Sometimes, the signs that it’s time to invest in taking your business to go to the next BIG level show up without notice. Take this past summer, for example. The second call of my Preview Teleseminar Series for my workshop was scheduled and I was set to interview two inspiring and motivating solopreneurs on how they use the Client Attraction systems daily to make well into the 6–figures. We had close to a thousand entrepreneurs registered for the call and I was excited to host it.

Then, the unthinkable happened. As instructed, hundreds of people starting showing up 10 minutes early to make sure they would make it onto the line before it was maxed out. As I was greeting them, I kept asking if my two featured guests were on the line. My heart kept sinking further and further into my stomach as I realized neither of them could actually get on the line as moderators.

Call it a systems glitch, call it a disaster, there was nothing I could do. Emails were going back and forth, with my special guests telling me they were indeed on the line but no one could hear either of them. Meanwhile, nearly a thousand people were waiting patiently for us to figure out what was going on.

At that moment, I would have paid ANYTHING to be able to get an operator on the line to fix it for me. Anything.

I was crumbling inside, unsure of what to do. Have the call WITHOUT my two featured guests or reschedule it entirely? I chose to go on (perseverance) and asked everyone to hang up and dial in again, and was then able to get ONE of my guests on the moderator line. I interviewed her and it went great. Then, as she hung up to let the other guest onto the moderator line, I got cut off of my OWN call! I tried several times to get back onto the line and was blocked out for several minutes. (I found out later that Mercury was in retrograde.)

The whole thing unfolded like that scene from the movie Swingers when he leaves those messages, one after the other, sinking deeper and deeper into trouble. Have you seen it? Finally, I got on as a “regular” participant and had to keep the line un–muted for the rest of the call.

As I mentioned, I would have done (and paid) ANYTHING to be able to press a button and get an operator to help me. Throughout this episode, my intuition kept nudging at me saying, “Fabienne, you should have invested in your business and gotten the help you needed BEFORE this happened.” But after years of frugally using basic services, I’d gotten too lazy and perhaps too complacent to spring for that PAID bridge line the million–dollar marketers are using.

The good news is, the call ended up being a huge hit. People wrote me to tell me how inspiring it was, how motivated they got as a result and ironically, no one mentioned the technical difficulties. Several people signed up for the workshop as a direct result of that call, and I was thrilled that no one even brought up the snafus. But I learned three MAJOR lessons that day:

Just for the purpose of today’s article, I’m adjusting Brian Tracy’s quote from above: “Invest three percent of your income in yourself [and your business] in order to guarantee your future.

Your Assignment: How will YOU invest in your business this week? Notice what you have NOT taken advantage of because you’re using the excuse of “not having enough money.” Using that excuse is an insidious form of self-sabotage. It’s a mindset that keeps you playing small and limits your growth. Time to stop being frugal and take action. The money will naturally show up to help you pay for it (it always does.)

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System TM , the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your free Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit www.ClientAttraction.com.

But, you say, you have no control over returns since Ingram and the bookstores return them at will without selling them. On the contrary, there are many things that we as publishers can do to eliminate returns.

The first thing to realize is that bookstores do not sell books — they display them. Any marketing they do involves promoting major titles or special events to entice people into their stores. It is up to the authors and publishers to create awareness of their specific titles. Similarly, most distributors utilize commissioned sales representatives whose income depends on selling books that are not returned, i.e., those promoted by publishers and authors. They understandably spend their time selling those titles.

Furthermore, marketing books is not simply a function of promotion. An integrated marketing mix also entails producing a saleable, properly priced product that is distributed to the right people at the right time.

Promotion is a multi-faceted marketing technique that is more complex than conducting a campaign of booksignings, media appearances and press releases. It involves finding and implementing the proper and timely balance of publicity, advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. When books are marketed properly, they remain sold.

A properly developed, non-returnable title is one that has a unique point of difference. That means it is demonstrably different from competitive titles in a way that is important to the marketplace. It is an adequately researched topic that meets an identifiable market need and is published with a good title, in the right size, with the most desirable binding and in the highest quality possible.

Of course, it must be competitively priced. Too often publishers base their title’s price on its cost. They multiply their printing cost by eight and round it off the next highest ” $ .95.” On the other hand, readers do not care what your costs are. They are looking for information or entertainment and will choose the lowest priced option (that may or may not be a book) that meets their needs. A non-returnable book is priced according to its value to the reader.

