Book-Selling Strategies For Authors (Vincent Ogutu)

My name is Vincent Ogutu also called VOVO.

What do I do?

• A business Coach, thinker and solution provider.
• I work with individuals and organizations to help find viable solutions to their business problems.
• I focus businesses to ensure survival, sustainability & profitability Lets discuss Business, Wealth Creation & how to stand out with your passion.

I am an author of 5 books and what I am going to share is based on my mistakes and experiences. So let’s get started.

What is a book?

First and foremost a book is an asset like a shamba (farm), real estate, or money in the bank as deposits. Second, a book is a solution provider to the reader depending on their needs. And third a book is your legacy.

Why do people buy books?

People buy books to meet a need: a problem they are experiencing, they need entertainment, motivation or need to gain knowledge. So when you write remember you are starting a business and you are the CEO who determines if the business will succeed or fail.

Every business has 4P’s

• People
• Problem
• Product
• profit

Without any the 4 parts business is dead. The people topic is broad and includes workers, customers, organizations you collaborate with etc. When in business you must solve a problem. For instance, the church is in the business of giving hope, and saving souls because there are many problems in the world – most man-made. A product is important because that’s what you sell. Profit is last because without people there will be no profit.

According to the Jews, money is evidence of value created.

If your book provides value, meets and serves a specific need then your revenues will grow.

How to generate passive income?

• Be a salesperson
• Carry your book everywhere you go
• Talk about your book on every opportunity you get – it is not bragging
• Accumulate revenue
• Re-invest in book promotion
• Brand yourself and your portfolio
• Create other profit centres

Many authors create a book and expect it to sell by itself. Brothers and sisters, that will never happen. It takes work – because building a successful business is a lot of work. If you are not ready, please pray to get the strength and energy because there will be times you will feel frustrated.

As an author, you are in the business of creating value and being rewarded for valued created.

Create other profit centres

Often, a book is about 30% of your revenue opportunities. You can create other products to generate income for your business. For example, creating training programs and becoming a speaker can provide you with an opportunity to be considered an expert. For instance, Mutani Gitonga would be considered an expert in matters boy child because he has written a book, If I Had a Son. Organizations in need can contract him as an authority and pay top shillings. A book helps your brand by enabling your visibility.

QA Is it a good idea to have a marketing firm do the marketing for you?

Yes, you can use a marketing agency to market your book. However, the best marketer of a book is the author. You are the CEO and the chief revenue officer for your book business. There is an intimate relationship that is formed between the author and the audience – it is not transferable. These are my thoughts and experience. You can collaborate to reach more audience but you have to be actively involved.

A BOOK is a BUSINESS? looking forward to more ventures being created by authors.

QA Could you guide on how to recoup the investment of initial investment or ROI for a self-published author?

That is, could you give guidance on profit margins and pricing of books? While traditional publishing allows mass production thus lower prices, self-publishing is pricy, especially where fewer quantities have been afforded. When you top up the printing cost with marketing costs, distribution costs and tax, it becomes a bit difficult to remain profitable. For instance, selling a book at a price of Kes 700 havng printed at Kes 250-300.

When you decide to be an author, it’s as if you have joined a marathon. I use a system I call profit first. I help authors use modern tools to operate their business from the first sale. It is superior to ROI. Reach out for more.

About Vincent Ogutu

VOVO stands for Vincent Ogutu Valuable Observations. He can be reached on call 0711297807, WhatsApp 0722171838 or email vovobusinesscoach@gmail.com

Vincent Ogutu