| Schools cover an amazing range of possibilities: | | | | case the curriculum consultant was impressed with the |
| daycare centers, K-12, adult education and community | | | | examination copy we provided and invited us to supply |
| colleges, four-year institutions, universities, | | | | him with a quantity of fliers to distribute to schools in |
| special-education programs, even home schooling and | | | | the district. Needless to say, we were happy to |
| vocational programs. They all have potential as | | | | cooperate.A specialized mailing list is the perfect |
| large-scale buyers.Orders will not pop into your office, | | | | means of reaching your target market. Two main |
| however. They will dawdle in. Promotional material sent | | | | firms offer detailed breakdowns of faculty. One is |
| now may result in an order six months or a year | | | | QED (Quality Education Data). Its catalog contains a |
| downstream. But that order could be for dozens, | | | | quick reference guide to the entire education market |
| hundreds, even thousands of books. And it isn't | | | | and QED has both mailing lists and database services. |
| necessarily a one-shot thing. Reorders are likely to roll | | | | For instance, with its new educator e-mail marketing |
| in each new semester. Another reason this is an | | | | service, you can have your message delivered to the |
| attractive market is that most sales are made on a | | | | desktops of such educators as pre-K teachers, |
| "short discount," meaning that you allow only 20 | | | | guidance counselors, athletics coaches, plus teachers |
| percent off the retail price.Perhaps you're thinking, "My | | | | who cover English, fine arts and music, math, science, |
| book wouldn't sell to schools; it's not a textbook." You | | | | social studies, you name it. Reach QED at |
| may be in for a nice surprise. The wide variety of titles | | | | 800-525-5811 or visit them online at The other |
| that are appropriate in today's academic circles is | | | | company you want to check out is Market Data |
| amazing. For instance, the General Books Department | | | | Retrieval, which has four areas covering K-12, colleges, |
| of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich promoted the following | | | | Libraries, and day care. Call 800-333-8802 or visit |
| for college use: Hitler's Secret Service (history and | | | | Consider renting a small subset to test your mailing's |
| civilization), Of Love and Lust (psychology), All Our | | | | effectiveness before rolling out with the larger list.The |
| Children (sociology), Zen Catholicism (philosophy and | | | | resourceful author or publisher, however, may be able |
| religion), The Company She Keeps (women's studies), | | | | to come up with a list using more creative tactics. Try |
| and the novels The Voyage Out and Jacob's Room. | | | | calling the State Board of Education (usually in the |
| And because self-publishing is merely a microcosm of | | | | capital) and ask for its publication department. Many |
| trade publishing, our Complete Guide to Self-Publishing | | | | times the BOE will sell you a list of schools on labels or |
| sometimes serves as a text for university classes on | | | | send you a book with a list that you can keyboard into |
| publishing.To help educators appreciate why your book | | | | a database yourself. Sometimes these lists are free, |
| would be appropriate, stress any benefits that make it | | | | other times $10, and in one case, a publisher got a |
| more likely for adoption. These might include chapters | | | | wonderful CD with 15,000 school names for $100.The |
| arranged a certain way to make it easier, inclusion of | | | | best time to mail to colleges is the beginning of |
| exercises and quizzes, or review questions at the end | | | | summer for the fall semester and prior to October for |
| of each chapter.Even if your work is not suitable as a | | | | the winter semester. Educators will expect to receive |
| text, it may be used as related material for course | | | | an examination copy on which they can base a |
| planning. Such books are called supplemental texts. | | | | decision. That doesn't mean you automatically have to |
| We were fortunate in introducing Discover Your Roots | | | | send books to everyone. Prepare a mailing piece and, |
| to the San Diego Unified School District. This contact | | | | as part of the qualification to receive a complimentary |
| netted us ongoing sales since various junior and senior | | | | copy, require that the following information be |
| highs picked up the book as a supplementary text in | | | | provided:Title and nature of courseEstimated number |
| history classes. Supplemental texts also find a fertile | | | | of studentsCollege upper or lower division course |
| field in continuing education. Adult learning programs | | | | (Freshman and sophomore classes are larger and thus |
| cover a lot of unlikely subjects, some of which may | | | | more profitable.)Starting date of the classApproximate |
| dovetail with your book.Call the board of education at | | | | date of "adoption" decision (Kids, pets, and books are |
| the nearest large city to determine who is in charge of | | | | adopted. |
| curriculum for the subject area of your book. In our | | | | |