Category Archives: global order fulfillment

Just Sayin’……

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“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

My clients are located in different parts of the country, and I am forever trying to figure out what time it is in different time zones. My husband even printed out a map that outlines the State boundaries for Eastern Time zone, Central Time zone, Mountain Time and Pacific to help me figure it out. The problem is I don’t always have the “cheat sheet” at hand. Sometimes I am calling clients from out of the office on a remote phone. 

A few weeks ago, an author friend of mine taught me a new way of telling time. My husband has decided my friend’s way of telling time makes good common sense.

I contend that Mary’s way of tracking time is good for her, but maybe not for me. Suppose I am in a city like New York?  After all, New Yorkers are on a New York minute, smack dab in the heart of miles and miles of pavement. It just will not work! 

My husband said he doesn’t care what I think.   (How’s that for compassion?) He says ” I should just use Mary’s test of time. He’s gotten tired of sorting out for me what hour it is across mountains and plains and in places like Hawaii, Iowa, Florida, Minnesota, Texas or California.” Now when I ask him what time it is, all he says is “It’s time to make HAY!” What is that supposed to mean? That’s just forecasting. That’s not fulfilling my need to know the accurate time! 

Help me out here folks, we have a royal battle going – all over time telling. My husband thinks he’s clever. I think NOT. He’s  really trying  to lose track of  real time to escape from what takes doing some work!  Next time he asks ME what time it is, I’ll say it is “half past a freckle.”  How’s that?

I’m going to contact Mary! Perhaps she has some other kind of  forecasting cheat sheet http://bit.ly/q15kEt.

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Little Things Mean Alot

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My husband has been glued to the news channel, following the ups and downs of the stock market, as well  being engaged in squabbles in politics. The other day, I said to him, “I refuse to get drawn into listening to too much of this. Yes, I have my opinions, but, at the end of the day, I really have zero control in what Washington and the Stock Market does. I am going to disconnect and pay attention to what  I have going in my own life that I am grateful for.” 

This week and next is what matters to me most, right now. They are full of little things that will mean a lot. On Tuesday, I ushered for a Youth and Family concert that tickled my funny bone and warmed my heart. Bill Harley, longtime commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered http://n.pr/qSraRp helped me to recollect my own days of going to school and as well as hilarious moments of parenting a child. Many of his “slice-of-life vignettes” made me realize that many things that I worried about as a child,  really didn’t quite matter at all.

Last night was a special treat, too. Volunteering my time once again brought me perks of getting to see a show that I would not have wanted to miss. Strings Music Festival http://bit.ly/qYxQ5R Director and Conductor Andres Cardenes led a night to remember of a picture perfect program, focused on famous movie musical scores which incorporated classical music. Tunes from Fantasia, Amadeus, Psycho, Platoon, a 2011: A Space Odyssey, Titanic and the God Father brought great pleasure to my evening. 

Next week on All Things Fulfilling will be my interview of an author and actress. The back story will appear on Wednesday, August 17. On Thursday, the interview will appear on this site as well as on the author and actress’ virtual book tour. 

Join us next week as Mara and I discuss how our lives came together and what we find to be mutually important in this big wide world called Life.

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Asking for What we Want

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Blogging  is a fickle thing! It is a form of communication that is indirect. Because we are often trying to get a message across in a round about way, careful care and consideration needs to be taken in what we have to say. 

Sometimes, I even manage to amuse myself in my blog writing and then, I still have to put great thought into whether to publish my post or not. “Will I be the only one to get the gist?” I think. 

It happened just yesterday.  I wrote a blog that had subtle innuendos that had no malicious intent what-so-ever in my own interpretation, yet I was concerned that the meaning might be misconstrued. For someone who knew the person I was trying to reach, the obscure message may have elicited a chuckle or two. In the end, I edited the blog out of concern for being misunderstood. 

We’ve all read blogs that perhaps should have been shot down by the blogging police. If I ever have any thoughts of whether my meanings may be taken in the wrong, I usually err on the side of silence, and decide not to post. But, sometimes, I may slip out of naivety. 

For me, troubling moments come when I say something that I later regret. It happens to all of us. When that occurs, I think of those wise, fulfilling words that I have heard so many times before -“God doesn’t give you the people you want in your life, you’re given the ones you need so you can become the person you want to be.”  

Putting words out in cyberspace every day means I must listen to myself and my intuition and pray that if I fail, someone will kindly help me to understand where I have gone astray.

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Building Partnerships for Community

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“We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension.” ~ Thomas Berry, The Great Work 

For those who follow this blog site regularly, you know that I have been curious for some time as to “What Do Men Really like to Write About?”  Weekly, I try to get some insight into this nagging question when I sit in on the Steamboat Writers Group. www.steamboatwriters.com. 

