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| Section Menu | SuperThrift Online | About the Book | The Promotional Campaign | Radio Shorts (mp3) |
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Virtually every book I ever read on the subjects of self-promotion and self-publishing made clear references to the need to exploit the hometown market, if it exists. I was born and raised in a small town where I was led to believe I still had a lot of friends, so naturally I made sure all the local media and bookstores received promo kits and copies of the book to sell.
I found out that I didn't have as many friends as I thought I did, and I wound up selling a quarter or less of the books I thought I could sell locally, a major disappointment that should have opened my eyes to the degree of support I really had. The special hometown-only mail order deal I created and sent to nearly 200 people I knew netted me a total of four sales, the biggest order coming from a couple who got my mailer by mistake.
The following is Copyright (c) Living Skill Media and is a reprint of a press release published in the Cougar Ridge Star Courier, May 1987:
BOOK GAINS RECOGNITION
Within five weeks of the release of his sixth book, and first to gain national distribution, Cougar Ridge native Rob Sxxxxx has been the focus of considerable attention from radio programmers across Canada.
Already he has booked 11 interview or open-line appearances in four provinces, national radio interviews on CKO and CBC FM networks, and has also been interviewed for TV for CFTO's "Toronto Today". A two-month radio series named for the book, "The Ultimate Shopper", has been accepted for broadcast by eight stations in four provinces.
His offbeat consumer manual has also attracted the interest of the Consumers' Association of Canada, publishers of Canadian Consumer Magazine, who were considering it for use as a subscription premium.
Unfortunately, his off-the-wall sense of humor, unusual in a book of this kind, has been one of several minor impediments to getting the book into bookstores. Thus far, he says most of the media people who have read the book expressed enjoyment of his unusual approach, and many found it to be a valuable resource, but the wholesalers and book chains, on whom Rob was relying for distribution of the book, have been reluctant to take it on.
"This isn't the first time this has happened to me," Rob says. "I lost a public speaking contest in high school with a very funny speech, but it didn't go over because it was about how to commit the perfect murder."
Still, he's enjoying the national attention and counting on this publicity to make the big booksellers sit up and take notice.
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_____________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | THE NEWEST BOOK +--------+ | | | | | | FROM | Cover | | | | shot | | | R O B S H R I E R | | | | | | | | | | | | ** "THE ULTIMATE SHOPPER" ** is Rob's +--------+ | | sixth book. It's a witty, practical guide to | | saving money in almost every spending situa- | | tion. Includes the 10-point Ultimate Shopper | | Program; the definitive guide to getting the | | best values in second-hand goods, how to | | "insure your insurnce with do-it-yourself +------------------ | | insurance video, plus hundreds of the most | | | | useful and practical money saving ideas any- | | | | where. (Rob Sxxxxx writes under the pen | | | | name of Steve Winter) | | | | | | | | | Photo | | | now on sale at: | | | | | | | | *FANSHAWE'S | | | | *SUNSHORE GIFTS | | | | *QUEENS BOOK STORE | | | | *COUGAR RIDGE SEASPORT | | | | +-----------------+ | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+Here's the mail order piece I sent to my list of "friends back home".
From: Rob Sxxxxx +----------------------------------+ | | NO, IT'S NOT A BABY, BUT IT'S CLOSE! | | ------------------------------------- | | Thought you might like to know what | | I've been up to, so I'm dropping a line. | | I'm really quite proud of this book. | | It's my first serious threat to the | | bestseller lists and my fifth actual | Cover | book. Since I haven't been a 'Ridge | | resident in a few years, you won't be | shot | reading about it in the Star Courier, so | | I'm contacting old friends by mail. | | I'd love to send all of you free | | copies, but this is what I do for a | | living and I really couldn't afford it. | | It IS a wonderful book, though, and | | pretty darn funny too if I may be so | | modest, and I wanted you to hear it | | from me first. If you think you might | | like to have a look, it's completely | | at my risk, because I'm fully | | guaranteeing it for a year. | | You can send for it at $9.95 postpaid | | from Living Skill Books, and if you'd | | like two or more for use as gifts, | | they're only $7.95 each. I'm also +----------------------------------+ including information on my other books and a special circular for a truly superb library in the US. And T h e n e w e s t best of all, the yellow sheet should show you how to save enough money to b o o k f r o m buy a copy. I think you'll like it... but if you don't, you can always get R o b S h r i e r your money back! -------------------- signed: -Rob Sxxxxx | +-----------------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | -- back cover copy -- | | | | Photo | | from book | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-----------------------+ | |
I even went so far as to solicit publicity in my mother's hometown of Flamboro, Ont. and got the following write-up in the Flamboro Times. It netted me not sales, but instead an invitation to speak, gratis, to the Flamboro Chamber of Commerce about how to deal with local dollars being spent out of town. It was yet another unexpected waste of energies.
RUDDLE'S GRANDSON BECOMES AN AUTHOR
TORONTO - The grandson of former Flamboro doctor R.A. Ruddle is launching a career in Toronto as an author.
Rob Sxxxxx, who writes under the name Steve Winter, is the son of former Flamboro resident Jillian Ruddle.
Mr. Sxxxxx as just released a book called The Ultimate Shopper, a collection of money saving tips for comsumers. He has also written about mail order techniques, business how-to's and moneymaking plans, self-improvement techniques and stress management.
The author describes himself as a free-lance consumer writer who prides himself on thorough research and explaining things in a down-to-earth fashion.
Mr. Sxxxxx's books and newsletters are available through Living Skills Books, 1497-1/2 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario M6R-1A3.
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Copyright (c)1987 The Flamboro Times
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