Appropriate distribution will reduce returns, too. Perhaps the most significant point to consider here is that books distributed to buyers outside the traditional bookstore markets are typically sold on a non-returnable basis. By marketing to these segments you can expend the same amount of effort to develop, price and promote a title but perhaps avoid the debilitating effect of returns.

What are these non-traditional markets? There are three major special-sales categories. The first is Special Distribution that entails selling to discount stores, book clubs and catalogs; not only the major clubs but also those dedicated to selling books in your genre. John Palmatary marketed his book It’s AboutTime to the club at http://www.christianbookclub.co.uk as did Victoria Kinnear with her children’s learning books to the club at http://www.kidsonlinebookclub.com. Jerry Labriola, author of Murders at Brent Institute, proved that fiction could be sold to libraries during his tour of New England.

A second segment is Commercial Sales. Marketing to this target involves selling books to corporations to use as premiums, gifts or incentives. For example, Rita Ippoliti approached parachute equipment manufacturers to use her book Falling Into Place as a premium. You might also consider selling your title to associations. Mark James (www.barronpublishing.com) is currently marketing his book Estate Planning Success(tm) for Pennsylvania Residents to the National Association of Financial and Estate Planners to resell in their bookstore.

The third classification is Niche Markets, or significant groups of people sharing a common interest in your title. Greg Drambour demonstrated an example of this technique by contacting spiritual centers and approaching targeted magazines and newsletters to review his book The Woodstock Bridge.

A common proverb says If it’s to be, it’s up to me, and this is especially true in book marketing. Authors and publishers cannot rely on anyone but themselves to market their books. If we do this properly we can reduce returns and at the same time increase our revenues and profits significantly.

Brian Jud is an author and creator of the Book Marketing Battle Plansä directories for special sales. Contact Brian at P. O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketingworks.com or visit http://www.bookmarketingworks.com

Self-publishing is not easy. Let’s get the myth out of the way right now. Just because you wrote a book, Oprah will not call, you aren’t going to see many big royalty checks in the mail, and you won’t be living some F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gatsby party lifestyle where everyone hails you as a genius.

Being both publisher and author simultaneously is not the easy life. It’s a whole new level of work you’ve taken on. Not one job but many jobs.

Most authors never achieve success precisely because they are authors and can’t envision or motivate themselves into being more than just authors. Once the first book is published, an author just doesn’t turn to writing the second book. The self-published author needs to be a writer, but he or she is also a publisher, a marketer, a book delivery person, a salesperson, and usually the janitor too.

Having a day job and trying to promote your book at the same time is not easy, much less writing the next book. Self-publishing is time-consuming and wearing all those hats can leave you running ragged trying to keep track of everything.

The best advice I can offer is to make a list of your priorities and create a schedule for your various activities—those both necessary and enjoyable. And don’t overlook that you started doing all this because you love to write—if writing is what feeds your soul, schedule it in with your book promotion time.

Let’s say you are a married woman with a full-time job and two teenage children. You work 9-5 each day so you can’t block out that time. You’ve heard about authors who get up at 4:00am to write their books but you’re realistic and don’t want to mess with your sleep. Once you come home from work, you make dinner (your husband does the dishes), and some evenings you have family events. The important thing is to make a schedule and stick to it. Life will intervene; there will be school plays on Monday night when you usually write or your daughter’s soccer game irregularly scheduled on Thursday rather than Wednesday, but you can work around them.

Remember that Rome was not built in a day, and neither was your first book written that quickly. At the same time, you don’t need full days to work. You don’t even need full hours. You can be productive and still have a family life, time for yourself, and time to write. Bottom line, maybe you can only carve out two hours a night from 7-9, and not even every night. If that’s the best you can do, that’s great. Just make sure you do it. Even if it’s half an hour, it’s better than nothing. If you find marketing less fun than writing, reward yourself by doing the marketing first.

Here’s a sample schedule you might want to carve out:

Monday

7:00pm – send out mailings to libraries, bookstores, interested organizations.

8:00pm – work on next book.

Tuesday

7:00pm – promote book online at social networking sites. Post blog.

8:00pm – reply to emails (includes replying to customer orders, making contacts, participating in writing and publishing groups online).

Wednesday

Your daughter has soccer this night so you don’t get home until almost 8:00pm and work an hour later to catch up.

