Author : Helen Hecker

Many self publishers, book publishers, entrepreneurs, and home-based and small business owners are in the dark about mailing list rentals — how to order targeted, direct mailing lists - say for a direct marketing campaign, what to look for, and what to beware of And they often make a few expensive mistakes The following tips and trade secrets will help you avoid some of these mistakes and help you make better decisions when you seek out quality mailing list services

First of all, generally, you rent, not buy mailing lists They remain in the ownership of the mailing list company and are usually not for sale

Many business owners rent lists but don’t use them right away, which is a mistake Most lists change considerably in 30 days or less Some lists, like mailing lists of public libraries, prisons, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, daily newspapers, TV stations and radio stations will have very few changes They are fairly stationary so not as likely to move Bookstore lists, new age bookstores lists, organization lists, specialty lists, MLM lists and business mailing lists may have a high rate of return To avoid a lot of returns, rent the selected lists just prior to making your mailing

Be careful about renting any mailing list that goes to individuals: consumer mailing lists, seniors mailing lists, residential mailing lists, homeowners mailing lists and opportunity seekers mailing lists, for example With 20% of the population moving every year you may get significant returns

But do expect some returns As often as we mail using lists, we always get returns (called ‘nixies’ in the trade) from the post office People move, forwarding orders expire, people expire, post office boxes close, and businesses close their doors

Mailing list management and upkeep is expensive It takes a lot of time and labor for companies to compile, add to, clean and mail to their lists and other necessary maintenance They also use expensive mailing list software programs which can have costly bugs of their own

To help you plan ahead, before you order your mailing lists, ask when you can expect the order to arrive This can vary considerably from company to company Some companies can take up to two weeks or more

Mailing lists can usually be ordered in at least three formats - peel and stick (pressure-sensitive) labels or Cheshire (18 pound, spreadsheet-size computer paper–less common these days) or on a floppy disk (used less often these days) or CD You order peel and stick labels if they’re going to be affixed to your mailing piece by hand Or if you know how to import the lists you can order them on CD If your mailing house is going to do your mailing they’ll probably prefer the floppy disk or CD - check with them on this before you order

Mailing houses used to require the Cheshire format instead of peel and stick labels before the advent of computer technology and CD ROM They have machines that cut the printed Cheshire sheets into labels and glue them to the envelopes When ordering lists on CD, specify the format you want to use for conversion, usually ASCII comma-delimited You must know how to import it when you get the disk though The mailing lists will always be for one-time use only even if they’re on a CD or disk And some mailing list companies offer instant downloads of lists

Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage If you can’t answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details

Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package

When you do mailings First Class, you’ll get returns from the post office at no additional charge If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won’t get returns They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you’ve printed ‘Return Service Requested’ on the envelope Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or ‘Change Service Requested’ (cost based on piece regardless of weight ) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically

Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren’t enough for a credit, which is almost always offered This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon

When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece This is so the company can determine if you’re mailing a competitive or objectionable piece

The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse Since decoys are different for each list order, the renter who abuses a contract is easy to trace

Mailing lists are protected by copyright and trade secret law Any violation of a list agreement is strictly upheld by the courts Once a list rental contract has been broken, the list owner has legal recourse to sue for compensatory and punitive damages Punitive damages could amount to as much as three times the value of the list and more

All list owners have good reason to be so protective of their data List rental is a multibillion-dollar business There are literally thousands of lists available for rental in the United States alone

If all else fails, you can enlist the help of a mail list broker Brokers usually collect their fees from the mailing list company Check this out first

In any case caveat emptor! In any case you can reap rewards handsomely from sending out fliers, press releases, press kits, review copies of books and other materials via the direct mailing lists you choose

These tips and trade secrets should help self publishers, book publishers, entrepreneurs, home based or work-at-home and small business owners make better decisions when working with mailing lists, mailing list rentals and mailing list companies

Helen Hecker helps book & self publishers, heads Twin Peaks Press, a PR, offline-online marketing, mailing list, consulting, publishing co. Do AP press releases. Publish books, ebooks. ‘Helen Hecker’s Biz Hotline’ for biz owners. Free co-op mailing service. Since 1982.
http://www.TwinPeaksPress.com

