Just published first children’s book. Brick & Mortar bookstores have been cut in half since 2005. With Books A Million folding and Barnes & Noble being bought out in 2019- there is instability blooming. Print books are still in demand and purchases have steadily increased since 2020. 20% of people say they will buy their books from a physical bookstore- that leaves 80% from online distributors/outlets. For my small children’s book series- I don’t see pursuing bookstores as an even exchange between effort and profitability. I’ll focus on libraries and online presence. My primary outcome is not profitability- it’s accessibility. Children must have access to books that aren’t focused on targeted ideologies. They should be affirmed, inspired, and free from the ever changing hot topics seizing our school libraries. I will do my part to encourage knowledge and wonder- not expose them to adult issues.
This was incredibly helpful! Just had my first book go live online and was already wondering how to possibly get it in my local Barnes and Noble. Thanks for the advice and tips!
Book Baby needs to reform its marketing and promotion department. The Book Baby needs to break down this into 5 book promotion packages. The current package is overpriced and only provides supply venues without any promotions. The A package should be a premium package, book promotion/press releases/book store placement. The other packages should offer variances of this model. The packages should start around 199, 299, 399, 499, and 599. The company should issue credit cards for the customers and 30% down, 30% in 30 days, etc.
@@BookBaby needs to dominate this space and create a new promotion and marketing division. The company needs to use an aggressive campaign to capture a larger market share, the company needs to create lines of credit to 10 million dollars, and the company needs to create more loss leaders, as General Patton says there is no substitute for victory!
Thank you for this. I have an awarding picture book I love getting into the hands of children. I live in a tiny mountain village - 5 hours from Denver. We do usually travel by air several times a year and I give away my bookmarks with a QR code and have given away a few copies of my book which have produced some sales in other countries. Exciting! BUT so very s-l-o-w
Hi , the video was informative right from the beginning , and I really appreciate it. I am a new manuscript author, who had recently submitted to BB for self publishing. My manuscript is a short Musicology educational idea that I anticipate that can be shared amongst the global music education community. However, I am still waiting for my feedback from BB. I believe BB feedback would be helpful for local bookstores confidence in my marketing drive......😂
Hi! I self-published using BookBaby and I am actually waiting for my 100-author copies of my hard-copy children's book to arrive any day. Service and experience have been 5 stars! Let's get to the video review: I have watched many Bookbaby videos, and most are above average in providing information. I thought the email for "authors about creating and growing your best book marketing tool" was fantastic! I am halfway through this video, and if I didn't have confidence that my book was going to at least be picked up by one store since it's got a local city in the title, I sure wouldn't now. Joe and Jim- wow! You are basically saying to us, "FAT CHANCE OF GETTING IN OUR STORE." This is actually cruel. Way to bust our already thin, self-publishing bubble! I get it, the first-timers, like myself, have no clue what we are doing, but it could be presented so much better. For example, what do we say when we walk into our local bookstore for the first time to pitch our book? Who do we ask to speak to? Should we have a copy of the book with us? A hand-out? What are some of the possible comments they will have for us, and what should the answers be? It is helpful if we have the book down the street in the store already or do they see this as competition and we should only pick one store in a certain neighborhood? This is me just thinking for a few minutes and I already have a ton of questions. THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL! I already have my second book written, but without success (and I have super low expectations) from my first one, I won't want to publish my second one. This causes BookBaby to lose business - and I love BookBaby! Again, help us and give actual steps, courage, and positivity. It will go a long way!
Hi there! Joe here. First, I’m so excited to hear about your new children’s book project! This is amazing news and I’m so happy to hear that you’ve had a positive experience working with us. I appreciate your feedback on the video. I’m sorry to hear that you felt discouraged, and I hope that I can give you some additional follow up that offers peace of mind and the confidence you deserve! The last thing we want is to make it seem unattainable or impossible for your book to get in a bookstore. Our goal is to show you that it can be done. With that being said, here is my advice to set yourself up for success: Establish a meaningful relationship with the bookstore management/owners. Our point is this - bookstores meet with a lot of different authors and they will want to support those who support the store, and community. In every industry, relationships are important. This is not meant to scare anyone! It’s just something all authors should consider. Show the store that you are genuinely interested in the business and its people. Beyond that, having a quality product matters, and when you work with a professional publishing services provider like BookBaby, you can sleep easy and have confidence knowing that you have that in your book :) Getting your book stocked in local stores is not the easiest task. However, it’s certainly an amazing feeling when it does happen. To answer some of those questions - always bring your book with you! It’s a great idea to try to find a bookstore manager and share a few free copies with them :) Would you be interested in chatting with me personally? I’m here to help you and support as you achieve your dreams with your book. Please let me know, I know how stressful it can be - and I’m here to help. Please, send me an email! jyamulla@bookbaby.com. I’d love to learn more about your book so I can help you achieve the success you deserve! Again, thank you for your feedback, and I’d love to hear more about your publishing goals. I hope to talk soon!
You are asking that authors have a relationship with each individual book store is not realistic and the people working at B&N do not make the product selection decisions.
It is realistic if you're serious about it. You MAKE it happen. Additionally, while the "workers" don't make product selections, they do have influence with their managers and the ability to spread your book by word of mouth.
I'm noticing a lot of similarities to the music business. Yes, you have to have a great product. Marketing is key. Connections and who you know are of upmost importance. Alot of people trying to make it, a small percentage see massive success. Ugh I hate the rat race. I just want to be an artist.
