Category Archives: e-marketing and e-commerc

Film Friday – 50 Greatest Indie Films

Leave a comment

“Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it’s done and done right.” —Walt Disney

Summer is quickly winding down in many parts of the country. That means more indoors time for watching movies and reading good books.

Leaders in the independent film industry are proving that big budgets and big production crews do not necessarily mean big block buster hits. There have been notable films that many people do not realize were made by the independents. A few of them are:

  • In the Company of Man
  • Lost in Translation
  • Stranger inParadise
  • The Passion of Christ 

To read the full list of the 50 Greatest Independent Films on the AMC Filmsite, please visit http://bit.ly/5PVDeu. 

Being a successful independent filmmaker (and independent publisher) means more than just a great story line. Making wise business decisions and having a budget-wise, well thought out business plan, in place, is important too. Solid strategies from concept to pre and post production, marketing and financing will result in a good final product. There are lots of helpful books on the market that can answer your questions, provide you with tips and give you some of the guidance you will need with your independent filmmaking or publishing plans. 

Not ready to start your own independent publishing or film project yet? Pick up a new book from an Indie Bound bookstore near you. Here are the top selling independently published books http://bit.ly/19ybCq. Or select an independent film from the IMDB (Internet Movie Data Base) http://imdb.to/5ETZHW. Have a great weekend, everyone! 

We will return on Monday with more independent thoughts, words and views from Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC. www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Fulfill Your Need to Tell Your Story!

Leave a comment

“Knowledge is Power.” ~ Sir Francis Bacon 

Tomorrow, SHe Writes Steamboat will be hosting the Colorado Independent Publishers Association at the Bud Werner Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org.  What an opportunity this will be to find out more about writing your own story. Learn about the educational programs, vendor affiliations and services that are available from CIPA to help you through the process of independently publishing your story. 

We are so rich in individual narratives in this corner of Northwestern Colorado and the Elk River Valley. Retirees, career professionals, and interesting individuals who have unique stories to tell of their lives in other places seek out this part of the country so they can begin a new chapter of their lives – one that includes fulfilling dreams, passions and interests. 

If you have ever had the thought “I could write a book about that!” join us, tomorrow at 9:30 am at the Bud Werner Memorial Library in Library Hall. The morning informational session is free and open to the public. Stay for the afternoon, but do pre-register, please, through this link. (look for the September 9 Steamboat seminars) http://bit.ly/p9GbYG. 

Can’t come, but still interested? There is an 18 minute webinar now available on-line that will give you an overview of the independent publishing industry. It explains how a new generation of book publishing including e-commerce and e- marketing has evolved. The publishing universe in this new century now includes anyone willing to tell their story. That includes you!  http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. 

See you tomorrow at 9:30 am sharp!

Another day of  independent thoughts, words and a views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

My Junket Ahead

2 Comments

“The only journey is the journey within” ~ Rainer Maria Rilke 

There has been little distinction between my personal life and my life of work since beginning my journey into the independent publishing industry more than 10 years ago.  A melding between head and heart has come as a result of doing what I love. For that I am filled with gratefulness! 

Consulting with others on matters of selling and marketing independent publications through the internet has led me to people I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to meet. Their publications have touched the full spectrum of my emotions. The stories have been inspiring, enlightening and sorrowful. They’ve tickled my funny bone and some have been very intellectually challenging and stimulating, too. With each, I have understood the author’s conviction to express their stories. Everyone has a story to tell. 

The time I have spent working in the independent publishing industry has enriched the synchronicity and flow of life between my career and my heart’s interests. The work I have accomplished has been more than worthy of my time and has been very personally fulfilling. 

Over the past year and one-half, the only place that I have traveled to is through other people’s stories and through my own pilgrimage of ideas for writing my own narrative.

In a few weeks, I will be taking the opportunity to fulfill my love for spending time with family. Our time together these days is infrequent and becoming ever more precious. I will also enjoy a change of scenery. Perhaps it will be time to begin a sojourn into telling my story……..We’ll see!

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

Labor of Love

2 Comments

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”      ~Martin Luther King          

I tried, I really did! I had made a promise to myself that I would lay low and stay off  the computer this Labor Day weekend. It didn’t work very well. 