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles
By thoughtsearch.com

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The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

Author : Earma Brown

Are you ready for a change your life kind of experience? Yes Then write and publish the book you’ve been dreaming about Few things hold the potential for a life changing experience like writing and publishing a book

You can receive life long income from writing and publishing your own book You can affect the lives of hundreds even thousands for the good You gain the added respect of your colleagues after writing your book You can leverage the increase of fees exponentially in your business

Even so, many new authors don’t receive the rewards they deserve They forfeit their advantages by making simple mistakes that block their book’s success Correct the following mistakes to enjoy the rich rewards of a top selling book author:

1 Failure to set realistic expectations

To be honest, your book by itself probably won’t make you rich Don’t be disappointed with your royalty check or dismayed by direct sales of your self-published book

Instead, plan to use your book as an important leveraging tool to advance existing sales, increase your business or catapult your career Plan to receive open door opportunities that you may not have received any other way

2 Failure to organize book project

Researchers say we waste over 6 full days a year looking for mislaid information Make it easy for yourself Create a filing system for your book project You’ll write faster and with less stress Did you discover you can’t pull it all together by yourself? Delegate; hire an assistant to help Do the part you are most skilled in and assign the rest

3 Failure to turn off self-editor

Turn off the self-editor while writing The editor in you will want to stop and correct every error Don’t allow him or her a voice until you finish the writing process It’s more important to finish your rough draft than to write a perfect manuscript Don’t let a too early editing process block your rewards

4 Failure to avoid marathon writing

Prolific authors at some point realize they don’t have to sell their soul to write a saleable book They write a little each day to get it done faster They avoid marathon writing (going away) You unintentionally set yourself up for failure if you opt for the marathon writing What happens to your book goals, if you come back and your book’s still not written?

5 Failure to focus on one main topic

Top selling authors focus on one main topic They make sure each chapter supports that subject If you scatter your focus, you’ll come across as unorganized, long winded, and boring Your readers may find your book hard to understand

Instead of an encyclopedia type book, chunk your information into modules, segments, chapters or parts In each segment, offer plenty of detail to make it useful to your reader

6 Failure to write ‘Grab You by the Collar’ titles

It’s a known fact; titles sell books In fact, titles sell a lot more than books Titles sell newspapers Titles sell magazines Titles enhance the selling power of ads, brochures, web sites, booklets, and just about any kind of marketing element you can think of Don’t forget chapter titles, sub heading titles, bulleted points (mini-titles) benefit from sizzling titles

7 Failure to think community

Successful authors look for ways to engage and involve a nurturing relationship with readers and peers You should seek to include the support of your family, friends, readers, other authors, book coaches and others who feed your enthusiasm Most are eager to provide ideas, assistance and feedback

If you continue in the mistakes above your book may never reach the level of success it deserves Instead, implement good book writing tips and avoid the self publishing mistakes new authors make Go ahead; take the wheel of writing well and drive your book to a wild success

And now I would like to offer you free access to my FREE Self Publishing eKit when you subscribe to Publish2Profit, a free monthly newsletter on book writing, publishing and marketing tips. You can get your instant access at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net
From Earma Brown, 14 year author, book writing and publishing coach

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles
By thoughtsearch.com

Author : Rolf Zimmerli

Does that title sound confusing? Well, I can understand that, but once you finish reading you’ll see that writing articles the wrong way round will speed up your writing and get you much better articles

Writing an article seems like a daunting task, and if you do it for the first time you might feel like standing in front of an unsurmountable sleek wall that does not provide footholds to climb up and over it to reach your goal But it’s quite easy, if you approach article writing in a systematic, step by step way Let’s look at these steps and find out how you can write an article in a few minutes, once you have mastered this 6 step system:

The Six Step System For Article Writing

This is the most efficient and, in my experience, fastest way to write about any subject:

- define what your goal is for the article

- do research if necessary

- prepare an outline

- start writing any part of the article

- organize the article into headline, lead, body, conclusion

- proof read three times at least

Who Will Read The Article - What Is The Article About?

Before you start writing, you need to define what you want to communicate with your article, and what purpose the article will serve Ask yourself these questions: Who is the reader you want to reach, what knowledge of the subject does this reader have allready? What exactly do you want the reader to know once he’s read your article?