8:00pm – prepare to mail out book orders.

9:00pm – work on making media contacts, sending out press releases etc.

Thursday

7:00pm – post blog, reply to emails.

8:00pm – work on scheduling or preparing for upcoming book signings and speaking engagements.

Friday

7:00pm – prepare to mail out book orders.

8:00pm – use time to catch-up, or as free time to choose whatever you want to work on.

Saturday

12:00pm-4:00pm – work on next book.

4:00pm-5:00pm – post blog, reply to emails.

Sunday

12:00pm-2:00pm – write weekly blog entries, promote book at social networking sites.

2:00pm-4:00pm – work on next book.

This is just a sample schedule. Some of these activities may take more or less time than you initially plan. You may find yourself one evening spending two hours mailing out books you sold which cuts into your writing time, but the next week, you may only need thirty minutes to mail books and can regain the time. The important thing is to figure out what are the most important tasks to do and make sure they get done. Do not let your email, or other requests take you off course from your goals. Whatever your goal is for the day, do it first and then deal with whatever comes up or new ideas you have. At the same time, don’t let a goal such as mailing out press releases override spending that time being interviewed by the local newspaper. Be sure you understand the value of some interruptions. At the same time, if you find certain activities are not showing positive results, stop or lessen the degree you do them and turn to something that works for you.

Consider updating your schedule monthly or quarterly or even weekly, and also consider that you will have busy and slow times. In November and December, you may want to set aside writing your next book as you focus on promoting your book at Christmas time. Then in January and February, when book sales are slow, you can make up for time lost on writing your book. As time goes by, you’ll better understand the rhythm and the requirements of publishing and marketing and be better able to plan ahead.

You have a lot to do when you’re an author and publisher. You can’t do everything you want—no one can—so make sure you use your time and money wisely. If you’re good at doing graphic art and you enjoy designing your own business cards, that task may be worth your time. If fighting with your color printer is something you don’t enjoy, outsource your business cards to a printer company—it probably will be cheaper and less time-consuming for you. Perhaps maintaining your website takes you longer than it would a good web master so consider outsourcing that. Look at what you can afford to outsource, but also consider the value of your time. Time is money. How can you use your time to the best extent possible, both to save/earn you money and also so you do not end up feeling burnt out.

Don’t forget to give yourself a break now and then. If you’re tired and the best you can do is write on your laptop in your recliner in front of the TV and you only write 100 words that night, it’s better than nothing. If you have a lot to do, but your husband wants to take you out to dinner, don’t be afraid to say, “Yes” if you need a break for the evening, or if you won’t get home until 8. You can always work 8-10 instead, or maybe a good meal and some relaxation will make 8-9 more productive than 7-9 would have been otherwise. If your friend asks you out to the movie, I give you permission to go. I give you permission to have a life.

You’re an author and a publisher, but you’re also human. You’re in this business because you love writing books. Don’t forget that. Don’t make what should be fun into a chore. Do what you can today, but remember also, there’s always tomorrow.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

1)      Not understanding the importance of a book cover

I always find it interesting that an author will sometimes spend years writing their book and then leave the cover design to someone who either isn’t a designer, doesn’t have a working knowledge of book design or the publishing industry. Or, worse, they create a design without having done the proper market research. Consider these facts for a minute: shoppers in a bookstore spend on average of 8 seconds looking at the front cover of a book and 15 seconds looking at the back before deciding whether to buy it. Further, a survey of booksellers showed that 75% of them found the book cover to be the most important element of the book. Also, sales teams at book distribution often only take the book cover with them when they shop titles into stores. And finally please don’t attempt do design your own book cover. Much like cutting your own hair this is never a good idea.

2)      Trusting someone who has limited or no track record

When you hire a team, make sure you ask the service provider for their track record. Often I see an author who successfully marketed their single title now feel they have all the marketing knowledge they need to help you market yours. Unless you are in similar markets I would avoid this at all costs. You want people who have worked in the industry and know the needs of the market beyond just one title. You also want someone who has some history. Ask for referrals, and success stories. I give references all the time to potential new clients but when I am the one interviewing a new service provider I will ask for them but never call them. I mean who’s going to give you a bad referral? I want to see that they have some names they can give me then I’ll go online and Google them to gain some insight into their history and online reputation.

