I still can't believe I started this journey January 4, 2023. That is when I told the BUB and Daniel that I was going to write a book and they both looked at me like I was crazy. Show me a serial entrepreneur that isn't crazy and I'll show you an election in 2024 that won't feature Biden or Trump. As you know I wrote the book in two months and the pre-release date is January 4, 2024, so exactly one year from its inception.
I have now approved the cover, inside jackets and back cover. I'm also in the final approval process of the galley, which is the book itself. It's looking like 400 pages and my marketing team at TNG and Forbes Books has done an amazing job with design. The best surprise for me was that due to the amazing design, we were able to add more than 40 photos which will bring even greater interest to my story.
In the next few weeks, everything will be about marketing and publicity. I have learned that the list is endless and everyone wants you to spend $$$$ promoting your book but no one is guaranteeing sales. How about this conundrum: If you want your book at airport bookstores, you have to contract with the stores (there are five major sellers). The biggest one is Hudson which has about 40 stores in the USA. If you want placement, the cost is around $15K for three months with no sales guarantees. However if you were a first-time author, wouldn't you want your book to be in airports? Of course! Now you know why airport bookstores are so lucrative.
Overall there are about 16,000 bookstores in the USA. That is exactly how many Starbucks stores there are in the USA. Now you are wondering how many Barnes & Nobles stores there are. The answer is 600, less than 4% of the overall bookstores. So you can see that getting your book into individual bookstores is not easy unless you are a well known author. We will see.
At least I know one thing almost for certain: As a loyal reader, you will buy my book January 4 on Amazon. Thank you!
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