A Self-publishing Sales Strategy - Two Formats and Multiple Options The debate about which format is preferable- print or eBook - is actually moot from a self-publishing and independent author’s perspective. It should not be a question of Print Books vs eBooks, but really a question of how the two formats fit into your overall marketing and sales strategy, which should include both formats. For most authors, myself included, nothing beats holding your “baby” in your hands, so that is always first prize as far as Write-On Publishing and SA Catholic Online Books is concerned - the production of print books. Write-On Publishing, thanks to its partnership with Print On Demand, is now in the very fortunate position of being able to offer the self-publishing author a two-format, multiple pronged sales strategy. The Print Option The first format is and always will be print, for which we can now offer two options: 1. Bulk print Authors should have printed copies for themselves, and they make egoboosting gifts for family and friends. Most authors also have the capacity to sell, within their immediate environments, a number of books, often sufficient to cover their total initial investment in producing the books. Wider distribution of physical books becomes problematic - it requires time, investment and the logistics most authors lack, to get Indie books into mainstream bookstores and other outlets. This issue has been exacerbated by the Coronavirus Pandemic. The use of the most modern and 6 up-to-date digital printing technology allows the Write-On Publishing/ POD model to provide authors with books in relatively small numbers at prices that will enable them to recover their investment without having to print thousands of books, or price themselves out of the market. The downside of selling books personally is that it often requires considerable personal logistical and time consuming effort - packing and dispatching orders, book signings and so on. 2. Print on Demand Books - Local and International Simultaneously with early sales of printed books, authors can have their books uploaded to local and international Print On Demand platforms. (The concept of Print On Demand is explained elsewhere in this publication). These platforms are: Local - Takealot, and International - Amazon). The primary benefits of this option for the author is that there is no (or very little) up-front investment, and absolutely no logistical effort. However, authors should not fall into the trap of assuming that once the books are uploaded, you can sit back and relax, and the royalties will come streaming in. Your book will be one of approximate 19 million books on Amazon, and without providing potential readers with road signs to your books through diligent marketing, “ain’t no one gonna find it!” The same obviously applies to other platforms. This article deals with the options available, and not with a detailed marketing strategy on how best to utilise them, but there are little things that you can do. For example, the signature on every email that you send out should include the links to your sales pages on the various platforms. The eBook Option Write-On Publishing has for some time offered the Amazon Kindle option. We converted authors’ print books into the Kindle format and uploaded them to Amazon. This has really been an “add-on”, an additional service we offered to customers. However the pandemic, and the resultant increased emphasis on things digital, has prompted a new look at eBooks, especially in the local market, which has resulted in the development of our own eBook sales platform - The Indie eBookshop. Why go for eBooks at all? Well, primarily because it is a low, cost risk strategy which could create a previously untapped revenue stream, increase awareness of your work, and could actually stimulate print book sales. eBooks, or electronic books, were initially considered to be the death of the printed book. However, they have instead slipped into the book market alongside traditional books. Initially one needed a special reader device such as a Kindle Fire or Kobo in order to read eBooks, but they can now be read on just about any smart device, using any one of dozens of eBook reader apps. August 2020 - Write-On News
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