Want to keep full margins, grow your list, and position your book as a premium offer? Enter the shipping & handling campaign.

How It Works

The pitch is simple: “Get the book free, just cover shipping.” Readers pay $7–$10 for shipping, you cover your costs, and in return you capture their email and their attention.

This strategy is about far more than books. It’s about building a business funnel. Readers who opt in become leads for coaching, courses, or consulting. The lifetime value of that relationship dwarfs the shipping cost.

The Benefits

• Direct Sales: No middleman. You keep the margin.
  
• List Building: Every buyer joins your ecosystem.
  
• Upsell Opportunities: Bundle with other products or services.
  
• Premium Positioning: Creates the feeling of exclusivity.
  

The Work Involved

You’ll need systems for order processing and fulfillment. Some authors handle shipping themselves. Others outsource to fulfillment partners. Either way, logistics are part of the deal.

Example

One Summit Press author used a shipping campaign to distribute 2,000 copies of his business book. The real win? Those 2,000 names became leads for his consulting practice—worth far more than the books themselves.

Takeaway

If you want your book to grow your business, shipping campaigns are one of the most effective strategies you can run. They’re not about selling a book. They’re about starting a relationship.