Tag Archives: independent publisher help

Engage them in Art

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 “ Creativity is a characteristic given to all human beings at birth” ~ Abraham Maslow 

Instead of holding a birthday party at a pizza joint or a fast food restaurant, surround your kids and their friends with Fine Art. Make it a gala to remember by exposing your children to culture and fulfill your parental duties of providing educational opportunities for your children outside of the classroom. Hold a Birthday Party in an Art Museum! 

The Museum of Fine Art in Boston, Massachusetts is just one of a number of art museums across the country offering birthday parties for kids. Catch kid’s interest in paintings, sculpture, folk art and other mediums of art while they are young. You can arrange for a private museum tour with a docent that is experienced at engaging and exciting young minds about Art. Perhaps a hands-on session of making a creative piece of artwork to take home, inspired by an art gallery exhibition would be fun! Send the party-goers on a treasure hunt throughout the museum looking for animals, artifacts, fashion or other themes represented in the artwork exhibited. Creative learning about art is always fun! 

Think outside the box for your child’s next birthday celebration. Instead of giving things like candy as a party favor,  how about child-sized artist berets, a box of pastels, a children’s book on a famous artist or a brush with a box of watercolor paints. It will provide a way to continue the creative streak long after the party is over. 

For more information on this fun way to celebrate a child’s birthday in an Art Museum visit http://bit.ly/egPsV6 or use your favorite search engine to locate a list of art museums that offer parent/child programs for fulfilling birthday fun or for rainy days. Incorporate  creative learning experiences and personal fulfillment through Art in your child’s life.

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

Writers, Rev Your Engines!

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“The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes. “ ~André Gide 

If you have a spark of an idea for a book and wish to rev up your knowledge on how to go about independently publishing, the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is the place to be.  For those who are entrenched in the independent publishing scene, everyone knows what the arrival of March means. It means the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College is coming up. The hosts of the “College” The Colorado Independent Publishers Association http://bit.ly/hFVW1A  is one of the largest and most active independent publishing trade associations in the United States. 

This year, CIPA’s Publishing “College” is scheduled for March 18th and 19th and CIPA does a great job of fulfilling the need for educational opportunity for beginning and experienced independent publishers. They even have a program called YAL – Young Authors League, designed to get kids inspired to write and become published at a young age. 

Exhibitors will be present at the March 19 publishing college event. Consultants on internet selling (e-commerce) and internet marketing (e-marketing) will be on hand. Other providers such as book printers, editors, cover designers, graphic designers and video book trailer specialists will be available at the CIPA College to answer questions about their products and services. There are on-going educational seminars throughout the weekend. It is a great time to network with other independent publishers to learn how they are publishing as a means for personal fulfillment and for sharing ideas, wisdom, knowledge and expertise with others.

 Check out http://bit.ly/hFVW1A for full details of the event or go to the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Facebook page http://on.fb.me/hZjR1T for additional information.

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

Have you Launched your Kite?

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“Success is focusing the full power of all you are on what you have a burning desire to achieve.” ~ Wilfred Peterson 

It is March 1st, and when I think of March, I think of my childhood days of growing up in the Mid-Atlantic section of the East Coast of the United States. March always still had a real chill in the air. Getting outside and flying kites in the stiff March winds always resulted in letting the kite go because my hands were too cold to continue to hold onto the string. When I finally released the kite, I found it fulfilling to dream about whether my kite was going to land in a country and climate much different than my own. 

Yesterday, I began to think about the analogy between finding fulfillment in building and flying kites and using blogging as a powerful internet marketing tool. When you build a blog site you want it to be a reflection of your own creativity, just like when you are hand crafting a kite. Create a blog site unique to your own interests and what it is you are trying to convey. The graphics must be attractive to the eye and the content needs to be catchy and of interest to the reader, otherwise, what is the point? 

Learning what content to use when attaching tails to your blog site is what will make it soar in cyberspace. There is a methodology and science behind e-marketing campaigns. You want to make sure you direct your “kite”, as best you can, to where you want it to land – in countries and climates that are rich with qualified leads. 

If you are inexperienced at setting up an attractive blog site and at the new science of blog writing, seek help from an e-marketing professional who understands the dynamics behind e-marketing for independent publishers. http://bit.ly/gDGQN8.  It will make a difference in how successful you are at attracting regular readers and fans to your site and where your “kite” lands on the world-wide-web.

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

Properly Honored, at Last

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All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.                       ~ Winston Churchill

On Monday at our weekly Kiwanis meeting, we saw a touching DVD of World War II Veterans taking a flight of a lifetime to Washington, DC. The Honor Flight is a program that transports veterans of the Second World War to see the memorial that was built in their honor. For many of these vets, the trip is not an easy one due their age and failing health, but for many veterans it fulfills a dream of a lifetime to see the capital of the country they so bravely fought for many, many years ago. 

The World War II Memorial was completed in 2004. It was built on the National Mall in Washington, DC and it consists of 56 pillars and a pair of arches which surround a beautiful reflecting pool and fountain. During WWII, the gold star was the symbol of family sacrifice, thus a field of 4,000 gold stars incorporated into the Memorial commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in their fight for freedom. 

