Marketing advice sought by John Bear for our Degree Mills book

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by John Bear, Nov 14, 2004.

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John Bear asks, re Degree Mills book: which (if any) of these might you do? (>1 OK)

  1. $13.50 + shipping from Amazon

    30 vote(s)
    62.5%
  2. $15 or $16 + tax at Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc.

    13 vote(s)
    27.1%
  3. $19 (cover price) + tax at local store

    8 vote(s)
    16.7%
  4. $19 + $3 shipping (no tax) from Bear, autographed by both authors

    23 vote(s)
    47.9%
  5. $25 + $3 (shipping) from Bear: autographed and CD (not available elsewhere)

    15 vote(s)
    31.3%
  6. $30 + $3 from Bear: autographed and CD

    5 vote(s)
    10.4%
  7. $40 + 3 from Bear: autographed, CD, + 4 mailed updates at regular intervals

    8 vote(s)
    16.7%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Members here have been very helpful here in the past, supplying opinions on various matters. My co-author, Allen Ezell and I are trying to decide whether to sell books ourselves, and, if so, how to do it. One incentive to buy from us might be the addition of a CD with many images relevant to the mills, including 100+ photos that Ezell took during the DipScam era, plus copies of various PowerPoint and other presentations we've made to various conventions. Another incentive for some might be actual autographs of the authors. Thanks for your thoughts, either by taking the poll (multiple answers OK) and/or commenting.

    John
     
  2. DBA with an MBA

    DBA with an MBA New Member

    Having several published authors in my extended family... they all say that the returns they get from the sale of their books by Amazon, et. al. are fairly meager. Their preference would be to sell the book directly to the reader and keep the majority of the money where it belongs... with the author.

    Personally, I like having the author's autograph(s). Better yet - a brief personal note like - "Rick, Thanks for contributing to DegreeInfo forums. [signed] Dr. Bear" (hint, hint :D)

    Rick
     
  3. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I've read a draft of the book. That said, I would still buy a commercial version, especially if it included a CD. (I've been around long enough to know those old mills first-hand.)

    Of course, I have John's autograph on a few things, including many Union documents.

    Does the self-publishing angle have anything to do with the publisher and the material? Or is it a matter of a lack of promotion by the publisher? Something else?
     
  4. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    I prefer to buy books directly from the author if I can. Even if it means paying a little more.
     
  5. Alex

    Alex New Member

    Price is a consideration; I generally use shopping bots to find the best prices for books.

    Alex
     
  6. rajyc

    rajyc New Member

    Low price and store reputation.

    I always look for low price and the past buying experience, Amazon.com fits my requirement very well. I will buy from Amazon.om.
     
  7. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    I voted for the 3 choices with a CD. My first choice would be with updates. If it were decided not to offer the CD then I'd buy from the author.
     
  8. Guest

    Guest Guest

    OK, Rich, no need to brag! We know John signed off on the Union dissertation...........:D
     
  9. tcnixon

    tcnixon Active Member


    I think John is thinking about buying the books cut-rate from the publisher and selling them. Given the typical 10% from the publisher vs. the possible 40-50% from selling it on your own, it can make a lot of sense. Particularly if you are John Bear and know something about selling books!

    Given the nature of the book and the publisher, it's unlikely that they will work hard at the marketing. That's the reality of publishing these days. Most of the publisher's time is spent on their top few books. I would certainly seriously consider selling them on your own, John. I'm certainly going to do that with my next book.


    Tom Nixon
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Not accurate, and not what I was referring to.
     
  11. dis.funk.sh.null

    dis.funk.sh.null New Member

    crude means of gathering competitive intelligence, but very effective!!! :D Best of luck with the book Dr. Bear... While you're at it, also add Sherwood University - http://sherwoodu.org.uk
     
  12. mineralhh

    mineralhh New Member

    What I would love to see is an offer also for international customers! Put the shipping price high but make payment possible with some mainstream payment system such as paypal or bidpay, that doesn't necessarily require using a credit card number. In my opinion quite a number of people would prefer to get the book this way.
     
  13. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    I am eagerly awaiting for "Diploma Mills" to be made available. I anticipate that it will be a valuable and much-referenced addition to my office library. The CD-ROM would be of great use to me and I would definitely pay a little bit more for the authors' autographs.

    A presentation that I gave at the annual AECT conference in Chicago last month referenced studies done by both John Bear and Rich Douglas (I had obtained prior permission from both). This information was very well-received by distance learning professionals who admitted not being up-to-speed in the areas of diploma mills and the various types of accreditation (and non-accreditation). I wish that I would have had a copy of "Diploma Mills" at that time, but I did recommend Bears' Guide as a source of further information to the conference participants.

    Tony Pina
    Coordinator of Learning Technologies
    Northeastern Illinois University
     
  14. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    In cleaning out my garage I found a 1976/77 edition of College Degrees by Mail.

    Inside the book I found a quarter page add from the Wall Street Journal advertising that College Degrees by Mail was obtainable directly from John Bear in Oakland.

    The advertised price was $20 plus $1.30 sales tax

    Date of the Wall Street Jounal ad: September 11, 1979
     
  15. Kit

    Kit New Member

    Why not a combination of options? I think including Amazon sales is a good idea, with two versions. One version with just the book alone, a second with the book and included CD.

    Rationale: Amazon has a huge customer base, including international customers. Including the book + CD option means free shipping since Amazon ships free on items $25 or above. People like included CDs; people love free shipping. Including the version without the CD would be wise for customers who want a lower price.

    Also sell them yourself, through your web site, with several options and price points. Some people would want personally autographed copies, others will want the book (or book + CD) but not be concerned about autographs. Including the version with automatic updates is a good idea as well, considering it may take a couple years to finish a distance degree. By the time someone is finished with undergraduate work they might want to see an updated version before choosing a graduate program.

    Good luck with your sales, however you choose!

    Kit
     
  16. dis.funk.sh.null

    dis.funk.sh.null New Member

    I think something like paypal or clickbank (I don't use the latter though) would be an ok option if you want to sell the book directly from your website.
     
  17. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    Well, it looks at though you have at least 48 guaranteed sales (actually 49--I'm going to have my library purchase it as well)

    Tony Pina
    Northeastern Illlinois University
     
  18. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    No offense, but the autograph and CD mean absolutely nothing to me. I just want the info.
    Jack
    (I met a REAL celeb once and before I asked, they started to give me their autograph. I said, "No thanks, an honest handshake is good enough for me.")
     

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