THE COOKBOOK: Karli Bitner Hoped to Sell 100 Copies. Guess How Many She Printed… With NO Money Down.
Barbara Hobart
Right when Covid hit, Karli Bitner of Cooking With Karli was hit with the “rude awakening” – her ad revenue dropped drastically. Because she didn’t want to be at the mercy of ad companies determining her rates and her bottom line, she was determined to create a revenue stream – one that she controlled. Her main income at that point was about 97% ad revenue and she wanted to diversify.
She had never created a physical product before and thought about what she might create. She thought about making an ebook but her followers kept asking her to create a physical cookbook filled with her cookie recipes. She hoped to maybe sell 100 copies. She wasn’t sure how it would go, so she did a pre-sale – and guess what? She pre-sold 100 copies in about a day --and used those profits to invest in the printing. Instead of her goal of selling 100, her first print run and initial order was 500 copies! She did it completely with pre-sales -- from her own followers, with no outlay of her own cash.
📺 Watch my interview Karli, and before you do:
Guess how many books she is printing for her 3rd cookbook?
Guess how much her ad revenue makes up of her total revenue stream now that she’s in charge of her own bottom line?
If you want to create a cookbook – or any type of book, it’s easy. Here’s why:
You already have all of the recipes and / or expert advice and photos right on your blog.
You already have an audience.
You have nothing to lose.
It’s just a matter of assembling the content. The possibilities are endless... so are the profits.
Now, not everyone wants to create a book, but there are so many options for creating a product, and you're only limited by your imagination. Here's a fun idea: whether you have recipes, or expert tips and advice you provide to your followers, here's a unique way to put your brand in the hands of your followers:
A deck of 52 cards printed with full-color graphics, front and back with your graphics, logo, and message. One of the great things, too, about printing on cards is that they are small, so very cost-effective to mail. And one more thing, they are also a great marketing tool!
One of the things I encourage many clients to consider is how their products can also be used as great SWAG. They can be handed out at events, they make terrific gifts, and they can be used in contests and giveaways. Because really -- who doesn't love great SWAG?!
And so, swinging back to Karli's success, she didn't lay out any initial investment of her own cash, she did it solely on presales, she set her own retail price and, most importantly, she is in control of her profit margins and is no longer at the mercy of ad companies setting her rates. A win-win... for her and her customers.
👉 If you'd like to brainstorm some ideas with me about custom product possibilities for your business, you can easily book One-on-One coaching with me!