The following post is from Brittany Deal, the author of “Savvy Girl, a Guide to Wine.” Brittany’s “Savvy Girl” books aim to create one “go-to” source for rich, yet concise, knowledge on the topics women care about. Brittany prints her books with Alexander’s.
Four years ago, while reading an eBook on my Kindle in the middle of the Bolivian Amazon I came up with an idea to create a “how-to” book series for women. I decided to call the series Savvy Girl. As an early adopter of the Kindle, I thought print books were sure to go the way of the dinosaur, so my original idea was to focus on eBooks.
Luckily, someone gave me some great advice to do both print and eBooks, and to my surprise my print books outsold my eBooks four-to-one. Although I think eBooks will continue to be popular, there are still many good reasons to have a printed version of your book. Here are a few:
1. Printed books make a great gift
The best part about printed books is that we can gift them for birthdays, graduations, or even as hostess gifts. They’re tangible and people like receiving something they can touch and feel.
My book sold best around Christmas because it paired perfectly with a bottle of wine as an easy and cute gift. “Gifting” occasions are the center of my marketing efforts, and this spring I am focusing on reaching out to bloggers to feature my book “Savvy Girl, a Guide to Wine” as a gift for Mother’s Day, or for the bride-to-be to gift to her bridesmaids for a wine country bachelorette party.
2. Printed books are great for PR
Recently I appeared as an expert guest on the TV show “The List” for a Wine 101 segment. My segment opens with a shot of my printed book at the table. Having a tangible book with me on TV was great marketing since being on TV is a huge opportunity to get your book in front of a larger audience.
3. Printed books are great products for non-book retail stores
Where does your demographic shop? My audience won’t be found wandering the aisles at Barnes and Noble, but Amazon isn’t their favorite online store either. Therefore, having a print book that I can sell to non-book retail stores such as gift shops, boutiques and wineries is the great way for me to get my product in places where my customer actually shops.
If you’re interested in printing or self-publishing your book, feel free to contact Alexander’s. We’d love to help, just like we’ve helped Brittany.