At the beginning of the summer, a new community meet-up group for independent publishers called She Writes Steamboat was introduced. After two consecutive monthly meetings, we concluded that She Writes Steamboat does not fit the description of the group. There are men who want to be involved, too! We’ve changed the name to SHe Writes Steamboat so we will be fulfilling the needs of both genders for independent publishing support.  

On September 9th, SHe Writes Steamboat http://on.fb.me/oOWKWm   will be hosting their first major event. The President of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, Dr. C. Daniel Miller will be arriving in town. The purpose of this blog today, is to make it clear that SHe Writes Steamboat welcomes anyone who has ever even thought “I Could Write a Book about That!” to attend. In fact, artists, illustrators, independent filmmakers and musicians are also welcomed too. 

Join us one month from today, at the Bud Werner Library www.steamboatlibrary.org  on September 9th beginning at 9:30 am. Find out more about the wonderful support that the Colorado Independent Publishers Association has available through their organization and the e-book partnership they are building with libraries. Stay for the afternoon CIPA College offerings to learn about various options in publishing and the costs involved in independent publishing. Please pre-register by going to http://bit.ly/pdUNxz. 

Building a strong affiliation with the Colorado Independent Publishers Association would be a great asset to our entire community of creatives throughoutRouttCounty. Join in!

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Cookin’ Up Artistic Creativity

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“Chase your passion, not your pension” ~ Denis Waitley 

Our library, the Bud Werner Library, www.steamboatlibrary.org keeps this community of Steamboat, Colorado entertained almost weekly with a wide variety of interesting, thought provoking and sometimes just plain fun films. Many of them are independent films that have not yet hit major theatres, but are available to designated communities before hitting PBS stations. Last Wednesday evening I attended the screening of a film that had all the ingredients of: 

    • A large portion of sweetness
    • Dreams of success
    • Shattering moments of disappointment
    • Fantastic artistic creativity
    • Concoctions of phenomenal proportions 

“The Kings of Pastry ” is a documentary film about a competition inFrance that pastry chefs in many countries would give their best pizzelle pin to win! The intense stressful three day competition culminates in the “best of the best” taking home the cake of the prestigious M.O.F. Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Award (Best Craftsman of France). 

This film is a heart stopper in so many ways, and leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. The theme will resonate with anyone who pursues a creative passion in life, whether it is through culinary arts or not. To watch a trailer of this film or to order this film, please visit http://bit.ly/fVD4GN. 

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Brewing Up Customers Digitally

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“Life is Change. Growth is optional. Choose Wisely.” ~ Unknown 

Today, we will take look at the demographics of the American population as it relates to embracing this new era of e-promotion, e-marketing and e-advertising in the 21st Century, specifically through blogging. Did you know? 

  • Bloggers are split close to 50/50 male and female
  • Only 7% of business-owners aged 51 and older are utilizing blogging
  • California, New York, Colorado and Texas are bullish on blogging
  • 53%  of all bloggers are in the 21-35 age group 

To read the full study on blogging, please visit http://bit.ly/9B83iO. 

More books are sold on the internet than any other product. http://bbc.in/p9aHJU. As independent publishing has grown in popularity, on-line selling and marketing has become the preferred method. E-commerce is fulfilling the needs of independent publishers who wish to sell outside of brick and mortar stores. 

Blogging helps to reach potential book buyers. It is one of the best ways to drive traffic to your site and become more visible on the internet. In fact, studies reveal that businesses that have corporate blogs have an increase in traffic of 55% on their websites. It’s true! http://bit.ly/omr5IK. You can brew up new customers instantly! 

 If you are an independent publisher who is not sure whether you are using blogging effectively or not, help is available. Consult with a company that specializes in e-marketing for independent publishers.  

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

Plein Air Painter in the Act

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“A good picture is equivalent to a good deed.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh 

Last Christmas, our Kiwanis Club had a banner year of fundraising through sales of our collectible, uniquely designed Christmas ornaments. We feel the increase in sales was attributable to doing something a little different last year. We offered two separate designs rather than one. One ornament had an iconic Steamboat Springs scene (which is typical) and the second ornament choice had an image of the four 2010 Olympians from Ski Town U.S.A.We wanted to honor the gold and glory that the athletes brought back to this town! Guess what happened? People couldn’t decide which they wanted to so they purchased both! 

Now the pressure is on to try to top last year’s sales! We have decided that for a second year in a row, we would veer from the norm. This year, we will feature the art work of a plein air painter who has given permission to let the Kiwanis Club of Steamboat use an image of her painting for the ornament design. 

