Category Archives: marketing and promotion

New Approaches to Marketing

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confused about marketingpngOk…so, I know what you are thinking “The year is more than half-way over. You had made a pact with yourself that 2013 will be the year that your independent business will make some transitions in the way things are being done especially, when it comes to marketing and promotion. But you are not sure where to start.”

Business marketing has indeed changed. Print ads are risky – it is too hard to hit your target market. Mass mailing campaigns are expensive, postage is outrageous and print publications are disappearing. With the cost of gasoline, and heavy traffic, cold calling is no longer economical and meeting people the old fashioned way, has nearly gone by the wayside, too. The traditional sales mindset approach has been replaced with social media communications.

There is no reason for a business to be invisible in this digital age of communication. Sometimes all it takes is basic education to gain an understanding of how to use today’s marketing tools effectively. As Sir Francis Bacon once said,  “Knowledge is power.”  There is no need to remain in a state of confusion, action always brings a sense of fulfillment.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A Company Specializing in e-Commerce and e-Marketing for Independent Publishers. Do return tomorrow for more independent thoughts, words and views from All Things Fulfilling.

Two Rules for On-Line Selling

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“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” ~ Anthony Robbins

Let’s face it, many authors love the creative process and would rather write than self-promote. From consulting with independent publishing clients, I’ve concluded that the #l reason independent publishers do not succeed is lack of consistent marketing efforts – it takes real commitment.

  • Rule #1: If you are selling your book over the internet, you must be marketing over the internet consistently.
  • Rule #2:  A strong web presence is necessary so your product is visible to potential buyers.

strategy and implementationThere are writers and there are marketers, and not everyone is both. Be honest with yourself. Determine if you capable of both. If you are not sure, that’s where a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers comes in handy. They can educate you about what it really takes to successfully promote and market your book over the internet and whether your technology skills are up to it.

Remember, writing a book, or producing music or film, is just the beginning of the independent publishing business. Marketing strategy is as equally important to becoming a successful publisher of media content.

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

The American Story in DVDs

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“You need to take pride in what God has given you.” ― Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential

“God Bless America.” Those words get to me every time! Over 4th of July I was with my family at a small marina on the Chesapeake enjoying a band that was playing popular songs from the 1970s and 1980s. I was in my glory listening to “oldies but goodies,” including Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in America.” The band ended the evening with singing “God Bless America.” Many of us stood, and placed our hands over our hearts, as we were taught to do during patriotic anthems.

learn our historyIn today’s world many students are not aware of the role God has played in our nation’s history. In my opinion, it is sad, and frankly, un-American not to teach it in schools. Love of country and our creator, go hand in hand. If you ask me, without a personal belief system that includes faith our country, and in our fellow citizens, and  belief in a force much greater than humankind there is less hope in the world for growth, prosperity, ingenuity, and other things that we Americans have always held near and dear to our hearts. These attributes are what has made our country great.

There is a new series of animated films called “Learn our History.”  Writers, animators, historians and educators collaborated on this project to make certain highlights from America’s story of independence available to students and teachers. You can see a sneak preview, free of charge, through this website. http://www.learnourhistory.com/Columbus.html.  The lessons are uniquely told, in a fashion that is interesting and compelling. The American Revolution, Lewis and Clark Expeditions, The Mayflower and the First Thanksgiving, Christopher Columbus’ Great Discovery are just a few topics on this DVD series.

Order these independently produced films to share with your children and keep the American story alive. Teaching history does not have to be rote learning of facts, creative storytelling is incorporated into each of these movies. They are also formatted for on-line streaming on I-Pads and i-phones  and other internet connected devices.

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Honoring Nature and Roots in Photography

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Good art is art that allows you to enter it from a variety of angles and to emerge with a variety of views. ~ Mary Schmich

dorchester center for the arts_3 The exhibit, Creatures in Motion, is like looking out at the world through the eyes of a true nature lover. The photography of Linda Roy Walls is featured at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts during the month of June 2013. Images of living things (bovine, beast and avian) in their natural environment, is  the focus of the exhibit.

It is evident by the images Walls captures, the artist believes in “living in the moment.”  Scenes of  her environment, wildlife, and all other things that catches her eye, through the lens of the camera,  provides an even more extensive photographic collection on her website.

