[quote=“almas john”][
The product in question is a guidebook for foreigners living in Taiwan, with an emphasis on teachers. All the boring nuts and bolts of getting cell phones, scooter licenses, visas and buying oversized undies, plus all the relevant Chinese phrases. I was supposed to have it finished in 2004, and then in 2006 but shit happens. Updated the bugger twice to get to where I am.
If I had known how much work was involved, I would not have bothered. Enough to drive a man to drink. However, I think it will be really useful for newbies.[/quote]
AJ, the local fishwrapper would do a feature on your book, no doubt. You’d prolly get a review in the TT, or at least something in their “community” section. Yes, it’s only in the paper for a day, but then it’s up online forever (and the TT ranks quite high in Taiwan-oriented web searches).
Some people get very upset when they spot anything that resembles spam, but I think sending out polite e-mails about your book to everyone you’ve ever met, mentioning that you’d be grateful if they could forward it to anyone they think might find the info useful, should be OK.
I’m sure the Western trade offices here and the Taiwanese rep offices overseas are constantly being asked questions that you’re book answers. Ask them nicely if they can mention your book to people enquiring about coming to Taiwan.
Thanks for the suggestions daihatsu, Brendon, Taffy, Tomas and Steve.
All good stuff, but I was actually hoping for a Taiwan Beer rep to chime in with:
“John, you are heaven sent. We’ve been searching high and low for an effective way to target the Waiguoren. Would you be interested in a free booze for beer ad exchange?”
[quote=“almas john”]
The product in question is a guidebook for foreigners living in Taiwan, with an emphasis on teachers. All the boring nuts and bolts of getting cell phones, scooter licenses, visas and buying oversized undies, plus all the relevant Chinese phrases. I was supposed to have it finished in 2004, and then in 2006 but shit happens. Updated the bugger twice to get to where I am.
If I had known how much work was involved, I would not have bothered. Enough to drive a man to drink. However, I think it will be really useful for newbies.[/quote]
I did nearly the same thing and mine has been a success in it’s field, at least i’m happy with it. So here’s how I did it.
I wrote a guide to martial arts teachers here in Taipei since MA is my area of expertise. I have lots of contact info for teachers, photos, writeups on what the teach, etc. I also wrote several lengthy pieces giving advice to people that want to come here and study MA. It’s about 50 pages long. It’s designed so people who want to study MA here can hit the ground running. They wouldn’t need anything else to find a teacher.
I marketed it from my blog formosaneijia.com under the “product” page. I give several sample pages to preview and it’s in PDF/e-book format. I charge US$10 through Paypal (use donations, not the sales feature).
I then market myself on MA forums by posting there. I keep an eye out for people looking for teachers in Taiwan. Every time that question comes up, I recommend my guide.
You want to market to people that aren’t here yet. The number of people that will buy your guide while in Taiwan is too small. Guides to doing things here are crutches for people that haven’t come over yet. They’re thinking about coming, fantasizing about it, etc. but haven’t come to Taiwan yet. You want to market to them because they will pay to feel more secure about moving here. You’re giving them a service and they’ll feel better after buying your guide.
This worked for me. Maybe it will for you too. Good luck.