Just published first children’s book. Brick & Mortar bookstores have been cut in half since 2005. With Books A Million folding and Barnes & Noble being bought out in 2019- there is instability blooming. Print books are still in demand and purchases have steadily increased since 2020. 20% of people say they will buy their books from a physical bookstore- that leaves 80% from online distributors/outlets. For my small children’s book series- I don’t see pursuing bookstores as an even exchange between effort and profitability. I’ll focus on libraries and online presence. My primary outcome is not profitability- it’s accessibility. Children must have access to books that aren’t focused on targeted ideologies. They should be affirmed, inspired, and free from the ever changing hot topics seizing our school libraries. I will do my part to encourage knowledge and wonder- not expose them to adult issues.
This was incredibly helpful! Just had my first book go live online and was already wondering how to possibly get it in my local Barnes and Noble. Thanks for the advice and tips!
We're glad it was helpful! We wish you all the best on your author journey.
Book Baby needs to reform its marketing and promotion department. The Book Baby needs to break down this into 5 book promotion packages. The current package is overpriced and only provides supply venues without any promotions. The A package should be a premium package, book promotion/press releases/book store placement. The other packages should offer variances of this model. The packages should start around 199, 299, 399, 499, and 599. The company should issue credit cards for the customers and 30% down, 30% in 30 days, etc.
Thank you for the suggestion!
@@BookBaby needs to dominate this space and create a new promotion and marketing division. The company needs to use an aggressive campaign to capture a larger market share, the company needs to create lines of credit to 10 million dollars, and the company needs to create more loss leaders, as General Patton says there is no substitute for victory!
Thank you for this.
I have an awarding picture book I love getting into the hands of children. I live in a tiny mountain village - 5 hours from Denver.
We do usually travel by air several times a year and I give away my bookmarks with a QR code and have given away a few copies of my book which have produced some sales in other countries. Exciting!
BUT so very s-l-o-w
Hi , the video was informative right from the beginning , and I really appreciate it. I am a new manuscript author, who had recently submitted to BB for self publishing. My manuscript is a short Musicology educational idea that I anticipate that can be shared amongst the global music education community. However, I am still waiting for my feedback from BB. I believe BB feedback would be helpful for local bookstores confidence in my marketing drive......😂
Great breakdown! 👍🏾
Thanks for watching!!
Morgan Lawrence: "The Streets Ran Red"
Hi! I self-published using BookBaby and I am actually waiting for my 100-author copies of my hard-copy children's book to arrive any day. Service and experience have been 5 stars!
Let's get to the video review:
I have watched many Bookbaby videos, and most are above average in providing information. I thought the email for "authors about creating and growing your best book marketing tool" was fantastic!
I am halfway through this video, and if I didn't have confidence that my book was going to at least be picked up by one store since it's got a local city in the title, I sure wouldn't now.
Joe and Jim- wow! You are basically saying to us, "FAT CHANCE OF GETTING IN OUR STORE." This is actually cruel. Way to bust our already thin, self-publishing bubble!
I get it, the first-timers, like myself, have no clue what we are doing, but it could be presented so much better. For example, what do we say when we walk into our local bookstore for the first time to pitch our book? Who do we ask to speak to? Should we have a copy of the book with us? A hand-out? What are some of the possible comments they will have for us, and what should the answers be? It is helpful if we have the book down the street in the store already or do they see this as competition and we should only pick one store in a certain neighborhood? This is me just thinking for a few minutes and I already have a ton of questions. THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL!
I already have my second book written, but without success (and I have super low expectations) from my first one, I won't want to publish my second one. This causes BookBaby to lose business - and I love BookBaby!
Again, help us and give actual steps, courage, and positivity. It will go a long way!
Hi there! Joe here. First, I’m so excited to hear about your new children’s book project! This is amazing news and I’m so happy to hear that you’ve had a positive experience working with us.
I appreciate your feedback on the video. I’m sorry to hear that you felt discouraged, and I hope that I can give you some additional follow up that offers peace of mind and the confidence you deserve! The last thing we want is to make it seem unattainable or impossible for your book to get in a bookstore. Our goal is to show you that it can be done. With that being said, here is my advice to set yourself up for success:
Establish a meaningful relationship with the bookstore management/owners. Our point is this - bookstores meet with a lot of different authors and they will want to support those who support the store, and community. In every industry, relationships are important. This is not meant to scare anyone! It’s just something all authors should consider. Show the store that you are genuinely interested in the business and its people.
Beyond that, having a quality product matters, and when you work with a professional publishing services provider like BookBaby, you can sleep easy and have confidence knowing that you have that in your book :)
Getting your book stocked in local stores is not the easiest task. However, it’s certainly an amazing feeling when it does happen. To answer some of those questions - always bring your book with you! It’s a great idea to try to find a bookstore manager and share a few free copies with them :)
Would you be interested in chatting with me personally? I’m here to help you and support as you achieve your dreams with your book. Please let me know, I know how stressful it can be - and I’m here to help. Please, send me an email! jyamulla@bookbaby.com. I’d love to learn more about your book so I can help you achieve the success you deserve! Again, thank you for your feedback, and I’d love to hear more about your publishing goals. I hope to talk soon!
You are asking that authors have a relationship with each individual book store is not realistic and the people working at B&N do not make the product selection decisions.
It is realistic if you're serious about it. You MAKE it happen. Additionally, while the "workers" don't make product selections, they do have influence with their managers and the ability to spread your book by word of mouth.
I'm noticing a lot of similarities to the music business. Yes, you have to have a great product. Marketing is key. Connections and who you know are of upmost importance. Alot of people trying to make it, a small percentage see massive success. Ugh I hate the rat race. I just want to be an artist.