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Best places to sell books

From a practical point of view, we would all like a magical list of the best places to sell books. It'd be nice to walk in with a carton or two or our latest book and find people standing in line for it. The truth is that there is not one answer to finding the best places to sell books.

Each book you write will develop its own best places. Since the promotion of your book, is up to you; it's important to use those marketing dollars wisely. Here are some tips on finding the best places to sell books.

1. Carefully consider the topic of your book. Of course you'll want it in all the book stores, but will you really sell the most books through this venue? Do people who want your book hang out in book stores? In some cases, the answer is no and you must look logically for those venues that will give you the most sales. For example, if you write a book on golf, you'll probably have more luck selling books in the pro shop at a golf course or at a store that sells sporting goods. Or, if your book is about gardening, your best bet to selling books is to plant yourself and a pile of your books in a home and garden shop. Or, if you wrote a book on fishing, your best bet for selling books might be to put some books in bait shops. You get the picture here. Analyze the topic of your book and market it accordingly.

2. Group sales versus going it alone. Sometimes authors like to work together to have a book fair and sell their books. There are pros and cons to this scenario. One example is that recently a group of local authors had a book fair at the local library. In hind sight, this might not have been the best location for that book fair since all the books in the library are free. Why buy a book if you can check out anything you want free of charge. So, if you are going to have a book fair, be sure the location lends itself to sales. Also, you must consider if going in with a group is the best way for you to sell books. If your title is catchy and unique it might be just the spot, but if the other authors have written on the same topic, it will divide the interest of the audience and you may lose sales.

3. If you do decide to go it alone, think in terms of giving a lecture or workshop on a topic related to your book. By giving a workshop on something that is of interest to the population that might also be interested in the topic of the book, you will gather together an audience that might naturally turn into customers.

4. On line sales are tricky. Through a website or blog you can often attract customers to your book. If you offer a special price, you might also sell books through this avenue. However, if you can't compete price-wise with the on-line book stores, this might not be the venue for you.

The best places to sell your books will become evident as you begin putting your book out to the public. Take good notes of how many people attend each event and how many books you sell, and you'll have gained valuable information to ensure you concentrate on the best places to sell your books in the future.

Learn more about this author, Lou Belcher.
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