Walls has honored what is important to her in her life through the three photo books she has published. One book, “Ode to Ed” is dedicated to her father, a war veteran, who succumbed to leukemia due to Agent Orange poisoning after three tours of duty in Vietnam. Her other photo books “Riding Waves and Herding Cats” and “The Content Canines” call attention to more of what she has found fulfilling in living on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Her travels to Ireland will be the focus of an upcoming publication.

Linda Roy Walls is also a writer for the column “Ponderings” in the Dorchester Banner and a contributing writer for other regional newspapers and magazines. Ever the artist, she is also involved in a portrait study of humble Eastern shore waterman and other locals who add flavor to the region in which her roots have been planted.

IMAG0645Stop by the DorchesterCenter for the Arts to see the photography of Linda Roy Walls, it is a limited but delightful sampling of her photographs. To see more of her images,  read her artist bio and to learn more about her art, photography and writing, please visit her website http://www.lindaroywalls.com/.

We look forward to sharing more independent thoughts, words and views with you tomorrow on www.AllThingsFulfilling.com. This blog brought to you by www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com. A company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

Energy of Artists and Athletes

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Paint interacts with humans, with the canvas, with the walls around the paint.~Brenda Johima

Words like perseverance, determination, action and commitment tell the story of the art that Kirk Nowlin creates. The traits depicted in the bold images are many of the same qualities that both an artist and athlete must have to reach success.

Kirk Nowlin1jpgThis month, at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts in Cambridge, Maryland, the work of artist Kirk Nowlin is featured. He works in a multitude of mediums, but his intense use of color and sports related subjects prevail throughout his work. His large scale paintings bring an appropriate energy to the athletes he portrays on canvas. Serena Williams, Lance Armstrong, Darryl Green and Michael Jordan are just a few of the sports figures  Kirk Nowlin has featured in his work.

NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, CEO Tom Giannopolis (CEO of an international IT company) are among his collectors who appreciate the qualities of talent, triumph and character that are shown in the strokes of the artist’s creations.

The exhibit of the artist, Kirk Nowlin, who was trained at the MarylandInstituteCollege, will run until Saturday, June 29th at the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Cambridge, Maryland. Stop by the 321 High Street location and be inspired by the energy of motion that Kirk Nowlin shares through his art.

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Do return again tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling. We will be highlighting the work of an artist who captures creatures in motion through her photography. This artist has published numerousbooks with her images. This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Cambridge, MD: Creating an Art Community

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 “Whenever we witness art in a building, we are award of an energy contained in it.” ~Arthur Erickson

Checking out the local art scene is something I find interesting to do when I am traveling. Last Friday, I stopped into the Dorchester Center for the Arts in Cambridge, Maryland.

Since my last visit about ten years ago, The Dorchester Center for the Arts http://bit.ly/12APkwy has relocated. Its art programs are growing, and they are fulfilling their mission of “creating community through the Arts.”  After a successful one million dollar capital campaign, the art center moved into a large old furniture store space, and they are renovating it, phase by phase, to accommodate for their plans for the future. Fully committed to providing a “vibrant performing and visual arts center,” the historic building is large enough to house a gift shop, exhibit space, several classrooms and administrative offices and more. There are plans to fill the substantial space on the second and third floors with a 250 person capacity reception area and 400 seat performance hall. The entire structure is dedicated to the arts in this town of 12,000 people.

The day I first stopped in, there was a knitting class and drawing class in progress. Each year visitors of all ages attend gallery shows, classes, workshops and special events at the DorchesterCenter for the Arts.  The staff member who greeted me and took me on a tour could not have been more hospitable.

Here are some pictures from my visit. Please return tomorrow so I can share with you information about this month’ s two featured artists  and their work.IMAG0647

Best of the Eastern Shore, Art Programs

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Drawing Class with Model in progress

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Gift shop with paintings, jewelry, pottery, prints, all kinds of artistic creations

including  books of regional interest  by local authors

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Below: My favorite thing in the gift shop – artistic pins by As Time Goes By. Baubles, creatively styled incorporating time and puzzles.

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Please return tomorrow to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com to learn something about the artists that were featured this month by the Dorchester Center for the Arts. This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected<a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=sue%20batton%20leonard&linkCode=ur2&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Asue%20batton%20leonard&sprefix=sue%20batt%2Cstripbooks%2C305&tag=allthinfulf-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=7UVM27KUVJZ3M67Z”>Click for info on the memoir</a><img src=”https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=allthinfulf-20&l=ur2&o=1&#8243; width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />  and www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

Top Indie Films of Summer 2013

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Indie Wire has released its latest list of top money making independent films so far this summer. Keep your eye on http://www.indiewire.com because the list will periodically be updated.

