Tag Archives: short run printing

Second Encounters

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“ We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon”         ~ Konrad Adenauer

Arts in the Parks was one of the featured events this past weekend in Steamboat Springs, CO.  Judging by the attendance, I would say it was a great success. I enjoyed it all! 

I was so happy to see the return of photographer, Kenny Tong! http://www.kennytong.com/ Once again, in my opinion, his photography was a real standout! It seems to me, his images are of places in China, where no ordinary man walks. It is no wonder that his forays into the hidden paradises of China, to capture exquisite scenery, last 2-3 months each year. 

This year at Arts in the Park, I had my son Marc, a recent film student graduate by my side.  Kenny’s professional life started in the film industry. He was able to share some of his experiences with my son, and some of the reasons why he traded in his craft of filmmaking for a career in still photography, which he finds so fulfilling. 

Keep up the great work, Kenny. I was glad to see on the Events calendar of your website www.kennytong.com that you will be sharing your art with the communities of Boulder and Carbondale, Colorado over the next few weeks. 

Thanks for the well wishes to Marc, as he ponders what is ahead on the horizon for him and as he establishes his life as a filmmaker.

 

 Photo – Marc in Ireland.

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

Revealing Revelations

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“The number one thing leaders can do to facilitate balance is to support flexibility and understand the needs of your people” ~ Jim Mitchell

I have a confession to make! No longer will I be viewing art with such tunnel vision.I so enjoyed my visit to the National Museum of Visionary Art, that my range of vision has been expanded. When someone asks me “What genre of art do you most enjoy?” I will refrain from saying representational paintings. I will deliberately challenge what I have held most dear, and open my mind more widely to all kinds of art. It would be very easy to continue to repeat, time and time again, the same answer when asked this simple question. But, incorporation of new information about art means having the ability to see the whole picture – being able to understand why different kinds of art inspires different types of people.

I suspect my determination to open my eyes to a broader spectrum of art is similar to those who are interested in attending inter-denominational faith group events. It provides an opportunity to learn more about religion as a whole and why different faiths appeal to different people. The family of man can be inclusive of many, many denominations!

In my lifetime I have attended a Presbyterian Church, a Congregational Church and a Methodist Church. I sent our son, who was baptized in the Presbyterian Church, to a Catholic College. If I can be accepting of the differences in these faiths, I should be able find a little inspiration in all different kinds of art.

And that’s the truth!

This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Displaying Heart and Soul

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“All forms of self expression are linked.”  ~ Alexandra Stoddard

On a very basic level, the reasons for independent publishing are to educate, inspire, inform and entertain others. But independent publishing provides an avenue for writers, filmmakers, musicians and artists to share their craft with others on a much deeper level too. Through independent publishing you are able to:

  • Share unique perspectives on the world
  • Craft uniquely stylized compositions of writing, music or visual self expression
  • Express oneself truthfully – baring heart and soul.
  • Capture the human condition and the world through words, pictures and sounds.
  • Translate emotion, feelings, thoughts and ideas.

These very deep needs for self expression are often lost in the editorial process through traditional publishing. Although sales are important to the independent publisher and traditional publisher alike, the need for authentic expression is often the force behind the reasons for independent publishing.

What are your reasons for composing, writing or otherwise artistically expressing yourself? Perhaps the independent publishing industry can help you reach your goals and dreams.

This blog brought to you by http://www.cornerstonefulfillmentservice.com.

Shutterbug Surprise!

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“Our dreams are made of real things, like a shoebox full of photographs.” ~ Jack Johnson

Go ahead – have a crack at it! Jump on the Shutterfly sensation, and publish a print-on-demand, hardcover family photo album! The other day, I received one that my sister had compiled for a Mother’s Day gift. It chronicles, through family photographs, our family tree. The gift was originally meant for our Mom, but she decided to have extra copies printed, one for me and one for each of my brothers and our families. That is the beauty of print-on-demand. Print as few or as many as you wish!

Although the work in putting together a Shutterfly photo album can not be compared with a full scale independent publishing production of text writing, it is still a worthy project for those who are not inclined to write, but love to be creative with photography and scrapbooking. Shutterfly provides the perfect opportunity to combine both! You incorporate your favorite digital images and design with creativity, the empty spaces around the photos, much like you would a scrapbook, as extensively or basically as your skills allow. What a nice surprise gift for family or friends and to commemorate a significant event. For more information, please go to www.shutterfly.com/photo-books

While we are on the subject of surprises – Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC will have a number of surprise events coming up this summer! We will reveal the details to all of you when the final plans are put into place. Stay tuned, and thanks as always, for  your interest in this blogsite and in our company. The industry that we serve is ever changing, improving and evolving – keeping us on our toes and knee deep, in serving the needs of independent publishers!

