Category Archives: shipping

More Weekend Indie Publisher News

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Calling All Independent Publishers! Enroll Now!

The 2010 Colorado Independent Publisher Association “College” is on the Calendar for March 26 and 27. The two track “College” is designed for those just getting started in the publishing world and looking for the basics and for those who have already published but are looking for the most current information in the publishing world.

Attend the two day event or a one full day of publishing education is available too! Visit with vendors and learn from seasoned professionals in the publishing world. Hurry, there is a discount available if you register by March 1.

For more information on this “College” presented by one of the largest, most active statewide publishing associations in the country, go to

www.cipabooks.com/college.htm  

See you there! And stay for the outstanding EVVY awards to learn who this year’s award winning Independent Publishers are!

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Bring it On Home!!

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“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”        ~ Colin Powell

Have all of you been watching the Olympics? I have! I have been loyal in following our hometown boys from Steamboat Springs, CO. As I have heard the personal stories of the athletes from all around the world, it has occurred to me that successful artists and athletes have so many things they strive for in common. Really, athletes are artists too- in the field of physiology and kinetic energy.

The list of what it takes to be successful artists or athletes  is strikingly similar. In fact, there are few things that set them apart!

  • Artists, like athletes, are known for their passion and strong belief in the work they do.
  • Both challenge themselves to “reach for the stars.”
  • Athletes and artists must achieve a high level of performance day after day and continually improve.
  • Both types of artists are faced with internal and external challenges but still must perform.
  • Goals and the mastery of those goals are essential for success.
  • Both must be very disciplined and practice
  • Belief in one’s own self, of all things, must rule!

Our United States Olympians are “doing us proud!” They have all subscribed to “right thinking.” It is what has gotten them to where they are in the first place. As for our hometown boys from Steamboat Springs, CO they will be adding their names to the roster of all the other champions from this town and will have a little “bling” around their necks to prove it.

Bring it on home, boys! Bring it on home. Share with us the result of your passion for your sport!

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Bright Inventions

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“All the world is a birthday cake, so take a piece but not too much.”       ~ George Harrison

There is a birthday all independent publishers need to celebrate today!If you can not remember whose birthday it is, I will give you a few hints:

  • Without this landmark day, my life would not be nearly as fulfilling.
  • This birth paved the way for public communication in the fields of education, entertainment, journalism and more
  • The result of this birth has brought unlimited joy to myself and to others.
  • The creator of this invention probably never anticipated  how it would develop and grow!
  • This person was born in Vermont

Whose birthday is it? On this 25th day in February, in 1837, Mr. Thomas Davenport patented the first US Electronic Printing Press.  Mr. Davenport, born in Williamstown, VT was a blacksmith by trade. He received only three years of formal education, yet he was an avid reader. After a visit in 1831 to  the Penfield Iron Works, he became intrigued with the field of electromagnetic energy. He went on to invent the prototype for every electric motor used today.  He invented an electric railway, electric telegraph, electric piano and the electric printing press upon which he printed his newsletter Electro-Magnet and Mechanics Intelligencer.  Mr. Davenport was a pioneer in the field of independent  publishing and the result of his work paved the way for more than he could ever fathom.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one more birthday today – the trivia clues mirror closely those of Mr. Davenport, but at the risk of being scolded and hearing “Oh, Mom, what did you do that for?”, I won’t mention any names!

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Staying True Blue

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“Besides pride, loyalty, discipline, heart and mind, confidence is the key to all the locks.” ~ Joe Paterno

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending my first Kiwanis International Conference. It was a conference of Kiwanians from the Rocky Mountain Division. I could go on at quite some length about what the Conference covered, but it really isn’t necessary to give you all a minute to minute accounting of the weekend. I would much rather expound on the virtues of it’s members.

A shared belief in living one’s life according to ethical principles has brought personal fulfillment to the lives of each Kiwanis member I spoke with. How can you not be inspired by a group of individuals who display:

  • Courage in leading
  • Imagination in creating a vision for future generations
  • Integrity in the way they live their lives
  • Great hope for the future of our world

I traveled around the conference rooms, speaking with members, trying to get a sense of some of the projects each club is involved with. The information of the fundraising projects each club is engaged in was useful and interesting. But, what struck me most was the loyalty and fellowship that it’s members share. I spoke with members that have had allegiance to the club for as many as 30, 40 and 50+ years!  I met a wonderful woman who was 97 years young, and still actively involved. She spoke with me about her years of commitment to fighting for and improving the lives of children. She expressed her concern at the vast numbers of “latchkey” children. Now, if still being actively involved at age 97 is not loyalty, I don’t know what is!

Besides a great sense of loyalty to their fellow man, why do Kiwanians stay involved for 30, 40 or 50 years? It is simple! They all have great confidence that their service organization is making an “international difference one child at a time.”

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Considering All Things

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“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

At some point in the process, almost all self-published authors or independent publishers begin to feel a shift in their business. Their business changes from an intellectual labor of love to a task of physical labor. Many wonder how this could have happened. Often, there were no landmark events that changed the focus of the business, yet something is undeniably different.

As an independent publishing business grows, so too, do the tasks that come with daily administration of the business. When all the demands on your  time no longer allow you to focus on your primary business of writing and publishing, it is time to reassess. Consider partnering with an order fulfillment company, for independent publishers, to handle the business side of shipping and handling your orders.

In-house order fulfillment does not always make sense to the smaller independent publisher. Look at warehousing alone! Do you have the facilities or are you prepared to increase your space as your business prospers? Can you effectively manage inventory control as your business grows?

