Why I'd Rather Spend $1,000 Giving Books Away Than Make $1,000 Selling Them

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A listener asked me a two-part question: as she gets ready to publish her book and launch her speaking career, what’s the simplest, most economical path to having a box of copies on hand, and what should she budget to get there? I love this question, because I’m currently doing the exact thing she’s asking about with the relaunch of On Good Authority

I’ve been following what I call the Alex Strathdee method—seeding signed, gift-wrapped copies into communities run by people I know and treating the request as the favor it is rather than a favor I’m doing them. That approach has already turned into an October speaking opportunity, and it’s why my answer to her question is simple: never sell books after you speak, because giving them away builds far more value than the $60 you might walk away with from selling a few copies.

Printing runs about $3 a copy—with shipping as the real cost to budget for—and I’d rather spend $1,000 giving books away than make $1,000 selling them, because that investment tends to turn into far more down the road.

In this episode:

• Why treating a book gift as a favor to someone’s community, not a favor from you, changes how people respond.

• The specific packaging details—stickers, highlighters, custom cards, ribbon—that turn a free book into a memorable gift instead of a giveaway

• Robert Cialdini’s concept of reciprocity and why gifting a book creates a different kind of obligation than selling one

• How collecting addresses at events, following Joe Polish’s thank-you-card approach, led to an unsolicited podcast invitation

P.S. — Want me to answer your book question on a future episode? DM me on Instagram (@annabdavid), message me on LinkedIn or email anna@annadavid.com.

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