Category Archives: articles on e-commerce and e-marketing

Bookstores Join Writers and Readers

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“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” ~ Bill Cosby

I am still feeling rather bouyed, bubbly and bright (as in radiant) after a fulfilling weekend.

Last Friday night, I was one of three panelists/presenters at a Writers Workshop in Edwards, Colorado held at the Bookworm, a superb Indie Bound bookstore. The subject of the night was marketing independently published  books. We had a much larger turn-out than expected; the space was filled to capacity! A special thank you to events coordinator Kelli Kostroski for all she did to promote and organize the evening.

Nicole Magistro, Co-owner of the bookstore, advised how to best approach retail environments about selling your book, along with the importance of doing research for a “good fit.”

Lindsay Eland, young adult fiction novelist, and author of Scones and Sensibility spoke about selling books at public speaking engagements and finding common interests with the book buying public. Click here for Lindsay Eland’s books.

Bookselling through on-line marketing was my contribution to the discussion. Many in the crowd had thoughtful questions that allowed us to mention the various publishing platforms that are used in today’s digital world, and the valuable role that active local bookstores play in bringing together communities of writers and readers.

I’d like to say thank you to Nicole Magistro for hosting and participating in the event. It was a pleasure to share “the stage” with both women. It is always a good time when I get to discuss my passion of the independent publishing industry with others.

The morning after the event, I made a decision to revisit a small town that used to be legendary for one thing – its Saloon and their Mexican food. It had been about 37 years since I last frequented it. What an awakening! The village is now an example of what art can do to revive a small community. Come on back tomorrow, and I will tell you all about it.

Photos courtesy of Kelly Kostroski, Event Mgr. of the Book Worm

Lindsay Eland (left), Nicole Magistro (middle), Sue Leonard (right)

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and http://www.allthingsfulfilling.com.

Tribute to the Indies

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Expectancy is the atmosphere for miracles. ~ Edwin Louis Cole

 “I just learned that Publishers Weekly reviewed my upcoming novel Tributary. That’s a near-miracle, as my publisher is both small and independent!” Barbara K. Richardson wrote on an on-line communication from www.SheWrites.com, a web-based group about publishing that I belong to.  

I am so excited for Barbara! But, I am not sure it is a near miracle; I have come to expect there will be more stories like hers. More and more book reviewers are finding there are good reads to be had by the independents. Thus, non-traditionally published books are having increasing success in the marketplace.  That translates into authors having wonderful, fulfilling feelings about their efforts in writing. 

For more information on Barbara K Richardson’s book, Tributary, we have tracked it down for you. http://bit.ly/99BjmH. 

Just last week, an article appeared about four authors who digitally  published through www.Smashwords.com that reached New York Times Best Selling author status all in one week. To read the article, follow this link. http://bit.ly/OzYdOo. 

These days, stories of independent publishing success arrive weekly. It’s hard to keep up but, this blog site, All Things Fulfilling, strives to share stories like this with you, our readers. Please return again tomorrow!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

I Am a Rock…I Am an Island

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“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” ~Galileo Galilei

 The other day, I posted a poll on All Things Fulfilling about the use of social media marketing for advertising and promotion. We encourage our readers to participate in the poll. It takes one second to select one of three choices and hit submit. Nothing to it! Here is a link that takes you directly to the poll. http://bit.ly/MpETzc.

I subsequently received an e-mail from my twin sister asking me my opinion of whether e-marketing is a passing trend or here to stay. Here is what she said verbatim. “I think people will tire quickly of FB, Twitter, etc. I really don’t enjoy it and think it will wear itself out but I may be the exception. What do you think since you use it all the time and if it fizzles what do you think will be the next thing in getting the word out for people with businesses since advertising had become so cost prohibitive.” 

Although my sister has tried hard to try to understand alot of what I do through my work, by being one of my most faithful readers of this blog, sometimes I think, she thinks, I am part of a “woo-woo” society because of the language I speak. I’ve been talking the language of independent publishing since 1998, and  some years ago I added social media dialect to my vernacular, too.

So that my sister doesn’t “give me the devil” for not answering her question, my opinion is that “social media is the foundation for a new generation of entrepreneurs in this century. The young professionals, who are up and coming, have different skill sets because they grew up on computers and they will use technology and all the advances that goes with it,  in ways that we can not even imagine to make money. ” That’s called progress. I have faith in it,  that is why I use it so extensively.