3)      Listening to people who aren’t experts

When you ask someone’s opinion about your book, direction, or topic, make sure they are either working in your industry or know your consumer. If, for example, you have written a young adult (YA) book, don’t give it to your co-workers to read and get feedback (yes, I know some YA books have adult market crossover appeal but this is different). If you’ve written a book for teens, then give it to teens to read. Same is true for self-help, diet, romance. Align yourself with your market. You want the book to be right for the reader, in the end that’s all that matters.

4)      Trusting Oprah to solve all your problems

Getting on Oprah is an article in and of itself but let me say this: the quickest way to turn off a publicist is to use the “O” word. Why? Because anyone worth their salt knows how tough a road the Oprah pitch can be. Not just that, but sometimes authors will become so myopic and obsessed about this show that they lose sight of other, maybe better opportunities. And trust me on another point: someone (friend, co-worker, family, spouse), somewhere will tell you “You should go on Oprah” and while you might be 100% perfect Oprah material, the only people who can determine if you should be on her show are her producers. Shoot for the stars, dream big, but keep a realism about your campaign otherwise you’ll spend a lot of time and a lot of money chasing a potentially elusive target.

5)      Planning for the short term only:

There’s a real fallacy that exists in publishing and it’s this: “instant bestseller.” Anyone who has spent any amount of time in the industry knows there is no such thing as “instant” and certainly the words “overnight success” are generally not reserved for books. Book promotion should be viewed as a long runway. Meaning that you should plan for the long term. Don’t spend all your marketing dollars in the first few months of a campaign. We find this especially true for self-published titles that need a little more TLC than their traditionally published counterparts. We offer campaigns that last 90-days but that’s not because we think 90 days is all it will take to make your book a success, it’s because we find it’s a reasonable time to get started, get a foot hold and start your progress down the runway of success.

6)      Not understanding timing

Timing is a funny issue. First, there’s the timing that books follow to get reviewed, so lead times as it were. Then there’s production timing, and if you’re lucky enough to get a distributor there’s the time it will take for a distributor to get your book into the proper channels. A book launch should be planned carefully and then leave wiggle room for slipped dates and late deliveries (which will happen). I recommend that you sit down with someone who can help you strategize timing so you can plan appropriately for your book launch. A missed date is akin to a missed opportunity.

7)      Hiring people who aren’t in the book industry

Let’s face it, even to those of us who have been in this industry for a while it still doesn’t always make sense. So hiring someone who has no book or publishing experience isn’t just a mistake, but it could be a costly one. With some vendors like web designers you can get away with that. But someone who has only designed business cards can’t, for example, design a book cover. Make sure you hire the right specialist for the right project. Also, you’ve likely spent years putting together this project, make sure you make choices based on what’s right and not what’s cheapest. If you shop right you can often find vendors who are perfect for your project and who fit your budget. There’s an old saying that goes: You can find a good lawyer and you can find a cheap lawyer but it’s hard or near impossible to find a good, cheap lawyer. The same applies in the book world.

8)      Designing your own website

You should never cut your own hair or design your own site. Period. End of story. But ok, let me elaborate. Let’s say you designed your own site which saved you a few thousand dollars paying a web designer. Now you’re off promoting your book and suddenly you’re getting a gazillion hits to your site. The problem is the site is not converting these visitors into a sale. How much money did you lose by punting the web designer and doing it yourself? Hard to know. Scary, isn’t it?

9)      Becoming a media diva

Let’s face it you need the media more than they need you. I know. Ouch. But it’s the unfortunate truth. So here’s the thing: be grateful. Thank the interviewer, send a follow up thank you note after the interview. Don’t expect the interviewer to read your book and don’t get upset if they get some facts wrong. Just gently, but professionally correct them in such a way that they don’t look bad or stupid. Never ask for an interview to be done over. Most media people don’t have the time. I mention this because it actually happened to a producer friend of mine who did an interview with a guy and he decided he didn’t like it and wanted a second shot. Not gonna happen. The thing is, until you get a dressing room with specially designed purple M&M’s, don’t even think about becoming a diva. The best thing you can do is create relationships. Show up on time, show up prepared, and always, always, always be grateful.

10)  Hiring the best and then not trusting their advice.

