First, the status quo of science and technology book marketing
At present, the most commonly used marketing method of sci-tech books is to distribute bibliographies, publicity pages or display books at order fairs or related professional academic conferences; Publish books and information in relevant magazines; Mail the bibliography through the database. Although these traditional marketing models have played a certain role in information transmission between publishers and readers, they lack pertinence and have no obvious effect, which also seriously restricts the development of sci-tech books. Personalized marketing is urgently needed to increase the sales of books and expand their influence.
Second, the factors that restrict the sales and development of sci-tech books.
(1) Poor information communication and long-term lack of marketing methods have led to many scientific and technological books not reaching real readers. Many people work in the front line of scientific research, and potential readers who really need books rarely have access to information. This makes the sales of professional books very limited and the development is limited.
(2) Book pricing is low. At present, the domestic book pricing system still adopts the traditional printing pricing model, which cannot reflect the value of knowledge content. In foreign countries, professional books are priced according to knowledge content, and a monograph can often be sold for two or three hundred copies to protect the capital, which is difficult to do in China.
(3) Constraints of publishing mode At present, many domestic sci-tech books are published through subsidized publishing, that is, by applying for various publishing funds or using various scientific research project funds to pay for book publishing, which greatly encourages the marketing inertia. Because, generally through funds or other subsidies, book publishing can achieve balance of payments or profit.
(4) Publishers with weak awareness of editing and marketing will generally invest a lot of manpower and material resources in the marketing of teaching materials, teaching AIDS and popular reading materials, but rarely involve the marketing of monographs. This also makes monograph editors lack marketing awareness, and few editors take the initiative to take marketing measures to promote book sales.
(V) Limitations of readership Science and technology books have a clear reader orientation and require readers to have a high professional knowledge background, which makes the number of readers very limited. How to effectively send the book information to the limited professional readers in need needs to be considered. The number of readers has also become a bottleneck restricting the development of professional books when the pricing can not widen the gap with ordinary public books.
Third, do a good job in personalized marketing planning of sci-tech books.
Book marketing is a personalized marketing activity that runs through the whole process from topic planning to book production, sales and after-sales service. In this complete chain, editors and relevant personnel in the sales department must establish marketing concepts, formulate personalized marketing plans, actively do every link of marketing, and maximize the social and market benefits of books.
(A) the marketing concept in topic planning
Topic selection is the basis of books. With a good topic selection, high-quality books can be produced, and with high-quality books, good sales performance can be achieved. Therefore, in the process of topic selection planning, editors should conduct full market research, deeply understand the situation of similar books in the market, compare their advantages and disadvantages, and determine the highlights or selling points of books at the beginning of topic selection planning: selecting topics or filling market gaps; Or have their own advantages in structure and content, superior to others; Or the author has his own academic advantages. Therefore, book marketing should be one of the key considerations in topic selection planning.
(B) the marketing concept in book production
The quality of book content is the core of book vitality, and editors need to carefully process manuscripts and proofread them to ensure the quality of books. Professional books often involve a lot of new scientific and technological terms and cutting-edge information. Ask more questions if you don't understand, and communicate with the author in time.
Deliberate and determine the title of the book. The titles of sci-tech books should not only summarize the contents of this book, but also reflect the characteristics of this book, and should be concise and loud, which is different from similar books. Make a cover. As a science and technology book, the cover design must be beautiful, generous, scientific and serious, and match the content of the book. In addition, we should make full use of the back cover of books to show the highlights of books and publicize books. The spine design and information (usually the title, author and edition) are also important. On the bookshelf with many books, this is an important message for readers.
(C) the marketing strategy in the process of book sales
After the book is published, it will enter the sales link. At this time, we should choose the right time and the right channel to publish book information.
1 periodical publishing library and information periodicals is the most direct propaganda method with clear objectives and the most used marketing method. The publicity content includes the introduction of book content, features, book cover, pricing and other information. However, it should be noted that after a period of practice and the development of professional books, it is necessary to adjust the types and quantities of periodicals that publish book information in time to be focused and targeted.
2 Making loose-leaf pages Make a series of books or related key books of a certain discipline or specialty into loose-leaf pages, distribute them at relevant academic conferences, or mail them to the target readers in the database. Pay attention to choosing effective professional groups when distributing leaflets.
The books displayed at the academic conference are very professional and have a clear professional audience. Participants come from all over the country, so this is an excellent opportunity for book display and sales.
4 Network Marketing In recent years, with the rapid rise of online bookstores, the sales of scientific and technological books have shown a new trend, that is, the types of marketing products have increased and the life cycle of books has been extended. At present, the network marketing methods mainly include:
(1) online bookstore marketing: online bookstores provide consumers with scientific commodity classification, intuitive website navigation, intelligent inquiry system and convenient shopping process, which has won the favor of many consumers. (2) Publishing house website marketing: Publishing houses generally have their own websites, which can timely release new book information and promote key books. (3) Marketing of related professional websites: As the target readers of science and technology books are often professional minority groups, it is a huge waste to choose "one-stop" large-scale comprehensive media as a publicity platform. Therefore, more and more sci-tech books choose their own corresponding professional forums to publish books, seeking the coincidence of audiences. (4) Marketing by editor and author Weibo: The common marketing methods in Weibo include information release, private letter recommendation, micro-group release, and forwarding book information through well-known Weibo.
5 Library Marketing According to relevant data, in the national book market, more than half of the sales codes are group purchases. In the huge market share of group buying, library purchasing and teaching materials are the main components, and with the support of policies, there is a trend of accelerated growth. As a "customer", the library has its stability and tendency. Libraries can not only provide more opportunities for book display, but also help to cultivate loyal readers. Therefore, the publishing house must provide comprehensive and detailed book information to the library in time.
6 Database Marketing Establishing a reader database is a very important link to realize personalized marketing. The establishment of reader database is to establish a set of database to maintain the relationship between publishers and readers, understand the needs of readers through computer technology, and carry out further marketing work by tracking the feedback information of readers.
(D) after the sale of books marketing strategy
1 Provide value-added services: for example, provide explanations of relevant professional terms, CDs with illustrations in books, relevant operation videos or other forms of electronic documents, relevant professional consultation and guidance, relevant courseware, translation of new terms, etc. , thus providing readers with a full range of services. Moreover, if individuals have special problems, they can also provide specialized services according to specific circumstances. Of course, these value-added services need the input of publishers on the one hand, and the support and cooperation of authors on the other.
2 Collection of feedback information: Get readers' feedback information through e-mail and questionnaire survey, and give some rewards to readers with feedback information, such as small gifts, library cards or other services. Readers' feedback is not only after-sales service, but also the basis for market analysis and prediction in enterprise sales.
In a word, the marketing of sci-tech books runs through the whole process of book planning, book production, book purchase and after-sales service, and editors play a guiding and linking role in this process. A successful marketing activity is inseparable from the participation of editors. In order to make their books achieve good sales performance, editors must participate in marketing, truly manage books as commodities, and take the needs of readers as our pursuit. At the same time, editors need to cooperate sincerely with sales and other relevant departments, learn from each other's strong points and make joint efforts. On the one hand, they should give full play to the social and economic benefits of sci-tech books, on the other hand, they should provide China sci-tech workers with internationally leading and domestic best sci-tech books.
(The authors are China Building Industry Press Science Press)