Cap the Hook-Ups

“Everybody ain’t and everybody can’t.”

I recently read that quote on a friend’s Facebook page and thought that it couldn’t have possibly been more in line with what’s been on my mind lately.

My latest novel, Getting Across, released a few days ago. As an author, this is an extremely exciting time for me. However, it can also be a bit…exhausting. There are a lot of hands out right now, and a good bit of them are empty, with their palms facing upward. They belong to (some, not all of) my friends and family.

They want their free copy. Just like they wanted my services…for free. I have two families: my mother/stepfather and my father/stepmother. Add my in-laws and friends and we have an entire city.

Sounds familiar? 

I simply cannot afford to give all of these persons a free copy. I can’t. I’m sure that you can’t either. If we did, we’d be upside down. Literally.

Confession: I tried this with the first shipment of my first novel. I ordered 200 books and gave away at least 50 of them. Did the math, including printing/shipping fees and this (not-so-friendly) giveaway cost me at least $357.50 (keywords: at least).

Lesson Learned: Never again.

Advice: I cooked up a three-piece for you.

1. Reserve a few. Go ahead and map out who you are going to give the hook-ups to, but keep this number as limited as possible. Don’t forget to include the reviewers/critics in your “mapping” process.

2. Consider offering a discount. Make sure that your discount keeps you in the profit margin, however. Factor in all costs involved: shipping, traveling, etc.

3. Embrace the word “no.” Get a little creative if need be, but learn to say “no.” Your business will thank you by sticking around.

By narrowing down the hook-ups, you’re setting the standard. Trust me, if you give it away for free the first time, then the same expectation will resurface the next go-round. Value your goals as well as your labor and the fruits of it enough not to sabotage them.

Ever ran into this issue? How did you handle it?