Tag Archives: Business

Libraries Agree the Time is NOW!

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“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll 

Last weekend, I had an opportunity to read an independently published book written by Kristen Moeller, called “Waiting for Jack.” http://bit.ly/bUy3pu.  This book has been enormously successful, and I believe it is because many people can relate to the book’s message. The point of the book is to bring to light to the fact that many people live their lives saying and thinking things like, “ I will be happy and my life will be fulfilling when …….” 

You pick your poison, and fill in the blank as you see fit!  A  few times in my life have I fallen victim to this way of thinking, but I usually do fairly well at finding the best in any given situation. 

There was another very good point made in the book “Waiting for Jack” that I did fully relate to, however. That is the importance of thinking outside of the box. Never has this become so clear to me until I moved from my thirty-five year state of residence to a new state. All kinds of opportunities and possibilities made sense to me when I  began to move away from old ways of doing things and started anew. 

Our past few blogs have been focused on a very valuable agreement that has just been signed between the Douglas County Libraries and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. This agreement, I believe, will be as author Kristen Moeller, would say “a fierce disruption of the ordinary.” 

The Director of the Douglas County Libraries, Jamie LaRue, has taken a bold and brazen step in removing the boundaries that libraries have operated within for many, many years. By no longer restricting the library from only buying books from the main six or seven publishing giants from across the land, libraries will be positioned to accept a new generation of books.  Electronic books (e-books) from independent publishers will move the library away from standard ways of doing business, into new-age bodies of work.

Evidently, the Douglas County Libraries, and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association have decided the time is NOW! I have a feeling, that as libraries move away from doing business as usual, in time the full ramifications of this new agreement will  be realized by both libraries and independent publishers – not just here, but all over the globe. 

Yippee! There will be more IPPY’s in coming years!

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Pilot Program for Independent Publishers

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“It is not easy to be a pioneer – but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.” ~ Elizabeth Blackwell 

According to Jamie LaRue, the Director of Douglas County Libraries in Colorado, “this is the most exciting time in publishing since the invention of the printing press. Until now, books coming through the gateway of the library have been restricted to only those that have been published by the big traditional publishing houses.” The new agreement that has been signed between the Douglas County Library System http://douglascountylibraries.org/  and the Colorado Independent Publishers Association www.cipabooks.com  will allow a system whereby independent publications can be found by library patrons and libraries will essentially be fulfilling a need for the independents by helping them to find readers, too. How cool is that? 

The magnitude of opportunity and possibilities that this agreement opens up for libraries all across the country and for independent publishers, too, is mind boggling. “Take this another few steps further”, a Colorado Independent Publishers Association member remarked at the signing of the agreement, “and think what this agreement can do for independent publishers of film and music, too.” 

Of course, providing top quality books has always been the objective of libraries, and this will remain unchanged. Being put into place is a “rating system” that will allow the best  to be included in catalog of e-booksthat will be sold to libraries. 

Jamie LaRue told his story of how his mind-set had been changed toward independent publishers. He used to interview authors, and as he began to feature a few independent publishers, he realized there is a whole new generation of publishers who have outstanding, valuable stories to share but the big traditional publishing houses are passing them by. It seems his objective is to provide excellence in literature for his library patrons, whether traditionally published or not. 

To read more about this e-book Pilot program agreement between the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and the Douglas County Libraries, please visit http://bit.ly/eYPEix. 

You can be sure, we will be following this story as this agreement unfolds. Keep in touch with what is happening in the dynamic and changing world of independent publishing through All Things Fulfilling. This blog site is dedicated to those who have independent thoughts, words and views, that will truly change the world of publishing.

This photograph is the signing of the e-book agreement between Colorado Independent Publishers Association President, Nancy Mills and Director of Douglas County Library System, Jamie LaRue.

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Taking it All In

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“Change is in all things sweet!” ~ Aristotle 

We are going to take a break from routine this Friday. I will be finding fulfillment  in Denver by attending the largest meet-up group in the country “Creative Connections” – a group of over 1,000 members strong! It is always a great day when communities of like-minded people can converse and network about things they have in common. 

On Saturday, I will be attending an historic event that will add a whole new dimension to the relationship between libraries and independent publishers. Jamie LaRue, Director of the Douglas County Library system in Colorado, will be signing an agreement that has been long awaited. The agreement will allow the libraries to acquire and lend e-books published by CIPA members www.cipacatalog.com without limitation, how is that? I will be listening and watching with rapt attention. It will be a day of celebration for those who have worked so creatively and diligently, together, to make this happen!  

More about Jaime LaRue – in 2007 he won the Julie J. Boucher Award for Intellectual Freedom. He is also the author of The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges. 

I look forward to sharing the news of the weekend with you on Monday. I believe this weekend will be the start of something really valuable for both libraries and independent publishers here in Colorado, and in time, everywhere! 

I’ll have a sip of champagne and piece of cake on behalf of all you independent publishers out there!

