A Book In Hand
Information and resources related to A Book In Hand – coming in 2025.
Print remains the largest global market for book sales. Are you taking full advantage of the opportunities that can help you sell more print books?
Anyone can run eBook price-drops via newsletter promotions and run ads to help game the algorithms of Amazon and sell digital copies of a book. But it takes a unique combination of understanding, research, and leveraging what brought you to writing in the first place to rise above the online digital slush pile.
• If you’re interested in increasing your chances of not only selling more books at in person events but also driving deeper and more meaningful connections with the people who are buying and reading your books . . .
• If you want ways to stand out and become visible well beyond the digital masses . . .
• If you want to understand how you can employ the same skills that helped you in writing your book to assist with marketing your book . . .
. . . then you’ve come to the right place.
Drawn from the author’s more than forty years of being an author and thirty years of working in the book industry, A BOOK IN HAND explores strategies of how authors can better understand the print book market. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie published, you will find numerous examples and specific strategies that authors have employed in raising the bar when it comes to selling more print books.
Because, as you’ll learn here, a book in hand is worth two on the shelf.
If you would like to be notified about the book’s release, please fill out this form.
Resources
- Worksheet: What You Can Offer To Your Bookstore or Library
Related/Relevant Episodes of the Stark Reflections Podcast.
Episode 345 – The Art of Libromancy with Josh Cook
An insider’s look at bookselling from an independent bookseller and author.
Episode 406 – How Authors Can Engage With Their Local Library
An excerpt from the book A BOOK IN HAND walking through library engagement strategies for authors.
Episode 405 – Ask Not What Your Bookstore Can Do For You
An excerpt from A BOOK IN HAND about working with bookstores.
Episode 340 – Personality, Passion, Presentation, and Persistence with Todd Fahnestock
Effective strategies for bookselling at in person events.
Episode 338 – An Amazing F*cking Pivot Into Sh!t-Tons of Money with James Fell
Episode 296 – Powerful in Person Book Marketing with Richard H. Stephens
Marketing books at in person events
Episode 207 – Library and Bookstore Strategies for Authors
A recording of a talk Mark gave at When Words Collide 2021.
Episode 203 A Rant on Unprofessional Author Behavior
A reflection and rant on one of the unprofessional things that indie authors sometimes do.
Episode 193 – Showcasing Indie Authors in an Indie Bookstore with Susan Faw
A look at an independent bookstore run by indie author Susan Faw.
Episode 191 – Insights from the Immersive Media and Books 2020 Consumer Survey
Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Inman Berens shared details about the Immersive Media & Books 2020 Consumer Survey conducted by the Panorama Project and Portland State University.
Episode 190 – The Episode Where Shit Went Down with James Fell, Sweary Historian
Episode 187 – Business-Minded Creative Marketing with Diana Wink
Diana Wink, writer, blogger, film-maker shares insights for successful storyteller marketing.
Episode 177 – Author Insights From Youth Services Librarians
Julie Bonser (Head of Youth Services) and Michelle Rutter (Teen Services Librarian) from Eastern Munroe Public Library in Pennsylvania.
Episode 167 – Author, Author Give Me the News: Bookseller Insights with Laura Hayden
author and bookseller Laura Hayden, who is the co-founder and owner of Author-Author an experimental retail bookshop that deals in online sales, special events, books for writers and books for authors.
Episode 142 – Strategies for a Successful Book Launch During a Pandemic with Suzy Vadori
Suzy Vadori shares details from the massive in person book launches for her first two books and the pivot for a major launch during the pandemic.
Episode 141 – Homemade Game Guru Luanga ‘Lue’ Nuwame
Strategies employed by a writer and publisher of comic books, cardboard crafts, and board game developer.
Episode 134 – Pitching Your Book to Local Media with Melissa Dalton Martinez
Insights from a publishing industry PR and marketing manager, marketing consultant, and media professional.
Episode 110 – A Conversation about Working with Bookstores and Libraries
An interview conducted in the Draft2Digital offices for a Facebook Live video where Dan Wood interviewed Mark about his book An Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores.
Episode 099 – Getting Your Book into Libraries
How authors can get their books into libraries in print, eBook and audiobook format.
Episode 087 – You, Your Book, and Bookstores
A perspective on bookstores, booksellers, and bookselling, and shares ideas on how authors can best get their books into bookstores.
Episode 026 – Armand Rosamilia on Engagement and Community
A look at a unique “beers and fears” brewery tour for authors.
Episode 004 – Optimizing Your Author Brand with Robert J. Sawyer
How optimizing his brand and SEO has led Robert J. Sawyer to 1000 radio and television interviews.
Related Resources/Reading:
Booking the Library: A Guide for Entertainers, Musicians, Speakers & Authors, Jessica Brawner, 2015, ISBN 9780692350188
Five Critical Things For a Successful Book Signing: An essential guide for any author, Adam Dreece, 2019, ISBN: 9781988746159