Tag Archives: e-books

Fulfilling Content and Issues

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“What do I write about?” I asked myself several years ago when I began this blog. It was a risky and uncertain day when my first writing went public. As time went on, I gradually formed and honed my vision for what I wanted to share – issues that were near and dear to my heart such as independent publishing (books, film, music), education, business, career, parenting, faith and all kinds of fulfilling things. Fortunately, I do not have a one track mind. And as you may have noticed, my mind flits from subject to subject. You never know from day to day what you will find. The more I have written, the more my passion has grown for what I am doing.

On Friday, I received my year end blog reports. I am very content, the issues I write about have interest. Here is what the report stated.

  • All Things Fulfilling had enough readers to fill all the majestic spaces and seats in the Sydney Opera House nine times over.
  • There was an increase of 7,000 readers over the previous year.
  • All Things Fulfilling reached 141 countries
  • The busiest day was February 25, 2013 with 3,097 readers – it was also my son’s 25th birthday – that’s pretty neat!
  • The subject I blogged about that day – a book written by Kenneth W Merrill & Barbara Gueldner called Social & Emotional Learning: Promoting Mental Health & Academic Success.  Here is the link to the 2/25/13 blog:

http://bit.ly/1i3zb5X.

I need to work hard to continue to provide fulfilling content!  I have faith that with the continued growth of independent publishing (and now with the popularity of e-books), fulfilling subjects to write about this year will be plentiful.

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What else does this report mean to me?  Dear Readers:

Thank you bottom ofheart

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow.

 

End of Year Reflections

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Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action ~ Peter Drucker

It’s clear that the industry of independent publishing or “non-traditional publishing” has brought compelling stories that ordinarily wouldn’t have had a chance of being published traditionally, into the marketplace.

digital publishing worldLooking back over the past years, I have read and worked with a wide variety of independent publishing clients who have produced e-books as a result of the “digital revolution.” Indeed, over the past decade there have been vast changes that have taken place in how books are published. However, one thing that has not changed is the impetus behind why people publish. Authors write to educate, inform, entertain and inspire others, whether the words are on paper or in digital format.

The Digital Book World Conference is only a few weeks away. Soon, the Book Industry Study Group will be wrapping up their research for 2013 which will reveal statistics about how e-books have fared over the past year in the marketplace. I look forward to reading the reports.

Lavar Burton will serve as host of the Digital Book World Conference. Industry leaders including Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon will be speaking and other notables in the publishing industry will hold roundtable discussions and panel discussions. Best selling e-book authors, such as Darcie Chan, who wrote an e-book called The Mill River Recluse, which was set in Vermont, will also be in attendance.

On January 13 at 5:30 pm (at the opening evening of the New York City Conference) a screening the film of Out of Print, narrated by Meryl Streep will be shown. This eye opening movie takes the viewer into a world where books-in-print are non-existent and books as we have known them are replaced by all digital publications.

To register to attend the conference, and to learn about the line-up of speakers and the schedule, please visit http://bit.ly/1lj8tGd.

As always, I look forward to keeping our readers informed on All Things Fulfilling about e-book industry developments through out the year 2014.

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

E-Books: A Vital Option

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“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow

Shopping-CartIf you are ready to publish your manuscript, there are many choices to consider. Offering an electronic version of a book has become a necessity if you are an author who wants to reap the benefits in the digital marketplace. More often than not, potential book buyers want to know if a title “is available as an e-book?”

According to a recent article in Publishers Weekly Magazine, sales in e-books have dipped a little from when the Kindle and the Nook were initially rolled out. However,  e-book sales have remained strong, jumping a total of “4,456% since 2008.” That is a big deal and e-books have become a “billion dollar industry” according to the article. Here is a link so you can see all the e-book selling statistics from 2008 – 2012. http://bit.ly/Hc3JVq. We won’t see the 2013 book sales results for a few more months.

In my opinion, there will be more technological developments coming that will blow away any remaining doubts that e-books are just a passing trend. Especially as digital publishing becomes integrated into more classrooms and library catalogs.

Authors don’t miss out on a stream of income by failing to offer an e-book version of your title. And remember “if you are selling over the internet, you must be marketing over the internet” because that is where your potential book buyers hang out!

Speaking of hang-outs, thanks for frequenting this website. Do return tomorrow to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com tomorrow, the blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Quick Delivery, Read it & Enjoy!

