Introducing Jean Murray 

I’m pleased to announce that Yvonne Russell and I leave you in good hands here at Home Biz Notes with Jean Murray starting on November 1.  As we pursue other ventures, Jean will provide you with helpful home business tips and news.

Jean is a business consultant, as well as blogger at b5media’s Small Business Boomers.  Stay tuned, and tomorrow you’ll learn more about Jean as she introduces herself and lets you know what she has planned for Home Biz Notes.

My last day at Home Biz Notes

There come times in our lives when we must close one door and open another.  That time has come for me at Home Biz Notes.  This has been an enjoyable two years, but family illness and commitments have caused me to take a look at where I must place my time.  (My husband and I also operate a home business that needs more of my input.)

I want to thank my readers for your visits, your comments, your suggestions and your support.  It’s been very rewarding blogging here, and I hope I’ve been able to provide you with information and encouragement for moving your businesses ahead.

Yvonne Russell has been a great as a co-blogger and has become a wonderful friend over the past year.  She is leaving Home Biz Notes, too.

However, I still will be around b5, blogging at Quilting and Patchwork, Alzheimer’s Notes, and One Book Two Book.  Do keep in touch with me there and let me know how your businesses are doing.

Is Yours Anonymous Help or Giving to Benefit You?

Helping others ultimately can promote your business, your career, your reputation.  However, are you helping others to benefit them or mainly to further your business/career and put youself in the limelight?

This was brought to mind when I read the headlines that a current Democratic candidate offered support in a recent tragedy.  Apparently he issued a public statement rather than offering strictly private sympathy, or in addition to the private condolence.  Admittedly, someone prominently in the news often finds it difficult to do something for others without it being noticed. But a public statement would in no way ever be construed as private.

I couldn’t help wondering, why the public fanfare?  Ultimately was there hope voters would say, “What a nice guy. I guess I’ll vote for him.”  Were there ways help could be offered without the giver receiving headlines?

Remember this in your business and career…when your giving generates headlines, you may be suspect that you did it for your own glorification and benefit rather than to help and comfort the recipient. 

What are ways to give help and keep it private, or even anonymous?

Free Classes, E-book, Bookmarks 

In addition to giveaways, something that’s become very popular at blogs and web sites nowadays, you can offer other items to viewers.  These might include free e-mail classes or something you can download and print off, such as free e-books, bookmarks or activity sheets.

Lindsay, blogger at Writing for Your Wealth, where she writes about monetizing your blogs, now offers e-mail classes on this topic. 

Other writers and bloggers have e-books you can download for free.  Often they may sell e-books and print books as well. 

Kathleen Walls mentions free cookbooks you can download.  I participated in one of these that Katy organized.  Currently she’s putting together another cookbook focusing on her Florida guidebook series. 

Children’s author/illustrator Jan Brett has a deligtful number of free items for her readers on her web site.

What types of freebies have you offered on your blog or web site?

Hello all

I just wanted to say what a privilege it has been to blog here at Home Biz Notes with Mary Emma Allen, my co-blogger. It has been a wonderful journey.

The b5 Business Channel team are a fabulous team. Some of my b5 colleagues have now become great friends. I have loved interacting with you, our readers. Thanks to all who visit Home Biz Notes to read, comment or interact. Thanks also to all the writers and home business owners who have written guest posts and have become honorary members of our team.

I wish you all the very best in your Home Business ventures (and adventures).

Grow Your Writing Business & The Writers Cafe
If you’ve enjoyed my posts, you can also catch me at my personal blog, Grow Your Writing Business

Weekends at Grow Your Writing Business are a special treat. Drop into the Writers Cafe every weekend (Friday through to Sunday). Network with other writers and bloggers, ask questions, toss around ideas and share tips. The coffee’s always on and remember, virtual chocolate cake is guilt free with no calories at all.

All the best.

Yvonne Russell

HomeBizNotes.com 

Quilters often add interest to their talks and workshops with “Trunk Shows.”  They carry their ”show and tell” items in an antique trunk.  When on stage, before a group, or at a booth, they drape some of the items over the trunk and display in the trunk (or trunks).

However, this idea could carry over to almost any type of talk or workshop.  Find an old trunk, a unique trunk, or any type of carry-all that will add interest to your talk…or simply when you’re transporting your show items.

Have you used a trunk for any of your talks?  Did you decorate it to go along with your theme or your profession?  Share with us.

(Amazon image)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

We were keen to know more about you as Home Biz Notes readers so asked

How long have you been in home business?

