Video Transcription:
Hello Author,
My name is Lynn McGinnis, if we haven’t met already, I am the Lynn at Lynn McGinnis, Author Marketing. I have created a four page Holiday Book Promotion Guide for you. It’s a holiday book promotion guide PDF that is free to you. And if you haven’t downloaded it already, I encourage you to to use the link below to download that now. It contains four pages of tactics that I think probably just about every author can use, whether you’ve written fiction or nonfiction. I think that using them now, at the beginning of the holiday season, before the holiday season is really upon us. These topics are designed to help you to boost your holiday sales hopefully, through year-end and beyond. So if you are already working a formal marketing program, this is for you. If you’re not working at that marketing program yet, this is still for you. If you have a book out there, if you are planning a book, I think that there are still tips that you will be able to use through the end of the year and beyond.

So what I wanted to do is to take a couple of minutes to talk about one of the things that I have suggested here, which is asking local store owners to sell your book on commission through the holiday season. So this is actually if you really look at this, you could combine it with another suggestion I have which is in booking some event, some readings or some signings before the end of the year. So what I suggest you do is take a look, you know your community, I always start at home because our communities are always supportive of local, you know, the local author, and shopping local and things like that. So what you’re going to do is, you’re really gonna work off that premise that people will support this, this idea of you being local. So what I suggest you do is hopefully you have a stack of books, bring a stack of books, and when I say stack of books, don’t be intimidating, don’t bring a case of books, bring maybe five or six books, go to a local store.

Think about stores or shops or restaurants that are appropriate for your book. One of the things I suggest is, like a craft brewery or a bookstore, go to a coffee shop, an Internet cafe, if you still have them, I know we do. A boutique, something like that. So let’s say you’ve written a romance, let’s say you’ve written, maybe a self help that is targeting women. Well, you can certainly bring those books to a local boutique, a dress shop, or even a wedding store or even a store that sells you know, bridesmaids dresses and things like that. Really think out of the box, I want you to really be brave here, really put yourself out. Because the worst thing that can happen is they’re going to say no, and that’s okay. You’ll never know unless you try. Alright, so bring a few books, ask to speak to a manager or the owner ask if they would consider selling your book on consignment. Offer them a fair price so that they’re earning a little bit of money. And ask them what you can bring a tasteful display that might include maybe business cards with you know, with a QR code on the back that can be scanned. The QR code that can be scanned, that maybe takes potential readers right to your author profile on Amazon. Those are easy enough to set up and to print at OvernightPrints .com. You can even set them up in Canva and print them or use templates available there and print at OvernightPrints .com, get a free QR code added to the back, bam, you can do the same thing with bookmarks. That’s another thing you could do. Put them in the books, keep a stack of books, and offer them at a fair price. You could even offer to have them autographed. Some people love it. Some people don’t always ask if a signed book cannot be returned. Sometimes store keepers store managers. Sometimes they like that, sometimes they don’t. So don’t assume that everybody wants that. Alright, so you can do this at your bookstores. There are holiday craft fairs coming up. You could have a table obviously, at a craft fair.

If you’ve written a book, I’d say, like a mystery or a crime or something like that, like a crime story or something like that. Think about who your audience is, you know you could go to your local craft brewery. You could ask if you could do a reading, you could ask if they would sell the book on consignment. You know, there’s lots of things going on now holiday parties will be happening through the end of the year. And that might get you some attention. People just hanging out on the weekends will help you to get some attention. But this really will work very well for fiction and nonfiction authors. So be reasonable. You know, I don’t think a crime novel necessarily works well, at a bridal boutique, when you know, women are in there thinking about buying dresses for a wedding, you know, and that’s, all about romance and things like that. So, you know, think about that. But just, also, don’t limit yourself, you know, like I said, the worst that can happen is somebody is gonna say no, and then just say, Okay, and then just move on.

Be polite, be so overwhelmingly polite, make sure when you’re presenting the idea that you’re explaining that you know, that this is that this is an income opportunity for them, I’ll be it small I understand. They’re only going to earn a few dollars on a book but the truth is, is that you know, it might be something that they would appreciate. Also, of course, you can do the same thing at your local bookstores. If you want to help them to reciprocate the grace that they’re extending to you by allowing you to sell your book in their store, I would suggest also that you point out to them how you will on social media promote their store that as long as the book is there, you will point out to local shops, to local shoppers rather that they can pick up your book at such and such a store that they can grab a copy right now today without waiting for delivery that they make great gifts and so on.

The other thing that is a great thing to do, is package or present your book with something in the store. So let’s say you’ve written a cookbook. If you have a local store that has maybe a section of the store where they’re selling cookware or things like that, you could ask to bring your book in there. So sometimes there are local businesses that offer cooking lessons or commercial kitchen spaces where you could also, if you’ve written a cookbook you could even have like a kitchen design center where you could bring your book, maybe a beautifully presented cookbook in a gourmet food store or a kitchen store or you know, a cabinet store it that’s really cool.

And again, offer value if you’ve got an email list, explain that you’re going to mention it in your email list if you’ve got social media, tell them I’ve got combined across all platforms such and such a number- I’ve got 10,000 followers and for every share sure I’ll tag your store and also mentioned you a couple of times a week while my book is here. But I want you to just think outside of the box, I want you to just really be creative. Think about the holiday season as people are shopping for gifts. People are gathering for the holidays, and think about where people will be, what people will be buying and just be creative.

I hope this helps encourage you. Please download this, this free guide. It’s a holiday book promotion guide and I really hope it helps. Thanks.