Tag Archives: Fulfillment prices

Creative Connectivity

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“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.”   ~Bertold Brecht  

As I was raising a teenager, I heard parents commiserating that even after they had given their child curfews, “grounded them” and made requests to no longer have relationships with certain others, their child still found creative ways of  fulfilling  their need to connect with others. So it comes as no surprise that a trio of students – Zuckerberg, Hughes and Moskovitz created Facebook. Other young entrepreneurs are responsible for various other social media marketing channels, too.  Young folk think differently then those who came before them – all thirteen year olds will tell you that! 

What opportunity social media marketing has brought to our world! It has given us the ability to connect with communities of people that otherwise the odds of connecting to them, would have been slim to none! No matter how much money and effort is put into print advertising and direct mailing(even with the help of targeted lists) you can not beat the scope of  internet marketing.The  chances of reaching people that have similar interests is multiplied many times over through e-marketing. It is the best way of reaching large numbers of people for the lowest cost! 

Simply having a website is just not enough these days. If you do not have an e-marketing component to go with it, you are not maximizing your internet visibility. Now, there are many more ways, than one, to become visible over the internet. Need help with expanding your web presence? Use the worldwide web to find a company that specializes in both e-commerce and e-marketing. With the New Year approaching, rethink your business’s website presence – are you maximizing on your visibility? 

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

Comfort in Knowing

“Other things might change us, but we start and end with family.”                  ~ Anthony Brandt

I recently read some staggering statistics about hospice. According to The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization www.nhpco.org  1.45 million hospice patients were served in 2009. Out of approximately 2,500,000 deaths in 2008 – close to 963,000 were cared for by hospice workers. These numbers include patients who found comfort  and care in their final days of life in private residences, nursing homes, residential facilities, acute care hospitals and hospice inpatient facilities.

All of us have known someone who has been cared for by hospice workers in the final days of their life.  My hope is that along with my family, a compassionate and caring hospice worker will be by my side at the end of my life. This thought, I am sure, is shared by many people.

It is astounding to me that, although the need is great, the general population knows so little about hospice services. With our aging population, it would behoove all of us to be come educated and informed.

If you have a family member who is facing end of life issues, check with a  hospice facility, closest to you, to see whether they have a lending library that includes the documentary film “Pioneers of Hospice” www.pioneersofhospice.org. The film will help to educate you about an issue that, as human beings, each of us will face in a lifetime. The documentary sensitively handles a subject that so many are uncomfortable in discussing. It is insightful and educational for any family member who is faced wtih end of life decisions and end of life care.

You will find comfort in knowing you have learned something about hospice and it’s value prior to making those difficult end of life decisions for your loved one.

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

It is a Tricky Business

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One of the comments I hear from self publishing authors or independent publishers is “I had no idea what I was getting myself into!”  But this comment is not unique to the publishing industry. I have often heard the same comment from those who have renovated a house or had a house custom built! Sometimes, we just do not know all the facets of a project until  we roll up our sleeves and jump in!

This same comment can be heard from those selling independently published books, videos, DVDs and journals through e-commerce (internet sales). Independent publishers think “how hard can it be to put a book in the mail to someone?” What independent publishers fail to consider is this:

  • Is there time in your day to invoice the orders and record payments?
  • Do you have a reliable method for tracking your inventory?
  • Are you ready to deal with wholesale orders from bookstores, universities, libraries and other organizations?
  • Will you be able to handle customer service inquiries and calls regarding lost shipments or shipment tracking?

This is only surface stuff. Once you roll up your sleeves and jump in, I can assure you order fulfillment is a whole lot more time consuming and detailed than one can imagine. Just keeping track of what the most economical and most efficient way of shipping is, is a job in itself.

Thankfully, there are companies out there that can assist with the business end of shipping so you can focus on writing and publishing. The best way to find the support services you need is use your favorite seach engine and search the terms:  Order Fulfillment for Independent Publishers or Order Fulfillment for Independent Filmmakers or Order Fulfillment for Independently Published Books, Videos, DVDs and Journals. That part is not tricky!

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

Cracking Up!