The weekend before last I was presented with an e-marketing project for a new client. I decided that I would “sit with it” for a while to make sure my heart and soul were ready to take on the task. I didn’t want to jump into the project until I had thought deeply about the book and had zeroed in on what I felt was the right vision and approach. I am honored to be handling this project. It deserves utmost respect. The obligation to handle the e-marketing of this book, with great sensitivity, weighs heavily on my mind. 

In coming weeks, I look forward to sharing this book with you. But in the meantime, I will tell you that my work on this project has been nothing but a labor of love. Through this task I have gained great affection for the author, received transference of the heartache carried by my client and feel appreciation for the inspiring message that this simple and straightforward book will bring to it’s readers. It is a message of help and hope that speaks to not only target communities of people but to each one of us living and working on God’s Earth. 

Yeah, I should scold myself for working on Labor Day weekend. In this case, I could not help myself. After all, isn’t that what fulfilling work is ideally supposed to be? A labor of love? 

Happy Labor Day, Everyone!

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

 

 

Steamboat Supporting Literacy

Leave a comment

“The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of the past centuries.” ~ Descartes 

International Literacy Day is just around the corner.  Here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado  two literary events are planned for September 9th and September 10th.  On Friday, September 9th, the meet-up group SHe Writes Steamboat is hosting the Colorado Independent Publishers Association for an event open to the public at the Bud Werner Memorial Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org.

The event will be fulfilling a need for education about publishing options including the dynamic, growing industry of independent publishing and e-books. Non-traditional publishing (independent publishing) now represents over 50% of all publishing revenue and it is providing a more sustainable way to publish. For more information on the event, please go to http://bit.ly/pdUNxz. 

On Saturday, September 10th  the 18th annual Literary Sojourn http://bit.ly/pMfxl9   will be held at the Sheraton Hotel Resort in Steamboat. More than 500 readers arrive yearly from all over the country to attend this celebration. Notable authors in attendance this year will include: Jennifer Egan, Peter Matthiessen, Paula McLain, Julie Orringer, Jim Shepard and Julia Glass. The Literary Sojourn typically sells out early.

On September 8th, communities around the globe will recognize this International Literacy Day by bringing awareness to others that there are many who can not read. In fact:

  • One in 6 Adults are Illiterate
  • 67.4 million children do not attend school or have dropped out
  • 796 million adults lack minimum reading skills

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and their partners such as reading associations and libraries are promoting this day with literacy day projects. This year there is special emphasis on technology paired with literacy.

Check to see if there are any special events to celebrate UNESCOs International Day of Literary at your local library. Or become involved, as a concerned citizen, to raise people’s awareness that high rates of literacy build strong societies and a better, more sustainable and peaceful world.

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

Books Made to Order

1 Comment

“Economy is the method by which we prepare today to afford the improvements of tomorrow.” ~ Calvin Coolidge 

Approximately 4 or 5 years ago, I was introduced to the EBM– the Expresso Book Machine. As I stood in front of the machine, I was amazed to watch it’s speed in downloading PDF files, collating, printing, binding, trimming pages and covering a book all within 15 – 20 minutes time. Not only that, the machine had the ability to print a book in many different languages. 

When I saw the EBM in action, it was still in the testing phase. The Northshire Bookstore in Manchester,Vermont http://bit.ly/qSD5Ib was the first retail store to acquire this print-on-demand book machine and, in fact at the time, it was only available in 5 other locations in world. 

Imagine that!  A paperbound book, made to order, in a language of your choice is now as easy as 1 -2 – 3! This option in book printing is good for publications of 200 pages or less and for very low print runs. For instance: if you need a paperbound copy of a book out of print, often it can be located through digital catalogs and printed just for you! It is also a good choice when it comes to printing a few copies of family memoirs or poetry collections. 

Test trials must have gone well! In less then a half dozen years, there are now 50 Expresso Book Machines located in public libraries, retail bookstores and University Libraries. For more information on the EBM, please visit http://bit.ly/hSAIe2. 

There can be drawbacks to print-on-demand, however. The costs of using print-on- demand can be more expensive if you are printing in larger quantities. Now many book printing companies will print less than mega quantities. Times have changed in the book manufacturing world. 

Weigh your choices very carefully. If this is your first attempt at self publishing or as a first time independent publisher, sometimes it is better to test your market first. Ordering through print-on-demand will allow you to establish how quickly the book is selling. Overprinting could result in high inventory storage fees. Save  dollars by making wise choices when you print your books.

