Professional etiquette dictates the passing over of business cards at the commencement of any first time encounter. The other day this incidental action left me pondering four marketing lessons, that might be of use to other authors out there with a box of books in their backroom.
At the end of the encounter pleasantries were exchanged as the cardholder fiddled with my business card.
Given the inclusion of Me Time in the upcoming Subiaco Community Fair, I’d had my businesscards updated to include this latest tomb of joy. I’d also included the name of my research business, blog and a past book title, 50 Ways To Grieve Your Lover.
Pointing to the last title the cardholder asked, ‘Where can I get a copy of that?’
With hopefully the right amount of gravitas (given the topic), I delared that I actually had a copy in the boot of my car. Consequently the deal was taken out into the car park, money exchanged and goods handed over.
As I drove away I pondered the four self-publishing lessons learned …
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You can never underestimate the value of an up to date business card.
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Just because a book isn’t your latest offering, if it’s still selling it’s worth including in your current marketing (unless of course your back catalogue would require a toiletroll length business card).
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The value of having a one or two sentence ‘pitch’ ready to reel off at any given moment, and a box of books in your boot.
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Lastly, as the name of this blog post suggests … the inclusion of a common surname in the book title.
You see on this occasion the book was purchased not for the educational, uplifting, and comedic content, of which there is plenty, naturally. No on this occasion the book was purchased purely for the title. A copy of 50 Ways To Grieve Your Lover is winging it’s way to a Ms/Mrs Greeve.
I’m so intrigued by this turn of events that I’m seriously pondering taking out the white pages and telemarketing all the Greeves or Grieves in the greater West Australian area. And while I’m at it I might just change my next book title to include the words Smith or Jones, … How To Meet A Smith perhaps or 50 Ways To Be A Jones just a thought.
Note: No Smiths or Jones’s were harmed in the making of this post.
2 Comments
Oh no! So my theory that the more unusual your name is, the better, has been disproved. I will head straight over to Births/Marriages/Deaths and download a change of name form 😉
Don’t do it Amanda. I went two months ago and they told me I was missing some info, so I got that and went back, then a different person told me that the day before things had changed and I now needed the information I had earlier … a great way to cut down on their paperwork with fewer people going back for a third time