Tag Archives: company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers

America’s Oldest 4th of July Celebration

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He who loves not his country, can love nothing. ~ Lord Byron

Bristol, Rhode Island, the home of Roger Williams University http://rwu.edu/,  is a place that can claim the title of the city with The Oldest 4th of July Celebration. The town celebrates Independence Day in grand style and it is very special. This year, its residents will beat the drum to the 228th annual event. A patriotic parade, music concerts, an interfaith service, and a 4th of July Ball  are only a few things on the docket. The town will be decked out in its red, white and blue regalia – flags, banners, buntings and posters adorn the buildings. All things fulfilling about our country’s freedom and independence will be evident, including an abundance of food and drink that we have in America.

In the most recent issue of Yankee Magazine, an article about Bristol’s 4th of July celebration was featured. Pick up a copy of the magazine at your neighborhood newsstand. You can also read about the scheduled events on the official website, by following this link. http://www.july4thbristolri.com/.

Happy Independence Day, everybody and don’t miss the photographs below of Americana at its finest. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

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Rockwell Models Gather

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“I am the oldest antique in town.” ~ Norman Rockwell

RosieTheRiveterI love the images of Norman Rockwell. To me they are symbolic of the innate goodness of people and the average hardworking American. The paintings also remind me of a time when children were not rushed through childhood and were able to retain their innocence and naïveté for much longer. Things like patriotism, creativity, family and fellowship among people are depicted in so many of Rockwell’s paintings.

On July 6th, the NormanRockwellMuseum will be having a reunion of the models who posed for the artist who are still living. This event is being held in honor the 20th anniversary of the new museum building in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Panel discussions and the opportunity to hear Melinda Pelham (the daughter of the Arlington, Vermont Rockwell assistant), talk about her recent Rockwell discovery and her appearance on PBS-TV’s “Antiques Roadshow.” To read more about the Norman Rockwell Museum and this event, please follow this link to the website. http://bit.ly/16z8gcm .Click for info & ordering on Norman Rockwell Publications

Sounds like a fulfilling event! Put this on your “to do list” if you are in the area. While you are there, check out the many antique shops, farmers markets,historic architecture and the spectacular Berkshire countryside. The Sterling and Francine Clark Museum in Williamstown, Massachusetts http://www.clarkart.edu/museum/  is just a hop, skip and a jump away and worthwhile seeing!

Have a fulfilling 4th of July week, everybody. Cheers to independence and all things made in America!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers.

Paving the Way for Commerce Westward

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“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” ~Warren Buffett

A stroll along The Cliff Walk and Bellevue Avenue was a beautiful place to be last Saturday. Sunny skies and flowering trees added to the charm of Newport, RI, a city filled with mansions from The Guilded Age.

Many of the homes were built with embellishments found in European castles and cathedrals. The structures, fit for kings and royalty, are now museums because they are so expensive to maintain, and they are open to the public for touring. The mansions were once “seaside cottages” for wealthy families who came to Newport, RI, their summer playground. Life by the sea for the Vanderbilt’s, Astor’s, Webb’s and Dupont’s was more glitzy than it is today for most ocean resort dwellers. The families came with a full staff of servants, and house help who helped orchestrate the entertainment of other notables of great wealth and social standing. These prominent society people can be thanked for paving the way for prosperity in the United States. Through their investment in the railroads and steamships, commerce spread westward across America. They were the same individuals who were great patrons of the arts, and invested in magnificent paintings and other art installations, such as sculpture, in their mansions.

Enjoy your tour of Newport, through my photos:

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 Photo above & below: At the start of Cliff Walk in Newport, RI

with my twin sister

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The Breakers, Newport, RI

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Another summer cottage by the sea on Cliff Walk

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Graduation Day at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI http://www.salve.edu/

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Tree on Campus of Salve Regina University – Rooted in two different places!

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Another of the Mansions along Cliff Walk

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Dogwoods, Azaleas, and other flowering trees were in bloom

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Sue, Jan and my niece, Kara in the middle

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. I  will show you a few more of the sites in Newport, RI from my travels. My trip to Rhode Island was not my first, but I found plenty of fulfilling things I had never seen before. Come back  to see the mansion we toured.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. A Company Specializing in e-Commerce and e-Marketing for Independent Publishers.

