These are notes taken from an interview I did with a self-published millionaire about some of the best places to advertise.
Imagine my delight …
The first time I advertised my book in a tabloid I sold 700 orders. I made enough money to get in business – thousands of dollars the first time.
If you have new ideas or insights to share, you have a salable product. Offered to the right market, you can start your career as an author. There are a ton of advertising options out there. Some are good, some are not appropriate for your market. Your success depends on your ability to choose wisely.
How do you know which ones are best for you? Keep reading…
After my initial success, I was so impressed with my results that I expanded my advertising to other media.
In a small way I got into … at the time it was called The National Tattler. It’s like the National Enquirer. The book did not work well there.
It was a different kind of audience; much less sophisticated. Also, they weren’t the type that responded to the type of copy I was using. And so for a few years I was quite caught up with The Spotlight.
I tried other papers. I tried the daily newspaper and it did not work. I lost money? I rarely lose money.
And neither will you, once you understand the principles of direct marketing. You’re not going to lose unless you really do something stupid. If you try to make yourself cute in the headline, they will kill you.
Although some posts are more successful than others, I cover my costs in most of my tests. You really have to.
A couple of things that are important if I were to advise you on running a space advertisement and you are selling information products would be on your packaging, your mailing.
I learned so much in that process which made my life easier when handling orders, fulfillment, shipping and everything.
Now I do things very differently. Back then I was doing everything myself. It was very simple. It was a small brochure. Just go to an office supply store and buy envelopes and go to the post office and buy stamps.
At that time, we used typewriters and sticky labels. Just write the label. You hit it in the envelope. Glue the book into the envelope.
It was a catalog envelope. Could not been more easy. I sent it first class, with stamps.
It wasn’t until later that I began to get involved with more books that I had written and published on my own.
Eventually, your satisfaction starts to get a little more sophisticated. You really don’t have to do it yourself. Hopefully you hire people to take care of that for you.
Your ideas, insights, and teachings have value. If you are witty or entertaining, artistic or creative, you can package it in a book. By doing a little groundwork and direct marketing, you can reach a wider audience and generate loads of cash.