Category Archives: e-book publishing
Faith in People
4 Comments“Technology is nothing. What’s important is that you have a faith in people” ~ Steve Jobs
Communications have evolved in so many ways since the days of TVs with rabbit ears and transistor radios. I really couldn’t explain to you how information was broadcast and received back then, or even now, with digital equipment. I just have faith in those who develop the technology to make it happen. But, I can assure you that information travels to places you never thought possible through the world-wide-web.
You’d have to be living under a stone not to notice that the marketing, promotion and advertising landscape has changed dramatically. It has gone from “print to digital.” Using social media and e-marketing communications means that what ever is put out into the world digitally will transmit to others and will be spread in ways that we can not fathom. Sure, anyone can use it, but, you also need to know how to use it effectively, so the right “antenna” will receive it and it is not just a big time waster.
Business owners (and that includes you, independent publishers) – its 2014! It’s beyond time to move out of the dark ages and begin learning something about how to promote your products and services using digital communication tactics. A company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers can help you with that.
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A company where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. See you tomorrow on all things fulfilling.
End of Year Reflections
1 CommentFollow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action ~ Peter Drucker
It’s clear that the industry of independent publishing or “non-traditional publishing” has brought compelling stories that ordinarily wouldn’t have had a chance of being published traditionally, into the marketplace.
Looking back over the past years, I have read and worked with a wide variety of independent publishing clients who have produced e-books as a result of the “digital revolution.” Indeed, over the past decade there have been vast changes that have taken place in how books are published. However, one thing that has not changed is the impetus behind why people publish. Authors write to educate, inform, entertain and inspire others, whether the words are on paper or in digital format.
The Digital Book World Conference is only a few weeks away. Soon, the Book Industry Study Group will be wrapping up their research for 2013 which will reveal statistics about how e-books have fared over the past year in the marketplace. I look forward to reading the reports.
Lavar Burton will serve as host of the Digital Book World Conference. Industry leaders including Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon will be speaking and other notables in the publishing industry will hold roundtable discussions and panel discussions. Best selling e-book authors, such as Darcie Chan, who wrote an e-book called The Mill River Recluse, which was set in Vermont, will also be in attendance.
On January 13 at 5:30 pm (at the opening evening of the New York City Conference) a screening the film of Out of Print, narrated by Meryl Streep will be shown. This eye opening movie takes the viewer into a world where books-in-print are non-existent and books as we have known them are replaced by all digital publications.
To register to attend the conference, and to learn about the line-up of speakers and the schedule, please visit http://bit.ly/1lj8tGd.
As always, I look forward to keeping our readers informed on All Things Fulfilling about e-book industry developments through out the year 2014.
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
New Found Treasures
3 Comments“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” ~ Anthony J D’Angelo
Family photos are some of the greatest treasures we could ever own. Last summer, my parents gave an unexpected gift to our family by revealing some never before seen photos they had gotten out of storage. The image that really stole my heart more than any other is this image of my father writing a letter to my mother (as he did almost daily) when he was in the army. On the crude wooden desk, made with 2” X 4”s was a framed picture of the love of his life, my mother, looking right at him as he wrote the letter.
My parents were childhood friends beginning at 10 or 11 years of age. They grew up one street apart from one another. That childhood friendship developed into a love relationship that has lasted, in a marriage, for 65 years. But what transpired throughout the course of their lives and some of the things they coped with as very young adults and newly-married is part of the treasure in my own personal narrative that will be published in spring 2014.
As I look at this image of my parents, it fulfills me to know that from the union of my father (who was an only child) and my mother (who had one brother), our family has become very large. Each person added by birth or marriage is like newly found treasure – each contributing to the whole with individual interests and passions that make for beautiful gatherings. The conversations when we are all together range from custom home building and architecture, to fitness, food and fashion design, to homeopathics and neonatal nursing, to boats, marine logistics and shipping, to writing, publishing and filmmaking. (How is that for a run on sentence?) And lest I forget – we now have a student of equine medicine in training! Diverse and widespread interests all in one family. But what binds us all together, besides the caring, is the love of books and reading, first nurtured by my parents.
If you are wondering how to instill a love of reading in your children, here is an article with 11 great tips.http://bit.ly/19RMGTO
And all these years later, despite every life challenge and obstacle, my parents are still each other’s best friends. Isn’t that an ultimate love story?
