Category Archives: world wide shipping

Film Friday – 50 Greatest Indie Films

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“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!

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“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

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“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.

Architecture, Glassworks and History

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“In all things, let reason be your guide.” ~ Solon

On April 5th, I posted a blog entitled Glassworks Inspired by Nature. http://bit.ly/h0j9Uc. It continues to be one of the most frequently read blogs of all time on All Things Fulfilling. Obviously, it struck a cord with readers on this site.  

I will be writing another blog on this subject and am looking for help from our readers all over the world. If you have found in your travels or in your community, an architectural structure that is of great interest due to it’s history, architecture and the glassworks incorporated into the design of the building, come forth and post a reason why you think your suggestion fits what I am looking for. Remember – all three elements must be there – art (extraordinary glass installations), architecture and history. 

At a later date,  modern structures that wow will be featured. For now, I am searching for historical structures. This request could bring enlightenment and education for all readers. After all, there are buildings all over the world that are inspiring and carry stories of interest that the average person has had little to no exposure to. 

By the way, fulfilling things don’t come just in churches…… many public buildings, private  homes, college campuses, museums and community centers  could have the three elements that I am looking for, too. 

 Identify this structure or post in the comment section your favorite structure that fulfills the requirements of history, glass installations and architecture. I want to hear from you and the best of the best will be featured. 

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

Books Made to Order

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“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.

 

 

Life in Chapters

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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

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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.

Lightening Loads for Students

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“The great majority of men are bundles of beginnings.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Students today, they have it made in the shade!!! More and more schools are beginning to think “sustainability” and are using e-books to educate their students. Fewer back breaking backpacks to haul around. One little tablet, sometimes with dimensions of as little as six or seven inches, across and down, and an inch or two thick has the capacity to download any textbook a student needs. 

As this e-book phenomenon continues to grow, it will be interesting to see the integration of e-readers into classrooms. The question remains, what is the best e-reader for college needs and can students learn as well using e-readers as those who use books in print? For more information on this issue, please go to this USA Today article. http://usat.ly/cYgxNz. 

School will be starting in another few weeks. I remember each new school year began with trepidation. The new teacher, unfamiliar faces in the classroom, homework, the tests, the term papers…..I never really made friends with any of it until I hit college, and then I really thrived. I became a decent student and enjoyed my classes and studies. But even in college, there was one thing that weighed heavily on my mind and on my back that I disliked about school – carrying the dreaded backpack filled with heaps of books.

I never could reconcile in my mind why after decades and decades of printing and binding textbooks, publishers never figured out a way to make lighter books.  Now they have! 

As far as sustainability goes, e-readers will indeed save backs of children from being stressed by carrying too much weight and lessen the burden and dilemma of what to do with no longer needed textbooks, too. 

Why didn’t someone think of digital reading devices when I was still a  student?

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

Mellifluous Monday

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Mellifluous: “Flows like honey, smooth and sweet.” Sounds like a very fulfilling way to live life and an apropos adjective to describe my week ahead. 

The first day of the business week – attending weekly Kiwanis meeting. Always worthwhile because it’s “an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, one child and one community at a time.” www.kiwanis.org

  • Tuesday – Meet-up at City Café in Steamboat Springs,Colorado at 4pm. Our third monthly meeting of SHe Writes Steamboat. Lots of independent publishing business to tend to this month. Susan Mead, MH will also be presenting her book “Take Back your Body.”
  • Wednesday – stay tuned to the back story of an author and actress who took the stage on The Days of our Lives.
  • Thursday – Come on back to All Things Fulfilling. We will be on a blog tour with an interview of an author and actress whose life converged with mine due to common interests.
  • A music banquet feast at the end of the week. On Friday night Grammy nominated artist Eliza Gilkyson, world-renowned, singer-songwriter  John Gorka (with 11 albums to his name)  and  Winner of Best Pop Album of the year for the Association of Independent Music, Lucy Kaplansky will join forces. Their band Red Horse will entertain at Strings in the Mountains www.stringsmusicfestival.com. I’ll be there to help people to their seats! 

    This summer is slipping away quickly. Kids will soon be back to school. Take advantage of the next few weeks by treating your children to a museum, the theatre, art or culture of your favorite kind. It will broaden your child’s life experience and you may just stir up their  life-long love for the Arts.

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

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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