So, here’s the thing that’s always confused me. You hire me then don’t listen to my advice. And it’s not just me, I hear this all the time from other industry professionals. Look, it’s not an ego thing, it really isn’t. It’s just this: if you’re paying good money to your vendors, asking them for advice and then not taking it you might have a disconnect. Perhaps a breakdown in communication, maybe you don’t trust the person you hired. If you don’t trust them then you should part ways and find someone you have some chemistry with. Otherwise what’s the point? Build your team with people you enjoy working with and respect. Then when they try and guide you or save you some money, take the time to listen.

Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the “road map to publishing success.” AME is the first marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically works with social networking sites, blogs, Twitter, ezines, video sites, and relevant sites to push an authors message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book’s topic, positioning the author in his or her market. In the past 15 months their creative marketing strategies have helped land 10 books on the New York Times Bestseller list. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at http://www.amarketingexpert.com.

Copyright Penny C. Sansevieri

Depending on how you have your books printed, you need to figure out what kind of inventory you need to have on hand. If you think your book is going to sell really well, you may want to print a large number like 500 or 1,000 or more. If you’re unsure, you may want to print a smaller number. Offset printing (using a regular printer) will be to your advantage if you are printing a large number because the price will be lower per book and the more you print, the lower that price goes. Printing a smaller number, however, may be more convenient, or if your budget is small, perhaps using print-on-demand and digital technology to print the book will be more cost-effective because even if your unit cost is higher, you can order a smaller number, which may be all you can afford.

However you decide to have your books printed, and however many you print, you need to figure out how they will be delivered and where you will put them. Make sure you always ask the printer about delivery options. You need to figure out what is most convenient and most cost-effective for you, and one may not always coincide with the other, so you may have to choose convenience over price or vice-versa.

Here’s a case in point. One author I know has always had his books delivered to his door. If he ordered a small second printing of 100 copies, UPS or FedEX would deliver the books to his home. He has also ordered large first printings before and had them delivered to his door, but the printer he had worked with had always been out-of-state. He never inquired into the details of the delivery costs but simply paid whatever the printer said it would cost for delivery.

Then this author decided to print his next book locally. He chose a printer about twenty miles away. He thought using a local printer would be more cost-effective by lowering his delivery costs. He had seen other books this company had printed, and he saw the quality was equal or superseded the quality of other printers he had used out-of-state, and he thought he was helping to support the local economy.

What the author didn’t know was that this printer sent its large orders—anything over 100 books—out-of-state to one of the printers the author had already been using. Had he only ordered 100 books, they would have been printed 20 miles from his house, and he could have driven to the printer and picked up the books in his car. But this time, he ordered 1,000 copies, and the print overrun resulted in an additional 60 copies.

The author asked to have the books delivered since obviously he couldn’t fit 1,000 books in his car and did not want to make ten trips. However, what he meant by “delivered” and what the printer thought “delivered” meant were not the same thing—largely because the author didn’t realize the books were not being printed by the local printer.

What happened? The local printer called to say the books were ready for pick-up. The author said he thought they were being delivered. The printer then had to explain that the author had been charged $500 for delivery of the books from the out-of-state printer to the local print shop. Fortunately, once the confusion was understood by both parties, the author agreed to come pick up a car full of books and the printer agreed that, whenever he went in the direction of the author’s house to make deliveries, he would drop a few boxes of books off for him. The author also learned that the out-of-state printer charged extra to deliver to residences, and had he requested delivery to his door, he would have paid $200-300 more for delivery of the books. Even so, he probably would have paid extra for the convenience of not having to spend his time and gas to pick them up.

However, the author had also not realized that the printer included storage of the books in its services and would even ship the books to stores for the author if he wished, which was an extra bonus in some cases for him. Had the author thought to ask about the delivery and storage services, he would have saved himself some energy and time in the end. But he did end up very happy with the printer for both the excellent look of his book and the excellent service and willingness to work with him to get the books where he wanted them to be. The relationship built would result in repeat business.

Having the books printed locally did not work out exactly as the author expected, although the books still looked superb. The local printer and the author both had to spend time and mileage getting the books to the author’s house. The author also had not completely considered what 1,000 books of 400 pages each would mean. He had ordered 500 copies previously of smaller-sized books, but his new order resulted in 88 full boxes and one half box; the full boxes weighed 31 pounds each. That’s 2,743 pounds of books, well over a ton!!! The author only had put aside space in his home for half that many books, not having fully realized how much space they would take up.