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling.
E-Books: A Vital Option
Leave a comment“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow
If you are ready to publish your manuscript, there are many choices to consider. Offering an electronic version of a book has become a necessity if you are an author who wants to reap the benefits in the digital marketplace. More often than not, potential book buyers want to know if a title “is available as an e-book?”
According to a recent article in Publishers Weekly Magazine, sales in e-books have dipped a little from when the Kindle and the Nook were initially rolled out. However, e-book sales have remained strong, jumping a total of “4,456% since 2008.” That is a big deal and e-books have become a “billion dollar industry” according to the article. Here is a link so you can see all the e-book selling statistics from 2008 – 2012. http://bit.ly/Hc3JVq. We won’t see the 2013 book sales results for a few more months.
In my opinion, there will be more technological developments coming that will blow away any remaining doubts that e-books are just a passing trend. Especially as digital publishing becomes integrated into more classrooms and library catalogs.
Authors don’t miss out on a stream of income by failing to offer an e-book version of your title. And remember “if you are selling over the internet, you must be marketing over the internet” because that is where your potential book buyers hang out!
Speaking of hang-outs, thanks for frequenting this website. Do return tomorrow to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com tomorrow, the blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
Logo Redesign for CFS
4 CommentsHide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade? ~Benjamin Franklin
Ta da! How do you like our new logo? We’ve had a few trial and errors, as is the case with most artistic projects, but we finally have it right and we love the new look! Persistence pays off.
I’d like to thank my team of two creatives who helped bring the globe out of the box. The logo has been redesigned to keep up with the new generation of publishing. Books are now being instantly delivered to readers all over the world, thanks to digital (electronic) publishing.
My son, Marc, came up with the revised logo concept and designed it. The demands of his main line of business, working in the filmmaking industry http://marcrleonard.com/ drew him away, so Margy Ziegler of MZ Graphics put it all together in a banner that could be used for this website.
A few things about Marge – she is rather modest when she states she designs tee shirts. Her capabilities are much greater than that. She has been in the field of graphic design since she graduated from the prestigious Maryland Institute of Art http://www.mica.edu/ about three decades ago when she began working with LifeLike Products. Since then, she has worked with other companies on many different projects. For instance, if you are looking for a sell sheet for a product or service, Margy can help you with the graphic design of that!
Authors and publishers – Marge has the skills to design and print unique, custom-made tee shirts with your book title and book cover image on them. They will fulfill two purposes – promote your book and keep you artfully dressed on the streets all at the same time! Although MZ Graphics offers a no minimum order policy, remember to order enough custom tee shirts for your family and friends, so they can wear them and help advertise your book, film or music.
Visit the Facebook page of MZ Graphics by following this link.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MZ-Graphics/526509920722129
See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
Quick Delivery, Read it & Enjoy!
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On Friday, I read an interesting article in USA Today about business and entrepreneurship. The article described how the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohaninan, was fueled by rejection. “True failure,” it was pointed out in the article ” is not to persevere and learn from setbacks.”
The article also mentioned how the Millennial generation has grown up in an environment so different than what older Americans have experienced before. There is no longer a predetermined path for the American dream, thus in today’s world “there aren’t a lot of conventions to be conventional about.”
This statement made me think about publishing and how it is almost unrecognizable from where it was back in the late 1990s, when I began my company. At that time, only a few brave souls with spirit dared “buck the system” and publish independently. Now, we have moved into a whole different publishing model, where the independents have gained substantial market share which includes e-books (digital publishing). Whether we can predict whether a time will come when books will only be available in digital form, it is too early to tell.
There are those who say they will never read an e-book, but my question to doubters is “What is wrong with progress? Is that not what brought about the printing press?” And, I will always maintain my position that “a good read, is a good read, no matter how it is delivered. E-books are just one more way you can say you’ve read it and enjoyed it!
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.
Important First Steps to Publishing
2 Comments“It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in happiness of pursuit.” ~ Denis Waitley
The e-Book Extravaganza on Saturday sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) was well-worth attending. During one of the breaks, the President of CIPA, Dr. Patricia Ross came over to me and said “Sue, I’d like you to meet one of our new members.” Of course, the usual niceties followed.
