Promotion and marketing
Once you have stock of your book, you have the task of promoting and selling it. We cannot undertake this for you, but we can provide promotional materials if you would like them. Other authors who have published with us are only too happy to pass on their advice, suggestions and experience as well.
Download Fred Normandale's and Bob Bibby's helpful notes and practical advice. Both have self published with YPS, although their books are very different, the promotion and marketing principles are the same.
YPS also has a range of services that will help you to promote your books and generate sales.
Coming soon - http://www.ypd-books.com/
This service is only available to publishers who distribute with YPS. Customers can go directly to the site or they can be linked from the publisher's site. Orders can be placed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the world.
We charge £30 per title, per month, minimum 6 months. This includes warehousing, full distribution, as well as title being featured on http://www.ypd-books.com/
Promotional materials
YPS can supply you with a package of materials to help with your promotion. The starter package includes:
- A5 leaflets, featuring the front cover of your book, on the back would be the back cover copy together with an order form.
- flat book covers.
- bookmarks, featuring either a book or your publishing company
- postcards, featuring either a book or your publishing company
- A4 posters, for book launches and talks.
Marketing checklist
Marketing your books requires a mixture of creative thinking and sheer hard work. Here is a checklist of some basic activities which may help you:
- Identify and define the target audiences for your book
- Work out how you can reach your target audiences and how much it is going to cost you to do so
- Register your book with the UK bibliographic services (Nielsen Book Data and Bibliographic Data Services) and ensure correct database entries for Waterstones, WH Smiths, and other booksellers
- Enhance your entry on the highstreet and online booksellers' databases by adding jpeg/tif cover images and expanding the book blurb
- Prepare an 'Advance Information' sheet containing the essential bibliographic information for promotion to the main wholesalers (including Gardners and Bertrams)
- Send complimentary copies to influential people for testimonials and quotes
- Identify relevant media for reviews and advertising. Acquire rates and data for each.
- Prepare and distribute a press release, press packs and review copies
- Telephone journal and newspaper editors to follow up review mailings
- Research mailing lists for your target audiences
- Prepare sales letters, leaflets, order forms
- Carry out your mailings
- Analyse your responses and plan follow-up
- Buy advertising space and submit advertisements
- Don't forget to monitor the effectiveness of your campaign throughout and be prepared to modify it constantly depending on results.