During times of economic slowdown, bookstores don’t sell as many books.
With the economy needing a bailout, smart authors will think outside the bookstore.

Consider what Brian Jud , author of Beyond the Bookstore, calls Special-Sales Marketing. Special-selling your book during an economic downturn can actually increase your sales and offset what’s not going on with your title in bookstores.

A particular type of Special-Sales, known as Niche Marketing,
might be especially useful right now. Niche Marketing is selling to definitive groups of folks who need to know what’s in your book. For instance, if you have a diet book, you could niche in health clubs, medical clinics, fitness & physical therapy centers, bodywork studios, vitamin stores, pharmacies, weight loss support groups, and places that focus on healthy eating.

You might be able to speak at some of these places for free and then sell your book at full profit after your talk. If these outlets publish online newsletters or offer e-commerce, you can even gain access to their customer list and to patrons who don’t come into the store.

Although niche marketing does require that you take your product directly to the sales outlet yourself, the relationship you forge may be the key to long-term sales and additional revenue from a single source.

There is no need to bail your title out of bookstores.
Just try some niching and leave comments here on what happens.
I look forward to hearing from you.

-Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist