16 Tips for Selling Your Books to Businesses

Patronage awards. These are typically low-cost items, such as booklets, that reward customer loyalty. Companies might give your book away to people who purchase a minimum quantity of their products, or as a reward for visiting their websites. Patronage awards given in a series are considered a continuity program.

Prizes. A high-priced or high-valued coffee table book might be offered as a prize in a contest or sweepstakes.

Self-liquidators. Supermarkets could sell your book at a price low enough to entice buyers, but high enough to cover its cost, luring shoppers to their stores.

9. Customize your books by printing the company's logo on the cover. Or, ask the company's president to write the foreword for a custom edition. Or advertise their related products and services in the book or on the back cover. Tailor your book's content to fit special occasions or seasons, to recognize service anniversaries, or to celebrate company landmarks.

10. Create a proposal. Prepare a written description of your recommendation for using your book as the solution to their problems. Demonstrate how it will most cost-effectively reach your prospect's stated objectives.

11. Show how your book can be used in conjunction with other products to create or extend a theme. For example, if a company wanted to promote healthy living among its employees, it could combine a book about walking with a pedometer.

12. Be patient. The sales process for a significant order to a corporation may take a year or more. Before placing a large, non-returnable order, your prospects will probably want to test the ability of your book to meet their needs.

13. Help them perform due diligence. If the test goes well, your prospect will investigate your proposal's impact on employees, sales, brand image, competitive position, customers, suppliers, salespeople, purchasing policies, warehousing procedures, previous promotions, marketing plans and budgets, as well as short-term and long-term business plans. This due diligence will delay the decision, but you can help speed the process by aiding them where possible.