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

 

 

Changing Course and Changing Lives

2 Comments

“Go for the sense of inner joy and peace then, all outside things appear.”  

Over the past few weeks, I have visited several blog sites focused on Baby Boomers. The sites have held special interest for me because they were created for many of the same reasons that All Things Fulfilling was born – to participate in the birthing of new tactics in marketing and also to satisfy my desire to take a creative leap in life. 

Many baby boomer men and women have decided the time is now to pursue an interest that has been on the back burner for many years. Just last week, I made a visit to the new business of Karen D. Gilroy of Hayden,Colorado. After fulfilling her duties as a wife and mother, she went back to school and is now fully prepared to counsel others on the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. She is helping her clients discover the joys that come with living balanced lives. Nutrition and holistic healing have been life-long interests for Karen. 

Tools for positive change, beyond mind, body and spirit counseling and therapy are available in Karen’s newly released book, published by Balboa Press. Through her book, Discovering the Healer Within, Karen shares what she has learned from mentors including Dr. Joseph Murphy, Catherine Ponder, Rhonda Byrne, John Holland, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, Louise Hay and many others. 

The importance of exercise, the role the subconscious mind plays in “bringing about what we think about,” detoxifying the body to improve physical health, proper food combining, and the self-healing properties of the human body is all addressed in this book. Discovering the Healer Within is offered to provide insightful facts and topics to aid the reader in beginning  their journey of improved health and spirit. 

Discover the Healer Within is available in print or in e-book format. To order this book, please visit http://bit.ly/ok0ehs. To learn more about Karen D. Gilroy’s services as a mind-body-spirit counselor and therapist, please visit http://bit.ly/paoPUe.

Are you a baby boomer who is ready to pursue a new direction in life? Join the National Association of Baby Boomer Women http://bit.ly/jhkg7I . To read more inspiring stories of women who have started down new creative paths in their lives or are rebuilding their lives after the age of 50 – Google the words Baby Boomer Blogs.

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

I Wish Upon A Star

1 Comment

Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.” -Franz Peter Schubert 

Three years ago, when I moved to a new community, I met a woman my age and her husband and three boys at church. She and her husband were given the responsibility and honor of raising a special needs son. When we first met, she talked with  me about their family’s involvement with the Special Olympics and what their volunteer efforts have meant to their entire family. They have found such enjoyment in the athletic events, the camaraderie felt between Special Olympians and other families with special needs children. She visited our Kiwanis Club and described the mission of the Special Olympics, too. http://bit.ly/oDJ4n3.

As time has gone by our friendship has grown closer. We have had meaningful talks about her special son, and how God has endowed him with the ability to communicate with others about faith in very unique and profound ways. 

The other day, I began to think what an opportune time it is for parents, families and individuals to share stories of special needs children who are making their distinctive mark on the world. The dynamic and growing world of independent publishing provides a fulfilling platform for teaching other families about the lessons and gifts their special needs children contribute to their family’s life. 

I wish upon a star that more families everywhere will find the means and a voice to tell their stories so others will better understand the joys and challenges of raising special needs children. 

 For more information on how ordinary people are telling extraordinary stories by educating, inspiring and informing others through non-traditional books and films, there is a new 18 minute on-line webinar published by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association that discusses the basics of independent publishing. Please visit http://bit.ly/oIkV2g.

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

Life in Chapters

Leave a comment

Change your thoughts and you change your world. ~ Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993) 

Three years ago, I made a phone call that was difficult to make. I called my twin sister to tell her that we would be moving from East Coast to the West. Once we resettled, we talked again and again, each time she’d continue to lament about the geographical distance that had grown even further between us. I told her, “I was actually grateful for the change because after much self-searching I decided I would take it as a sign that it was meant to be and I needed to embrace a new landscape in my life –  literally, personally, professionally and in spirit, too.”  

What helped me to adjust and accept change was I began to consider that the move was just the next chapter in my life. My life is a story of non-fiction, lived in stages, filled with realities of what I have learned from my childhood, teen and young adult years, through thirty years of marriage and through the most fulfilling years of my life – raising of a precious, most wanted child. 

Now, three years later into the next chapter of my life, I have found change that I was certain I would find.  The synchronicity between people, place and events all working within the growing and dynamic industry of independent publishing here in Colorado,  has taught me that entering into relationships with a spirit of openness to change, indeed brings about fulfilling metamorphosis. http://bit.ly/dNMMuR.

