Author Name: Jay Thomas Willis
Book Title(s): Implications For Effective Psychotherapy With African-Americans; As Soon as the Weather Breaks; The Cotton is High; Born to be Destroyed; Paranoid but not Stupid; Why Black Americans Behave as They Do; Hard Luck; When the Village Idiot Get Started; Educated Misunderstanding; The Devil in Angelica.
Marketing Subject:Choking on Your Marketing Plan
Sometimes in an attempt to market our books we forget that we are overdoing it. Don’t ever spend more on any one marketing endeavor than you could possible earn from the endeavor in terms of book sales. The only possible exception is when you are simply trying to get your books before the public, and thinking about long-term sales. The exposure from putting your books before the public can sometimes be more beneficial than the short-term potential in book sales.
For example, I once purchased my books at a 40% discount, and paid over a thousand dollars for a booth. After sitting all day long for three days I only sold 30 books. This left me in the hole. I had spent more than I was able to earn. This kind of situation is common for some neophytes who are unskilled at the game. The only advantage to such a situation is if I was thinking in terms of overall exposure rather than short-term gain.
I once bought a booth at a family workshop. After purchasing the booth, getting the books, sitting all day for two days; paying my hotel, food bill, and transportation; I couldn’t come out ahead. Again, the only way such a situation can be of benefit is if you are only concerned about long-term exposure for your book.
You have to decide whether you are concerned about the long or the short haul. If you are on a low budget you may want to think about short term benefits, but if you have the cash then it is okay to think about long term benefits. Make it easy on yourself!