Almost 400 veterans from this area, the Western Slope of Colorado, have made a flight with their compatriots to see the World War II Memorial built to honor their military service. A better way to honor the vets and give them one “last hurrah” would be difficult to find. Family members, veterans of other wars and community volunteers accompany these aging vets to make the help make trip as easy as they possibly can. Many of the WWII vets have ambulatory and other health issues, so charter flights helps make the trip a little less difficult. Their bodies may be failing them, but their strong spirits carry them through and it is truly a trip well worth making, each one of them would tell you, I am sure. 

Almost every State in the Union has honor flights several times a year. If you would like more information on donating to this wonderful cause, please visit www.honorflight.org.  We are hoping as a club, Kiwanis International of Steamboat Springs, Colorado http://on.fb.me/epjzSf  will be able to provide support for this wonderful program. If you wish to accompany a flight as a volunteer or would like to provide financial support to the West Slope Honor Flight, please visit http://www.westernslopehonorflight.com/. 

Thank you to all World War II veterans ( and all veterans of the military) for  the sacrifices that you have made for your countrymen so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we do today.

Joint Interests

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“Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things.”  ~Author Unknown

February is International Friendship Month. If you had asked me years ago “whether I had many international friends?” in all truthfulness, I would have said none. Before the age of the world-wide-web, the options for finding friends, fans, customers and clients in far reaches of the world were very limited. The power of e-marketing has changed all that. 

By having a strong, easily found web-presence, I have made connections with people all over the world who are the kinds of friends that my company seeks. We all share, for various different reasons, a joint interest in the independent publishing industry and the types of services that my company offers. 

Knowing how to connect through the internet with communities of like minded people is so helpful when it comes to selling independently published books, films and music. When you look at the statistics alone of the number of households connected to the world-wide-web, the possibilities for finding “like minded” people are staggering. This chart helps us to realize just what the potential of reaching customers, fans, clients and friends outside of the United States can be.  http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm.

Our collective world is strengthened when we have friends and allies on other continents. So, today, I would like to say Happy International Friendship Month to those who have connected through the power of digital communication with my company’s web-presence  or directly with me personally. I appreciate your friendship and your joint interests!

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Face the Book TV

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 “All television is educational television.  The question is:  what is it teaching?”  ~Nicholas Johnson

 The Independent Publishers of New England has a cable access TV show that is fulfilling the need for promoting regional independent publishers.  Face the Book, is similar to the concept of C-Span’s Book TV, only on a smaller level. It reaches 15,000 households through Verizon, RCN and Comcast public access TV cable channels. 

The aim of this TV show, broadcast out of Arlington, Massachusetts through Arlington Community Media, Inc. is “to bring the best of independent publishing to New England readers, authors and to publishers through their community media stations.” 

Right now, Face the Book is looking for children’s book authors who would like to appear as a panelist on the show to promote their independent publications. This is an excellent opportunity if you are a member of IPNE www.ipne.org and you have independently published a children’s book that you would like the public to learn about! 

For more information on this cable access TV show, Face the Book, please visit http://on.fb.me/es8nlr or visit the Independent Publishers of New England webpage by going to http://bit.ly/f3Pl4S.  

Being able to appear in front of 15,000 households on Face the Book TV is only one benefit to joining this non-profit trade association dedicated to educating the independent publisher. For more information on IPNE, please visit www.ipne.org.

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

A Victory for All

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“In reading the lives of great men…self discipline with all of them came first.” ~ Harry S. Truman

You’ve heard it from me before. Independent publishers, it is not all about the manuscript. The most successful independent publishers have vision and a solid marketing plan for their books, prior to even beginning the writing process.

I love hearing stories of independent publishing success and the other day I got word of some very exciting news about author and past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, Mara Purl. Her romantic women’s fiction, the Milford-Haven Novels, have been picked up by a New York Publisher, with a plan that Mara has dreamed about. Her novels will be re-launched by Bellekeep Books, and will reach an even larger audience than before. Mid Point Trade, a major national distributor, is also involved in the deal.

Mara, whose curriculum vitae includes author, screenplay writer, actress on Days of Our Lives and script writer for The Guiding Light has always had great vision for her professional life and for her written work. She parlayed her vision for her serial novels into great success in the U.K. Her stories of the fictitious, small town, Milford-Haven, was the first American radio drama ever licensed by the BBC. It has reached an audience of 4.5 million listeners! For more information on Mara and her Milford-Haven novels, please visit www.marapurl.com and her blogsite http://bit.ly/ekghXc.

I look forward to seeing the unfolding of this story. Mara’s first novel will be re-launched in August 2011, and another publication is scheduled to hit the market every six months. There will be no down time for Mara. That is for sure!

When I hear stories like this, it is not victory for one.  It is a victory for all who have decided to take the non-traditional route to publishing and have found success.

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

Breaking down Assumptions

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“All I want is for people to listen to it with unbiased ears, and decide for themselves.”  ~ Melanie Chisholm 

Isn’t it true that we form assumptions about places we have never been before by what we hear, see and read in the media and by our preconceived notions? Sometimes the things we think of other cultures, and of people we have never met before, are way off base. 

