Book Club Sales -- Increasing the Odds

What is a book club sale? It is actually a rights sale or a licensing agreement: you are granting permission to a book club the right to “borrow” your work. You have written a book, and now you are allowing a book club to print and distribute your book to its members.

You allow the book club to reprint your book in a specific language, in a specific format, for a specific period of time, in a specific geographic territory, to a specific group of people. You ensure in your contract that you maintain ownership of the copyright and of all else intellectual property rights, such as electronic, movie, else languages and territories, and serial rights – to name a few. Always seek good legal proposal before linguistic communication a contract.

There are many an book clubs, but most of the major clubs fall under the bookspan umbrella (www.bookspan.com). To find else book clubs that are appropriate for your book, do an net search: on your browser, type in +(your book genre, e.g., cooking)+book+club.

The chances of having your book elect by a book club are roughly one in ten, which is actually quite good. Imagine if your chance at winning the lottery was that great!

Tip #1 for increasing the odds:

It is important to cognize that book clubs are always looking for new ideas to stimulate their members, so if your book is well written and edited, has plans for professional graphic design, AND demonstrates a unique slant on your topic, your chances of being elect rise considerably.

Tip #2 for increasing the odds:

In locution that, it is important for you to cognize that the earlier you submit your book, the better.

Tip #3 for increasing the odds:

Book clubs are more happier receiving a typewritten manuscript six to twelve months in advance of your publication date than receiving a bound galley or finished book close to the publication date. A book club likes to introduce your book to its members near your publication date in order to take advantage of the reviews and message that you wish be generating once your book is launched. The bigger the media splash you make, the better everyone’s sales wish be.

Tip #4 for increasing the odds:

There are many an categories of book clubs, so be sure to submit your title only to the appropriate clubs. Do not send your book to every book club that you can find. Each club’s membership has specific interests so be sure to submit your book only to clubs that strength buy—you wish over again increase your chance of being selected.

For instance, if you have a humor book, it’s unlikely to be of any interest to a cookery club or to a scientific discipline club. If your book is regional, it wish not likely appeal to a general interest book club, so submit that a regional title to suitable specialty clubs.

Tip #5 for increasing the odds:

There are rules to follow once submitting your book to the book clubs, so following them cautiously should avoid gratuitous rejections.

Here they are:

Send your manuscript to the Editorial department at the appropriate club(s).

Include a cover letter that details the following information:

summary of the book contents

description of the book (size, binding, hard/soft cover, black & white or color)

expected commercialism price

number of pages

number and type of photographs and/or illustrations (indicate if black & white or color

notation if the book wish be part of a series

which volume the book is in an existing series and a sales history of the series

intended publication date

plans for message and promotion, and your intended budget

Include a brief author chronicle written in the third person. Be sure to talk simply about any previous books publicized and their sales histories.

Send photocopies of several of the illustrations and photographs. Please do not send innovational copies – they wish NOT be returned to you.

Don’t forget your contact information and website if you have one.

Unfortunately, you cannot contact book clubs to follow up on your submission. It’s a case of “Don’t call us. We’ll call you”. Book clubs obtain too many an submissions to allow follow up calls or letters. If they are interested, they wish call you, ordinarily inside two to six months.

Do you think that a book club sale is worth pursuing? Absolutely! For really little effort you can bring home the bacon the sale of thousands of copies of your book. You wish likely be paid a minimum sum per copy, but you wish likewise not have any creation costs, and a small sum increased by thousands can equate to a really good check. Your only effort wish be to sign a contract, provide your book on disk and collect that check – and simply think of the free publicity! Thousands of book club members wish see simply about your book. You can’t buy that kind of publicity!

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