We provide the following marketing and distribution services for titles published under our imprints. We do not provide these services for self published titles.
Marketing is one of the key building blocks of a successful book, and it requires time and dedication. Our books are widely available for purchase online and from booksellers in the US and abroad, but making a book available is only the first step of the marketing process. Consumers must know that a title exists before they can buy it, and building awareness of your book is a joint effort of both the publisher and author. See Author Marketing for more details about the author’s role.
Our Website
Each of our titles is displayed on the Brandylane or Belle Isle Books website. We create a page that includes the book cover, book description, author bio and photo, and a link to the author’s website, if available. We can also develop a simple or interactive website where authors can offer their books for direct sale to buyers. Our rates are similar to most website design companies.
Amazon.com & BN.com
We make our books available for purchase from amazon.com and bn.com, and optimize our titles on Amazon by including the Search Inside the Book option, which allows a potential customer to browse a few pages of a book. This is a great feature that makes a title more visible.
Distribution
We supply detailed metadata, including ISBN, BISAC codes, key search words, endorsements, book specifications, price, publication date, cover image, and other data to make our books available through Ingram Book Group, a leader in print and electronic wholesale and distribution. They serve over 39,000 retailers, libraries, schools, Internet commerce companies, and other channel partners, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo (Canada), and other well-known retailers and wholesalers of books throughout the US and abroad. Our books are available for sale in English in the US, UK, Canada, European Union, Australia, India, Poland, Russia, China, and South Korea.
Digital Advance Review Copy (ARC)
We include a digital ARC (the front cover, entire text, and back cover, in one PDF file) and an agreed-upon quantity of printed ARCs as part of our publishing agreement. Authors can use the ARC(s) to solicit reviews and potential buyers, and to build awareness of their books.
Social Media
We promote our books on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, including via an announcement of the book’s release and the author’s announcements. Because we publish many titles, we promote them on a rotating schedule.
Seasonal Catalogue
Each spring and fall, we publish our digital seasonal catalogue and email it to our customer base and to booksellers. The catalogue includes our forthcoming books, new releases, front list, and backlist titles.
Monthly Broadcast Email
We write, design, and email a monthly newsletter to Brandylane customers; local, regional, and national booksellers; bloggers; and reviewers. The email announces our new releases and offers author features and other engaging news about Brandylane. Currently, we blast information to over 3,000 recipients. According to Constant Contact, our email blasts earn high open percentages.
Ingram Catalogues
Our books appear in one or more of Ingram Distributor’s catalogues prior to release.
Sell Sheet or Tip Sheet
We develop and design a one-page Sell Sheet (in PDF) for each of our titles, which includes front cover image, book specifications, book summary, author bio, relevant promotional and ordering information. Authors can send this sheet along with a print or digital Advance Review Copy (ARC) to potential buyers, booksellers, reviewers, bloggers, and media, so it is one of an author’s most important marketing tools.
Press Releases & Announcements
We write and email a press release announcing the publication of each of our titles to local, regional, statewide, national, and selected international media.
Reviews
We send a printed ARC (advanced review copy) to select national reviewers including Publishers Weekly, the New York Times, Washington Post Bookworld, Booklist, and other publications that request a copy. Reviews are not guaranteed.
Library of Congress Catalogue Number and Books in Print
We register our books with a Library of Congress Catalogue Number (LCCN), which aids librarians in gaining necessary information about a book for purchase and proper placement on library shelves. This is not a guarantee that acquisition librarians will purchase a particular title, but participation in this program is a weighty advantage. We also list our books in the Books in Print and myidentifiers databases, which list books currently in print in the US. Publisher, keywords, ordering information, list price, discounts, and other essential data is available to booksellers, libraries, wholesalers, and other book buyers worldwide.
Barnes & Noble / Independent Booksellers
We send an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of our books to buyers at Barnes and Noble, as well as to other booksellers who request a copy. Many authors assume that when their book is published, it will automatically appear on booksellers’ shelves. However, the book industry is highly competitive, and shelf space is becoming more and more limited. While we cannot guarantee that brick-and-mortar stores will carry a title in their physical inventory, each of our titles is made available to order from multiple sources. For example, all of our titles are available from bn.com, but for Barnes and Noble to carry a title in their in-store inventory, it must be in demand. When demand for a title increases, distributors will begin ordering for their warehouses, and booksellers will begin carrying it in their active inventory.
Front Cover Image Files
We provide the front cover in various digital formats, which the author can both load to their website and use for other promotional purposes.
Google Books
We add our titles to Google Books online, which is available to tens of millions of readers.
Book Festivals
We selectively attend book festivals when possible, where we display new releases and as many of our backlist titles as space allows. We also sponsor the Annual RVA Booklovers’ Festival in Richmond each year and invite authors from all over the state, including authors published under Brandylane’s imprints.
Outside Promotional Opportunities
We make our authors aware of marketing options, including Publishers Weekly advertising, Independent Book Publishers Association programs, contests and awards, and other promotional opportunities they can pursue independently to increase sales.
Accessibility
At Brandylane/Belle Isle Books, we set ourselves apart by providing personal attention, tips, and guidance to our authors beyond what is offered by most publishing houses. Authors are welcome to email our publicity team at any time with marketing related questions.
