thanks for this list! and if you can’t make it to the farmers’ market you can google my book easily and order it online.

it’s called AUSTIN NIGHTS

be well friendly people

We definitely shouldn’t forget eBay and the others that you mentioned. And the reason I didn’t add those to my list was because I was trying to reveal a few of the more unique places — places some — or maybe many — authors may not think of.

Thanks for pointing that out about the mail order catalogs. I still enjoy receiving a few of those myself, and at times, I may order from them if the prices are right. But hey, not everyone has the same likes and dislikes, eh.

My additional advice about mail order catalogs would be to find out how many people receive the catalogs, and try to find out approximately how many of those people place orders from the catalogs. These would be things I’d ask about before listing my book in their catalogs.

@#4: Thanks for adding additional suggestions and information to my post. You are right, we should determine the audience for our books. As you said, there are several other venues with people who might buy books written just for them.

@#7: I’m glad you’ve found my ideas to be bookmark worthy, thanks. Feel free to refer back to the list any time you need to market a book.

If you’ve written a book about love in old age, for example, you might want to approach gift shops at nursing homes, resorts with high attendance from people of retirement age, etc. On the other hand, if you’ve written a book for preschoolers, you could approach schools, parenting groups, parenting magazines, toy stores, and similar places.

Then, right before the killer was exposed, the lights go out and the curtain comes down.

Guess how many copies she sold in the lobby that night?

I love the book party idea! In fact, the writer could include door prizes related to their book. I say this because I’ve been to a few home parties for Tupperware sales and etc., and they usually have prizes. Plus, if you’re really good at thinking outside the box, then you could invent a few fun games that relate to your book in some way. After all, the whole point of the party — aside from sales, of course — is to have fun.

@Kathleen: Since Cindy told you what the initials (SMC) stood for, I thought I’d tell you just a bit more about them. A few years back I invested a little over $200 to sell their products, but discovered it wasn’t easy to do since a lot of people sell them. Because so many people sell SMC products, it’s tough competition. I could go into a long spill, but this is supposed to be a writing-related blog, so I won’t say much more. To sum things up regarding SMC, let me just say that a lot of the products you see at flea markets, are SMC products, which are nice, just hard to sell and profit from.

@Cindy: I always make it a point to visit the booths that have something new to offer. As I said in my post, a change of scenery will attract attention.

@Morgan: Thanks for the link to Book Crossing! I surfed over and liked what I saw, so I’ll definitely have to explore more of their site in a few days.

@everyone: Thank you for your comments! I’m glad I could help add to your marketing lists. I’d also like to thank those of you who added additional places to market your book — there are some great ideas from everyone.

I wish you all the very best with your book marketing adventures… and many sales to come!

I’ve also made a few sales by submitting excerpts to literary journals.

If you have books related to nature, the environment, etc. you can check out the gift shops at state and national parks as well.

I love #2 about the flea markets and totally agree that I would enjoy and spend time at a book vendor! I just have one question. You mention SMC products–what are those?

Local Library: When our writing group published our first book we hosted a book launch at the library where we meet. We also took turns reading portions of our work and signing copies for people.

Book Party: Another member of our writers’ group has had book parties similar to tupperware parties, pampered chef…etc. to raise awareness of her books and to sell some copies.