Digital books are a great way to get your content quickly into the hands of millions of readers. But what about selling digital books at physical events? You can tell people about your book and how great it is, but they can’t actually buy the book unless you have a kiosk set up for it or a mobile card reader to make them buy then and there. If you want a better approach to selling your digital books at physical events, then you’ll be happy to know that there is something you can do to improve your marketing.

The Sell

What are you selling? Digital books, of course. However, that’s information in a digital space and people can’t touch it (unlike physical books). So, how do you sell a digital product at a physical event that people can actually touch? It comes down to coupon codes. Some companies, such as Enthrill, are selling coupon codes at cheap prices that you can use however you want.

Here’s how it works. First, you buy the coupon codes. The prices are currently set $1.50 per code with a minimum purchase of 100 coupons. You can then upload your book to their servers and whoever inputs the code will get your book. You can also do this by making your own coupon codes and uploading books to your own website or server, which will cut down the price, but this approach requires some technical knowledge and a website under your complete control (so no free websites).

Regardless, you’ll see that even paying the $1.50 per coupon code can still yield some lucrative results.

Making a Product

Now that you have the coupon codes, what do you do with them? Do you write them down on notebook paper and hand them out? Do you write them on business cards? The best thing you can do is print them on small items that you can sell. This allows you to make your product more valuable while improving your selling ability.

For example, let’s say that you have a cookbook. You can sell a small bag of ingredients and place a tag on the bag with the coupon code. Or, you could sell spatulas, spoons or other kitchen tools and print the coupon code on them. Or, let’s say that your book is about weight loss. You can print the coupon code on pedometers, portion control plates, resistance bands or various other items. Just sell the item for $10 and you have a nice profit and a new reader. Even with the extra promotional item, you should be able to double your investment.

Simpler Approach

If getting a promotional item and printing codes on it is too hard, then don’t worry. There’s a much simpler approach that, while not as effective, can still make you a lot of money. Enthrill is willing to print the codes out on gift cards so that you can hand them out during your event. If you would prefer printing the codes yourself to save a little money, then you can buy some business cards paper from your local office supply store, get a business cards template in Word or whatever word processing program you use and print them for a few pennies a sheet.

While people would prefer an actual item they can use, and the item will be more enticing than a gift card, you can still make them an effective tool with enough marketing. You’ll just have to work more on selling your product. This approach is best if you’re worried about spending too much money and it’s your first event, or if you have a more conservative audience that would prefer a simple gift card over a promotional item.

Conclusion

Physical events present a great opportunity for you to sell your book. However, you’re at a slight disadvantage because you’re book isn’t printed and it can’t be touched. While this seems like a problem, you can still sell your product without much effort. A good coupon code provider paired with some promotional items can help you launch a successful event where you make money and gain readers simultaneously.

Check out my blog for more publishing tips. Amy Harrop Blog