Am I rock solid in my thinking or am I an “island” out in the big blue ocean without a clue of what is going on in this 21st century? Fulfill my need to know how others feel about this issue of whether or not social media marketing is a passing trend, by answering the poll. Thanks!

More independent thoughts, words and views tomorrow on www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.

Is Social Media Here to Stay?

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At Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC we value your opinion. All it takes is one selection, to let us know whether you think social media marketing is a passing trend, here to stay or if you are undecided. Please enter our opinion poll and we will share the results in an upcoming blog. Thank you.

A Wrinkle in Time on the World-Wide-Web

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“Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.” Carol Burnett

My guess is this quotation by Carol Burnett, was written far before the effectiveness of digital content was even realized. Who knows where writing travels when posted on the world-wide-web. It is a mystery how words, images and sounds journey in this global age of web-based communications.  

On Friday, our blog was about the theatrical release of the movie The Amazing Spider Man, a film that is now in cinemas worldwide. If you missed this blog, scroll down to it. The quote that I incorporated into the blog. “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion” really spoke to me – since I am a Leo. 

My birthday is in the month of August, and with each year that I age, so does the world-wide-web. The effective use of digital communications gets increasingly more complex and like my aging face, each new wrinkle connects to the next. One development on the web leads to another, it’s all about those spiders!  

It is fun trying to keep up with the latest methods of digital marketing, however demanding; a continual learning process. If your marketing strategies are antiquated, and you have not kept up with this digital world of communication, you are not utilizing the best way to reach potential buyers. The first place people go for information is to the computer.  

If you need education on how to effectively promote your business, product or service over the internet, there are companies that specialize in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. There is no reason to be invisible in this age of digital communication.

 This blog brought to you by  www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Blogging Benefits

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“A blog is in many ways a continuing conversation.” ~ Andrew Sullivan

According to my statistics, I am about 20 web logs away from reaching 900 on this site, All Things Fulfilling. “Could that be right?,” I ask myself. If someone told me less than three years ago, that I’d find so much fulfillment in blogging, I would have questioned it.

There have been other benefits, too. I have gleaned a lot of insight into exactly how difficult how difficult it is to proof read your OWN writing; the reason for using editors – a fresh set of eyes!

Did you read the article about the errors that were made when converting  Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace into an e-book? Often times, problems in the search and find features of publishing software are the cause of it; not always the fault of incompetent editors. http://bit.ly/KzfE0L.

You know, I recently published an e-book for a client. I will feature it in an upcoming blog, Although the title might lead you to believe it is about living with a red pen editor, it’s about another character who really made her mark in a community of other quirky characters.It is a good read, and many parts of it had me laughing out loud. For me, a real sign of a fulfilling reading experience.

I would like to express my gratitude to our readers who return time after time again to All Things Fulfilling. Even though I do not catch every proof-reading error, evidently, you like the content! That is extremely gratifying.

Return tomorrow, for more independent thoughts, words and views from All Things Fulfilling. The company blog site for  www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.

What is Your Focus?

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“Creative thinking is not a talent, it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.” –- Edward de Bono, creativity writer

Back in February, as author of  All Things Fulfilling, I was featured on Ann Kochenberger’s “Out of Focus Again” website.  http://bit.ly/IpusLy.

Ann said this about my blog site “Her articles vary in subject matter so you never know what each day will bring.” I like that! She got it right. My primary focus is all things independent publishing. But art and inspiration tops the list, too. In fact, sometimes those subjects consume me. When you consider it, all are linked in with  creativity – independent words, views and thought.

Many published authors shy away blogging and from social media marketing, in my opinion, a big mistake! Fewer and fewer companies and individuals are using direct mail and print advertising to promote their products and services to potential buyers.  E- Marketing provides opportunity for reaching large communities of people who are interested in the same thing you are – your product or service. Isn’t  that the objective,  if you want to sell your independent publications?

What many independent publishers do not realize is that blogging and social media marketing is fun – an opportunity to use your creativity. Although it may seem like  there is an “out of focus again” variety of subjects that are on this website, believe me when I tell you, there is a method behind my madness. In fact, I am astonished at the number of followers from all over the world that have an interest in All Things Fulfilling. Thank you readers, for that!