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As an independent publisher, do you ever feel the tasks are overwhelming? There are printing matters to be dealt with, cover design decisions to be made, making sure the editiorial/revision process has been effectively handled, layout, pagination concerns, and the list just goes on and on. Isn’t it enough to just focus on publishing matters without having to handle the administrative tasks and shipping side of publishing too?

Before you reach beyond your limit, there is no reason to “crack up” from the stress of it all. There are companies out there that can assist you with processing and fulfilling your orders. They know the fastest and most economical ways of getting your book, film or other publication to the buyer and can even keep track of your sales and inventory matters.

It is easy to find a company to assist you. Go ahead, google “affordable order fulfillment for independent publishers.” It is that easy! Don’t wait until it is too late!

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

What is Under Your Umbrella?

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“What is  your name?” and “What do you do for a living?” I am routinely asked being an unknown face in a new community. When I answer question #2 with “I own an order fulfillment company specializing in e-Commerce for independent publishers,” I am looked at like I am a space alien. To redeem myself, I usually go on to mention some of the services our company provides for independent publishers:

  • Order Processing
  • Order Fulfillment (pick and pack)
  • World wide shipping
  • Warehousing
  • Providing sales and inventory reports
  • Social Media Marketing for our clients (the alien look sets in again)!

Our company is definitely a niche market kind of business. But, anyone seeking our services knows what they are looking for.  They know to google “order fulfillment for independent publishers” to find us on the internet.

Sometimes when asked question #2 “What do you do for a living? ” I just put everything under one big umbrella and answer -“We assist independent publishers with the business and shipping aspect so they can focus what they do best – writing and publishing!”

Does that clear things up? I will keep my umbrella handy incase things get cloudy again.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

                            

Partners

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If you plan on hiring an outside company to handle order fulfillment of your independently published books and DVDs, it is always a good idea to begin your search for a fulfillment company well in advance.

Advanced research (and obtaining quotations) will help you in setting your price points for your products. You will want to make sure the shipping and handling fees you charge your customers will pay for a good part of having your publication shipped from the warehouse to your customer’s door.

A qualified fulfillment company knows and can discuss the mail order industry standards for shipping and handling fees. Make this a part of your discussion when searching for fulfillment companies. Sometimes, two heads are better than one when it comes to establishing appropriate shipping and handling fees.

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

Comin’ Down the Track

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Traditionally published writers are jumping the track and heading down the road toward independent publishing. It is not that their manuscripts aren’t good and can not be accepted by traditional publishing houses. Quite the contrary!  They have established themselves as creditable writers and already have  a following. They just want to try the independent publishing route this time around.

My advice to this group of writers is not to jump the track completely. Continue having an outside source assist you with marketing, order fulfillment  and distribution of your publication. There are lots freelance professionals that can help you with those aspects of the process.

The “to do” list is long enough for writers. Don’t think you can engineer the entire publishing process on your own. Surely, you do not want a train wreck!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

Move Forward In Confidence

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Do your research and be informed. Many order fulfillment and distribution companies charge a hefty monthly minimum fee if your monthly sales volume does not meet their requirements.  Keep this in mind when  you are choosing an order fulfillment company.

Stop! Ask! And move forward when guided by knowledge.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

 

 

Climbing Mountains

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Many days, there is too much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it done. Everyone experiences that feeling! No one more so than independent publishers.  Writing is a business, publishing is a business and then there is the business side of both, too. Keeping track of your sales and inventory reports, maintaining a database of your customers purchasing your company’s publications, handling pro-forma invoices for trade and wholesale accounts, shipping orders. It all takes away from your task at hand of publishing. If you are a growing publishing company, you know exactly what I mean. 

Affordable order fulfillment companies for independent publishers are available to help with the business and shipping side of your publishing company. What would it mean if you could really focus just on the tasks of  publishing?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

 

A Friend, Indeed!

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“Happy is the house that shelters a friend”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson  When searching for an order fulfillment company for your independently published films or books, look for many of the same qualities you would in a friend.

  • A company that is dependable – will ship in a timely manner.
  • A company that is trustworthy – will get the job done!
  • A company that understands your needs.
  • A company that is fair – is affordable.
  • A company that goes the distance – is adaptable.

If you find a fulfillment company with these attributes, you will have found a friend worth it’s weight in gold. 

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com