Category Archives: Self Help

Help is on the Way!

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October 1st! It is hard to believe we are 9 months into the year of 2009. This year has been a blur to me and it has passed me by all too quickly. Soon, it will be time to make our New Years resolutions once again.

Before we can make resolutions for the New Year, we need to look at where we stand, look at where we are going and decide how we will get there. Now is the time to consider whether you are suffering from job burn-out. Here are a few ways to know if the stresses of the job are getting you down.

  • Do you feel you have little or no control over your work?
  • Do you have a hard time saying no?
  • Do you identify so strongly with the work that you do that you lack a reasonable balance between work and your personal life?
  • Do you suffer from lack of sleep?
  • Are you feeling stretched to your limits every day?
  • Do you feel you are pulled in every direction?

If you have answered YES! to many of these questions, perhaps it is time to seek help. Being an independent publisher does not mean having to do it all by yourself.  Order fulfillment companies  can support you administratively. Find a company that can tailor their services to your needs. Seek and ye shall find that there are many freelance services available just for independent publishers. Start by using your favorite search engine and look for order fulfillment for independent publishers.

The year 2010 looks to be a very promising year for independent publishers. Maybe your time for change has come. Regain your balance by reassessing your priorities, delegate the tasks that someone else can do for you and seek support. Work smart, the obstacles will disappear and you will be able to see much more clearly.

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Up on A Pedestal

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“Don’t place your mistakes on your head, their weight may crush you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as a platform to view your horizons.”  ~ Author unknown

One of the conditions of being human, is imperfection – like it or not!  I don’t know about you, but I try my best from day to day to change this well known fact of life. Our company is diligent in it’s work, we try all ways to stick to our promises, we strive for excellence and reach for the highest standards.

Our shipping policy is to process all orders on a timely basis. But, everyonce in a while, our best laid plans go awry. Late one afternoon a few weeks ago, I received a book order throught the internet from a fine art gallery on the East Coast. We reached our goal of shipping the very next day. About seven days later, I received a call from the art gallery owner that he had yet to receive the order. We discussed the fact that the order was sent standard shipping, as requested, and the weekend may have delayed it’s delivery. We jointly decided to give it a few more days with the agreement that he call me if he did not receive it.

Three or four days later, I heard again from the customer that the order still had not arrived at his doorstep. I told him “you have waited long enough, I will send a second book via expedited shipping.”  To shorten the story, the first shipment arrived long after the second one arrived. I don’t know what happened. Each time I tracked the order, the only message available was the date the shipment was picked up by the carrier. Once a shipment leaves our fulfillment company’s doors, it is out of our hands.

But – I beat myself up, feeling we had let our customer down, even though we shipped the order within 18 hours of having received it. I knew there was nothing I could do about the lost order other than try to satisfy the customer the very best I could by sending another shipment – PRONTO!

As much as we strive for perfection, other influences, people and situations often get in the way. The only thing we have true control over is ourselves. For those in the customer service side of things, if we have done everything we possibly can to satisfy our customers, sometimes we have to accept the fact that we are all human beings in an imperfect world, and sometimes things just run amuck!

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Weekend Indie Publishers News

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Wow! Where did this week go? It is hard to believe it is time to update you with more independent publisher news.

NEWS FLASH: The 2010 Eric Hoffer Book Awards are coming up!     Here is your chance indie publishers – shoot for the moon and submit!!

This contest is accepting newly released books or older books from     Small Presses~Academic Presses~Micro-Presses~Self Publishers                                                                                                        Deadline:  January 21, 2010                                                                                    Entry Fee: $45                                                                                                           Grand Prize and World Wide Exposure                                                        Winner and Runner-up Prizes in Every Category                                     Coverage in The US Review of Books!

Categories: Art, Poetry, Children, Fiction & Non-fiction, Memoir, Culture, Business, Reference, Home, Health, Reference, Spirtual/Self Help.

A SINGLE REGISTRATION GIVES YOU FIVE WAYS TO WIN!!!

