Giving a Prize with a Book.. Or the Whole Book?

I was asked about bookmarkers, keychains, pens and other book goodies.

Do "freebies" help the sale of books?

The comments here about the serendipitous long term effects of freebies is so true.

Just difficult to calculate the ROI (return on investment).

I've found that every time such items are purchased and USED, there are benefits that later can be traced back to the item.

Key points:

1. They have to be used. Won't do any good in a box in the garage.

2. Can't measure forward.. just after the fact.

What you can measure:

Studies have been done doing a promotion with/without these attention getters. In a controlled environment, sales go up when there is something that get attention.

The only risk is that the attention generated will be misplaced (i.e. kids grab the toy and Mom throws it out without ever seeing your book)

We teach authors to use their book as the "freebie".. either giving it away as a gift to prospects, or making sure that each buyer is presented with an opportunity to advance to a more profitable transaction. We've seen "average sales per book buyer" got into hundreds of thousands of dollars in life time value to the business behind the book.

The LAW OF RECIPROCITY states that if you give something to someone, a true gift, they will be more inclined to want to give something to you at a later date.

If you give more.. you will get more. The universe does not stay out of balance. This is the guiding principle we use when we build cross promotions via http://ZeroCostPromotions.com

Authors should follow Andy's Example on Facebook

My freind Andrew Bourland has been hanging around Facebook and with good reason... they are adding 150,000 people a day (more than MySpace).

Inttead of the "playing" we do at MySpace, or the "corporate" feel of LinkedIN, Facebook has become a place where real people connect with real people.

Now Andy is out to meet new people.

How I Plan to Grow my Base of Facebook Friends - Bourland.com#comment-21427

My recommendation.. Get a Facebook profile.. connect with people like Andrew Bourland

The may not seem like a direct route to profits.. but these days it pays to be unreasonable

Why I love FaceBook

I just finally got around to creating a FaceBook profile and instantly had 87 friends attach to me in the first day.

Some were new, a few invited, but other were just old contacts that found me.

The applications are the draw. I've got a bookshelf full of my favorites and love the chuck books feature.

Here's a great article on what made Facebook so much better..

Facebook Spawns Ad Networks

Now.. go join us on Facebook.. and leave comments here

Helping new business authors

I'm teaching a class today.. we're learning about Web 2.0 and strategies to build links.

So I'm giving them all a link. So please take a look at these:

Million dollar Profit System
lyle johnson managemnt mentor
double your income in half the time
dealing with difficult people
Cynthia the clutter busting queen
Wealth Secrets
ebay training
getting your way

Add the Author's Blog Roll for More Expoure

I'm adding the following to my author blogs. It's a great way to cross promote books, get links to your site and meet like minded authors.

You can read more at this post

Authors Blogroll

Plug Your Book: The 4-hour book tour (are bookstore signings for chumps?)

Here's a great comment on the futility of book store signings

Plug Your Book: The 4-hour book tour (are bookstore signings for chumps?)

I agree with Steve's reasoning, but do know of some authors who have broken the mold and had success with bookstore appearances.

If you are going for ROI, it's a waste of time. I only recommend signings where there is little or no travel cost, a related promotion, or just for the sheer fun of doing it once.

One author we worked with had a tight niche in the fishing market. He flew to speciality bookstores near his favorite fishing spots, sold hundreds of books at a specialty store during a fishing contest weekend appearance and wrote off the trip.

Still... as Steve says. It's a horrible plan for making money.

Every Author Should Market Book on MySpace

Every author, and every book should have a MySpace page.

It's so easy to create a space on this ultra high traffic site... and have a way to engage new readers and build your community.

Here's a new report that focuses on how to use MySpace to market books or businesses