Travels

My wife and I are moving to Australia. Kinda hard to sell books on the road, but we've been doing our best. We actually managed to sell two on the first segment of our trip (to Chicago). We'll see how the rest of the trip goes :)

I also had two good reviews. One was a friend turning red while reading the Hadid chapter. The other was a co-worker of my wife's telling me that it was the best $10 she'd spent on a book in a long while.

In less enjoyable news, B&N.com sent out notices to people telling them they couldn't get the book. This is pure ********. Well, not pure. It seems THEY can't get the book. But others sure can. It is available on Amazon without any problems.

Happiness,

Joseph

Order placed

B&N.com placed their order!

Happiness,

Joseph

B&N.com talked to me!

I talked to somebody at B&N.com! They have 30 orders and said they'd hit Ingram today. I was hopeful, but it hasn't happened. So I have no idea when the delay will end. I know they order automatically and a computer figures it all out (as the guy kept explaining to me), but that wasn't the question I was asking. I couldn't care less whether they stock extra copies or not - all I wanted to know was when they would order the ones they had sold. The guy made a point of saying it did no good to call them. And I guess it didn't - there is still no order. But, at least I know how many they sold.

I have to say the B&N store people are a lot more pleasant - but I don't care as long as B&N.com get books to their buyers.

Mini-Tour

Bec and I went on a mini-tour to Seattle. I learned a great deal. We were staying with a Rabbi who will soon be self-publishing a book of his own and we had some enlightening conversation.

To summarize the trip, we learned a great deal. Here are some highlights:

1. Big B&Ns have more leeway than small ones. The first store we visited was a large B&N and they were really really nice and interested in having me back for a signing. One of the guy's read some of the book and said it was like Terry Pritchard - which apparently is pretty high praise. I will definitely be going back there if I do a mini-signing tour. Small B&N's don't have that kind of freedom. Although, I believe that they do if the author is local. B&N has a poor reputation among small publishers. While B&N.com annoys me, I actually had a very good experience with most of their stores. Even the brush offs were polite.
2. Borders do all their buying through regional offices. I have to contact the Portland area guy.
3. Independents, being independent, vary widely. But generally we had very good reception from them.
4. Walking the street with flyers was very successful the first day. The local Duck Tour even stopped and pointed me out and took some flyers :) A fair number of people took flyers, but I don't know if I sold any books that way. Day two, nobody took flyers. I got the plague treatment - look and read from a distance, avert eyes close up. It isn't such a great tool.
5. Hanging out in Starbucks with the sign next to me was successful. It started conversation and I actually sold a book to a construction guy for his daughter. It was a good closing. He had a flyer and then I said I could autograph it he bought it from me directly. He did and I did :) We might try this some more. Conversation is really the best way to move books, I think.
6. My wife, Rebecca, was invaluable. From encouraging me to think and move positively to helping me communicate clearly and concisely to covering up my mistakes (like saying I'm running around Portland, instead of Seattle), she did a great job of making me do a better job.
7. Everything is relationships. You really want to create a relationship with every person you run in to. We saw some pretty cool bookstores, and you know what, they like to be told that. The coolest was Elliot Bay. We walked in and our eyes just kept looking at more and more books. We told them. They liked it. I think we'll be able to have a relationship. And they'll remember me, my book and they might even recommend it.
8. I like the independents quite a bit. The reason is simple. They'll push the book. If I do get the book placed regionally in Borders or B&N I'll have to visit each store that is carrying it, sign the books, talk to the staff and build the relationship. People may judge a book by its cover, but often they only look at the cover if somebody points it out.
9. Non-bookstores are intereting. Bec saw one and forced me inside. They might actually order it. A good place to be if you can get in just because people probably come in to independent toy stores more confused about what to get than bookstores. In other words, those relationships probably have a greater effect.

All in all, I think 4 bookstores out of about 15 will order copies. Not bad at all. I like doing this regionally because I can visit again and again and reinforce things in a way I can't nationally.

I'm really thankful that I'm self-publishing at least this first book. I am learning so much from the process that if I do have a chance to go with a big publisher I will have a great deal more to offer as a promoter.

Happiness,

Joseph

Grobar is AVAILABLE!!!

Emailed the below to the list today:

**********
You can now get real copies of Grobar and the Mind Control Potion!!!

The only problem is, you have to get them through Amazon.

Unfortunately, I have no idea when Barnes and Noble or book store orders will show up - I just don't understand the book business well enough to know at this point. I do know that the distribution network is incredibly inefficient. However, Amazon runs on a different system - their own. They says it will take 1-2 weeks and they are correct. I shipped books to them on Monday of last week and they began to ship them out on Friday. So.... if you want your books in a timely manner, switch your orders to Amazon and we'll get them filled ASAP.

