The main thing acim bookstore is letting anyone ever take control of your intellectual property. You must read the fine print and retain all of your rights. You have many choices to consider when becoming a successful author but the main issue is always keep control of your book whether it is in the printed or electronic versions.
Most authors have found they are more successful in obtaining book signings, to get media coverage, than actually having their books permanently in a bookstore.
Once I do book signings at boutique privately owned stores, they will typically purchase three to five books to keep on their shelves. And since they purchase them outright, they never return them. Whereas, big name bookstore chains are famous for giving an author a ten day notice to buy their books back when the book store is making room on their shelves for the latest titles. That can be quite a shock. Always be aware of what you are signing up for when you’re working with any company.
It’s not enough to just get your book into a book store; you must be thinking about how to get the books back out of the bookstore and in the hands of new enthusiastic readers who will become your fans.
Advertising is of course the most common method of letting people know your book is out and to get it into the hands of the public. But what if you don’t have a big marketing budget? You might want to try this technique that has worked very well for me.
First, I approach local books stores to set up the date for a book signing. Once I have a date, I call local radio programs who specialize in interviewing authors. It is usually necessary to approach them at least a month or two ahead of time. Once I have the radio interview I scan the Sunday section of the newspaper to find out what reporters cover local events and book reviews.
