With over 25 years of experience in the publishing industry, Kerrie Flanagan is a highly accomplished author, writing consultant, and writing instructor. As a prominent figure in the world of writing, Kerrie brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to help authors thrive. Her dedication to her writing is evident in her contributions to numerous publications, including The Writer magazine, Alaska Magazine, Writer's Digest, and six Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Her expertise extends beyond articles and essays. She is the author of The Writer's Digest Guide to Magazine Article Writing and the creator of the highly regarded Magazine Writing Blueprint. Additionally, she has published 24 books, including 15 sci-fi and fantasy books with a coauthor under the pen name C.G. Harris, plus two romantic comedies published with 5 Prince Publishing. Her diverse body of work demonstrates her dedication to storytelling and her mastery of different genres.

Dollar by Dollar by Kerrie Flanagan

Step into the publishing world with Kerrie Flanagan's Dollar by Dollar: Strategies for Writers to Maximize Their Income, the ultimate resource for authors looking to increase their book sales, build a strong author platform, and create multiple streams of income.

Why You Need This Book:

•Expert Advice on Traditional and Self-Publishing: Master the art of writing effective query letters, nonfiction book proposals, and learn key strategies for successful self-publishing.

•Diversify Your Writing Income: Discover lucrative opportunities in freelancing, magazine writing, short stories, and audiobooks to boost your earnings.

•Proven Book Marketing Strategies: Learn how to create professional book covers, build a loyal reader base, and use speaking, teaching, and social media to promote your books and grow your author brand.

Written by award-winning author and publishing expert Kerrie Flanagan, Dollar by Dollar provides actionable insights and proven techniques to help writers thrive. Whether you're self-publishing or going the traditional publishing route, this comprehensive guide helps you take control of your writing career and turn it into a profitable business.

 
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Forget Bookstores

Think Outside the Box When Marketing Your Self-Published Books

Books (both print and ebooks) are increasingly being bought online, but for many self-published authors there is a faulty notion that in order for a book to be seen as successful, it has to be in bookstores. The amount of time, energy and even cost (many bookstores charge self-published authors to carry them) that go into getting a self-published book onto the shelves can become a losing venture. Is marketing to bookstores really the best approach?

Many authors dream of seeing their print books in bookstores. Although this is not an unreasonable goal, remember that a bookstore is in business to make money. When they order books, they go to a big distributor like Ingram. This allows them to place one order and deal with only one company. They buy them at a wholesale rate, which is typically 40%-55% off the retail price. They then sell the books for retail and make a profit. Books that don't sell, are sent back to Ingram or destroyed.

If you want your books to potentially be available in a bookstore, you need set a discount of at least 40%, make it returnable and available through Ingram, which is possible to do through IngramSpark. This doesn't mean every Barnes & Noble is going to stock your book, it only means it is available for them to buy or for people to special order. If the book doesn't sell, then it is returned to you and you are charged for the shipping (or you can have it destroyed). Because of the large discount you need to offer, you may not make a big profit, and if it is shipped back at your expense, you may even lose money.

Independent bookstores are more open to stocking books from indie authors. Ideally, they like to order it through Ingram, but may offer consignment programs where they stock your book for a couple of months and if it sells you get paid your 60% and the bookstore keeps 40%. Some also charge stocking fees to small publishers to help cover the store's costs and the time it takes for employees to add your information into their system.

With all that being said, there are many great options for getting your print books and ebooks into the hands of readers. Find the options that resonate with you and focus your time and energy on those. If you try to tackle everything you will burn yourself out and end up doing nothing.

WHO: Connections

Readers who feel they know you are more likely to want to read your books. Finding those readers and connecting with them is a great way to build your fanbase.

Cross promotion

Other self-published authors understand what it takes to get a book published and the challenges of marketing. By combining your efforts to help each other out, you'll lighten the burden. Find authors who have the same readership as you and talk with them about ways you can support each other through social media posts, newsletters or emails.