So, I will continue to share my passion for independent publishing, art and inspiration. Sometimes in my blogging,  I even manage to surprise myself. When that happens, I really feel as if I have hit the marc!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Winking in the Dark Does Not Work

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“Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.”

~ Stewart Henderson Britt   b. June 17, 1907

I found in this quote in H.A. Levin’s book Quotations for Successful Living. Even 100 years after the quote was written it has relevance today. What an appropriate quotation for independent publishers to take notice of.

“How can anyone NOT know what you are doing in this day and age of digital technology?” I ponder. With the power of the internet, it is hard not to be seen.

Knowing how to use digital technology and the world-wide-web to sell any kind of product or service can be a very powerful thing. It takes a little education and training for businesses to learn how to promote themselves and become visible on world-wide-web.

If you are an independent publisher selling your books, music or films over the internet through e-commerce, e-marketing is a must. They go hand in hand. A mistake that too many independent publishers make is forgetting to think of themselves as business owners. Being successful in a business means promotion and advertising. Publishing is not just about the manuscript.  It means bookselling, too. There is an article that is a good resource about this very issue.http://bit.ly/aPEx0B.

E-Marketing (social media marketing) has added a whole new dimension to advertising and promotion. It can be overwhelming and confusing at the start. Help is available, search for a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. They will help you come out of the dark and into the light.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Explore a Future with Positive Growth

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“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” ~ Napoleon Hill

Today, on All Things Fulfilling, we are going to turn our attention back to the very reason some readers return to this website time and time again.

The publishing industry is increasingly changing and we use this space to keep our readers up to date about new developments in independent publishing. Now at a time where independent publishing represents more than 50% of all publishing revenue, every day someone new decides to tell their story through the written word. No longer do you have to have an agent or a letter of acceptance from a publishing house in order to move forward with publishing a book. Anyone can be an independent publisher and sell their books, films or music through e-commerce and learn to promote it through e-marketing. For best results, however, some education is needed to learn how to become visible and effectively reach potential book buyers through the internet. 

 The Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA )is a great resource, and especially for beginning independent publishers. There are valuable downloadable webinars available that will provide you with a basic introduction to the industry and help you along the way. The webinars are affordable and will help you explore and navigate your way through the independent publishing process. To start you along the journey, take an 18 minute tour of “On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry.”  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

Before you jump in with your publishing project, my advice would be to learn what you can through downloadable webinars, join an independent book publishers association in your State of residence and attend independent publishing conferences.

Here in Colorado, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association is at the forefront of developing a fulfilling relationship with libraries for e-book selling. Learn about this partnership, through this article http://bit.ly/dNEX6N.  

Check back with us tomorrow, and we will bring you more independent thoughts, words and views about an industry that is fulfilling the needs of many people who want to be visible through their written words.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

A Rising Story

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“A man is a man in every part of the world. It has nothing to do with race. It has to do with the culture and education that each man has received since he was a child, in his home. It has to do with how he was raised.” ~ Alicia Machado

I try to walk almost every day. It takes real commitment in my busy life but, I find my most important work of the day often gets accomplished while I walk. I keep my heart healthy and my spirit well-fed with the beautiful scenery that surrounds me out of doors. Snow capped mountains of 10,000 feet or more, big beautiful vistas and the feel of the winter wind or  sounds of the rushing water on the Yampa River fuels me along as I walk. I have to remind myself to look up and not down, otherwise I will miss what inspires me the most. 

As challenging as it can be in mountain country, I most often walk uphill. My best blog writing in my head, and from my heart, often occurs as I walk to the crest of the peaks. I build my story, step by step, as I move along. After a while, I forget that I am traveling by foot. It is as if I am taking a ride on that great invention of an escalator. I move forward with little effort and eventually without noticing, from whence I came, I am at the top. 

When winter sets in, leaving the warmth of a cozy shelter is hard. Before I set out, I often think – what is in this walk for me?  Never do I have to find the answers, the answers find me. It is all in the design of nature. This occurrence, time and time again, proves to me there is indeed, someone out there guiding and watching over me. I truly can not imagine living on this Earth without that fulfilling thought. Can you? 

These independent thoughts, words and views are brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.