 

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

Weekend Indie Publishing News

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Looking for good Mother’s Day gifts?

It is critically important to our society and all of our world to have decent homes and families with decent values. This Mother’s Day, order your wife, your mother, or any woman raising a family, a copy of  the book Building Materials for Life by Millard Fuller, Founder of Habitat for Humanity. The three volumes of this book are filled with short essays about raising families with common sense, good values and giving children a solid, strong foundation. Proceeds from the sale of this book and other books and DVDs from the Fuller Center will be used to purchase building materials for Habitat for Humanity houses.

Thanks to the Fuller Center, hundreds of children around the world have decent housing and brighter futures!

You can also honor the Mother in your life by donating to the Fuller Center or win free flowers for entering your essay of what your mother means to you! For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/c9S9cG.

Hurry, Mother’s Day is only 9 days away!

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

Postage Due!

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“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.” ~ Donald Porter, V.P. British Airways

A few weeks ago, I received notification from the USPS that they had a package that being held for pick-up, with postage due.  I was a bit baffled because, I was not expecting a package. So, off to the Post Office I went, to pick up my package. As I drove to the Post Office, I began to get all excited. I thought “perhaps one of my friends had sent me a little surprise gift.” After all, who doesn’t like a little unexpected gift in the mail?

When I arrived, the postman presented me with the package, with postage due. The return address was not familiar to me – not at all! The address and return label had both been handwritten. I did not recognize the handwriting and there was no company name on the return address – just the street, town, state and zipcode. So, I questioned the validity of whether I was paying postage due for junk mail or for a promotional piece that I did not want anyway.

Now, I was faced with a dilemma, “do I pay for the postage due or not accept the package?” My curiosity got the better of me! I paid the postage due and accepted the package.

When I opened the package, I remembered 8 weeks prior, I had ordered an independent film (DVD). The shipping time took so long that I had completely forgotten I had ordered it.  I also checked my order confirmation and, sure enough, shipping and handling was included in the purchase price. Why then, was there postage due? Not a real great way to attract return buyers, now, is it? I also began to wonder how many other orders this company had shipped that said shipping and handling was included, but there was postage due when the order came? And also, how many other buyers had questioned whether the package was junk mail since the packaging and labeling did not give the appearance of having come from a reputable company?

Being an advocate of “don’t sweat the small stuff” I was happy to get what I had paid for – finally. A little extra postage due, really was  “just small stuff.” But, a quick courtesy call, a quick email or an enclosed note with the order explaining the reason for the additional postage due would have built tremendous good will between customer and company, don’t you think?

In business, small stuff does matter, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Your customers will be the first to tell you it matters.  They will tell you by just going elsewhere!

Fast & Fascinating!

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“All positive change in the world comes from our ideas of what we believe is possible.” ~ Alexandra Jamieson

Over the past few months, I have done some public speaking about order fulfillment for independent publishers and also about the independent publishing industry in general. One of the questions that I have posed to my audience is “Can you imagine that a manuscript can be downloaded from a digital file, printed, pages trimmed, bound and covered with a custom-designed book cover, all within 15 minutes time?”  All eyes meet mine with a look of disbelief!

Well, it is true, folks! Learn about the Expresso Book Machine! No longer do you have to print 20,000 copies of a book at at time, have them sit around in warehouses waiting to be sold and pay for excessive warehousing fees. Books can now be printed in small batches and be reprinted as they are sold. The Expresso Book Machine is evidence that there is a revolution taking place in the publishing industry, specifically the independent publishing industry. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/NQWc.

The independent publishing industry has taken responsibility in their approach to a green economy. By printing only what will sell, a whole lot of trees will be spared and dollars can be spent on publishing and marketing rather than unnecessary warehousing. Makes green sense, doesn’t it?

Furthermore, people without big name visibility as writers, but with great stories to tell, now have a chance at becoming publishers! As I have spoken with groups over the past months, it has been interesting to see the eyes of disbelief turn to eyes of excitement! Almost everyone has a story to tell, educational information to share,  inspiring thoughts or a wish to entertain – what do you have  under your hat?