Space is a huge consideration when housing your book inventory. Not only do you need room for all those books, but they also need to be readily accessible. You also need to keep them in a heated space—they can warp in a cold car or garage, and equally warp in a hot environment. The local printer was willing to keep some of the books for the author, but the author also wanted a sufficient number in his home since he would need to deliver to the local bookstores and did not want to have to run to the printer every time he needed another box of books. Thankfully, the author and printer were willing to work together.

And what about after the books arrive at an author’s house? They still need to be delivered to bookstores and gift shops or mailed to a distributor or individual customers who order them. Authors have to remember that unless they can afford to hire someone else to do it, they will themselves have to play delivery boy to bookstores and gift shops. An author may have to run to deliver three books to a boutique gift shop, or thirty books to a bookstore. In this particular author’s case, his 31 pound book boxes hold 12 books each, so an order of 30 books is 77.5 pounds. That’s a lot to carry. Unless you want to make two or three trips from a parking lot into a store, you might want to buy yourself a dolly to help lighten he load.

Book delivery—just one more detail along the road to self-publishing and authorship—and one that is a big part of the process an author cannot allow to be forgotten—or you may get surprising results.

Irene Watson is the Managing Editor of Reader Views, where avid readers can find reviews of recently published books as well as read interviews with authors. Her team also provides author publicity and a variety of other services specific to writing and publishing books.

You get an email saying that someone wants to buy a large number of books, usually 50 or more. The email says that the books are for a school or a library in a foreign country, or they are being purchased by a major corporation. They want to give you warm fuzzy feelings–not only are you selling a bunch of books, they are going to be used to educate poor children in an African school!

If you reply, they will tell you that they need to ship the books via a specific shipper. They will send you a check or money order for the cost of the books, plus money to pay the shipper. Once you cash the check, you are to wire money to their shipper to cover the cost of shipping the books to them.

In some cases they will simply send a check or money order for much more than the cost of the books plus shipping, and ask you to wire any excess funds to them.

What happens in either case is that, after you have wired money and shipped the books, you find out that the check or money order was fraudulent. You are out both the value of the books you shipped and the money you wired to the scammer, often thousands of dollars.

How can you protect yourself from these scams?

Never wire money to someone you do not know, for any reason. It is always a scam.

Do not rely on the fact that the checks “look good.” Scammers are expert forgers and can create checks, money orders and other documents that appear to be genuine. Your bank may be able to verify whether they are genuine by contacting the organization that supposedly issued them.

Do not assume that because your bank gave you money for the checks that the checks are valid and have cleared. Banks are legally required to release funds within a few days, and it may take weeks to discover that the checks are forgeries. Money orders or cashiers checks are not “safe.” They can be forged, too.

Be suspicious when a customer specifies that you use a particular shipper. Be extra suspicious when the shipping costs are estimated to be thousands of dollars to ship a carton of books.

Do not get so excited by the prospect of a large order that you fail to exercise caution. When you receive one of these orders, the wisest course of action is probably to delete the email and move on. However, if you want to proceed, watch for the danger signs listed in this article. And never wire money to someone you do not know.

Cathy Stucker writes about marketing, blogging, publishing and more at IdeaLady.com and CathyStucker.com. Sign up for her free IdeaLady Insider newsletter at http://IdeaLady.com/article/newsletter.

I acquired our ISBNs from RR Bowker, listing with them and in other publishing trade references. We sent out press releases about our little company and celebrated with a bit of fanfare.

I envisioned days packed with conversations with authors, designing exquisite books, filling bookstore orders, making presentations to the sales staff of the distributor we didn’t have yet, and picking up the mail at our post office box.

The Tip of the Iceberg

Because we were already running direct-mail campaigns, there was usually something rewarding in the mail. One day, there was a large manila envelope.

Excitedly, I pored over our first manuscript submission. I was in awe that an author had found us so quickly and had thought enough of our fledgling company to send his manuscript, cover letter, and outline for our consideration. We really were a publishing company!

This manuscript, while competently written, wasn’t in our specialty, though. I packed it carefully and wrote a thoughtful letter to the author explaining our situation, commenting on his manuscript and mentioning a possible publisher.

Spending quality time on the rejection of our first potential author made me feel good. I had treated him with dignity and encouragement and even included a suggested next move – just as I would want to be treated. I knew then that we wouldn’t be using form letters!