Organizations

Regardless of your genre, does your book deal with a health issue like alcoholism, dementia, eating disorders or MS? Or does your book address different causes like wildlife conservation, puppy mills, or environmentalism? All of these topics and many more have organizations or groups focused on these issues. Reach out to them to let them know about your book and ask if they can highlight it on their website or in a newsletter.

Special Fans

We all want to feel special and your readers are no different. There are ways to make them feel important and noticed, by turning them into super fans. You can highlight a fan of the month in a newsletter, respond to them on social media posts, run special contests just for your newsletter followers, get their input on cover designs or offer them a special sneak peek or even free copies of an upcoming book.

Influencers

Influencers are those people who have the power to sway the buying decisions of others. They are well connected in many circles and seem to know a lot of different people. Rather than focus efforts on reaching all of your target readers, find the influencers (bloggers, reviewers, TikTok, podcast hosts…) in your genre and connect with them.

HOW: Marketing

Just because your books are on Kobo, Apple, Amazon, or any of the other platforms, doesn't mean readers know they are there. In addition to social media, there are other creative ways to reach people.

Magazine articles

Writing magazine articles is a great way to share your knowledge and experiences with tens of thousands of people. If your writing resonates with them, your byline at the end (which should include your website) could encourage them to learn more about you and your books.

Give talks

If you are the type of person who enjoys teaching and giving presentations, check with your local library, rotary club, book clubs or other groups who would be interested in having you speak. Arrange to give a talk, then you can have your books available for sale.

Email Promotions

There are many offering opportunities to share your books via email to a targeted group of readers who have signed up to be on the list. CraveBooks is the big one, but there is also Bargain Booksy, Free Booksy, Fussy Librarian, Reading Deals and many others. It isn't free to participate, but the prices vary from $15 up to a few hundred dollars. Some require that your book be on sale or free, but not all of them. Research to find out which ones are most effective and best for your genre.

#Bookstagram

The hashtag #Bookstagram has over 21 million posts on Instagram and has become a creative way to share books. The purpose behind it is to take artistic photos of books and post them using the hashtag. The more creative the better. There are bookstagrammers who have dedicated accounts that only share book images, so in addition to creating your own posts, you can connect with these people.

BookTok

This book community on TikTok has grown in popularity over the past couple years. Through short videos, readers are giving book reviews, sharing their favorite books and showing off their amazing book shelves. Authors are sharing about their writing life, talking about their books and connecting with readers. Videos don't have to be Academy Award winning quality. TikTok viewers are scrolling through looking for something entertaining to catch their eye. One viral video can change an author's career overnight.

WHERE: Unique Locations

In a bookstore, your book is one of thousands. In other locations that don't focus solely on books, yours may be the only one or one of a few, making it stand out more. These make for ideal places to get your book some attention. For any retail locations, offer it to them at a wholesale rate (usually 40% off the retail price).

Visitor Centers

Many cities, national parks and states have visitor's centers. If your book may be of interest to travelers or if you are a local author from that area, talk to the retail manager to see about having your book available for sale.

Boutique Stores

Find stores that are good fit with your book and let the manager know why you believe their customers will enjoy it. The good thing about dealing with retail stores is that once you sell it to them for the wholesale rate, you don't have to worry about the book getting returned to you like from a bookstore.

Museum Gift Shops

There are many types of museums from science to art to vintage toys. If the visitors to this venue would find your book interesting, see if the gift shop is open to stocking your book on the shelf. Once again, you need to offer them a wholesale rate.

Farmers Market

When people think of farmers markets, they think of local produce and food products. You don't usually find authors there selling their books, which makes them ideal places to get your book noticed. The authors who find success doing this are not afraid to talk with people and engage with customers.

If you think beyond bookstores, you will soon find there are many creative places both brick and mortar and online that can help you spread the word about your book or offer it for sale. When you step outside the box, new opportunities present themselves and allow you to get your book into the hands of more readers.