To begin your journey into the world of independent publishing, start with a few minutes of education about the Expresso Book Machine, documented in this short, 2-3 minute, independently published film. The independent publishing industry is growing and fulfilling the dreams of many “want to be published,” who through traditional publishing would not ordinarily have a chance. It is exciting – now readers get to decide whether a book is any good, and not editors!

It Hit a Nerve

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“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.” ~ John Maxwell

Last week, I received an e-mail from a frequent visitor to this blogsite. The correspondent stated that independent publishing is a hobby,  and nothing more. I found it interesting. I guess then, from her statement, we can all surmise that she thinks the independent films that are shown all over the world every year, are produced only as “hobbies?” Hardly!

I couldn’t  help but take quiet offense to her statement. I assured her that if she were to attend a professional publishing trade association conference with me, she would quickly realize that independent publishers are no different than those who seek to have their books published through traditional publishing houses. That by attending an independent publishing trade event, she would see that there is a huge network of professionals and vendors working hard to support each other in business, helping each other to succeed and are passionate about educating, inspiring, informing and entertaining others through their independent publishing.

What  I decided was that perhaps I needed to educate her about the fact that the independent publishing industry now represents almost half of all publishing revenue. In fact, between 2008 and 2009, the indpendent publishing industry has grown by 40%! I project that the independent publishing industry will grow even further this year.

It’s funny how people criticize what they do not understand. I am posting this video in hopes that the frequent reader of this blogsite, who hit a nerve within me, will return again and become better informed. There is so much excitement in the independent publishing industry. It keeps me engaged each and every day.

A Box, is a Box, is a Box?

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  • “Previously, it was rush to buy anything. Now I think that quality will stand out.” ~ Michael Hartnett

    If you think a box, is a box, is a box, you are mistaken! The importance of the strength of a box for shipping purposes, came clear to me when a delivery of books arrived from China, and all the books were nearly destroyed. The cartons were clearly marked for 25 lb. test weight, but the books contained within weighed almost 40 lbs. By the time the boxes arrived at the fulfillment house, they were all riped and torn.  If they had had to be moved one more time, that would have been the end.

    I recently read a statistic that a carton can loose 50% of it’s strength in one week, in a high humidity environment. So, you can imagine how cartons break down when they are being exported on a container from a place like China to the United States. Knowing how cartons will be stacked while in transit and while in storage, needs to be taken into consideration. Each time a shipment is moved, the integrity of the carton can deteriorate if a box is filled beyond it’s test weight, and even more so if it has been subjected to a high humidity environment. The compression strength of a carton can be compromised if boxes are stacked higher and wider than designed for.

    Thankfully, there are lots of professionals in the packaging industry who do their homework and know about carton-drop tests, carton test weights, board weights, etc. Most book printers discuss their need for appropriate cartons for shipping wtih their packaging vendors, too.

    The point of this blog: A box, is a box, is a box – NOT! One size does not fit all! From experience, I know, that poor outer packaging can turn perfectly good products into unsaleable items. It is never a good idea to skimp when selecting exterior packaging for shipments, large or small! Being pound wise and penny foolish, just does not pay!

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

    • Weekend Indie Publishing News!

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    Tune in this Morning, Saturday April 3, 2010 to radio show for authors and independent publishers. “Cover to Cover” with host Frank Gromling will have as his guest, Sue Leonard of Cornerstone Fulfillment Service, LLC. Today’s discussion will be order fulfillment for independent publishers. Tune in to www.wnzf.com on-line at 11:30 am Eastern Standard Time, 10:30 am Central Time, 9:30 am Mountain Time and 8:30 am Pacific Time.  If you miss it you can go to Archived shows at www.wnzf.com or www.oceanpublishing.org.

    Last weekend at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association Collge, I learned something I was not aware of. Scott Flora, Executive Director of the Small Publishers Association of  North American (SPAN) informed me that it is springing into new territory. This non-profit publishing trade association is establishing a new on-line presence! For a period of time, a one month free trial membership is available.

    The mission statement of SPAN is “Advancing the Success of Independent Publishers and Authors.” There are so many member benefits to joining publishing trade associations fromm education  to  discounts on writing software, discounts on printing and discounted advertising rates. For more information on SPAN, please visit www.spannet.org.

    Join this non-profit trade association and take advantage of all the benefits this organization has to offer!

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