ARCs and costly postage. How to handle influx of requests?

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Todsplace

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Hi guys,

Can I ask how people handle the issue of posting ARCs? I usually send out digital copies but recently a handful of people have been specifically requesting paperbacks. I don't live in the US... and sending paperbacks to the US (at the cheapest possible shipping rates) equates to $15 per book.

Which leaves me thinking about how I should handle this. Some of the requests I've OK'd and agreed to send out; others I've left unanswered for the moment.

I have some questions for you self-pub pros (who I greatly respect and admire :) )

* Do you have a set limit for how much postage you will spend/how many copies you will send per month?
* If so, how do you turn people down gently?
* Do you decide who to send out to based on a number of followers/views the blog has?
* Does it sound like you're a total cheapskate if you tell them you can't afford to send to them? Or that you have a budget that limits the number of paperbacks you can send in a month?
* Do you treat requests differently if the person requesting a paperback is someone you didn't seek out? (I.e. some paperback requests come from people who I offered an ecopy to; others come from out of the blue.)
* On the other side of the discussion, does anyone think that all the postage spent is an investment? And that you should just bite the bullet and send out to everyone who asks?

I know it sounds like I'm overthinking things. But I never expected to get requests for paperbacks, and I don't even know how much I'm going to be able to make from this project. (Yes, I'm a newbie who hasn't done a business plan yet.) Like most people, I'm just not made of money :)

Cheers,
Todsplace
 

Ari Meermans

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Why are you sending out ARCs? That's a question you need to answer more for yourself than for me. I will say, though, if you're sending out ARCs indiscriminately, you're wasting them. Get them in the hands of those who'll generate word of mouth marketing for you. Pull together a marketing plan and make those ARCs work their butts off for you.

Also, if you offer ebook freebies, that's what the interested folks get. They shouldn't get to "upgrade".
 
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Todsplace

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Yes, I'm totally seeing that. I agree with your statement about not sending them out indiscriminately. So far I've agreed to send out 3. And now I'm looking at ten more requests and wondering what the heck to do. I hate it when people ignore me in RL, so ignoring a request isn't something I want to do.

Some of the requests seem really great with regards to follower count and book review exposure. But some aren't that great.

What are your policies Ari? Hope I'm not being too nosey :)
 

Todsplace

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Why are you sending out ARCs? That's a question you need to answer more for yourself than for me. I will say, though, if you're sending out ARCs indiscriminately, you're wasting them. Get them in the hands of those who'll generate word of mouth marketing for you. Pull together a marketing plan and make those ARCs work their butts off for you.

Also, if you offer ebook freebies, that's what the interested folks get. They shouldn't get to "upgrade".

Thanks for the extra info that you edited into the post.

Yes, I have to get to work on a marketing plan asap. I need to fine-tune my approach :)!
 

kaitie

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Media mail should be MUCH cheaper. I used to send textbooks via media mail and it only cost two or three dollars most of the time. It takes a couple of extra days to get their, but $15 is far too much.
 

Todsplace

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Media mail should be MUCH cheaper. I used to send textbooks via media mail and it only cost two or three dollars most of the time. It takes a couple of extra days to get their, but $15 is far too much.

Hi Kaitie.

Was that USA to USA?

International post to the USA from where I live is costly. That 15 dollar figure is sea mail, cheap packaging etc.

I spend a lot of time in the UAE and in China, but I haven't checked their postal rates to the USA (where all the requests are coming from). I've never ever used a UAE post service.
 
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Ari Meermans

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Yes, I'm totally seeing that. I agree with your statement about not sending them out indiscriminately. So far I've agreed to send out 3. And now I'm looking at ten more requests and wondering what the heck to do. I hate it when people ignore me in RL, so ignoring a request isn't something I want to do.

Some of the requests seem really great with regards to follower count and book review exposure. But some aren't that great.

What are your policies Ari? Hope I'm not being too nosey :)

I can so relate to the being ignored thing. LOL But, here's the deal, this is business; it's not personal. And, that's how I'm looking at your situation--strategically and tactically as a retired businessperson.

I have no policies as I'm not-yet-published. These are things, though, that I think about and plan ahead for. Does that make any sense?
 

Old Hack

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If you've self-published this book, you could upload it to CreateSpace or Lulu and order the book from them. That way you should only pay US postage, I think.

Can anyone else comment on this? Have I ignored a significant problem here?
 

Terie

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If you've self-published this book, you could upload it to CreateSpace or Lulu and order the book from them. That way you should only pay US postage, I think.

Can anyone else comment on this? Have I ignored a significant problem here?

Oh, that's a great idea!

You could even mark the cover with 'Advanced Reading Copy' the way commercial publishers do. If you keep it private, no one else but you could order it that way.
 

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You should look at having a printer or distributor in the US and shipping from there. Because the problem you are facing is a problem that will stop your US readership from buying your book.

If you want the US review and don't care about the US readership, send a box of books to an intermediary in the US and have them post the individual ARCs.
 

kaitie

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Hi Kaitie.

Was that USA to USA?

International post to the USA from where I live is costly. That 15 dollar figure is sea mail, cheap packaging etc.

I spend a lot of time in the UAE and in China, but I haven't checked their postal rates to the USA (where all the requests are coming from). I've never ever used a UAE post service.

Ah, sorry yes. That was mailing in country. International mail is much more expensive. If I were you, I'd be tempted to ask if a digital copy would be acceptable because of postage charges.
 

Todsplace

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Thanks guys for all the responses :)

@Ari_Meerman: Thanks for the headcheck and I appreciate the sound advice. Yes, you're right: I need to work strategically and tactically :)!
@Veinglory: That's a great idea about having an intermediary.
@Old Hack: That's an interesting idea :) Although I've always been a bit wary of POD.
 

Old Hack

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Tod, what are you wary about with POD? It's a tool you can use, that's all. You don't sign a contract with Lulu or CreateSpace, you just use them to print your books. They get no rights to it (although other companies might claim rights, so do please be careful).
 
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