You are right, it is a "toot your own horn" post. Why would anyone waste good money on a book like this when the same info is on this sight for free.
101 Ways To Double Your Income
- Thread starter dhalltoyo
- Start date
You are right, it is a "toot your own horn" post. Why would anyone waste good money on a book like this when the same info is on this sight for free.
Here's a thought for those talking about writing books and not writing books.
Go to a truck show. Have 2 (two) versions. One book in paper version- preferably of sturdy construction, and the 2nd version of a book on tape/CD. Make 100 copies of each, one on tape, one on CD, and one in paper.
Set up a booth at a truck show and sell the "books" for ? 50 bucks? get the name and contact info on each person buying the book and call them in 6 months to a year and see how they are doing. If they are doing well, then the market is there. Don't sell in a truck stop on on the internet.
Sell where the drivers are... the Truck shows!!! 3 versions, 300 copies.
Stop right there.
Why? well, if you don't see any good come out of it, then why continue.
Why make more books. because of a good deal at the printer?
What are you going to do with 5000 copies, when you only sold 250 or 400 copies, give them away I guess? Perhaps the companies like PII and FedEx and others would be willing (provided it doesn't hurt them of course) to give the books to their new independent contractors in their orientation? Just food for thought.
The average "large" truck show booth will see 4 times that amount (300) of people in the 1st day of the show! So imagine the income possible for just one version. You sell 100 copies at 50 bucks each, that's 5 grand! 50 bucks for a book?? well, ok, put it down to 25 bucks. you're still making the money to pay for the booth, the travel, and the food and lodging. go to another show and try and see. No luck, well, then at least you can say you tried and you won't regret Not writing the book. Try the Largest in Kentucky 1st. Then Dallas. Then go branch out from there.
it would not hurt to have something to attract people to the booth though, like free pens or keychains of a truck. Have a DVD playing with people telling the audience how the tips in the book have helped them. Real people, with real scenes from a truck stop. nothing spectacular, shoot it with your camcorder. Sure it sounds like a project, but if you go up to an expediter you know and ask them if they are willing to go on video telling people how the tips you offered helped them- they'd probably say sure.
The idea of a book on expediting profitability is appealing, however the market on where the book is placed should be carefully looked at. In the Detroit area, sure there's a market. in a truck stop in Orlando FL? probably not so much. I-75 and I-65 and I-81 are great targets above Atlanta as we all know.
In conclusion, is there a market for such a thing, sure! If not a "market" there is at the very least a strong interest within a very tight group of drivers and/or business people that are in the expedited freight industry. Even those not in the expedited freight industry I think would benefit from the material in such a book/CD. How much info do you think can be utilized for other freight haulers, a lot!!! Fuel savings, time management, truck configurations, generator choices, freight lanes and freight choices, the possibilies are endless. So I don't believe it's just for Expediters specifically.
that's my 2 cents.
Go to a truck show. Have 2 (two) versions. One book in paper version- preferably of sturdy construction, and the 2nd version of a book on tape/CD. Make 100 copies of each, one on tape, one on CD, and one in paper.
Set up a booth at a truck show and sell the "books" for ? 50 bucks? get the name and contact info on each person buying the book and call them in 6 months to a year and see how they are doing. If they are doing well, then the market is there. Don't sell in a truck stop on on the internet.
Sell where the drivers are... the Truck shows!!! 3 versions, 300 copies.
Stop right there.
Why? well, if you don't see any good come out of it, then why continue.
Why make more books. because of a good deal at the printer?
What are you going to do with 5000 copies, when you only sold 250 or 400 copies, give them away I guess? Perhaps the companies like PII and FedEx and others would be willing (provided it doesn't hurt them of course) to give the books to their new independent contractors in their orientation? Just food for thought.
The average "large" truck show booth will see 4 times that amount (300) of people in the 1st day of the show! So imagine the income possible for just one version. You sell 100 copies at 50 bucks each, that's 5 grand! 50 bucks for a book?? well, ok, put it down to 25 bucks. you're still making the money to pay for the booth, the travel, and the food and lodging. go to another show and try and see. No luck, well, then at least you can say you tried and you won't regret Not writing the book. Try the Largest in Kentucky 1st. Then Dallas. Then go branch out from there.
it would not hurt to have something to attract people to the booth though, like free pens or keychains of a truck. Have a DVD playing with people telling the audience how the tips in the book have helped them. Real people, with real scenes from a truck stop. nothing spectacular, shoot it with your camcorder. Sure it sounds like a project, but if you go up to an expediter you know and ask them if they are willing to go on video telling people how the tips you offered helped them- they'd probably say sure.
The idea of a book on expediting profitability is appealing, however the market on where the book is placed should be carefully looked at. In the Detroit area, sure there's a market. in a truck stop in Orlando FL? probably not so much. I-75 and I-65 and I-81 are great targets above Atlanta as we all know.
In conclusion, is there a market for such a thing, sure! If not a "market" there is at the very least a strong interest within a very tight group of drivers and/or business people that are in the expedited freight industry. Even those not in the expedited freight industry I think would benefit from the material in such a book/CD. How much info do you think can be utilized for other freight haulers, a lot!!! Fuel savings, time management, truck configurations, generator choices, freight lanes and freight choices, the possibilies are endless. So I don't believe it's just for Expediters specifically.
that's my 2 cents.
People who considered the book purchase a waste of money would not purchase the book. But there are people who would not consider it a waste and would go ahead and buy the book.
The would do so for the same reason anyone buys any book. They see the book as something of value that justifies the purchase price.