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She Writes Steamboat

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“We can begin by doing small things at the local level… like looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place …from many local actions occurring simultaneously.” ~  Grace Lee Boggs 

One of the very best ways to build business is through networking – building communities of like-minded people! This applies to building independent publishing businesses, too. Self-publishing authors, micro-presses and small presses, do not have some of the benefits and the marketing advantages of traditional publishing conglomerates at their dispose. Therefore, it is important to join independent publishing trade associations and writers guilds. Cooperative efforts can be very effective in supporting the non-traditional publisher.

What self-publishing authors, micro-presses and small presses do have, to their advantage, is the flexibility of doing business any way they see fit. Many decide to independently publish for this very reason.  Publishers who go the independent route are fulfilling a need by providing unique publications that readers are looking for. Non-traditional publishers often opt for tactics of selling and marketing their books that traditional publishers may reject. 

There is a new networking group called She Writes www.shewrites.com  being established inSteamboat Springs, Colorado. This meet-up group’s goal is to heighten awareness of independent publishing projects that creatives in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding Routt County are engaged in and to support those efforts. Anyone who is starting or is in the process of independently publishing a book, film, music or other media can attend. 

She Writes Steamboat’s first objective is to establish a time and a regular place to meet and to connect with those in the community who would like to collaborate and network with other independent-minded publishing folks. In the coming weeks, more information will be available on our first gathering. Keep your eyes open to future blog posts on All Things Fulfilling about the She Writes Steamboat Meet-up group. Excitement is in the air!

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Words and Images Haunt

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“It is not a bad thing that children should occasionally, and politely, put parents in their place.”  ~Colette, My Mother’s House, 1922 

Yesterday I met with a client at the Bud Werner Library in Steamboat Springs, CO. www.steamboatlibrary.org .  As I sat in the library café waiting for my client to arrive, I began to leaf through Book Page. There was an article in it on how to raise readers. As I browsed the article, I began to laugh out loud!  One of the tips was some thing like  “when reading a book to a child, don’t necessarily keep to the script. Feel free to use editorial control.” 

How, may I ask, “Can a parent get away with that?” I never could! I was caught in the act, every time!  My son would scold me, as if I was raiding the refrigerator, taking out all the good stuff, in the middle of the night. 

“No, Mom, that is not right! That is not how the story goes!” he would say. Even as a little toddler, he could sense every time I strayed from the storyline, skipped a page or two, or ad-libbed just a wee bit. He knew when my words did not exactly match the pictures. Could this be the reason he has become a film editor and filmmaker? Now he is fulfilling his need for perfection – making sure the story told in pictures, matches the script! 

So, what is the point of the blog? One of the very best ways to raise a reader is to be a reader. But, caution, parents – even when you think your kids aren’t watching they are. Take heed, children notice and remember parent’s independent words and deeds as well as lessons learned from books. 

To read the full article on How to Raise a Reader, stop by your local library. Pick up a complimentary May issue of Book Page.  Most libraries have the publication available for their patrons or go on-line to www.bookpage.com.

 By the way, Happy Mother’s Day to Moms everywhere!

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Clearly, Worth it!

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“I’m touched  by the idea that when we do things that are useful and helpful…that we may be helping to bring about a healing.” ~Leonard Nemoy

Discovery is a wonderful thing! Yesterday I experienced THE best way to get relief from mental clog (aka writer’s cramp) induced by writing blog after blog after blog. I decided to take advantage of a complimentary hot oil scalp massage treatment that I had won in a raffle at a WIN Steamboat http://bit.ly/jSsNQF (Women in Networking) event. After all, I had hit my goal of reaching 10,000 readers through All Things Fulfilling. It was time to celebrate!

I arrived at the doors of Kneading Hands Massage not knowing quite what to anticipate, but I felt I would be in good hands. Ali, the therapist, was voted as one of the top three massage therapists in the “Best of the Boat.” www.kneadinghandstherapy.gmail.com.

Within a very few minutes I knew that the hot oil scalp massage would be beneficial for treating my dry scalp and hair and it would be a panacea for other things too. As Ali began to work her magic on my neck, I could feel the tension begin to melt away – crack, went my neck! As she began to apply the hot oil and massage it deep into my scalp, I could feel the warm liquid begin to ooze and penetrate. The gentle stroke of her hands and the balm (the essential oils) began to facilitate an awakening of energy in my head. The oils began to reach into the deeper recesses of my being and I could sense my brain matter becoming more pliable. The tension began to ease and the mental block began to give way to clarity.

Once out of my position of repose, I had a very lucid thought. I had reached a lofty blogging goal I had set for myself and now it is time to put into place a new set of goals. Clearly, I had proven to myself that “what you think about, you bring about.”  All my efforts at blogging have indeed been worthwhile. For tips on blogging success, please visit http://bit.ly/gDGQN8.

Before I conclude this blog writing, I owe a thank you to Ali at Kneading Hands Massage. She is clearly a master in her trade of the healing arts and has been well schooled in this field. If my writer’s block returns once again, I know exactly where to seek help.

As to what my next goal in life is – that is for me to know and for you to find out! And you will. Discovery is a wonderful thing!