The Pile

It didn’t take long before we were busy with books and billing and selling rights and the big manila envelopes that kept coming. Initially, I was amazed that so many people had found us; however, why did they think that we published books about past life therapy and crop circles?

Soon there wasn’t enough time to read each manuscript, much less compose a heartfelt letter to the author. So we started a pile on the end of the long desk. It didn’t take long for me to realize that if we were going to survive in publishing, I needed to focus on the books we were publishing, not on the ones we weren’t.

The weeks passed, and the pile grew. I tried to walk past without looking at it in order to avoid at least some of the guilt of envisioning authors glued to their mailboxes.

And then I began hating the pile and the people who kept sending the big manila envelopes of past life regression, satanic possession, the triumph of overcoming childhood abuse, the triumph of overcoming divorce. What had I done to deserve this? And how could I make it stop?

Taking Care of The Pile

I realized it would be impossible to devote individual attention to the authors of the unsolicited manuscripts, so we drew up a form ‘submission reply letter.’

Most authors included a stamped, self-addressed manila envelope with their submission in order to get their manuscript back if rejected. So those book authors who had included postage received their manuscripts and our new letter.

Those who didn’t include return postage with their manuscripts? We didn’t have a fancy office with a mailroom or the money to pay for returning so many heavy packages. And so we didn’t. Let’s just say the recycling bin got a little fuller that day.

And I resolved to never send an unsolicited manuscript to anyone. Ever.

Joel Friedlander is the proprietor of Marin Bookworks, a publishing services company in San Rafael, California that has launched many self-publishers. Joel is a book designer, a self-published author, and blogs about publishing and book design. To learn more about self-publishing a book, book and cover design, and the intricacies of the publishing process, please visit Joel’s blog at http://www.theBookDesigner.com today.

What is the best thing to do with these damaged books? Here are some ideas:

Give them away. Although I would not send a damaged book to a possible reviewer, I have given them to friends and colleagues (with the understanding that the book is not pristine). Consider donating a few copies to a local non-profit group, library or assisted living facility.

Make the book a bonus with purchase. You could also give the books away with another purchase. “We have a few slightly hurt copies of Book A, and you get one free when you buy Book B.” Everyone loves getting something free, and a small cosmetic defect to the bonus book will not damped their enthusiasm.

Sell them from your website or through your newsletter. I sometimes run “hurt books” sales in my newsletter where I make damaged books available at a special, low price. Discount the book 30 – 50%, let customers know the special offer is available only while the supply of hurt books lasts, and watch the books fly off the shelves!

Offer the books through Amazon Marketplace or Half.com. Both sites allow you to sell new and used books. Honestly describe the damage, set a deeply discounted price and list the book for sale. Authors might even autograph the damaged books they sell (I do!) to make the purchase more attractive. Both Amazon and Half.com allow you to list the book at no cost. When it sells, they collect the money and pay you the sale price (less listing fees) and a shipping allowance. Some publishers make more money per copy on hurt books sold on Amazon than they do on new copies!

Of course, there may be times when the damage is more than cosmetic. In that case, it is usually best to discard the books. Check with your local recycling center, as many of them will accept paper (including paperback books) for recycling.

Don’t let damaged books sit around in your storeroom or warehouse. Try one of the above ideas to turn them into cash.

Cathy Stucker writes about marketing, blogging, publishing and more at IdeaLady.com and CathyStucker.com. Sign up for her free IdeaLady Insider newsletter at http://IdeaLady.com/article/newsletter.

Publishing is a $3 trillion worldwide business. This is not to say that you can’t compete – but it’s simply not going to happen if you think that you can do this with no money down or with “free” services. I’m not saying you have to pay a mint, but it costs money to start any business.

Publishing books is a *business*.

Being small means you have to think leaner/meaner/sharper than the big guys. But to be smart, you have to educate yourself so you know what the industry expects, what the rules are (so if you break them, you do so knowingly and not stupidly) and how little ol’ you can succeed where the big guys are drowning like dinos in a tar pit.

If you can’t/won’t/don’t want to learn the skillsets required to publish your book, do not expect those who have spent years acquiring same to do those things for free. Be absolutely suspicious of those who say they can typeset, convert a manuscript to Kindle or any other service for free or
cheap. You get *exactly* what you pay for.

