Author Advice - Discovery Walking Guides Case Study

Walk! UK Series Case Study

In January 2006 DWG launched its new 10 book series of Walk! UK titles onto the UK market. For our tiny company this was a big project involving recruiting new authors, training them in researching, writing and satellite-navigation, licensing in OS mapping, producing the final book designs (Ros) and mapping (David), negotiating with printers over specifications and bindings; and not least financing the massive print bill. We had started two years earlier, 2004, in starting our recruitment drive and now we faced the final test of whether these ‘cutting edge’ walking guide books would sell.

DWG, as publisher, did its share of promotion through our eNewsletter and mailed Newsletter, new Catalogue featuring the Walk! UK series, Pre-Publication Offer to our mail-order client base, review copies to the national and specialist press.
Working closely with Stanfords meant we had window and interior displays in their London, Manchester and Bristol stores.
Walk! the Brecon Beacons was nominated ‘Book of the Week’ by the Mail on Sunday Travel Editor.
Quite an impressive display of promotion by DWG.

We encouraged our Walk! UK Authors to look at opportunities for Self-Promotion within the regions covered by their books. Self-Promotion does not come easily to many people but four of our nine authors set to with a will, approaching local newspapers and magazines, local radio and in one case regional TV, visiting Tourist offices and bookshops to promote stocking (and subsequent sales) of their book, and in the case of Vivienne organising the Pre-Publication sale of her book through the regional newspaper chain she works for.

When we (DWG) look at the sales of our Walk! UK series of titles the ‘Best Sellers’ are those where our Authors successfully Self-Promoted their Book. Through their efforts we are now selling their books in shops, and through distributors, that we previously didn’t know about. Because these four authors put in a successful effort in Self-Promotion when their books were published the good early sales are now being added to as more people hear about their books from the readers who have already bought a copy, gradually the ‘snowball’ is gathering momentum - but only if you start making the ‘snowball’ move yourself.
Self-Promotion by DWG’s Authors has shown us that sales success comes to those that work at promoting their book.

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