Should I give away my book in the hopes of selling more?

This is the traditional question of marketing – giving away product in the hopes of future sales. Of course, it depends on if you’re hitting your target audience. Let me share my story and idea with you before you weigh in on this question.

It’s been a couple months since officially publishing the first edition of Hosting Cask Ale Events. Sales have been.. slow. I did a print advertisement in a major trade (hobby) magazine for the Christmas shopping season. $350 for perhaps 2-3 book sales. I have had modest success appearing at trade (beer) festivals and selling directly (perhaps 8-10 copies). My greatest success has been “selling” subsidized copies directly to breweries (meaning that a trade organization is picking up the wholesale cost to support their non-profit educational mission.)

I continue to organize for future promotion, such as appearances at NERAX in March, the Ipswich Clam and Cask in May, the Hyper-Local Craft Brew Fest in June, and a string of appearances in New York City in July. While these are well and good, direct sales have yet to pay for the gas to get there. I need to cast a wider net if I hope to gain traction with book sales.

I’ve been reaching out to wholesalers in the homebrew hobby, so far without success. I’ve also been reaching out to regional cask advocates, the sort that organize cask ale festivals. They’re still reviewing the book at present (look for their reviews in my press kit as they come in), but I hope to establish the book as their recommended resource for people who become interested in cask. Referral networks take a while to build. While I love the process, I still feel that I’d still be missing a major component of my audience.

Which brings me to the idea that fueled this post: mailing complimentary copies directly to homebrew shops. As a former LHBS proprietor, I know that most purchase solicitations without product get trashed. My idea is to just send them a copy of the book, for addition to their personal library or (hopefully) to be put out for sale. If it sells, I’m hoping that they’d be willing to invest in another one instead of just pocketing the $15. It would literally cost them nothing to buy a second copy.

I’m also hoping to partner with the people with their pulse on their local cask beer scene. A great LHBS is usually right in the thick of the explosion of local brewery openings, either with former customers turning pro or by trying to partner with the new shiny for increased reach. The casual mention at just the right time could help a brewery down the path to quality cask ale.

The whole project would be around 200 shops to the tune of $1,400. Spread it out over 20 or 40 weeks and each week becomes a bit more manageable. Hopefully the earlier effort snowballs to help offset the later ones. I suppose there’s one great way to find out: try!

Have you ever tried a strategy like this to promote your book? What sort of results did you see? Is there another group I’m missing? Leave your comments below. I’d love to hear your ideas!