True, Inspiring Entrepreneurial Stories

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“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” – Richard Branson, Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurial stories. Perhaps you have a yarn to share of your own exploration, exploits and success in business. Have you ever thought to relate it in book form? Now is as good a time as ever, all through independent publishing.

In this day and age, you don’t necessarily even have to pay for storage and warehousing of inventory and many other hassles that come with selling paperback and hardbound publications. No, I am not telling you a wild story, I’ll leave that to the Banana Republic. I am talking about the growing industry of e-book publishing.

In the recounting of their business adventure that started out with no previous business start-up experience, and a $1500 investment, Mel and Patricia’s passion for fashion, adventure and innovation built their company to behemoth status internationally.

wild companyWild Company: The Untold Story of the Banana Republic may give you insight into how to share your own business’ success story. Check it out.Click here for info & ordering Wild Company.

If you have already had proven business or entrepreneurial success, you would probably be a “natural” at independent publishing. You probably already have the right spirit; perhaps technical skills to become an independent publisher utilizing digital platforms. If you need help,ask a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers , they  can  support your efforts.

Want to know more about independent publishing before you get started? There is an on-line webinar published by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association called On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry http://bit.ly/10cCp1Y  that will provide you with basic knowledge about  the new generation of publishing whereby ordinary people are telling extraordinary stories and benefiting from telling  them however they want to, creatively.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Speaking Bookselling Opportunities

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Today, we will drift back into dialogue that is current and a hot topic in this century for those who enjoy speaking the language of bookselling through e-commerce, public speaking and independent bookstores.

You are Cordially Invited to:

 A Writers Workshop

Date: August 24, 2012

Time: 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Where: The Book Worm (An Indie Bound Bookstore) at Riverwalk 

City: Edwards, Colorado

Description of the Workshop:  Owner of the Book Worm, Nicole Magistro will be speaking about getting independent publications onto the shelves of bookstores and consignment arrangements, author of Scones and Sensibility Lindsay Eland will presenting tips about selling books through public speaking and Sue Leonard, Owner of Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC, a company specializing in e-commerce and e-marketing  will be talking about marketing publications over the internet.

Time will be allotted for Question and Answers and Helpful Resources will be provided at the event. For more information on the Book Worm in Edwards,Colorado or on the Writers Workshop, please go to

Look forward to seeing you there!

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

Engage in Results Based Marketing

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“Being entirely honest with oneself is good exercise.” ~ Sigmund Freud

I’ve never thought that I have an addictive personality – could care less about chocolate, drugs have never been my thing and I tend to avoid big blasts of caffeine. A morning and afternoon cup of honey-laced tea is for me. Don’t even mingle with a just few sips of alcohol. It puts me off my feet. I’m not fitness-crazed; only the recommended daily walk.  Yet I have developed a co-dependency, there is no doubt!

Addictive personality traits help people deal with life, and in my case, addiction to social media brings gratification to the heart of the business. The substance behind the addiction of internet marketing is communication. How can anyone isolate themselves and not do business without engaging in social media? It does not work. Fact of the matter is, and I am not just trying to rationalize, in this day and age does anyone have a better choice?

All Things Fulfilling is my enabler. The blog connects me with other folks who live, breathe and talk independent publishing and find fulfillment in the creative arts.  My addiction to blogging is fueled by results.

This is one addiction worth hanging on to. If you are an independent business owner of any kind (including those who work in the creative arts) who is getting few positive results from  old fashioned marketing tactics, such as in-print ads and direct mailings, there is help available. Remember, we are now in the digital age.

Contact a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. Learn about the new dimension in advertising and promotion that is far reaching and relatively low cost. It is worth getting hooked ..

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

Talkin’ Turkey about Book Selling Events

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“Self respect – that cornerstone of all virtue.” ~ John Herschel (1792-1871) 

Are you an independent publisher who is ready to hit the book selling scene by doing book appearances and book signings at local libraries, bookstores and other venues? 

 Traveling from venue to venue can be expensive and time consuming, but it is still a necessary part of selling books. Not every independent publisher has it in their budgets to travel from coast to coast on book tours, so they concentrate their efforts locally and regionally.  A very effective way to increase your visibility, as an author beyond the local or regional level, is to put a solid e-marketing plan into place. There are companies that specialize in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers, who can help you with that. 

