Catalogs: A Marketing Tool for Indie Publishers

I’ve just finalized my 2018 Mims House catalog. Catalogs are great marketing tools for indie publishers. You may think that only big publishers need these. But I’ve found them great tools to spread the word about my books.

Download Mims House 2018 Catalog

2018 Mims House Catalog

Click/Right SAVEAS to download the 2018 catalog.
Download ONLY the 2018 Mims House Ordering Form.

Even if you only have a couple books, I’d urge you to create your own catalog because they are so useful for marketing. Here’s examples:

Note: I don’t print multiple copies to mail out. Instead, I print these when needed. I have two versions, one which is high quality for printing, and one lower quality with a smaller file size that makes it perfect for mailing. If I ever need it, I can print high quality glossy catalogs at a local printer.

Conferences. I print the entire catalog and carry it to conferences to hand out. I may be speaking about one particular book, but I want the audience to know that I’ve got a range of books. Particularly helpful is the ordering form. Librarians and teachers grab them up.

Educational distributors. My books are distributed through Follett School Solutions, Mackin, Permabound, Child’s Plus, and other educational distributors. It’s essential to let those partners know what books are coming out. That means a catalog.

Website links. ON the Librarians page of my website, I offer the full catalog and the ordering form as downloads. They are a popular download.

For myself. The catalog is also useful for myself! When I need a quick memory jog of the pricing of a particular book, I pull out the catalog. I also keep a metadata Excel sheet, but this is quicker and more visual. I don’t link to the old catalogs online, but for myself, it’s also a milestone every year to compare the previous year’s catalogs and see progress.

Creating a Catalog

So, how do you create a catalog. First, you can scope out catalogs from your favorite publishers and get ideas to copy. Look at the type of copy they use, what metadata information is included, special offers, and so on. When you have ideas of how you want to approach it, then you’re faced with layout and design.

I make it simple for myself by going over to the Envato Market place, especially GraphicRiver.net and search for catalog or brochure templates. For under $20, you can usually find a great looking template that fits your needs. Here’s the template for my current catalog. You sorta need an imagination to see your books in the catalog instead of fashion.

I’ve also used their templates for teacher’s guides, flyers and other marketing material. You can subscribe monthly, but I usually just buy credits when I need them.

Just like your books, be sure to proofread your catalog!

Do you create a yearly or seasonal catalog? How do you use it?

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