1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Kremer's home might be nestled in Iowa cornfields, but his advice on book marketing comes straight from publishing's epicenter. 1001 Ways to Market Your Books is a tome of biblical proportion, a 700-page "organized potpourri" of useful ideas, examples, tips, and suggestions. You name it, Kremer covers it: publication scheduling, series and directory writing, attaining bestsellerdom, direct mail, cover design, offbeat advertising, online sales, alternative markets, and much (really!) more. He includes addresses and phone numbers, Web site addresses, and hundreds of marketing stories from authors and publishers. It is these stories that inspire one to think outside the box. One Canadian author changed his last name from Zimmerman to Cimmerman purely for bookstore-placement purposes. And Greg Godek, author of 1001 Ways to Be Romantic, performs a reverse shoplift. He sneaks copies of his books onto stores' shelves, figuring that if a copy sells, the store will order more. --Jane Steinberg

From Library Journal

Reflecting solid knowledge and experience, this second edition offers practical if sometimes obvious business tips, reference data, and promotional ideas that fledgling or floundering publishers might use to boost sales and market exposure. Many successful campaigns by firms large and small are cited, and the advice, not technical or system-ridden, is easy to grasp. Though little information is addressed to authors--mostly brief interspersed rephrasings of points in the main text--librarians should note the chapters on selling to libraries and bookstores. Worth buying, but be forewarned that purchase could lead to requests for the publisher's other titles, as readers are urged to consult the companion volumes.
- William A. Donovan, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Open Horizons; 5th edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0912411481
• ISBN-13: 978-0912411484
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars stimulating ... but you need time, patience and a plan, December 11, 2004

By	mark harlan "http://www.RedsDeal.com" (silicon valley, california) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

i was writing "winning at internet poker for dummies" for wiley and my agent recommended this book when i asked what i could do to help promote my title ... so i'm coming from a sort-of weird angle; monster publishing house with an established name, new author trying to figure out how to sell more books.

"1001 ways ..." is written, at its heart, for publishers, and *especially* self-publishers. as others have mentioned here, it's a tad less valuable for authors.

the good news is it's jammed full of ideas, tricks, tips and techniques ... and at 700 pages, there are a ton of them ... something in here will help you, i guarantee it.

the bad news is that a larger-than-you-would-expect amount of information is conflicting (e.g. "start at the top when trying to get reviews on your books, one review at the top offsets thousands at the bottom," ... several pages later, "you need to start at the bottom of the media chain for reviews, you're most likely to get success there." "send all your review copies by overnight express" then later, "don't bother with expressing your drafts, it's a waste of money."), some strange (e.g. "do a book signing in a donut shop") and, as with any book of size, a lot that's just not applicable to you ...

worse, there isn't an overlying set of plans ... nothing that says, "if you're this kind of publisher, read this and this, but ignore that," "if you're an author doing how-to books, ignore anything we mention about this," "if you have a budget of this much, you should focus only on these things."

so the combo of a nearly infinite amount of information, crossed with no overlying skeletal plan, can make the book tedious and time consuming. reading it reminds me of eating dinner with a really smart friend -- you ask her a question, and then just listen to her go on and on and on with no apparent purpose; or even memory of what she's just said.

then too, i ordered a brand new copy from amazon and it's copywritten 1998. that's a bit too old, especially if you need contact names.

the good news is that mr. kremer keeps an update on his web pages. the bad news is it means you have to sit with a book by your computer as you go back and forth to do anything fairly serious (and worse, you [are recommended] more of mr. kremer's services whilst you're on the site).

so should you get it? sure. but be prepared to spend time and you've *got* to put your thinking cap on and think about you. narrow your focus, narrow your plan, pick and choose to suit your style (he says this in the book, later he says, "don't be afraid to try multiple different ideas." argh.)

if you don't have a lot of time. if you don't have a lot of energy. and especially if you think you've found another book that is more applicable to your specific situation, buy that instead. it'll save you the aggravation.

thanks for reading.
[...]

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Classic Reference Book for Book Promotion, April 14, 2002

By	Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

John Kremer hits a home run with this spectacular classic reference on how to market books. Whether you are an author or a publisher, this book is a must! Every useful promotional idea you might think of is included here, from the most traditional methods to guerrilla marketing techniques.

In fact, this book is so packed with creative ideas for marketing books that it's easy to make it part of your marketing campaign. Everything from book cover design and redesign tips, to web site listings in directories and search engines, to getting yourself onto television programs (even news programs sell books) is covered. Simply make a commitment to implement two ideas from this book each week for a few months, and watch your sales soar!

What I love the most about 1001 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BOOKS is the way it inspires me to ask myself, "What am I willing to do to promote my book?" Kremer makes the point that any good book can become successful when it is properly promoted so buyers know what it's about, why they need it, and how they can buy it.

If you are looking for the very best reference on promoting books, look no further. This is it!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from a small publisher and author, May 13, 2000

By	Bernadette A. Moyer (Lutherville, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have had this title for quite sometime and I use it as a reference book. I think this is the single best book for the want to be author/publisher to the established author/ publisher. Many times I have been confronted by someone who is thinking of self publishing. This is the book that I suggest each and every time! Like a reference book, you will find helpful hints, ideas and contact information. If you are new to the business this title will aid in guiding you to thinking of the many aspects of the book business. It also will aid in defining some of the many avenues in marketing. 1001 Ways to Market Your Book is a title you will keep on your bookshelf as I have!