POLL RESULTS

• Thinking about starting a home business

  12% of all votes

• Less than 1 year in home business

  12% of all votes

• 1-3 years in home business

  6% of all votes

• 4 or more years in home business

  71% of all votes

It seems the majority of readers who took our poll, are old hands at home business. Some of them have also shared their insights in comments and guest posts. On the other hand, a significant percentage have been in home business less than 3 years.

So it seems we have a broad cross section of readers at various stages of their home business development. We feel honored that you consider Home Biz Notes your community for learning, sharing ideas and asking questions about home business.

ⓒ Graphic courtesy of Grow Your Writing Business

Book Promotion and Marketing 

In previous posts, From Author to Self-Publisher to Publishing Business and Choosing a POD for Your Book Publishing, I discussed with Kathleen Walls the process in developing a home based publishing business from her Florida home and how to choose a printer or POD.  Today, Katy will share some of her experiences in promoting and marketing her books and those of her authors.

Katy founded Global Authors Publications (GAP) to publish her books and soon expanded to publish others.  Previously we discussed how Katy became involved in self-publishing and founding GAP.

Mary Emma – Once an author’s book is published, their work isn’t over.  Actually some authors considers that now the difficult part really begins…promoting and selling your books.  You’ve been involved in a variety of methods of promoting your books from going to bookstores, museums, historic sites, book fairs, and other events personally to working through your POD printer. Would you tell us how an author decides which method or methods to use?

Katy – The choice is personal. If you travel a lot for other reasons, it stands to reason you will bring your books along on trips and visit local bookstores and other places that might want your book.

If you are wheelchair bound at home, you will consider the computer your best friend.

Most authors fall in the middle of these two extremes with a combination of marketing.

*Reviews are a tried and true method. There are many reviewers listed on the Internet. The best time to seek reviews is about 12 weeks before publication.

A few things to remember when you send off a book to a reviewer: check them out to be sure they really have an outlet for the review and never, never pay for a review. If any publication or reviewer asks for a payment to review your book, scratch them off your list at once. Remember if they are paid by you or your publisher to do the review, it will be worthless. Bookstores and readers know these reviewers and realize the review is useless.

Of course, many legitimate reviewers are paid by their own publication to do reviews. That is a totally different and respected matter. Another good way to generate reviews is to swap reviews with another author.

*Media Releases are another way to generate a buzz. These are short items you send to newspapers and other media telling about your book. There is an art to writing a release.

Remember the media outlet’s reason for printing them is not the same as yours for sending them. You want the world to know about your book. The media can care less about your book, they want to sell papers or boost their listener or viewer rating by offering new and interesting news items. 

To do this they need snippets of interesting news. Here’s where the twain must meet. Make your release a piece of news they will want to publish. For instance you have a book dealing with drug abuse. You would want to tie your release in to the drug use statistics in the news or perhaps to a drug prevention event where you will be present to sell your books.     

*Book Signings are another way to get out the news. Signings are a reason for a media release since they are news about a community happening.

Do not expect to sell tons of books at a signing. They are helpful to get the word out and possibly get your book stocked in a store. Get out as much advance publicity as possible for the event. Ask friends to drop by the store. Nothing is worse than sitting in a store and having no one stop at your table.

When you are at the store, don’t just sit and wait, pass out tons of bookmarks to everyone who enters the store. Circulate and be friendly but not pushy. If you have any free giveaways, hold a drawing to get people to stop and sign an entry at your table. Often they will then pick up your book and get interested in it. Even if they don’t, the more people who are circulating around you the more curious others in the store become to see what is happening there.

Giveaways go hand in hand with signings. Make yourself some bookmarks. You can purchase 30lb flyer paper at office supply stores and print them yourself. Be sure to have a phone and email address on them so you can be easily contacted.  Refrigerator magnets are a similar item that can be bought in sheets at the office supply store and printed with your book information on them.

*Another good giveaway is a free ebook. I joined with several friends to produce a cookbook called Cooking by the Book. In it we put a short bio, an excerpt from our books and a recipe that tied into the book. None of us ever sell the book; it is strictly a promo item. It worked so well some of us did an anthology called Musing- Authors do it Write for the same purpose. You can get either one free at my web site, http://www.katywalls.com/ if you want one.

In fact I am so happy with that idea I am going to be doing a similar project in relation to my new books, Wild About Florida Series.

*Radio and TV shows are another good way to generate publicity. Get yourself booked on local shows to talk about anything you can. Then whenever possible bring the conversation to your book.