If you don’t have the money to market, print, get decent editing, or any of the other things that go into making a book the right way (and don’t plan to acquire the skills yourself), then stop what you are doing and save for that launch. Don’t rush to put “something out.” Very little that is excellent in the world is the result of slap-dash production. Most “overnight successes” are the result of ten-or-more years of hard work and investment. Respect that what you’ve created is a precious thing – the product of your mind and hard work. It deserves to be put in the best package possible, with the most careful planning you can focus on it.

While you’re accumulating the needed funds, study up on how to make that hard-earned money you’re going to spend work most effectively so that you succeed. There is nothing that makes me sadder or more frustrated than reading posts by people who are just shocked that their clip-art-cover-not-edited-formatted-in-Word-POD-printed-with-no hope-of-any-distribution-no-marketing-at-all book is not selling. Because I know how hard that person worked to create that piece of work, and by rushing to “get it out,” they destroyed any value it might have had.

It’s not a bad gall bladder; it’s your mind-child!

Scrimp and save if you have to, take 3 years to get it published RIGHT if you must, but plan for success, not failure!

Jacqueline Church Simonds
Beagle Bay, Inc., Books That Enlighten and Inform
http://www.beaglebay.com
Self-Publisher’s FAQ – http://www.creativemindspress.com/newbiefaq.htm
Small Press World blog – http://smallpressworld.com/blog
Book Shepherding, production and design

In addition to shipping individual books to customers, there may be times when you need to ship one or more cartons of books to wholesalers, bookstores, Amazon.com and others.

Here are some tips for shipping books so they arrive undamaged and ready for sale.

Whenever possible, try to ship in full case lots. If your books came from the printer packed in boxes of 40, encourage book distributors, wholesalers, fulfillment services and Amazon.com to order in multiples of 40. Amazon uses an algorithm to set order quantities, but you may request a stock up order. Your stock up order request should be for one to three months’ of expected sales, and you may want to round to case lots.

Even when shipping in case lots, it is usually wise not to simply slap on a label and call for a pickup. You probably did a random check of several cases of books when they arrived, to verify the quality. You may want to check a few random boxes on their way out, too. Make sure to reseal the box with strong tape. It is also a good idea to reinforce the seals on all boxes, especially if the books were shipped on pallets. Boxes piled on pallets may not be sealed as carefully as boxes need to be when shipped individually.

When shipping books in quantities other than case lots, use care in packing. Boxes may be handled roughly, and movement within the box can create creases, tears and “dings” that will cause books to be returned as damaged.

Use a box of the right size. If the box is too small, the corners of the book may be crushed. If it is too large, the books can shift during handling resulting in all kinds of damage.

Add packing material to cushion and support the books during shipping. A piece of cardboard between stacks of books can keep them in place. Add cardboard or air-filled cushions to fill empty space and keep books from moving about. Do not use packing peanuts or other loose fillers, as they may not keep the books in place and the pieces can attach themselves to the books or get stuck between pages.

Wrapping books can protect them during shipping. Use bubble wrap or heavy paper to wrap single books or small stacks of books.

Do not overpack boxes. The strain may cause the box to burst during handling.

Seal all openings securely with shipping tape. Don’t overdo the tape—you don’t want the recipient to have to use dynamite to open the box—but run tape along all openings.

Label each box clearly. Many carriers allow you to create shipping labels online. Make sure the printed label can be easily read, and that any barcodes are clearly visible. Some carriers provide clear plastic envelopes in which you may enclose the shipping label. The envelopes are self-adhesive and stick to the box. Or you may print labels on self-adhesive label stock or plain paper.

Include any information, such as a PO number or other identifier, required by the recipient. A packing slip may be put in the box before sealing, or attached to the outside of the box.

Compare prices from carriers on your most common shipments to get the best rate. The best rate for shipping books will depend on where you are, typical shipping destinations, the size and weight of your boxes, etc. Most carriers allow you to go online and quickly get estimated rates and shipping times.

Look for discounts. For example, many associations give members access to discounted shipping programs. Through my membership in a publishing trade group, I got a FedEx account that has the best overall shipping rates for my business.

Paying careful attention to how you ship can reduce your expenses and headaches.

As the Idea Lady, Cathy Stucker helps authors, professionals and entrepreneurs attract customers and make themselves famous. Learn more, and get free marketing tips at http://IdeaLady.com/.