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On Friday, I read an interesting article in USA Today about business and entrepreneurship. The article described how the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohaninan, was fueled by rejection. “True failure,” it was pointed out in the article ” is not to persevere and learn from setbacks.”

The article also mentioned how the Millennial generation has grown up in an environment so different than what older Americans have experienced before. There is no longer a predetermined path for the American dream, thus in today’s world “there aren’t a lot of conventions to be conventional about.”

This statement made me think about publishing and how it is almost unrecognizable from where it was back in the late 1990s, when I began my company. At that time, only a few brave souls with spirit dared “buck the system” and publish independently. Now, we have moved into a whole different publishing model, where the independents have gained substantial market share which includes e-books (digital publishing).  Whether we can predict whether a time will come when books will only be available in digital form, it is too early to tell.

sprout greenThere are those who say they will never read an e-book, but my  question to doubters is “What is wrong with progress? Is that not what brought about the printing press?” And, I will always maintain my position that “a good read, is a good read, no matter how it is delivered. E-books are just one more way you can say you’ve read it and enjoyed it!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

e-Book Extravaganza

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Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. ~ Kofi Annan

cipa logoOn Saturday I made the very worthwhile three hour trek into Denver from Steamboat Springs, Colorado to attend Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) monthly meeting. The September agenda was an e-Book Extravaganza. Here are just a few things that were discussed throughout the day:

  • The e-book industry now represents 33% of book sales. How about that?
  • People like having a choice of formats, so offering books in print, as well as an e-book version is wise marketing.
  • There is still a viable market for books-in-print but there is a certain part of the reading population who are clamoring for e-books due to their convenience.
  • Surprisingly, people who are 55 years of age and over ARE BUYING e-books, contrary to what was expected. It is not just the young generation that are interested in the digital format.
  • We discussed pricing of e-books and how you can leverage your intellectual property.
  • E-books make it easy to offer samples, providing potential book buyers the  opportunity to see if they like an author they’ve never read before.
  • A big advantage to e-books – there is no printing involved, thus it removes the need for physical space of inventory.

If you are a writer who wants to get on The Fast Track to Independent Publishing, here is a short webinar that will introduce you to the basics. http://bit.ly/10cCp1Y. 

Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, we will be discussing the next best step if you are a person who is considering independent publishing and you are in need of knowledge. I will tell you a quick but valuable story from this weekend.

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

 

Sharing Our Content

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If you would not be forgotten …either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.”  Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

There is interesting reading material on the world-wide-web these days. Besides the arrival of electronic publications (e-books) there are lots of folks around the globe with creative ideas who like to share them – in the form of a blog (web log). Blogs allow us the opportunity to zero-in and read news we are really interested in, free of charge.

How do you find blogs on the internet? Use your favorite search engine to discover articles about your topic of interest. For instance, say you are interested in what is going on in the art world. Search for art blogs. 

If you are interested in all things musical, popular blogs about music industry trends are listed. Read and enjoy! It’s as easy as that.

Wondering who is doing what in the film industry? There is bound to be interesting content on these sites from top influencers in the cinema world.

Join in with all the other subscribers who find All Things Fulfilling interesting for various different reasons. Along with articles about personal fulfillment, helpful information is available about an  industry that is making news daily – independent publishing of books, films and music.

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Interested? See the fourth box, E-Mail Subscription, on the right hand side of this page. Click on Sign Me Up!

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

Postcards Facing Extinction?

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“He who moves not forward, goes backward.” ~Johann Wolgang von Goethe

I tried, I really did, but there were no postcards to be had within a 20 mile radius. A few weeks ago I searched every convenience store, gas station and even inquired in local restaurants and marinas. Even on a remote island, where progress moves very slowly, postcards are like dinosaurs – they are non-existent. I had hoped to send some to my writer friends but, e-communication seems to have replaced most paper correspondence.

What with the price of gas, I couldn’t see traveling further than twenty miles just for a few postcards. So, for my author friends at the Steamboat Writers Group,http://steamboatwriters.com/ I’ll post my own image of my travels in this space and the message I would have written on a postcard if I’d had one.

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Visiting with writers groups in my travels – listening to works in progress. All things western traded for narratives about all things nautical. Fictional tales about authors bagging the big buck in the Rockies replaced with bragging about the big catch in the Atlantic. I still wait with baited breath for a true story. All things fulfilling and fun! See you soon.

