Marketing Your Christian Book At Bookstores and Churches
At CBM Christian Book Marketing, we get asked this question all the time and especially from the first time author. What to do, how do I go about it?
How do I market my book to Bookstores, Churches and even Christian Ministries. The answer to that in short is that there are many ways, however, let's focus on the basics and most important ways to accomplish marketing your book to Bookstores and Churches.
Christian Book Signings
Christian Book Signings are by far the best way to open the door with regards to making a connection with a Church or Bookstore and especially for the first time author. Book signings are personal, upfront and book store customers really like visiting a book signing table, meeting an author and getting a signed copy of their book. This is good for the bookstore also, as it adds something of interest for it's customers.
Christian Book Marketing Basics
- Send a letter of introduction that shares about you as author and your book.
- Request a book signing event at the church or bookstore.
- Offer to donate a portion of the book sales to the church, church youth group or other inner church ministry.
- For bookstores, offer to either give a percentage to the bookstore, or donate a percentage to a local charity of their choice.
- Have a raffle for a few free books. Make the event fun.
- Perform follow up communications by phone.
From experience helping authors in the past set up book signings at local churches and bookstores, the average sales per event averaged 200 to 300 books. Considering the profit margin on the book sales was right at $7.00 00 to $9.00 per author purchased copy, that's not a bad payday for talking with others in Christ, sharing views and signing books.
This further promotes you as a local author. Once you get your first book signing under your belt at a local church or bookstore. It gives you the ability to share that with other potential bookstore managers or churches.
Take pictures of your first event so that you can add such to your author media package or scrapbook. Ask the local church or bookstore manager of your first event if you can use them as a reference when the book event concludes. A successful book signing event recommendation just adds to your portfolio.
Where Do I Start
First you need some sort of media package that you can send either by email or through the mail services. Your media package should be as follows:
- A professionally detailed letter of introduction and request for a book signing.
- A professionally written Press Release that carries a name of Integrity within the Christian Book Industry.
* Contact me for further information on creating a more professional media package.
You can get very detailed in creating a Author's Media Package; however, don't let that intimidate you. A simple Author's Media Package can open a door just as much as an extravagant Author's Media Package can.
How Do I send The Christian Author's Media Package
- Through the postal services.
- By email.
- In person. ( For local churches in the area, you might consider making contact in person. If your budget permits offer a free copy of your book to the person that you speak with.
Contacting The Church Or Local Christian Bookstore
- Address your letter of introduction to the Senior Pastor of the church. This will insure that either the Senior Pastor received the media package or that it will be placed in the right hands. Most Senior Pastors have secretaries that process incoming mail for the Senior Pastor. Therefore, it should get into the right hands.
- The Bookstore Manager at your local bookstore.
Should I Promote My First Book Signing?
Yes, with the church or bookstores' permission and some local newspapers and radio stations will run the announcement for free. Simply contact your local newspaper of Christian radio station and ask.
Follow Up
Within 7 days to 10 working days of sending the Author's Media Package to the local churches in your area ( you can determine how many miles you are willing to travel ). The next step would be to follow up with a personal phone call and perform some follow up with regards to the media package that you sent. This of course is only necessary if the church has yet to contact you.
Online Presence, The Key To Successful Christian Book Marketing
In presenting yourself as a Christian author, it is also recommended that you build a professional online presence in having an author's site. Within this, you can share the site address in your corresponding letters and Media Package. This provides the person that you are making contact with the option to visit your author's site and find out more about you as author and your book.
The Day Of My Book Signing
Every authors situation is different. However, in a nut shell your book signing table and display is very important. Contact us by email and we will send you some basic information on how to create a great book signing display that will fit into your budget.
For further information and help in accomplishing the above. Contact me by email and I will answer any questions that you may have. We further offer CBM Christian Author Press Releases, CBM Book Reviews and create Author Sites, all which can be used in your Author's Media Package. Additional services include Video Book Trailer Productions, 100 site Book Blast, Author Article Blasts, Social Media and other expanded online marketing.
CBM also offers proofreading, book editing, interior book design, print ready files for book publishing and we can even help you set up an account to publish your book.
Let's make your book signing event a success that opens the door to many other successful book signing events.
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