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Interesting thoughts you offer but I do not believe the market for such a book is large enough to produce book sales large enough to cover the cost of the marketing activities you list.
I paid 50 dollars including shipping for 8 used performance ignition wires off of a "new" wrecked corvette that had less than 5k miles on the engine. I have had these wires on for over 90k miles now with no problem. In fact, these wires are just as good as the 150 dollar OEM set the dealer was gonna give me.
Go on ebay, craigslist, carpart.com, and rockbottomauto, and see what kind of deals you get. I got a used A/C Condensor off of a freaking 2009 Tahoe for 135 dollars and have had it for a year now and it still blows cold air. Compare that with a new one that costs 490 dollars. It is AC Delco too...no aftermarket stuff. I bought a front bumber with bumper cover for 175 dollars, and a grille for 75 dollars, when i fixed my van after a deer hit. New bumper and bumper cover OEM price was 400 dollars, grille was another 400 dollars. I saved a lot of money by shopping around for used parts off of newer wrecked trucks.
As for dumpster diiving, I havn't gone that far yet. But I have thought about parts shopping off the van that is sitting next to me right now. J/K lol.
Why would anyone buy the book when the info is here on EO? How about convenience? Yes, there is a LOT of good info here on EO. The problem is finding it when you want it. With a book you can use the index and add notes inside the covers to take you to what you want. No internet connection? No problem. Power outage? No problem. Don't want to carry your computer in at lunch? No problem. Just grab your (hopefully spiral bound) book and go.
It all depends on pricing of the book. At $9.95 is should sell a LOT of copies. At $19.95 it will sell a Lot of copies. At $2x it will sell a lot of copies. Above $2x it will sell but not a lot.
It all depends on pricing of the book. At $9.95 is should sell a LOT of copies. At $19.95 it will sell a Lot of copies. At $2x it will sell a lot of copies. Above $2x it will sell but not a lot.
I'm not knocking junkyard shopping. In fact I've got a line on a slightly used driver's side seat for my van. It just seemed to me that used ignition wires was going a bit far.
My first 100,000 mile tune-up I replaced the ignition wires with a set from NAPA. The cost was about $100 and the wires are guarantied for life. This past December for the 5th, 100,000 mile tune-up, the 4th set of NAPA ignition wires were installed. Cost for parts, $0.
Here's a link to junkyard parts: Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market
I guess if he printed 5000 books and only sold 500 that would leave 4500 for one hell of a bond fire. This site is a wealth of information, going to Expo or other truck shows, is another way to learn. Last but least there are plenty members in this business who can share there experence and knowledge for a cup of coffee.As the old saying goes ,you can learn something new everyday.
Before you buy a book on the secrets of expediting or go back into service, buy a map of the United States.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Leo, this is the biggest problem when you tell someone "search a year or two of posts" and then expect them to actually find something useful.
I tried and tried to convince the great guru power behind EO to put you mods to work but alas I had to show them one example of an inclusive post of links which won the praise and kicked off a few copies but nothing more than that. Even though I finished seven of them, I hesitate to post any more until there is a clear understanding that this is how people actually find info AND make EO a better experience for the user.
Do I sound frustrated?
Yes I really am, especially when I talk to someone and they ask "where do I find that?" or they ask "I read somewhere that this is a good idea, I think on EO, do you have a link?"
BUT I am not trying to hijack the thread from David.
Would David's book sell only on the expediting content?
Nope, it is a boring subject that few would actually want to delve into.
Would David's book sell if he wrote about the trials and tribulations of life?
I think it would do well.
It behooves people to try out self-publishing, it is fun and sometimes like short stories or better yet compilations sell well if they are promoted well.
One word of advice when you do go there David, watch what you eat.
Some people have the thought process of "there's only one way to find out". I believe there's a market there- but it's a niche market and a unique/small market... it should have a title that's savvy enough to attract all drivers, not just expediters- that's why I mentioned truck shows. The "majority" of drivers at truck shows (except the Expo) are 18 wheeler drivers. it would be wise for anybody considering the idea (of writing a book) to of course try it on a small scale. Publishers and/or print shops are a dime a dozen, and small print shops I'm sure could handle such a task, as could FedEx/Kinko's for the CD's and/or audio versions. It might be a way for a driver to "supplement" their income. There's a good many drivers, like Ateam and others on here, that do much more than drive to supplement their incomes on the road.
If nothing else, it might be a "hobby" for a driver- to offer insight into their line of work to benefit the newbie's coming into the transportation industry.
If nothing else, it might be a "hobby" for a driver- to offer insight into their line of work to benefit the newbie's coming into the transportation industry.
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
Expediting is not rocket science.Yes it does take common sence.I suppose in a van it could be difficult,since there are so many of them.If your not doing this job in a tractor trailer,it would help to have a pension,tractors are usually very busy
You seem to have put a lot of thought into this, BigBusBob. Maybe you should go ahead with a book yourself? You've done expediting, tour bus and the big-rig thing. You are handy with a pen. Why not go for it?
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The name of my book "how to make a hundred thousand dollars a year driving a cargo van!"
Chapter 1, Paragraph 1 "start out with 200 thousand dollars!"
End of book! Now pay me!
Chapter 1, Paragraph 1 "start out with 200 thousand dollars!"
End of book! Now pay me!
That is just like the book I wrote 2 years ago. It was a big hit....
Everything I know About Expediting and How to Make a Million by Steady Eddie
1,000 page hard back book to,
all blank pages!