Publishers Make A Splash with Beach Reads

Click the title to hear the audio article.

“Five New York publishing houses are teaming up with an exclusive [nature] resort [Little Dix Bay in the British Virgin Islands] to get new books in the right readers’ hands early.” Visitors to the resort will get an opportunity to read upcoming books before they are publicly released. Guests can order books, like room service, and return them when they leave.

“Word of mouth is the best way to sell books, and it’s the hardest to create. But if you’re sitting by the pool and you see other people reading a book that’s free for the taking, you might just pick it up and discover a new author.” That’s especially true since there has not been a pool there until this year, and there is absolutely no television on site.
BRAINSTORM:
I don’t know where they came up with this idea, because it just isn’t obvious, but I think it’s very creative. Think it through – if you go to a resort like this where there’s no other media available, what other options do you have besides reading? So the place was an excellent choice. Also, what do many people do while on the beach? Read.



Could you think of a location that would be a perfect fit as a joint venture to “test out” or “roll out” your product or services? If you offer high-end chocolates or jewelry, where could you find a high-end location that would appreciate what you have to offer?




If the location held black-tie events, could you keep jewelry on site for customers to “borrow” for an evening? Then, when they received all the compliments from other guests, or just fell in love with the jewelry themselves, don’t you think the customer would be more interested in owning what they had worn?




How about chocolates on their pillows? Why not your brand? Then offer the customer a coupon for a discount if they purchase after leaving the resort?




Maybe the resort offers massages. Could you offer a special massage tool to be used at a resort that clients might want to purchase to take home with them? How about massage oils you could offer the resort in exchange for being able to sell them on site? Relaxing music for during the massage? Special towels they can lay on, or robes they can wear?




What if you create specialized teaching curriculums for parents to use with their children at home? Could you offer them at day care centers and preschools so teachers, children and parents can become familiar with them?





Don’t think you can fund something like that alone? How about banding with a group of parallel marketers to create a “gift basket” of products to be given to guests? A group of business-related entrepreneurs could provide a basket of books, CDs, tapes, business products, etc., with everyone adding one thing to the basket. It can even be given in the name of a business organization that ties them all together, like the International Virtual Women’s Chamber of Commerce. This would bring recognition to everyone. The trick would be to find a hotel or other location that has the clientele that would most likely appreciate and purchase the items in the gift basket. But if the gift is a quality one, and you are offering to give a company or hotel’s clients something of value at no cost to them, how many people would turn your organization down?