The world of writing has been changing rapidly over the past few years. Social media and other digital platforms have allowed authors to reach an untapped audience with their works while maintaining control over where, when, and how those audiences can see them.
In light of this, it’s no wonder many authors are looking to a medium other than their traditional publishing house as their means for income and publication. This is very important for today’s marketers.
What if you could directly promote your product or service without using third parties or online book publishers? Check out how selling your books offline can help you achieve this result.
- Organize a Book Reading at a Nearby School
Many authors are surprisingly unaware of the number of secondary schools in their area. Not only could a book reading put you in front of students who might be interested in your works, but it can also serve as a way to introduce your books to teachers who are influential to a future readership.
After all, teachers are constantly calling on books in their courses, many of which they’ve never heard of. This is a golden opportunity to get your name out there while educating students on the value of reading.
You can also do this by setting up a book reading at a local library or community center, where you’ll be able to reach even more audiences. While schools can be a great way to reach students, you can also arrange for book readings at community centers, libraries, and other venues where you can reach an even larger audience.
- Participate in Local Literary Convention
While it can be expected that certain conventions will emphasize books, many others are branching out and incorporating other forms of media, such as films and music. In these cases, you can often find a suitable space for your interest.
For example, you might get involved with a writing or publishing panel or participate in a book signing event. You might also want to get involved with a literary-themed game or contest that allows you to promote your books while also building your networking skills.
If you can find a literary convention that allows you to get involved in a meaningful way, you can reach a new level of readers and promote yourself to future clients. You will also get advice from expert authors that will help you learn how to publish a book effectively to increase your offline revenue stream.
- Attend Events in Your Genre
There are events for just about every interest and interest group out there. While you might be an avid reader or focus on creative writing, not every event related to those subjects will be for you.
You could, however, choose to attend events closely related to your topic. For example, if you’re a science fiction author, you might want to attend a Sci-Fi event. Similarly, you might like to attend a Creative Writing event that focuses on works that are more narrative and less technical.
Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to add a new event to your calendar that doesn’t fit any other parameters. Once you’ve added them, you can use your calendar to track other events you want to attend and promote yourself at the same time.
- Run Cheap Ads
Running an ad isn’t cheap, but it can also be done for a low cost, especially if you’re willing to do it yourself.
You can, of course, contact an ad agency that specializes in publishing ads in your area, but this will often come with a hefty price tag. You can also try your hand at reaching out to local newspapers, but keep in mind that you may not be able to get them to publish your ad for free.
Instead of doing this, you can create your ad series. You can create these ad series by printing out flyers and handing them out at local libraries, community centers, and book stores.
If you want to reach a larger audience, you can also post the flyers on walls, doors, and anywhere else you think might get a reaction.
- Host a Workshop
Many authors want to create unique experiences that educate and entertain audiences. While you can create a literary collection, a food pairing that includes literature, you can go even further and create an educational workshop.
This can range from a pure literacy event to one that encourages audience participation in some way, such as a creative writing workshop. The point here is that you want to create an experience that will teach your audience about the value of reading while entertaining them.
To create such an experience, you can source reading material from your books, which will help to promote your works, or you can source reading material from other authors, which will help to encourage them even further.
Either way, you’ll be able to provide an in-depth look at the works of other professionals while also educating your audience. You can also teach people how to organize books through your workshop.
Conclusion
Authors constantly look for fresh approaches to market their works and attract new readers. Selling books offline is one of the best ways to do this since it means selling directly to the consumer and not through a middleman.
This means that you’ll be able to reach a more targeted audience, and you’ll also be able to sell your books at a discounted price if you choose to sell them at a book fair or other event that sells books. While selling books offline is excellent for reaching a new audience, it can also be used for more traditional marketing efforts.