MAKING MONEY WITH HOME-MADE
BOOKLETS
Self-publishing home-made
booklets and/or manuals is probably the easiest
way to break into your own Information Marketing
business. Even if you do not have training as a
writer, you still can research and compile
information on interesting subjects.
You can self-publish just by
typing your book or manual and having a
competent typesetter place it in camera-ready
format for you.
Once the book or manual is
ready for printing, ask your typesetter to print
out 10 or 15 copies on their laser printer.
You'll probably have to pay extra for the
copies, but it's cheaper in the long run. If you
want 50 or 100 copies, take the master the
typesetter sends you and have them printed at
the local copy shop.
Once several copies are
printed and bound, you can begin marketing them.
Advertise the book or manual in the mail order
publications or other publications geared toward
the target market you are attempting to sell to.
(In other words, don't sell a book about
collecting dolls in Sports Illustrated.) Send
sample copies to publishers who offer reviews
and write-ups to take advantage of free
advertising. You could even send a free sample
to the publisher of a well-known tabloid and ask
for a plug if they enjoyed the book.
Most mom-and-pop operations
will allow you to place your book in their store
for 40% to 50% of the cover price. This way,
copies that don't sell won't cost you anything.
All you have to do is check up on them once or
twice per week and make sure they are easy to
find on the rack to attract the eye of the
potential customer. And if your booklet is
filled with recipes or local folklore _ local
businesses will be thrilled to promote and carry
your book on their shelves. Local people love to
read books about their community and keep them
as collectors items.
By marketing your own product
_ orders will come directly to you or be
controlled by you. If you sell through the mail,
you simply mail a copy of your book or manual
with a cover letter thanking the customer for
their order. Believe it or not _ It's that
simple! And best of all _ you keep all the
profits which is better than sharing the money
with another publisher who dropships for you.
Yes, there will be some costs
involved in advertising, printing and mailing to
promote your self-published book or manual; but
do you know the costs involved in sending drafts
out to publishers for acceptance?
Believe me, it runs into the
$1,000's! And big companies who will publish
your book for you start out with costs of
$10,000.00 or more without the guarantee that
you will even make one sell!
One of the easiest types of
books to publish and sell through the mail are
5x8" booklets. To get a sample of one of mail
order's most popular 5x8" publications, send $2
to Graphico Publishing, PO Box 488, Bluff City
TN 37618 and request a sample copy of The
GrapeVine Journal. Examine how it is put
together and how it is printed.
If you really want to save
money and put your own booklets together, simply
have them printed and shipped to you. Then, you
will collate the pages in the proper sequence,
staple them in the middle (called saddle
stitching), fold in half and you're done.
The only office tool you need
to invest in is a long-armed stapler. One can be
purchased at your local office supply store or
through Quill or Viking (two main mail order
office supply companies.) The current price is
around $40.
Plan your next book, manual
or other publication and enjoy the benefits of
keeping all the proceeds. It's really a
fantastic way to make some extra money while
still keeping your job and your steady income. |
RoDI
ISOC
IWA
ARTT
RTS
WQC 2003
ISAQ 2005