The next greetings go out to my other pals at We Write Steamboat ,http://on.fb.me/1a8jQzO a networking group that I organized a few years ago. And also to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. www.cipabooks.com.

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Hi Gang –

Wish you were here – great place for a meeting. Writing group conversations on East Coast are very familiar. Like the west, independent publishing, e-books, print-on-demand & how the industry has changed takes priority no matter where I travel. All things fulfilling and fun! Wish you were here.

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

Book Club Buzz

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“Reason, observation and experience; the holy trinity of science.” ~ Robert Green Ingersoll

book group insiderAs I conclude my blog series about book clubs, here is what I have ascertained from being a casual observer.

Conclusion:  “Bookies” have their own opinions of what they like in a story. They are spirited and fight respectfully to uphold their side of the debate of whether they think a book was a good read or not.

Conclusion: Journeys of the heart, that incorporate lessons or themes involving moral judgments make for good book discussions.

Conclusion: Avid readers usually make  decent writers. They know what makes for a fulfilling story, and have a vault full of their own wealth of experiences to write about.

Conclusion: Most members are as interested in the author, as the storyline. This leads to curiosity about learning more about the writing process and publishing.

Thus, the group asked me to explain what I do. I said “everything I do in my professional life involves writing and reading. I consult with independent publishers on how to market and sell their products over the internet.”

A discussion ensued about how the publishing industry has changed. No surprise to this group. Many have had the experience of reading e-books. We talked about how digital technology has changed the way books, films and music is being produced. I left them with the thought that people just like themselves who have stories to tell, can now do it and not fear having a warehouse full of books sitting waiting to be sold. Print on demand and e-books have eliminated that.

I’d like to say thank you to the women in the Dorchester County Maryland book club who allowed me to observe their group discussion of “The Postmistress,” and for the opportunity to share with them information about the independent publishing industry. I enjoyed it very much.

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

Neighborly Inspiration

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inspiredWe have a whole group of individuals, right here in Routt County, Colorado, who are inspiring others through their independent publishing. I’ve gotten notice that we have several book contest finalists from our meet-up group, We Write Steamboat.

On May 18th in Lone Tree, Colorado the EVVY book awards will be presented by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Who will take home the prizes?

Each author has been a motivating force for others because they have pursued their passion for writing. Some share educational or career knowledge and experiences, others share very personal stories, others use their creative powers to craft a fictional piece of literature.

Today, I’d like to honor each one, award-winner or not, for having the perseverance to complete the writing process and publish it. Some have chosen to publish their books digitally (e-book), others, audio format, or a book in hardcover or paperback. Smart authors make their publications available in all formats, whenever possible.

I’d also like to thank our members of We Write Steamboat for supporting me and others in our group. Because independent publishers find community, rather than viewing each other as competitors, the industry is growing and so is our networking group. How fulfilling is that? It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood of Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in living a life inspired by other independent publishers.

rainbows-of-hope-260883Look forward to your return to   All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views  are all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Planting Technology Seeds Early

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“Some people are really drawn to technology and I liken them to artists.” ~ Mitchell Baker

I’m sorry but you can’t tell me that e-books are a passing fad. I read an article the other day that convinced me that we have only begun to realize the magnitude of advancing digital technology.

200449942-001The article was about eight year old children who are learning computer code in schools. The article supports the importance of keeping school curriculum current and relevant with advancing technology and doing away with outdated ways of teaching and learning.

Young children are those who, in the future, will  drive independent publishing and digital technologies to areas that we can adults can not even fathom. We can personally resist reading e-books and continue reading books in print, but the reality is that e-books are becoming a growing presence in our world. Electronic books are what the next generation of readers will want because they are so accustomed to using digital technology. In the end, it will become all about supply and demand.

To read more about Why Your Eight Year Old Should be Coding, here is the link.
http://bit.ly/Z39yLr .

It concerns me that if American schools do not have the resources to keep up with other countries, our workforce will be supplying products that people don’t even want or can not use and this country’s workers will not have skills that will  be useful in business. Knowing how to write computer code will be an advantage  for all kinds of careers in the future.

Return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling, where sharing independent thoughts, words and views is all part of the business. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.