Oh, and if you go through www.shorteddy.com, I get another $.50/book :)

I'm really sorry about all the delays. By way of apology, I have remove all mark-ups on merchandise (shirts etc...) ordered through ShortEddy.com. The discount will last for the next three days (until Wednesday morning). There are some really cool shirts, bags etc... available there.

Thank you again for your patience.

Happiness,

Joseph Cox
p.s. To learn more about what's been going on, check out my blog at www.shorteddy.com. For all the troubles, publishing is still fun.

Still no response from B&N

I called, left a message with another person, but still no response. I pretty much have no choice at this point. B&N won't respond to emails in any useful way, or call me back. So I'm going to totally switch my business to Amazon. They actually sent out some orders Friday afternoon. Not a bad turn time at all considering I sent them books on Monday - and I finally have a route to get books to the people who have waited very patiently for them... As they get more orders, they will stock up some more and we'll get 24 hour response instead of 1-2 week response.

It's a real pity I have to switch to Amazon. I just had no idea B&N wouldn't just send me a PO when they got their orders in. If I were an online bookstore and I knew the address of a publisher who had sold a decent number of books that's what I would have done...

A Phone Number!

I got a phone number at B&N. I called it. They forwarded me to a voicemail box. I left a message this morning but got no response. I'll try again tomorrow. Perhaps there is hope. For now, I am resting with Amazon. They should be getting books today and if they're good - they might even mail them back out today....

Happiness,

Joseph

The Suckerfish International Headquarters!

You might enjoy this picture :)

Working on Distribution

I am trying to figure out how to get the books out faster. I have signed up for Amazon Advantage and they've moved the book from unavailable to available in 3 to 5 weeks. I emailed them telling them I could get orders to them very quickly (they are in Seattle and I am in Portland) and I hope that they'll take me up on it and order some books pronto. I can then forward all future orders to them. So far I haven't had any response from B&N. I am learning this business and next time around I'll wait for the Amazon listing before I publicize the book...

For now, I am holding off on promotion until I know how to get books to buyers.

I wish I knew how many copies have been ordered :(

I'll keep y'all updated. On another front I have my sandwich board and my headquarters finished. I'll post photos probably today :)

Happiness,

Joseph

ARGGGGHHH!!!!

No big mistake this time - just incompetence in the book industry. So, here's how it goes...

I am trying to figure out how long it takes for books that hit my distributor to make it to Ingram and show up in inventory there. The books made it to my distributor on Monday. I email them today and they still haven't shipped them out. 4 business days to do shipping in a distribution house? Anyways, how long will it take for them to show up in Ingram once they are shipped? 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS. It takes Ingram, the giant in the industry THREE WEEKS to receive a book and show it in inventory. Are these guys in the stone age? From what I know (and I imagine every independent book store in the western world knows) you receive a book, you scan it, and then VIOLA! it is in inventory. But apparently if you are the world's largest and most respected book distributor it takes 3 weeks to receive a book, bar code scan it, and put it in your warehouse.

How?

Let's try to imagine it. They have one guy at the receiving dock. He drinks a lot of coffee. Books arrive, he drinks more coffee. Then, for 30 minutes each day, he carries the books that arrived a week ago and carries them to guy number 2. Of course, guy number 2 likes coffee as well. He drinks it constantly. But, for 30 minutes each day, he gets out his bar-code scanner and scans books that were handed to him a week ago. Then he puts them on a shelf behind his desk. There is, of course, a third guy. He's got a little truck. He also drinks coffee. But for 30 minutes a day he picks up the books that are at least a week old and drives them to their shelf in the warehouse. There, THREE WEEKS to show inventory.

I can't imagine how long it takes to retrieve a book, package it, label it and ship it out. That is a much more complex process. Most functioning adults could probably raise in child in that timespan.

As you can tell, I am a bit frustrated. I have books. B&N and Amazon have orders. How hard can it be to make a shidduch (marriage)? I want to do promotion - but why bother if the people I sell to can't get copies? I am moving to Australia, and I am running out of time.

ARGGGGHHHHH!

On a lighter front, I can and will reroute the Amazon orders directly to me. They have a nice online system for managing that. B&N seems to be another story, but I've got phone calls and emails assaulting them from every direction to convince them to fill their orders through me or from my distributor. Bookstores are just going to have to wait - although I will give them my distributor's information.

Happiness,

Joseph