What makes a small book sell big?
We published Nancy Canfield’s, Home Kids: The Story of St. Agatha Home for Children, earlier this month (October 2005). In its first two weeks, the book has sold between 150 and 200 copies. That may not seem like a large number of books, but Home Kids has no bookstore presence. In fact, it has no commercial presence at all. Every book has been sold at full price directly to end readers. I have received several phone calls from readers who told me how wonderful they thought the book was. Nancy and I have gotten calls from previous buyers who wanted to buy three, four, or five additional books for their friends and relatives.
Home Kids exemplifies what makes a small press book sell.
• It has a distinct, immediate market and it speaks to that audience, the men and women who spent some or all of their formative years at St. Agatha and other orphanages in New York. It draws readers into the story by including nostalgic stories about former home kids and former staff members whom many readers remember fondly.
• The author has credentials. Nancy is a former home kid herself. She knows much of the history of St. Agatha and many of the people whom she mentions in the book.
• The story is fired by Nancy’s obvious passion. Nancy worked hard with Peggy Lang to write and craft the narration well.
• It presents itself well. We put a lot of thought into making the pages look good, and we designed an eye-catching cover around a familiar photograph that grabs the attention of the intended audience. We chose 100 or so photographs carefully to complement the text.
• It is timely. The book was prepared for the closing reunion of St. Agatha earlier this month. Many readers bought copies to keep the memory of the ceremonies alive.
• It was pre-marketed well. People knew about the book ahead of time. Home Kids was anticipated eagerly long before it was published. It was also sold with the approval of the event organizers.
• It was available for sale on time. United Graphics produced a high-quality book and delivered it to us ahead of schedule. The books were ready to be sold when the occasion demanded it.
• It was marketed in person. Nancy attended the reunion and made the book available at the event.
• Finally, Nancy associated the book with a larger cause. All profits from book sales will be donated to the foster and group homes of St. Agatha and to the New York Foundling Hospital. A promise to do that is printed prominently on the back cover.
We are optimistic that readers will continue to show interest in Home Kids when the early bloom has passed. Nancy has already found local museums and historical societies that are eager to carry the book in their bookstores. Orphanages became important social institutions for a number of reasons. Many of the issues have survived the decades intact; many others have been reshaped by social and political changes. As history, as memoir, as genealogy, Home Kids is a meaningful book with a broad potential readership. Our challenge was and is to let those readers know about it. I don’t expect we’ll have to do much more than give them a gentle nudge.
Home Kids exemplifies what makes a small press book sell.
• It has a distinct, immediate market and it speaks to that audience, the men and women who spent some or all of their formative years at St. Agatha and other orphanages in New York. It draws readers into the story by including nostalgic stories about former home kids and former staff members whom many readers remember fondly.
• The author has credentials. Nancy is a former home kid herself. She knows much of the history of St. Agatha and many of the people whom she mentions in the book.
• The story is fired by Nancy’s obvious passion. Nancy worked hard with Peggy Lang to write and craft the narration well.
• It presents itself well. We put a lot of thought into making the pages look good, and we designed an eye-catching cover around a familiar photograph that grabs the attention of the intended audience. We chose 100 or so photographs carefully to complement the text.
• It is timely. The book was prepared for the closing reunion of St. Agatha earlier this month. Many readers bought copies to keep the memory of the ceremonies alive.
• It was pre-marketed well. People knew about the book ahead of time. Home Kids was anticipated eagerly long before it was published. It was also sold with the approval of the event organizers.
• It was available for sale on time. United Graphics produced a high-quality book and delivered it to us ahead of schedule. The books were ready to be sold when the occasion demanded it.
• It was marketed in person. Nancy attended the reunion and made the book available at the event.
• Finally, Nancy associated the book with a larger cause. All profits from book sales will be donated to the foster and group homes of St. Agatha and to the New York Foundling Hospital. A promise to do that is printed prominently on the back cover.
We are optimistic that readers will continue to show interest in Home Kids when the early bloom has passed. Nancy has already found local museums and historical societies that are eager to carry the book in their bookstores. Orphanages became important social institutions for a number of reasons. Many of the issues have survived the decades intact; many others have been reshaped by social and political changes. As history, as memoir, as genealogy, Home Kids is a meaningful book with a broad potential readership. Our challenge was and is to let those readers know about it. I don’t expect we’ll have to do much more than give them a gentle nudge.
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