Let’s talk turkey for just one moment .When you do schedule personal appearances at bookstores and in other venues, make sure your time and money is well spent. Arrive at the venue with all the information you need about the details of the event stuffed inside of you, well in advance. 

There are questions to ask before you arrive at the site. Ask about size of the meet and greet area and it’s location within the store. Find out what the book store’s “take” of the bookselling proceeds will be. So you can fulfill your part of the agreement, ask whether to bring signage, a cash box or credit card machine and about other promotional materials that might be helpful. If you are well organized and prepared, you will be viewed as a bookselling professional when you arrive at the scene. It will reduce the stresses on the day of the event.

To learn more about planning a successful do-it-yourself book tour, please visit this site  http://bit.ly/RUJsq /. It is filled with good tips.

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

Finding Fulfillment East to West

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“We all soon had a change of mind, back to the Mountains we rode, with our maps.” ~ Alice Bradshaw Butler

I recently stopped by the Dorchester County Library in Cambridge, Maryland. I entered into the M. Virginia Webb Memorial Maryland Room to revisit the work of author Alice Bradshaw Butler. On my last trip to the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, I discovered this poet’s book called “Reflections.” I wanted to explore it some more.

This writers’ life seems to mirror mine in many ways. She, too, was an East Coast gal whose life changes eventually brought her west. Alice Bradshaw Butler was born and bred on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She was educated at Towson State Teachers College (now referred to as Towson University); in the town of my native roots. In 1909 she left her life in Maryland, traveled and settled in the Western plains of Montana.

I’ve gotten got a strong sense that we would be kindred spirits, were she alive today. She seemed to find fulfilling things in both the East and the West. I find myself having conflicted feelings about  which part of the country I like best.  Our own shared personal values, life travels and travails can be summed up in many of her poem’s titles. Here are just a few, all written by Alice Bradshaw Butler:

  • Life Full of Wondrous Things
  • Walking beside Sandy Shore
  • Crossroads (Presence of  God during Difficult Days)
  • My Island Home
  • Gold in them thar Hills
  • Let’s Walk this Land
  • I am So Glad I am a Christian
  • Westward Bound
  • A Different Road
  • A Paradise for a Hunter
  • The Woodland Glen

I returned to this author’s book because I found community with the author, our shared interests and her likeable writing style. As an independent publisher, have you properly identified your market and are you reaching it from east to west through innovative methods of marketing and promotion in a digital world? If not, consult with a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. They will help you and your book become more visible on the world-wide-web.

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

Take a Fulfilling Trip

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“We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.” ~ Bill Hicks

Last month I had the pleasure of interviewing author, screenwriter, performing artist, journalist and songwriter Mara Purl about her book “What the Heart Knows.”  Her hardcover is slated for release on September 27, 2011, about a week from now. 

For each blogger who was a part of Mara’s month-long virtual book tour, she reciprocated by blogging back about each blogger’s site and it’s focus. As a blog writer, I know the intense work that that takes! “Bringing my customers to the world. Bringing the world to my customers” is the blog site theme that Mara Purl has associated with our company blog site, All Things Fulfilling. She hit the mark – that is the aim of our company, Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC! To read the entire text, please visit http://bit.ly/okpGOL. 

I would be presumptuous if I thought that Mara’s quote applies only to a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. From my perspective, the goal of every author and blog writer in the literary world is to bring your customers (your readers) to the cosmos that you, the writer, created. By effectively communicating a valuable or entertaining message through the medium of a book, film or music, you might bring your customer to a universe of women’s fiction or into a puzzling story of mystery; to the work of a non-profit through an independently published film; or perhaps to the lyrics of powerful and emotive music.

Secondarily, the objective when publishing a book or producing a film or music is to reach customers all over the world. That is now entirely possible and probable all through the power of  internet  selling and e-marketing! 

After years of evolution and revolution, the independent publishing universe is now a force to be reckoned with. Take a quick trip to the new world of publishing through this link http://bit.ly/oIkV2g. You will begin to understand what an historical time it is in the publishing world. The world of books no longer revolves around five or six giant publishing houses. It is an exciting and dynamic era in media.

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