Wouldn’t it be wise to check out all your options? Perhaps it is time to get back to our primary focus of business – writing and publishing. That is where your expertise lies.

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Lean, Green Fundraising Machine

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“Doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results, is the definition of crazy.” ~ Unknown

What would it be like to no longer have to knock on doors to help raise money for your favorite non-profit? No more pestering friends, relatives and business associates to buy fruit, wrapping paper, cookies, raffle tickets and all the other things that organizations sell for fundraising. Those dollars spent driving from door to door, place to place will be saved and could be donated to the cause.

Wait! It gets better than that!! All your donors or contributors can shop on-line for what they want at www.GoodShop.com and a percentage of the value of the purchases will go to charity or to a school of your choice. Merchandise is the same price, but a donation goes to a cause you feel passionate about.

This inventive way of raising money for your favorite charity www.GoodSearch.com has been featured in Oprah Magazine, CNN, The New York Times, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal. Get on board, non-profits – raise money the easy way. Register your organization.

Don’t believe me? Go to www.GoodShop.com buy something from one of the 900 top on-line retailers involved in this new way of giving. Your money will buy something you want and need, not for something you feel obligated to buy.

For example, you can help raise money for children’s hospitals by designating The Macedonian Mission for Humanity as your charity of choice. You will be helping children across the globe. How easy is that?

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The Drama of it All

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“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon” ~ Konrad Adenauer

In the more than 30 years I have spent living in Vermont and now Colorado, I have never heard such dramatic words attached to little white snowflakes! All of the TV stations are  doing overtime to report “snowmageddon and snowpocalypse” on the East Coast. I have heard just about enough.

All the adjectives that are being used to describe the snow in the mid-Atlantic States just do not resemble anything I have ever seen before! When I look out my window in winter, I see:

  • beauty
  • a blanket, soft and white
  • gently falling, white dust of nature
  • tranquility in heavenly white
  • cleanliness and freshness
  • sparkle and glisten
  • crystaline air
  • white fluffy pillows
  • and a quietness in new fallen snow

Not chaos, confusion and catastrophe! With all the disasterous adjectives that the weathermen use to describe the snow, it is no wonder panic ensues.

Instead of cursing snow, how about embracing it, playing in it, walking in it and celebrating it! It does wonders to refresh and renew the soul!

Don’t  you love that global warming?

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I See You!

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“There are many reasons why novelists write,  but they all have one thing in common – a need to create an alternative world.” – John Fowles

Years ago, one of the biggest challenges of all self publishing authors and independent publishers was becoming visible in the marketplace. Used to be, the fastest way to notoriety as an author was to be published by one of the large traditional publishing giants and then by doing a little name dropping as to who published your manuscript. Reality is, only a very small percentage of manuscript submissions ever get accepted by the big publishing conglomerates. Sad but true.

Now, opportunities for making a name for yourself as a independent publisher are all there! With a well-executed publication and a well thought-out, creative marketing plan and an undying belief in yourself and your publication (called self promotion!), success as an independent publisher is not as allusive as one might think.

If you have been frustrated by your attempts to self-promote your book, have you looked into the “new generation” of marketing  for writers? By design, social media marketing greatly increases your visibility as an independent publisher and the probability of being discovered. To those who are inexperienced with e-marketing, there  is nothing to be scared of!

No longer are independent publishers found just by a stroke of luck!

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Bull or Bear Art Market?

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“If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.”                              ~ Robert Quillen 

Who said art is not selling during these economic times? Who said we have all returned to frugality? And of all things, who said there is no value in being an artist?

All the skeptics have been proven wrong! “L’ Homme Qui Marche 1”  (Marching Man 1) was sold within 8 minutes of the opening bid to anonymous buyer at a London auction.  The opening bid was 12 million pounds and it sold for 65 million pounds ($103.4 million dollars) and the guy is not even a CEO!!! He is a piece of sculpture!! Imagine that!

The sculpture is a thin, wiry figure of 72 inches in height, crafted by 20th century Swiss artist Giacometti.  The last time one of this artist’s sculptures was auctioned off was 20 years ago, and it sold for 6.82 million.  Wednesday’s sale of “L’Homme Qui Marche 1” set a world record. It is reportedly “the most expensive piece of art ever sold” by Sotheby’s auction house.

The sculpture is said to be “both a humble image of an ordinary man, and a potent symbol of humanity.” Well- the value placed on that walking man’s head was not humble!! As for being a symbol of humanity,  we do sometimes attach that kind of  high value to some men or women walking around today, whether we agree with it or not!

Don’t get me wrong, if the artist was alive today, I would say “good for you, Mr. Giacometti, for being able to garner that kind of value from your artistic talents!”

Can anyone help me calculate what the profit per square inch of sculpted wire would be?

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Rosy Reflections

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“Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” ~               Sara Teasdale “The Philosopher”

Despite many trips to the mirror, have you ever looked into your reflection and observed some new things about yourself that you have never discovered before? All of us have experienced this phenomenon called self-discovery. Maybe you just noticed there are a few new freckles, that your eyes sparkle a little brighter than they did before or perhaps your mouth is more turned up than you thought.

Sometimes it leaves you shaking your head and wondering – it is an aura, my imagination or is it for real? It happened to me this week. Rather than explain exactly what I saw, I thought I would share the image that appeared before me, in my own mirror’s reflection, that way, there will be no distortion of the facts.

At the risk of being narcissistic, I am going to keep checking back with my mirror, because you never know what other changes can occur.  All of us feel good when we can share what we see with others, that is why I am sharing this reflection with you!

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