What
process did you go through to pick the name
of the title for your book?
In
the first moments of the idea for the book,
the title was "How to Make All-State",
referring to the
all-state band. I thought that was even a niche
of a niche and the concepts apply to much more
than just an audition.
What
methods did you use to test your book's marketability?
How did you know it would sell or not?
The
book's marketability was natural to me since
I have been a music educator in the past. I
know there is a void for such a product and
was more than happy to fill it. The teachings
that are in the book have traditionally been
passed down from master teacher to student (if
the student was lucky enough to have a master
teacher).
Did
you put together a business plan before or after
your book was printed?
The
business plan was put together after the book
was written. A friend of mine used the book,
DVD, and future projects as the basis of his
SMU MBA final project. Part of this project
for me has been a labor of love due to the fact
that musicians need to know the information
-- how to do things properly without the false
notion of the existence of shortcuts.
Did
publishing your novel cost more or less than
you thought it would?
I
have funded the project out of my own pocket.
I believe it is what I expected or maybe a little
moreso.
What
was the most difficult part of publishing your
own book? The most rewarding part?
The
most difficult part of self-publishing is pulling
the trigger knowing that it may not be "perfect".
When I realized that the first version would
simply be "the best I can do at this point
in time", it was a little easier to move
forward. Luckily, the method of printing I use
has allowed me to make minor changes or corrections
with each reprint. The most rewarding part is
every time I get a call or email from a total
stranger explaining how valuable they believe
the materials are and how they will be doing
a custom presentation to their students to encourage
them to buy the products.
What
has been some of your most successful book marketing
techniques?
Some
of the most successful book marketing techniques
include bundling the book and DVD together.
I have also made personal appearances where
I knew my target audience would be (marching
contests, band camps, etc.). I have done consignment
agreements with music stores exhibiting at the
state-level music educator conventions, and
each of those arrangements has been profitable.
What
methods do you currently use to drive traffic
to your Website?
To
drive traffic to the website, I advertise on
a couple of websites where I know directors
or students
frequent. I did the pay-per-click and pay-for-placement
search engines (Overture & Google), but
the purchasing conversion rate from the traffic
never covered the expense of doing it.
Your
idea to design a DVD to go along with your book
was very creative, explain the process of having
your DVD designed and the costs involved.
In
addition to self-publishing the book, I self-produced
the DVD by filming, editing, and using
similar artwork from the book. I bought an iMac
(right tool for the right job) and taught myself
the
pro-level software to edit the footage, create
the menu system, and create a master DVD that
I then took to a duplicating service. The costs
incurred were the computer & software and
the up front cost to produce an inventory of
DVD's. The first DVD features musicians, educators,
and adjudicators echoing the concepts in the
book but in their own words. I think it is important
to have different media because students learn
and respond to a variety of ways.
If
you decide to publish future titles, what will
you do differently?
I
intend to publish future book titles and produce
future DVD titles (instrument-specific DVD's
that more concretely demonstrate the concepts
in the book on a specific instrument with specific
music). The next book I write will be a common-sense
consumer math book, and I will probably try
to contact corporations to have a type of product
placement that will make the project profitable
before a single book is sold.
How
do your Amazon.com sales compare to the sales
generated from your Website?
The
Amazon sales pale in comparison and represent
half as much profit as the self-product-fulfillment,
but I want to offer my customers the option
and allow them to take advantage of some of
Amazon's free shipping when many titles are
purchased.
What
is a good starting point for someone who is
interested in publishing their own book?
A
good starting point for someone to begin a project
is to spend time in Barnes & Nobles studying
books (their covers, their composition). Read
Don Poynter's "The Self-Publishing Manual"
(ParaPublishing) and decide what may pertain
to your project. Although you can't judge a
book by its cover, PEOPLE DO SO ANYWAY. Do NOT
settle for a cover until you "know"
that's "the one".
Any
general advice for writers?
The
general advice I would give to writers is to
do your homework. Do an Internet search to see
what similar products may already exist. Perform
an Amazon search to see if there's already a
book with your title and know how to reach your
target audience.
Contact
Information:
Visit
http://www.howtomakefirstchair.com
