By Charmaine Hammond, CEO/Founder of Raise a Dream

Selling books in bulk through securing corporate sales and sponsorship is the goal of many authors, but the HOW (to do this) gets in the way. When authors understand the sponsorship process, how to position corporate book sales with buyers, and how to step into action, the results (and book sales) can be off the charts!

Corporate book sales and sponsorship can provide powerful and effective opportunities that help authors sell more books. These sales also assist authors in making a bigger impact with their message and reaching more people. 

In reality though, authors put so much time, energy, passion, and resources into writing their book that, often, they’re not ready for the next phase of hard work, which is the marketing and selling of the book. As an 11x best-selling author, I know first-hand how much effort goes into bringing a book to life and keeping sales alive on a regular basis. Your writing will reach more readers when you treat your book like a business. With that in mind, your book needs a business plan to ensure its ongoing success.

When you think about your book as a business, you will find you are more creative and more focused in your marketing and sales strategies. Part of this same shift in thinking involves considering corporate sales, bulk buys, and sponsorship. Let’s dive into this a little deeper.

Bulk Book Sales with BOGOs

What does it mean to sell books in bulk? Bulk sales can be a bundled set of books (e.g., if you have more than one published title or selling anywhere from 5 – 500 quantities of the same book). 

You can dip your toe in the “bulk” pool by using our Raise a Dream BOGO (Buy One, GIFT One) method where you encourage attendees at book signing events to purchase two books (you do not have to discount the price). The purchaser takes one purchased copy of the book home to read while the second purchased copy is donated by them to a charity that you have preselected.

Having a basket to put those donated books in is a powerful visual. It is great to have a charity representative onsite / present at the book signing to accept the donated books. This strategy provides an effective way to “start small” selling books in bulk. From our experience, implementing this strategy increased our book sales by at least 80% at live events. 

A quick note of advice: Always discuss the arrangements with the bookstore first. Most stores are more than fine with the strategy as they see the potential to sell more books (without discounting the price), while also doing good for the community.

Now let’s turn the page to look at selling by the box, increasing the number of books in a sale.

Selling Books by the Box

Taking bulk sales of books to a higher level, consider how you can sell books by the box. In selling by the box, one strategy is to identify what schools, charities, groups, and organizations would benefit from having copies of your book for their staff, clients, or events. Who is a fit for your book?

Here are some ideas on how to sell books by the box:

1. Partner with service clubs (such as Rotary, Lions, or Optimist Clubs) to purchase a box of books to donate to:
   • a) local libraries,
   • b) local organizations,
   • or c) to hand out at their service club events.
2. Approach past clients to purchase a box of books to provide to their staff or their own clients as gifts. You can also encourage them to buy books that could be donated to the charities that they support. 
3. Approach businesses you deal with to purchase a box of books to sell at their location. The owners can either keep the money or donate it to their favorite charity.
   • Note: My first attempt at this was with my hairstylist and clothing store I shop at. One box of books led to more and more throughout the year. Then my optometrist purchased a box of books (a book for children) to hand out to his clients who were parents with young children.

Be creative. Ask trusted colleagues and friends for their ideas.

Corporate Book Sales

Would your book be appropriate for attendees at a conference you are attending, exhibiting at, or speaking at? 

If yes, what about approaching potential sponsors (who have an interest in the audience that is attending the event) to sponsor books for everyone in the audience or for the first 25 or 50 people who register or show up at the event?

Take Action

The key to selling books in bulk is to first be creative and think outside the box and beyond the bookstore, then:

1. Create a strategy.
2. Identify those businesses (and individuals) that you will be approaching.
3. Step into action.
4. Repeat the processes that are successful all year long.

Corporate sales and bulk sales are one of the best ways to make a bigger impact with your message and book (and create more sales in the process). If you’d like to learn how to sell more books without leaving home, discover how to create a sharing circle that spreads your marketing messages, and receive tips for marketing your book on social media in a way that gets traction, register for this complimentary video, 5 Ways to Sell More Books in the Next 90 Days.

What most surprised you, or what do you still want to know? Let us know your thoughts below!

More About Charmaine Hammond

Charmaine Hammond, CSP, has been in the business of changing lives and raising dreams for more than 25 years through teaching the principles of collaboration, partnership, and sponsorship. As a Certified Speaking Professional and best-selling author, Charmaine shares her unmatched speaking, sponsorship, and entrepreneurial experiences with business owners, nonprofits, authors, and speakers looking to expand the funding and reach of their projects. She is also the Founder and CEO of Raise a Dream, which provides the training and support needed for you to take your idea from big vision to global brand.