For full details and to enter – please visit www.HofferAward.com         Other Contact Information: email – info@hofferaward.com                      The Eric Hoffer Awards, PO Box ll, Titusville, NJ  08560

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Go, Venture, Explore

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It is rare to find a subject that has not been written about before. It is easy to find all kinds of knowledge on the internet. But, web browsing can not compare to spending time in a library, going up and down the aisles, reading the titles, looking at book covers. Before you know it, “gottcha!” a book will say to you. A book that you can not resist reading. It happens time after time.

Reading can take you to places you have never  been before! It is, no doubt, an escape from reality of our face paced world. What better way to de-stress, relax and visit with some different characters that we don’t hang with in every day life.

September is Library Sign-up Month! If there is a child in your life, whether it is your own child, a niece, a nephew, a grandchild or a neighbor – do them a favor! Take them to the children’s reading hour at a nearby library. You will see expressions of excitement, wonder and curiosity on children’s faces as they are being read to. It could  be your contribution to engaging a life long reader. While you are there, grab a book yourself, find a remote corner and enjoy the journey!

“The more you read,

The more you know,

The more you know,

The smarter you grow,

The smarter you grow,

The stronger your voice,

When speaking your mind,

Or making a choice.”

~ Unknown

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All Part of the Process

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“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”     ~Dolly Parton

Rejection! Most writers have heard it before:

  • “Not what we are looking for”
  • “Does not meet our standards”
  • “Our company does not publish this genre of writing”

Don’t take rejection to heart and let it deflate your ego! Consider how many manuscripts a traditional publishing company reviews for publication on a  weekly, monthly and yearly basis. The competition is stiff and it always has been.

Still, being turned down can be a hard pill to swallow when a writer has devoted so much time and research into their project, not even to mention the emotional investment involved.  But, rejection is not necessarily a sign that a book is not worthwhile and saleable.

Take heart, there could be another way! According to Bowker “on demand and short run books were up a staggering 132% in 2008.” There must be a reason behind it. If it were me, I would at least look into it, consider it and float the idea up in the air.

Who said your book won’t fly?

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Teaching and Inspiring, No Matter What!

I want to honor my friend Amy in my blog today. She inspires me to no end and our friendship has been unwavering for more than 30 years. She has been fighting the fight of breast cancer for alot of years now.

What amazes me is her ability to accept things as they are, move ahead and enjoy life anyway. She has always had this ability but, it has never been more evident than it is today. 

She has been the one to take care of us, her friends, when news of her cancer has been disappointing. She has been the one more interested in our lives than her trials and tribulations. She has been the one to teach us that our troubles pale compared to someone elses. Amy is a natural born teacher. In her 25 year teaching career, she was awarded Vermont teacher of the year, not once but twice!

Cancer is a heavy cross to bear. To Amy and to all those others stricken with cancer, thank you for the lessons that you teach us and for the dignity with which you live your lives. You are “angels” in my book!

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Take Time Out

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“Sometimes it is the smallest decisions that can change  your life forever”      ~Keri Russell

I am usually one who eats lunch at my desk.  Keeping my nose to the grind and trying to get the most accomplished in a work day as possible.  On Thursday, it was a picture perfect Colorado day. I decided to take an hour out, wander down to the Yampa River Botanic Park and listen to the Steamboat Woodwind Trio. The mountain backdrop, the splendor in the gardens and the fabulous music left me renewed, refreshed and ready to get back to the business at hand.

We all get stuck in ruts, doing the same thing day after day.  By just making little changes throughout our daily lives, we see life through new eyes.  Next time, you go about business as usual, put a little “bent” into your day:

  • If it is usually orange juice in the am, try apple!
  • If you usually use a black pen, try red!
  • Leave a little early and take the scenic route!
  • Pick something off a menu that is outside of your usual choices!

We have all heard these words of advice time and time again. Nothing new is being revealed here, yet we all tend to fall back into our patterns of business as usual. Must be that is why we need to hear these words time and time again.

My most delightful lunch hour on Thursday was my reminder to take time out of my day and smell the roses. Actually, any kind of flower will do it for me!

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