The other day my husband arrived back from his travels to Turkey and handed me two gifts. I didn’t immediately rip into them, because I was busy studying the packaging!  Finally he said “what is your big interest in the outside of the package?”  I said” I think of Turkey as a country much less modernized and therefore, not up to American standards in their merchandising.” I was surprised to see gifts that were beautifully boxed, wrapped and bedecked with ribbon that could rival even the fanciest gift wrap here in the United States. I had made an assumption of a country based on my own notions. 

There is a Colorado non-profit organization 50l(3)C  here in the United States, whose mission is to break down the assumptions that we Americans place on cultures and countries that are in far off reaches of the world. Their goal is to bring a diversity of art and culture to this side of the world. The Macedonian Mission will be presenting two films, Getting to Know Us and Soul Mates on March 11th in Steamboat Springs, CO at the Bud Werner Library. www.steamboatlibrary.org. This is a fundraising event. The non-profit organization has hopes of once again fulfilling the dreams of an American artist or two with the opportunity to travel to Macedonia to exhibit or perform in a city known for its ancient civilization. It will be a chance of a lifetime. 

For more information on the Macedonian Mission and the artists that have already had the opportunity to exchange art and culture, made possible through their fundraising efforts, please visit http://bit.ly/dRRQMk.

Hope to see you at the event on March 11th. I have no doubt we will come away from the films knowing more about the country of Macedonia and it’s people.

 

 Ohrid Summer Festival, Ohrid, Macedonia.

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Wanderlust

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 “After all these years…It’s better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe.” ~ Sophia Loren

Is it really half way through February? Already? It has been a very, very busy past several weeks filled with treks for this family of three. In my travels, I was accompanied by a group of writers, some from the Steamboat Writers Group http://bit.ly/gHUxik  and others from varied walks of life.  They joined me in exploring possibilities in this New Year of moving in a positive direction for:

  • personal fulfillment
  • career advancement
  • increased visibility for themselves and their businesses all through the power of e-commerce and e-marketing.

 I am pleased to report some have already begun to fulfill their dreams of writing their stories.

My husband was the most adventuresome. He trekked across 9 time zones and 18,000 miles into unknown territory and back! He was recruited to the coaching staff to lead team USA Alpine Skiers to the World University Games in Erzurum, Turkey. The athletes, six women and six men returned home to the U.S.A. with an unprecedented number of medals – 5 gold and 2 silver and lots of stories to tell of a country they had known nothing about. What a fulfilling trip for a coach who has been involved with training and educating athletes for so many years. 

The culmination of many, many months of planning led our son this week, into the atmosphere of co-hosting an international independent film festival. As Associate Director of the New Mexico International Film Festival, he was fully involved in the minutia of what he loves to do best –watch, discuss, judge and analyze independent films. There were so many logistical details to put into place in arranging a first year event. No blueprints to follow, no tried and true formulas, no maps to lead the way, only a good, hefty dose of energy and willingness to step into the unknown. I am sure he will have his share of tales to tell, too. 

 Each of us has our own interpretation of what brings personal fulfillment to our lives. How about you? Do you ever dare to strike out into territories of the unknown? It is the best way to broaden horizons and bring fulfilling experiences to our lives. What will tomorrow bring?

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

Near and Dear to My Heart

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“Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” ~ Kevin Arnold 

On this Valentine’s Day, I thought I would write about a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many. There are millions and millions of families affected by cancer each and every year. The number of books written by cancer survivors and by family members of the deceased helps us to realize that cancer directly or indirectly touches everyone’s hearts at some time in their lives. Books on this subject are helpful to others, because it brings to the forefront the enormity of the disease. Writing about cancer serves great purpose in fulfilling a need for survivors and family members to share their hurt, their physical and emotional trauma and sometimes, very happily, their triumph over the disease. By reading stories of others who have experienced the effects of this disease, it helps survivors and families realize that they are not alone.

Events such as The Race for Life raises awareness of the need to raise money for cancer research. Teams that participate in the annual Race for Life Relay, Nordic Style are dedicated to keeping the spirit of their loved one alive and to raising money for research. Amy’s Angels will be competing for a second year at the Trapp Family Lodge (of Sound of Music fame) www.trappfamily.com  in Stowe, Vermont, and defending their title as the top fundraising team. The Race for Life Relay, Nordic Style kicks off on March 19 and 20th, 2011. 

If you are unable to put together a team to compete in one of the Race for Life fundraising events, held across the country annually, but still wish to support cancer research or honor the spirit of a loved one that you have lost to cancer, please visit this link, and make your pledge to the American Cancer Society this Valentine’s Day. www.relayforlife/nordicstyle.org. 

I will be routing for the women on Amy’s Angels team come March from Steamboat Springs, CO. My friend, Amy whom I lost to breast cancer almost two years ago, is near and dear to me in spirit every day. Her legacy lies within the minds of hundreds of children that she educated, mentored and loved in her 30 years of teaching in Vermont.

 Go Amy’s Angels, go!