guidance of a good book designer. Good design can make or break your book.  Buyers are attracted more to a professional looking book than to one that appears to have been created by an amateur. A good appearance evokes credibility. 

Take the design of your book and its cover very seriously.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#PhotosInCookbooks

A recent question posed to us was: "How many photos should I include in my cookbook?"

The simple answer is: as many as you can afford.

Have a look at current, popular cookbooks. They try to provide a photo for every recipe. Cookbooks have become a mixed genre - cooking/photography.

Food photography has become a true specialty with absolutely gorgeous pictures being a focal point of a cookbook, and that's what cookbook buyers and collectors want. They're the customers, so keep them happy. Your cookbook is your silent sales staff. You are not there in person to "sell" every book, so the book must grab the reader in a flash.

We eat with our eyes and then with our noses and finally with our tastebuds, so feast the eyes first.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#BooksInspireOscarWinningMovies

"This year, 11 Academy Award nominees are based on books or book series. As much as five of the nine films listed in the Best Picture category are book adaptations."
http://brighton.patch.com/articles/11-books-that-inspired-the-2013-oscar-films-4e7a663f 


As an author, it behooves you well to focus on a unique idea, ensure good quality of writing and launch a good publicity campaign  for your book. You never know who will find your book and be inspired to develop it into a movie. 

This year, eleven authors have had their dreams come true.

Next year, it could be you.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#EBookSurvey

My vacation is over, sigh...

It was so lovely to have some beach time and lots of pool time in the midst of winter, but it's also lovely to be back home.

The time has come to report on my ebook reader usage during the holiday. I used it every day, whether at the pool or just while relaxing in the condo. 

It's true that it is small, light and easy to read. The three issues that I noticed are the flashing when pages are turned, the frequency of page turning required and the frequency of typos (the poor editing amazed me).

While pool lounging I did my own, unscientific survey of what people were reading (and there were many, many people reading). Almost everyone was reading a hard copy book. Very few were reading ebooks. Quite frankly, it was a surprise to see so few ebook readers in use, given the reported increase in ebook sales.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#PhotosInACookbook

Recent question: how many photos should I put in my cookbook?

Answer: as many as you can possibly afford.

Have a look at your competition. Most cookbooks now have many photos. Buyers want photos of every recipe if at all possible.

Cookbooks are collector items. Many people buy a cookbook because the idea of it attracts them. They may never use a single recipe from the book or they may add many of the recipes to their favorites file. Often they just want to browse through them. For instance, in a recent interview with +Nigella Lawson, she talked about her collection of over 500 cookbooks, many of which she has not even had the opportunity to read, but there they are for future reference or just for a fun read when she has time to relax. 

With the availability of digital technology it is easier than ever to scan photos and add them to your cookbook file. The cost of color printing is the only factor that will restrict the number of photos that you should include in your cookbook.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#TestimonialsMediaKit&Website

I am on vacation so this will be just a short note, but I just read some excellent advice on testimonials from www.publicityhound.com that I want to share with you.  If you do't have at least 15 of them on your website and in your media kit, you are not demonstrating enough credibility, so you are not convincing your readers and reviewers that you have something truly worthwhile to say.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#BookMarketing-BookSales-BookPublicity

I was  recently asked if I could provide a program that would guarantee 20 to 30 book sales per month. The author does not want to work at marketing but he does want sales. 

Life says, "What?"

The secret to marketing is constant effort. Why should the world come flocking to YOUR book? Every year hundreds of thousands of new books are published, making the competition fierce. Your book has to be different, better and more widely publicized than others in its genre before it will jump off the shelves, so to speak.

Publicity is the key to telling the world about the benefits of your book, whether via print, radio, television or the internet. It is up to you, the author and/or publisher to draw attention to the book which in turn drives sales.

Sitting back and expecting sales from zero effort is just delusional. 

Our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit provides the tools and our free coaching provides the back-up. The rest is up to you.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#AuthorBio

Many people have never written their bio because there just has never been occasion to do so. However, when you become an author, writing your bio becomes a necessity. 

Readers want to know the background of the person who wrote the book that has engrossed then for hours. I don't know why. I know that I always read the author bio. Perhaps it's because a book allows the reader to get into the heads of the characters, so knowing a bit about what is in the author's head completes the connection.