*Often writer’s sites are looking for free articles. Write an article for them if they will give you a byline telling about your book and a link to your site. I do this with http://www.americanroads.net/.

*You must never overlook is to have a web site (or blog) telling about your book and preferable selling it there. Web sites can be built without any fancy programs. Most free hosts have site builder tools that you can use to build on site.

The one thing I do recommend is that you buy a domain name that relates to you or your book name. With a domain name, you can move your site anywhere and still have the same name.

*Get a shirt, bumper sticker, magnetic sign or any othere promotional item printed. It will generate questions from people who notice them and  let you tell about your book.

*Don’t stop with these ideas. Keep looking for new ways to promote your book. As one celebrity said, “There is no such thing as bad publicity.” I’m not sure I agree totally but it does make the point. Think about all the people who rush out and buy a book when some group goes on record as protesting that book as “Dangerous,” “Trash” or especially “Immoral.”       

Mary Emma – Thank you, Katy, for stopping by and sharing with us your ideas and experiences with promoting and marketing your self-published book.

In a previous post, From Author to Self-Publisher to Publishing Business, I discussed with Kathleen Walls the process in developing a home based publishing business, Global Authors Publications (GAP) from her Florida home.  Today, Katy will expand upon choosing and working with a POD publisher and getting one’s books distributed.

Katy founded (GAP) for publishing her books and soon expanded to publish others.  Previously we discussed how Katy became involved in self-publishing and founding GAP.

Mary Emma – How did you choose a POD (Print on Demand) publisher?  In other words, what should an author look for whether they are publishing their own books and/or another author’s.

Katy -I think here you mean printer. It’s a good distinction. Many people even on publisher forums confuse the two.

Pod or Print on Demand is just the technology used to produce the book. A POD printer prints a book as it is ordered using digital technology.

An offset printer prints hundreds or thousands of books at one time. You store cases of the book until you sell them and then have a new edition printed.

Theoretically you could use a POD printer and an offset  printer for the same book. For my newest book I considered doing just that. I wanted to do these books in color. You can’t do justice to a flower or a butterfly in black and white. Color is much more expensive and difficult to produce in a book so I considered doing a black and white version with my POD printer, Lightning Source, and an offset printing with the image pages in color with a local printer. I ended up not doing it but it is a logical possibility.

Lightning Source would get the book listed with Ingram or Baker and Taylor, who are the main distributors and necessary for anyone wanting to be in a chain store.

However, the important thing about not confusing a publisher, POD or otherwise, with a printer.  A publisher will need to transform the document an author gives him or her into a complete book. A printer will print exactly what you (the publisher) sends them. They will only demand that it is the format their machines understand, then it goes to press. If it is in a wrong format they send it back to the publisher or author to correct.

Mary Emma – Do all PODs help you distribute your books?

Katy -Most claim to but unless they use Lighnting Source which is owned by Ingram, it is difficult to develop a relationship with Ingram. Baker and Taylor is easier. They will deal with a one book publisher. Ingram demands that a publisher have at least ten books out.

Ingram and Baker and Taylor are distributors. They make your book available to bookstores that wish to order it.

A wholesaler is a company that actively sells you book to stores. Usually they are regional and it is a toss up as to whether to try and set yourself up with them. First disadvantage with a wholesaler is that they demand upwards of 60%. Most distributors get 55%. They keep 15% and pass on 40% to stores. Stores will expect that 40% when you sell to them directly also.

The next thing you want to consider about a wholesaler is that they usually demand exclusive right to sell your book. That means you cannot take it to a local store and sell it to them for that 40% discount. Also many wholesalers request an upfront payment annually to register your book with them whether they succeed in selling any copies or not.

Mary Emma -  Thank you, Katy, for sharing this information with us about book publishing.  In our next discussion with Katy, we’ll consider what you have to do to promote your book.

(c)2008

One of the perks of working at home is having your pets around.

But what if you have a cat who like to dance on your keyboard? Or be within arm’s length for a scratch on the tummy? The clever folks at Refined Feline realize it’s the cat who’s boss and needs a special perch of its own to supervise your work. This is a pretty neat setup, and for dog lovers, this works for small dogs too.

It’s well known that animals make good companions, especially in the home office if you’re working solo with no one else around. I know writers who read their work aloud to their pets when they want to see how something sounds out loud. They say pets are always willing to listen and make a good audience.

If you’re a mad keen pet lover, you may even consider pet sitting and dog walking as a home business.

• How does your pet feature in your home business space and day?

Photo used with permission The Refined Feline