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Patiently Waiting for Bowker

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“All human wisdom is summed up in two words – wait and hope.”  ~ Alexandre Dumas Pere 

The April 15th income tax filing deadline has come and gone. But last Friday, income tax was not at all what I was pre-occupied with. Rather it was publishing statistics that were at the top of my list. I am wondering – is the non-traditional publishing industry still continuing to grow? 

Typically, after the first quarter of the New Year, www.Bowker.com, the storehouse for all bibliographical information, releases its report on the health of the publishing industry for the previous year. On Friday I researched on-line to see whether the 2010 statistics had yet been made available. I can not find them. But I am hopeful that when the truth is known, it will be as positive as for the year 2010 as it was the year before. 

When the 2009 reports were made known in April 2010, I was astonished to learn that despite our country’s economic downturn, the independent publishing industry (non-traditional publishing) had grown at an aggressive rate – up 181% between 2008 and 2009. However, traditional publishing remained flat. 

I am going to cut www.Bowker.com some slack and be patient. After all, just because they released their figures last year by the 15th of April, does not mean I should expect it again this year. It is not even the end of the first quarter yet! 

Perhaps I am justified in thinking optimistically. In business, bad news usually arrives on Fridays. I am going to take the fact that statistics were not published on Friday the 15th, as a positive sign.  What is that terribly over-used expression? “Good things come to those who wait?”

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Choices along Life’s Path

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I don’t paint things.  I only paint the difference between things.  ~Henri Matisse 

Regular readers of this blog site, All Things Fulfilling, know that I made a promise to continue the theme overview of the book Clara and Mr. Tiffany that was begun in the blog writing titled Glassworks Inspired by Nature. http://bit.ly/h0j9Uc. And so we continue: 

Throughout the tale of Clara and Mr. Tiffany, life choices are a recurring dilemma for the main character. There are two issues that Clara struggles with. Many times over, she is forced to examine where her loyalties lie. She can continue her fulfilling work as an artist and follow her truth in life, or free herself from her on-going struggle as a woman trying to gain recognition for her artistry and creativity. The second choice would be to opt out of the “artist’s way” and follow a more conventional path. 

Although a fictional story, Clara also faces a  judgment that many artists in real life find themselves confronted with, throughout their careers – quality of art vs. quantity of production. Many artists feel conflicted when trying to decide whether to commercialize their art or not. There is no right or wrong. It is all a matter of individual choice. 

Decisions such as those that Clara was forced to make, weigh heavily on an artist. Priorities are tested when it comes to making the selection. It can become a tug of  heart between doing right things or doing things right. Have you ever been faced with similar torments in your life? What path did you decide to follow?

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Writers: Explore and Navigate

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The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar and familiar things new.  ~Samuel Johnson

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been explorers in all kinds of fields – medicine, business, science, space, technology, publishing, communication and more. The pioneering spirit is driven by hope for fulfillment through research, prospecting, investigation and discovery.

When an individual is exploring possibilities of writing a book, producing a film or music the impetus behind the mission is to create with words, images or audio sounds an original idea. Researching what has been done before, and devising a plan independent of the “the same old, same old” is not an easy task. In publishing, finding a contemporary way of communicating thoughts and ideas is what constructing a successful publication is about. There is a company that can help create a plan for your idea and find a novel way of sharing it. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/h7EukB. 

Moreover, shaping a marketing campaign, that communicates the originality of your published projected, is essential.  If you will be selling your publication on the world-wide-web, and have never navigated the waters of internet marketing, there are professionals that specialize in e-marketing for independent publishers. There are all kinds of innovative ways of broadcasting the marketing message, far and wide, in this electronic age.

 

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Puzzle Pieces in Place

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“Writing is mentally stimulating; it’s like a puzzle that makes you think all the time.”
~Stephanie Zimbalist 

I like to put together jigsaw puzzles, and until I get every last piece into place, I can not rest. When that final part has been put into place, what a fulfilling feeling that is! 

A few weekends ago, I spoke with authors and independent publishers who were visiting exhibit booths at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association “College” www.cipabooks.com. The visitors attending the trade industry event were looking for all the missing puzzle pieces to complete their publishing project. They were in various stages of the process. 

Some had begun to envision their writing project but had yet to put a single piece into place. They knew that gaining insight into the entire process, prior to beginning the task, was a wise thing to do. 

Others had completed the writing process, and were looking for the next puzzle piece to put into place. They were searching for folks who could add “spit and polish” to their rough draft.

Many had every part of the puzzle in place, except the final. They had come to learn more about how to sell and effectively market their finished product. Like most non-traditional publishers they were seeking information on selling books, film and music over the internet. E-marketing is an essential puzzle piece that fits well into the independent publishing game. 

Understanding how the last piece of the puzzle, “the internet marketing part” is the connector in the over-all picture of e-commerce is so important. This marketing piece, seldom well-understood,  has added a whole new dimension to selling over the world-wide-web. 

If you have never had experience in fitting this piece of the puzzle into your company’s marketing plans, help is available.  Start by locating a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. It is essential that all the internet marketing  pieces are put into place  correctly so that your potential buyers can find just what they are looking for.This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.