What a month! Joey is one happy little bunny; so happy in fact, that he can’t help but dance! Why? Because we managed to accomplish both goals we committed to doing in last month’s sales report. He loves it when we work hard for the children of Jardin de Amor!
First is an increase in sales. The paperback version of Joey the Bunny Gets Lost launched this month. We sold 10 of these copies (five at The Hot Shops; one to Nancy Haske, a teacher at St. Pius X/St. Leo School; two to Peg Watkins, an Old Market Artists Gallery artist; and two through Amazon.com). In addition, we sold two Kindle versions, also through Amazon. Selling 12 copies represents a 71 percent increase over February’s copy sales, resulting in $85.32 to be donated to Jardin de Amor through its partner organization, Constru Casa.
In terms of marketing activity, in addition to the aforementioned sale at The Hot Shops, the Big Bunny Workshop website had 197 unique views; the Joey the Bunny Twitter account obtained 21 new followers; and 12 complimentary copies of the book were distributed to aid in word-of-mouth marketing, which thus far appears to be the most effective way to sell the book. We also launched a Big Bunny Workshop Facebook page.
The second goal accomplished this month is the addition of retail outlets as a second distribution channel (beyond web channels Amazon and Barnes & Noble). Last month we promised to establish two new retail outlets. We’re happy to report that the independent Bookworm bookstore in Omaha has agreed to carry the book (sales began April 1), and the book is now on sale at Old Market Artists Gallery in the Passageway in downtown Omaha.
Our goal for April is to secure at least two more additional retail sales outlets, which when combined with the new outlets brought online this month, should at least maintain our current sales level. However, since a number of March purchases were from some of Lisa’s lovely colleagues (thank you again, Lynda and Peg!), we’re projecting a much more modest sales increase in April, most likely in the single digits.
Thanks to everyone’s kind support, so far this year Big Bunny Workshop has raised $103.04 to help Julio build a new “Garden of Love” for the charming children of Santa Maria de Jesus! Gracias a todos! In other words, thank you everyone!
––Jeffrey Maciejewski