This artist, has found inspiration for her plein air paintings all over the world and she recently independently published images of her art work in her book “Thirty Years Of Plein-Air Painting: The Art Of Jean Perry.” For more information on her book and to read what representational painter Richard Schmid has to say about the artist, please visit http://bit.ly/mXOEuV. 

I am quite excited to see how the ornament turns out. I like having local artists, no matter what medium they work in, involved in the process of creating art for the benefit of community. 

The fundraising dollars from ornament sales will help support a number of worthy causes focused on “improving the lives of children – one child and one community at time.” 

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Fulfilling the Need for More

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“All stories interest me, and some haunt me until I end up writing them. Certain themes keep coming up …” ~ Isabelle Allende 

When Art Strikes was a blog about a photographic print that I had been struck by and finally purchased after a long wait. In reality, it was not just one print that attracted me to the artist’s work. It was the entire displayed collection. 

Once we find an artist whose work we like, we often cry out for more, whether it comes in the form of visual arts, books, films or music. Fans of Stephen King or Tony Hillerman  and many others wait with bated breathe for their next release. For fourteen years, the Harry Potter series of films have entertained children. Many kids grew-up right along with the main character, from childhood to now young adult. Fans of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox have returned to the cinema for each new film of the Back to the Future series. Music lovers tend to buy more than one cd title of their favorite artist, too. True and avid fans don’t quickly disappear like a passing thought. 

Are you an independent publisher who has had a successful first book? Have you found your circle of loyal readers? If so, consider a sequel or a series. Begin to think of yourself not as the author of a single book but as an author brand. By having more than one publication, you can better create a real market for your self as an author and for your books. If you have a first book that is a “hot title,” it’s selling life can be extended if you are fulfilling the needs of the readers by giving more of what they want.

Obviously some books and films are meant to be “stand alone” titles, and are not suitable for a series or sequel. When writing a book, it can pay-off to keep in mind branding as a possibility. Not only are follow-up books exciting from the point of view of the reader, from a marketing or merchandising point of view, it can add great value to the independent publishers worth too.

Remember, independent publishers, it’s not just about the manuscript. This article will give you insight into what else it’s all about. http://bit.ly/aPEx0B.

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Film Buzz on Film Friday

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Yesterday’s blog about creating buzz before the official launch of books, film or music has brought to mind a film that is doing just that – and doing a fine job of it, too!  

ALPFD A Cold War spy thriller, and independent film, directed and produced by Justin Eugene Evans, is expected to hit cinemas after January 1, 2012. Part 1 of the film is available and has already been downloaded more than 780,000 times through VODO http://vodo.net/alpfd. 

A Lonely Place for Dying just won 4 more awards at the VanWert Film Festival, one of the 40 film festivals where it has been screened. Awards have come for everything from best screenplay to visual effects awards to best acting to best song track. It is fulfilling news, for a $200,000 budget film. To read more about A Lonely Place for Dying, please visit http://on.fb.me/jjsOLX. It is hitting foreign film screens too! 

Looking for More Information on the Summer Film Scene? Here are a few films that are about to come to theatres, and they are adaptations from blockbuster books. 

Sarah’s Key – Limited Release July 22

The Help – In Theatres August 12th

 One Day – In Theatres August 19th

 Have a good weekend everyone. For those who are suffering from the heat wave, take in a movie this weekend in the cool comfort of a movie theatre!

 

 

 

Begin the Buzz

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“Gossip is just news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress.”  ~ Liz Smith 

Have you ever noticed that we hear about movies from Hollywood, long before they hit the movie screens? Smart marketing tactics! 

Independent publishers, you can become stars too by beginning the buzz before, not after, your books arrive from the printers or before your cds and DVDs have been duplicated.

E-marketing is the very best way to get the word out in advance of the release of a product. You can begin spreading a broadcast of information, far and wide. Every independent publisher should begin creating a community of fans and followers prior to the book, music or film’s release. 

Not only that, you can begin taking pre-sales, too.  Years ago, wise early pioneers of independent publishing began accepting pre-orders by keeping advance sale lists of customers on legal pads before the product even arrived. Today’s pre-ordering can be made available on-line, through websites and shopping carts. 

Just think how satisfying it will be that once the publication arrives from the printer or from the cd/DVD duplication company, you can begin fulfilling orders immediately and ship the products right back out the door! With good planning and advance e-marketing you can begin realizing your ROI without delay! 

It’s never too early to start pollinating your market!  Need help? There are companies that specialize in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. 

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