Nothing Binding is a New Marketing Platform
By Jerry D. Simmons | February 5th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The new marketing project that has been created is designed to help you achieve an increase in book sales. Here are some of the more frequently asked questions about NothingBinding.com.
How is what you are doing different from what others are doing? There are three basic ways to sell books: (1) The traditional market which would include all the major chain bookstores, mass merchants, and all retailers that market and sell books, (2) Through the use of technology of the Internet, and (3) Individual sales you initiate through your marketing efforts; usually one book at a time. Which means through your own hard work.
The major publishers dominate and control #1 (traditional market). This system is well established and inflexible to participation by most authors outside the system.
There are no major websites, #2 above, that focus entirely on the sale of Independently Published books as well as on marketing the author or writer. The Independent Author market is highly fractured and no one is focused on selling books and marketing authors and writers. Most sell products and services designed to “assist” the Independent Author to attempt entry into the traditional marketplace.
Most Independent Authors sell books by the #3 method. This is where the Independent Authors have their most success, through the sales they initiate through their own marketing efforts, selling their book(s) from person-to-person.
In order to attract book buyers from #1, the traditional market, it requires a combination of #3, your own hard work, through the use of technology #2 by way of the community. What this means is that the power of a combined community of Independent Authors selling books through the use of technology where the focus is on the book and the author or writer, will attract book buyers that otherwise would not have considered the book of an Independent Author. A key element of this project is to make buying books or other writing very convenient for purchasers to locate you and your books.
What makes you think this will work? Over 25-years in the publishing business combined with my knowledge and understanding of the market and weaknesses of major trade houses, where books represent an $8 Billion dollar business. Consider the efforts of 350,000 new Independent Authors each year with the 2 or 3 million that already exist, and I strongly believe that it is more than possible to band together to reach common goals in sales as Independent Writers and Authors.
One percent of the book market is $80 Million dollars. That number dwarfs what is estimated Independent Authors sold in any previous year. The possibilities are endless but it starts with banding together to overcome the previous difficulties of being fragmented and hard to locate.
What is the cost of participating in your program? What is the long-term cost? There is no cost, not now, or will there ever be a fee to participate. There will be services available that will help you to maximize your participation in this program but they are optional.
What is required of me as a writer or author at this time? Only the time it takes to create a personal profile, nothing else is required. There are links to your website or to the bookseller of your choice where readers can purchase books. If you do not have a website, use the free service of NothingBinding.com and make your personal profile page your source for information. Any writer or author can use this marketing program as a guide to you and your book(s).
Besides selling more books, and not charging fees, what do you hope to accomplish? My goal is to create a community for Independent Writers and Authors to sell their books, or writing, and promote themselves as writers and authors. This is the first step. The importance is in growing the community to the point where the market for Independent Authors has a single voice for the sale of their books, as opposed to the fractured industry that exists today. With tens of thousands of writer’s websites, it is more likely readers will find you if there is a single website for them to begin their search for Independently Published books.
Will you actually be selling my books? No! Possibly in the future there will be an outlet for the sale of your books. In the beginning you will continue to sell the books in whatever manner you are currently selling them or add to what you are currently doing. This project will begin as a gathering place, an artist colony, to provide more traffic the ability to find you than you have currently.
Does that mean you are going to increase the price of my book? Or are you going to force me to reduce my royalties? The answer is no. As the community grows and you begin to sell more books, there will be plenty of opportunities for profitability.
Can I participate if my book is not yet published? What if I’m just a writer without a manuscript? Yes, you can participate; this community is open to all writers. Everyone is welcome; poets, screenwriters, columnists; anyone who writes can become a part of this writing community. We of course will be focusing on authors and books; there are no barries to participation. We want to sell more Independently Published books.
How do you expect to make money with this program? In the beginning those who have invested their time and money will not be profitable, the focus is on bringing together Independent Writers and Authors. As the collective of authors increases and book sales increase, this will be the place where people come to purchase books that are hard to find elsewhere.
Do I have to sign-up for the free newsletter on your website to participate in the marketing program? No, absolutely not. Although I would love for each of you to sign-up for my free newsletter, it is not a requirement to participate in this program.
Can I opt out of the program at any time? Yes.
What is your background and qualifications? You can read my bio at the About Jerry page of this web site. If you have questions that have not been addressed, please ask them at any time. Feedback is one of the most essential elements in making this program work. Your questions will be answered as promptly as possible.
I appreciate your willingness to participate in this new marketing program. Never hesitate to make comments or offer suggestions for improvement.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Sales, Booksellers
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