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Any tips on how to sell more CreateSpace paperbacks?
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write more books. try for a series (trilogy to start). but keep in mind the landscape is changing and buying habits arent the same as they were 20 years ago, hell not even 5 years ago. ebooks are the future and we just gotta suck it up.
I sell many ebooks and no paperbacks. Wish I knew how to sell more paperbacks, too. I know there are plenty of people still reading paper, but I can't seem to reach them. I have many books published including a series of six books.
holy crapola peggy! =:O awesomesauce.
anyways thats the advice i was given, as well as doing all that social networking stuff. if you have time thats great. i personally dont (gotta keep my lights on) so my sales tend to be few & dismal
I've sold only one paperback copy of my first novel, and none of my current one, although the ebook version is selling pretty well. I just offer the paperback and hardcover mainly for my own use anyway, and don't expect to sell many. But when they're all displayed together on Amazon or elsewhere it does help give some credibility to the ebook version.
Kate,Appearances at literary venues, especially those open to the general public, tend to have a positive impact upon hardcover and paperback book sales. Some attendees bring copies with them to be personalized and signed by the author.
Examples: Literary festivals and conventions, book clubs, public libraries, book stores, writing seminars, and reading cafes.
I wish you success in future sales.
K.P. wrote: "write more books. try for a series (trilogy to start). but keep in mind the landscape is changing and buying habits arent the same as they were 20 years ago, hell not even 5 years ago. ebooks are ..."KP - I have over a dozen books!
Thanks for all your replies. So it seems as if others have the same problem and there's no magic formula!
Kate wrote: "I sell many more e-copies of my books than paperbacks and wondered if anyone has any tips on how to get interest in the paperbacks. I know the ratio of e-books sales is a lot higher than e-books bu..."Everyone is selling more eBooks than hard copies these days. Have you done any in-person appearances with hard copy books for sale and signature? I sell far more that way than any other.
Jim wrote: "Kate,Appearances at literary venues, especially those open to the general public, tend to have a positive impact upon hardcover and paperback book sales. Some attendees bring copies with them to ..."
Thanks Jim and Sharon. Alas, this is out of the question for me due to health problems so I have to do most of my marketing online.
One of the best reasons for having your book available as a paperback and as an E-book is that you can give some of your paperback copies away to readers in a Goodreads Giveaway. You may not get any reviews from those who win a paperback copy of your book in your Giveaway, but it is a very good way of letting people know that your book exists and is available to read and buy.
holy hot dayum kate!!! my bad... thats why one shouldnt assume heh :3well! i got nothing to add. sorry i wasnt helpful! :(
No worries, KP!! I think having a discussion of this sort is helpful to everyone :)
Thanks Philip. Yes I have taken part in two goodreads giveaways before and only got one review (from four copies of two different books). But I realize now that hoping for reviews is setting yourself up for disappointment while the other reason for doing them, as you rightly say, is to alert people to the existence of your book. I think if I do one in future I will do it with that in mind.
The best way to sell paperbacks is to offer to give talks to book clubs, Rotary, Women's Institutes etc. Readers like to buy signed copies and often feel obliged to buy the book if the author has given a talk for free. :)
A lot depends upon which commercial vendors carry the author's work. Each vendor has a format preference. Some focus their inventory and marketing efforts entirely or primarily upon a specific format - print, electronic, or audio.
Thanks Jan. Alas, that is out of the question for me as I mentioned further up because of health problems.Thanks Jim.
I've been wondering the same thing though I do have a suggestion as I have tried it myself and while I haven't seen drastic results, it's still worth trying.Take advantage of using discount codes and apply them to your book so people can get your book for a percentage or dollars off. Don't do it alot but on occasion for example I'm doing it next month as I have two poetry books and next month is National Poetry Month.
If your unsure of how to give your books discount codes here's what you do:
Log into your account, click on one of your books then under Distribute click on channels, then discount codes and then they will supple you with codes or you can make a new one. simple copy and paste a code and put it into the book and then click on whether or not you want to take dollars or percentages off.
Many thanks Justin. Yes I saw this advice recently though I've never tried it. But it's very helpful to have feedback from those who've tried it with an element of success. I think my books are priced too low to benefit from a discount so maybe I should up their price and then apply the discount from time to time.
I considered offering promotions, but I felt like I needed to spend so much money and there was no guarantee that anyone would buy my book anyway. I would agree that promotions might be the key, but be prepared to spend money.
Justin wrote: "I've been wondering the same thing though I do have a suggestion as I have tried it myself and while I haven't seen drastic results, it's still worth trying.Take advantage of using discount codes..."
The downside of this is it is only effective in the US. The postage is so ruddy expensive it is cheaper and quicker to order it on Amazon, discount or not. CS definitely favours US authors/buyers.
I make a few paperback sales via Amazon but mostly I sell them at appearances, signings, readings, etc. Not a ton but seeing as it doesn't really cost me anything, it's worth the effort.
When the rumor circulated that page 125 of my book was soaked with blotter acid, it started to sell like crazy. Unfortunately, the DEA bought a copy.
Thanks in advance.