How This Book Got from Ron’s Computer to you Kitchen
PART EIGHT Now It’s Printed, How do we sell it? (09/04/24)
Facebook, Instagram, Podcasts, YouTube Channel and more
Of course, once a book is completed, it needs to be sold. Part of my contract with Skyhorse required that I personally purchase 3,000 copies up front. And, since we had already spent on the props, ingredients, photography, and then the story editing, I needed to get those books sold.
My friends, Angela Dubois and Ubon Vongkunthong, built the first version of our website to pre-sell The Spirit, as we now affectionately call our creation. I began posting on Facebook and Instagram and emailed long -time supporters of The Herbfarm. The first Facebook post resulted in the sale of 250 copies in 24 hours. Of course, it slowed down from there. Our first books were sold that October. Many people purchased their book before I even knew for sure that it would be printed and certainly before we knew WHEN it would be in their hands. I am so grateful for all their support.
In November, our marketing team was joined or rather helmed by Scott Chilcutt who, with his father, used to manage the mailing list (remember, pre-internet and email) for an earlier business, Early Winters, and then, The Herbfarm catalogs as well.
From Oklahoma he guided me in creating some very successful email campaigns selling books though the holidays. We created a “presentation card” for shoppers so they would have something to give their loved ones while waiting for the actual book to show up in spring.