It takes practice to write a good bio. Most of us are not accustomed to telling the world about ourselves, so we have to make our stories as interesting as possible without over-elaborating and becoming boring. 

Write in the third person as if you are reporting on yourself. Keep it short and simple but add as many interesting details as you can. You can read more about bios in our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com
8

#MarketEBooksIsItEasy

Many self publishers think that publishing an ebook is much easier than publishing a hard copy book. True. The publishing process is easier - and cheaper.

The catch is that the marketing of said book in ebook format is not easier. Finding buyers is still a full time job.

The good news is that the author/publisher gets to keep more of the profits. 

Is it worth while to publish in ebook format? Definitely, but do not overlook the necessity of a solid marketing plan.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#SelfPublishedBooksAndITunes

News Bulltein

Apple Adds Self-Published Books to iTunes

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2415129,00.asp

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com

www.publishacookbook.com

#ReadingWithAnEbookReader

So, here I am on vacation. The sun is shining, the pool is warm and the whales are jumping right in front of us. Aaahhh!!

I have been using my ebook reader, as planned. It's great, I must say except for turning pages. Each time the page has to be turned the light flashes - kind of annoying.

Anyway, if I was to publish another book, I would definitely do a hard copy and an ebook version. 

One has to stay current.  :-)

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#PublishACookBookMarketsforCookBooks

If you are planning to publish a cookbook, you are in a good position to find corporate buyers for your book. There are many companies and organizations that need creative ways to create good will with their clientele.

During the writing process, keep potential buyers in mind. What do your recipes have to offer that would be of use to a company? Make a list. Approach the marketing departments of all such companies. Perhaps they would like to place their company name on the front cover of a special edition. You can offer them a great price for volume purchases. 

Keep it generic, though. Don't single out any one company in the public edition of your book or you will restrict yourself to that one entity. Save company names for editions especially printed for each company.

You can also become a member of SPAN (www.SPANpro.org). They will soon offer a corporate sales program. Through us at Ink Tree you will receive a discounted price on your membership.

Email us at info@inktreemarketing.com for instructions.

Denise

www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#EBookReader

I will be going on vacation for two weeks, starting on Friday, and I'm going to fly solo. One source of reading material, that is. For the first time I am not taking a bag full of books. The only source of books will be my ebook reader. Yikes!

It seems a bit odd and a bit frightening. Part of my packing has always been to allow space and weight for books. That one little device just doesn't seem right, even though it's loaded with reading material and I'm taking my library card with me in case I'm not happy with the selection on my reader - the books were downloaded for me by my daughter.

I will let you know how successful my experiment turns out to be. :-)

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#SelfPublishingChatGroups

Have you considered connecting with your peers? It's easier than ever to do in this age of technology and social media.

Who better to learn from than people who have already experienced and overcome the difficulties and hurdles that you are experiencing?

There are many chat groups that you might find helpful. I certainly did during my early days in self publishing. I just had no knowledge of some of the issues that I was facing, and it was a great relief to find groups of people who were willing to share their experiences with me. 

Why learn the hard way if you can circumvent the problems and head them off in the early stages before you have lost too much money and irreplaceable time.

Search out some chat groups, learn the rules of each one and sign up. You will find a gold mine of information.

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com

#ISBNforBooks

I was recently asked if an author should change her ISBN (International System of Book Numbering) when she buys back the rights to her book from her publisher.

My strong opinion is that yes, any change of publisher or significant content in a book, or form of book (hard cover, soft cover, promotional copy, ebook, etc.) requires its own ISBN.

The ISBN identifies the publisher as well as the book. Imagine a book store trying to order your book only to discover that there are two publishers names attached to the book. From which one do they order? Will their accounting department pay the correct publisher? What if a corporation orders 20,000 copies of your book as a promotional item but people go online to order the book from you and by mistake try to order from the corporation?

Each version of a book requires its own ISBN. Imagine if every person named John Doe or Sally Doe had the same social insurance or social security number? Confusion? Right!!

Denise


www.inktreemarketing.com
www.publishacookbook.com