I have not yet, closed out this chapter of my life. What I have learned along the way is not to rebuff change, let it happen, evolve and good things will come along the way. 

When the next episode of my life comes, I will embrace it once again wholeheartedly knowing that there will be more lessons along the way and they will come in the form of  more wisdom, of that I am sure.

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

Speaking the Language of Heart and Art

4 Comments

As we broke away from our interview on Thursday with author Mara Purl, we began to talk about the hardcover release of “What the Heart Knows” and the new cover design painted by watercolorist Mary Helsaple. Today, we will engage in conversation about the creative artistic marketing of the book as well as Mara’s life as a multi-dimensional artist. 

The Interview Continues – 

Sue:  What other creative things are you doing with marketing and merchandising as part of your new arrangement with Bellekeep Books? 

Mara: I have written a short story “When Hummers Dream” which is a prequel to “What the Heart Knows” available through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-readers. It is free until Labor Day. “When Hummers Dream” is a Best Seller on the Kindle free e-book list. After I wrote the short story, I realized there are many bird enthusiasts that follow all kinds of hummingbirds. I got invited to speak at a Hummingbird Garden in Phoenix. I look forward to that! 

We are having an internet launch on September 27 and there will be some bonus items included in the purchase of the hardcover “What the Heart Knows.” We also incorporated a heart cockleshell dingbat on the pages and each subsequent book in the series will have a different kind of shell dingbat aside the chapter numbers. Also, as part of the merchandising, there will be shell charms that people can purchase to match the dingbats in the books. They can begin to build their charm bracelets. It is our way of incorporating books and art. I created my protagonist Miranda Jones, a painter out of my love for art. 

Also, at the back of the book “What the Heart Knows” there will be questions to the reader to ask them whether they are listening……are they listening to their own hearts? 

Sue: Mara, you have worn many artistic hats over the course of your life time, as performing artist, award-winning author, screenwriter, songwriter and journalist. Were your parents always supportive of your career in the Arts? 

Mara: Yes! Tremendously supportive…always.  

Sue:  A little while after we met, I found out that you graduated from Bennington College with a degree in the Arts. As you know now, my place of residence of almost 30 years was in Bennington County,Vermont. Has your career matched your vision when you decided upon this field of study many years ago? 

Mara: Yes.Vermont is a magical place with independent spirit. Winter was long but the solitude became a cauldron for internal development. The mentors at Bennington College were wonderful and had extraordinary influence on me. I met two Bennington grads as a teen and both said it would be a good fit. The decision ended up a heart decision for me. There were small classes and I learned how to talk in front of people. You had to contribute because there was little other structure and few others in the class. I learned to be a self starter there. 

Sue: I was going to ask you to what do you attribute your success in working in so many dimensions of the Arts, but you may have just answered my question, in part. 

Mara:  Yes, I did. I found that in the quiet came self growth. And you ask yourself what are you here to do? I learned in my college years that the rest doesn’t happen unless you become a self-starter. I have concern about kids today and all the external they are exposed to – the TV, the iPods,  the cell phones, all the digital devices. They can’t be quiet and be with themselves in quiet spaces. They are plugged into something constantly. 

Sue:  What has it meant to you personally to be able to follow your dreams and pursue your passions in the Arts? 

Mara:  It’s funny, years into my career, I came across a guy that I had known way back, he said to me “you didn’t sell out.” At first I didn’t know what he meant, but what he meant is I stuck with what I wanted to do. But, I didn’t know what else to do. I was just being me.  For some people painful choices have to be made but I say it is never too late to come back to your core mission. 

Sue:  To wrap things up, what words of advice can you give to the younger generations who are interested in pursuing careers in the Arts? 

Mara: Listen to your heart and soul. Look for mentors that have walked the path in what you want to do. There will be well meaning people and ask their advice but there has to be internal and external balance. Finally consult with yourself only you really know. 

Sue:  This has been a busy month for you. You have been on virtual blog tours for weeks and you have a few more to go. Mara, I appreciate so much your taking the time to stop by All Things Fulfilling and giving us insight into your books and also into your career as a person who has so successfully made their living in the Arts. 

Sue: One last question – where can we look for “What the Heart Knows?” 

Mara:  In bookstores, through links on my own website www.marapurl.com, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, on i-Readers. Just Google and you will find it.

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