The top five “indie” films this summer are as follows, along with name of the film production companies and their gross earnings as of June 5, 2013.

1. Mud (Roadside Attractions) – $16,849,451
2. The Iceman (Millennium) – $1,716,661
3. Frances Ha (IFC Films) – $1,556,325
4. Stories We Tell (Roadside Attractions) – $900,464
5. Kon-Tiki (The Weinstein Company) – $897,137

stories we tellMy top pick on this list is Stories We Tell. It was an Oscar nominated film and won awards at Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Sundance. To read more about it, follow this link http://www.storieswetellmovie.com/story.html.

To read the full list of top grossing independent films, and a summary of each production, please visit www.indiewire.com.

Please return on Monday to All Things Fulfilling, where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .

Honoring Those Behind the Scenes

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successThe other day I posted several blogs about the 2013 EVVY book awards from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Service providers are also recognized for their outstanding work on the night of the award presentations They are the individuals and companies  who work behind the scenes to help independent publishers create and sell quality publications for the marketplace.

Today, I would like to acknowledge the  freelance professionals who provide services to the independent publishing industry, such as printing companies, editors, cover designers, layout designers, e-book formatters and designers, marketing , copyright experts and more. Here is a helpful link  for finding assistance with your publishing projects  for the future. http://bit.ly/ZOsPCr .

If you are an author in any state or region looking to hire high quality freelance professionals to help you with your publishing project, a great place to start is to contact a regional or statewide trade association for independent publishers. They may be able to steer you in the right direction by locating companies who support authors in all parts of the publishing process.

When you are in the planning stage of publishing a book, decide what part of the process you can handle yourself and what parts would be best left to the professionals. It will make for a smoother process and a quality end result.

Book Marketing Savvy

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“….from the reading of ‘good books’ there comes a richness of life that can be obtained in no other way.” ~ Gordon B Hinckley

On Tuesday I joined a book club of women from Dorchester County Maryland for lunch. It was the second time I have been among the group, and talk naturally flowed to who is reading what, favorite authors, book lists and other common subjects among book lovers.

One member of the group mentioned she was headed to Boonsboro, Maryland to the historic Inn that is the subject of Nora Roberts recently published Boonsboro trilogy. Roberts has capitalized on capturing the hearts of her readers not only through her books, but by giving her fans an opportunity to visit and relax in the setting of some of her stories. In my opinion, it is a great example of using creative book marketing savvy and smart business.

boonsboro innObviously her investment in the old stone property, the Boonsboro Inn, on the corner of North  Main Street and Potomac, and in the town, itself, has been made possible by her success as a very prolific writer. She has approximately 200 titles to her credit, and some of her novels have been adapted for film. www.noraroberts.com.

The Boonsboro Inn aims to provide a fulfilling vacation travel experience with a literature experience. The assistant innkeeper, Patti, worked at Turn the Page Bookstore for four years. Obviously a booklover and well-read person, I am sure she is well-versed in providing the guests with plenty of background about the Montgomery brothers, the clan featured in The Next Always (Book 1), The Last Boyfriend (Book 2) and the final book of the trilogy, The Perfect Hope. To read more about the Boonsboro trilogy,Click here..

To learn more about the Boonsboro bed and breakfast experience, the amenities offered and the renovation of the historic property, please visit the website. http://bit.ly/19GwZhM.

According to hospitality surveys, more and more people are looking for unique vacations. If you have had a satisfying vacation in a literature hotel or inn, please share your experience with booklovers and writers who frequent www.allthingsfulfilling.com. Click on comment below and tell us all about it.

Gold Standards in Independent Publishing

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Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. ~ William A Foster

Award-winning authors with award winning books! Today we continue highlighting authors who took away 2013 EVVY prizes from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) last month.

Click for info & ordering

Each of the aforementioned authors, as well as those who received second, third and merit awards from CIPA are setting high standards for all independent publishers. The Colorado Independent Publishers Association is working hard to ensure that top quality authors are reaping the rewards. The organization is putting into place high standards for judging criteria for book contests. Thank you, CIPA, for leading the way with your EVVY awards.

To read the full list of the 2013 EVVY award-wining books, please visit http://bit.ly/16BLVPn.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A company specializing in e-commerce & e-marketing for independent publishers. Please return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.