The power of (advertising) money

Sometimes I feel that I'm publishing in a vacuum. While When Towns Had Teams has sold better than I had any right to expect, as a first time author, independently releasing my own book, with no publishing experience to speak of, I still have a sense that not enough people know about the book. Interestingly, here I am, one year later, finally with some cake for advertising and the fields book readers ripe for the picking. Can we approach 2006's lofty holiday buying numbers? I think we can, precisely because I have some cash, a plan and some targeted advertising planned, via print and even radio.

There are no official channels to measure book sales for small Maine presses. If I can be so bold, however, I'd hazard a guess that my numbers for offering #1 are comparable to some of the better known presses, like Down East, Islandport and Tilbury House. I know that some of my book sellers told me last year that I was one of their better local sellers. On top of that, I've talked with other writers who offered insight into how their books did. Additionally, I check out bookstores whenever I can and my book is in alot of bookstores that some of the other publisher's books are not. Lastly, some publishers don't seem particularly interested in welcoming an upstart like RiverVision Press, Maine's unique small press. Hey, whatever!

The holiday book buying season is an exciting time for this new publisher. Prior to my foray into the book biz, I only had the usual reasons for looking forward to the holidays. Now, I have new visions of book sales dancing in my head, heading into the upcoming season.