I asked the new member if she was enjoying the morning, and she said “Yes, but I feel so uninformed! There is so little I know about independent publishing.” Dr. Ross told her not to be discouraged, and off the President went doing her job of hob-knobbing about the room.
As the new member and I stood talking, I said to her, “You know, each and every person in this room started where you began today, knowing nothing. That is the reason you have joined this group -to get help, to learn, to network and become informed about your options.” There is a lot to learn and you have taken a very important first step. You have joined this group!”
“Yes,” the new member replied. “There seems to be plenty of knowledge to learn from in this group.”
Before the break was over and we went to sit in our respective seats, across the room from one another, I had one more thing I had to say. “In your free time, read anything you can get your hands on about the industry, and keep coming to this group. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
To learn more about the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, please visit this link. http://www.cipacatalog.com/join-cipa/. Please note the organization also offers downloadable webinars if you are too far to travel to their meetings.
http://www.cipacatalog.com/categories/CIPA-College-Downloads/
As I drove home, I began to ponder how many first steps I have taken since 1998, when the independent industry was in its infancy. They’ve all been in a quest to learn all I could about the industry and it led to becoming a business. And the wonders and development of the independent publishing universe never cease to amaze me. I find it fascinating.
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. The space where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.
e-Book Extravaganza
Leave a commentKnowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. ~ Kofi Annan
On Saturday I made the very worthwhile three hour trek into Denver from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to attend Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) monthly meeting. The September agenda was an e-Book Extravaganza. Here are just a few things that were discussed throughout the day:
- The e-book industry now represents 33% of book sales. How about that?
- People like having a choice of formats, so offering books in print, as well as an e-book version is wise marketing.
- There is still a viable market for books-in-print but there is a certain part of the reading population who are clamoring for e-books due to their convenience.
- Surprisingly, people who are 55 years of age and over ARE BUYING e-books, contrary to what was expected. It is not just the young generation that are interested in the digital format.
- We discussed pricing of e-books and how you can leverage your intellectual property.
- E-books make it easy to offer samples, providing potential book buyers the opportunity to see if they like an author they’ve never read before.
- A big advantage to e-books – there is no printing involved, thus it removes the need for physical space of inventory.
If you are a writer who wants to get on The Fast Track to Independent Publishing, here is a short webinar that will introduce you to the basics. http://bit.ly/10cCp1Y.
Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, we will be discussing the next best step if you are a person who is considering independent publishing and you are in need of knowledge. I will tell you a quick but valuable story from this weekend.
This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .
Gatsby Groupies
Leave a comment“Show me a hero, and I’ll write you a tragedy.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
I feel as if I am becoming a Gatsby groupie! Today I walked into the Bud Werner Library, and saw a display case announcing the next One Book Steamboat (a community read). It is The Great Gatsby. “I’m in,” I thought, as I proceeded to the DVDs and took out the 2000 production of The Great Gatsby movie by A & E Television Networks. Then I wandered over the computer and put in a reserve for a copy of the book by the same title.
I guess I haven’t had enough of the Fitzgeralds, the Jazz Age and the Long Island social elite even though last summer on my vacation, I took in the movie The Great Gatsby with my sister and I also hawked my mother’s copy of Zelda and read it.
Truthfully, I was disappointed in the latest rendition of the movie, with Leonardo DiCaprio. The visual effects, I felt, were so over the top and frantic that it distracted me from being able to absorb the tragic tale of wealth and entitlement. The telling essence of Jay Gatsby’s character weaknesses were lost in the visual chaos of the movie, rather being told by the dialogue of the story.
The book Zelda, for me, provided much better insight into the psyche of an artist who “never wanted to give in or give up” despite failure and rejection. The narrative told an up-close and personal story of the relationship between wife and husband, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald and it gave historical perspective into their friendships with other contemporaries (filmmakers, writers and artists) from the era.
As a lead-up to the community discussion of the novel, on October 10th, the latest Leo Dicaprio version of “Gatsby” will be aired at the Bud Werner Library. I’ll probably skip it. But then again, perhaps with a second look I might have a different opinion. But I hope not to miss what will probably be a very fulfilling discussion on Monday, October 21st. It will be led by the English teachers of SteamboatHigh School. I hope students are required to join in and read this classic novel. For more information, please follow this link. http://www.steamboatlibrary.org/events/one-book-steamboat
Come on back tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.
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