Best use a list with keywords to jot down your ideas Dont’ worry about organizing these keywords yet Once you have a bunch of keywords, start putting them in a logical sequence, the way you want to organize your story When you have decided how your article will appraoch the subject, prepare an outline how you want to pass on this knowledge and / or information Then start giving your article a structure

Structure means divide the article into the four sections: headline, lead or teaser, body and conclusion Here is the secret to effective writing that will make writing your own articles fast and painless: You don’t have to write these in the order I just mentioned them! Because it can be really difficult to come up with a good headline or teaser, if you have not written the article itself Also don’t necessarily write the article body in the sequence that it will have once it’s ready for publishing

It is a lot easier to first start off with a few bullet points for the body of the article Developing these bullet points into sentences and paragraphs often, all of a sudden, leads to a great headline, or you will think of the best reason why this article provides benefit to the reader That way you let your thoughts flow freely and don’t get writers block

The Headline

It’s allways good to start writing a first headline for your article The headline may change as you write But start off with the best headline that comes to mind now Headlines should be catchy and induce curiosity in the readers mind Best keep your headline short, seven words or less is good Also make it strong and affirmative: “Write your Article in 10 minutes” is better than “How to Write an Article in a short time”

The Lead or Teaser

To get the readers attention, it’s important to start off with a lead paragraph that very briefly describes what you are going to tell the reader and why You must grab the readers attention and give him a very good reason why reading your article is worth his time

A great way to write an article is to start the lead paragraph with a statement, then go through the explanations and information that you want to pass on and, in your conclusion, draw a line back to the initial statement you made This neatly wraps up everything and in the mind of the reader ‘encapsulates’ the article

A good lead is short and to the point It doesn’t try to compact every fact you write about in the article body into two or three sentences Just provide enough information to get the story moving, but leave the reader wanting to know more

The Body

In the body you go into detail and cover the points that you have written down in your outline Here you provide the hard facts, the information and the instructions You answer the reader’s questions and you show different angles of the subject

Organizing this information in a logical way is the most important thing Think of the flow of the article and make sure you have a thread that leads smoothly from one point to the next Make sure you don’t use jargon or spcific words that are only known in an industry or trade and not used by the public If you need to use these words, explain the meaning Put the reader at ease

Explain your points in short paragraphs Short paragraphs are easier for the reader to follow No one likes to look at a long block of solid text Three, four or five sentences are enough for one paragraph

If you are writing to create interest for your business, spill all the beans! Tell your trade secrets! This may sound a bit wild, but the more you tell, the more demand will be created for your goods and services

Provide personal examples of the points you make, or create a ficticious case and show how in practice such a solution would work well Illustrating your explanations with an example makes understanding what you say a lot easier for the reader and your text gains credibility

The Conclusion

Remember your favourite teacher at school, the one that at the end of class would quickly summarize what was covered in the last 45 minutes? That’s what you are going to do now to finish off your article and make it a finished and polished piece Reread your lead, where you started the circular loop that you now want to bring together by writing the conclusion

For this article the conclusion could read like this: “Writing the wrong way round and mixing body, title, tease and conclusion whilst writing does lead to faster writing and better results, because you let your thoughts flow free and avoid writers block When you’ll be writing your next article, footholds will magically appear on that wall that earlier used to block your writing Go and try it!”

It’s allmost allways possible to draw the circle closed, and if it does not seem to be doable with the teaser that you have, read the entire article once more and maybe change the teaser to be able to draw that circle

Proofreading

The best way to destroy credibility is poor grammar and spelling Your content may be brilliant, but if there are mistakes, people will tend to dismiss what you have to say So use the tools that are available to spell check and have a friend, or better, a few friends proofread your article before you submit it or publish it yourself Best leave the article for a day or two and then reread it yourself Often you’ll come up with even better formulations and the article will gain in quality Don’t overdo this, thouhg Once is enough for your own rereading, then go out and publish You’ve done a great job and spent time and effort to write, now others want to read what you have to say!

and even though I’ve written the conclusion allready as an example, here’s it true spot, so here we go again, this time reworded just slightly:

You see, writing the wrong way round and mixing body, title, tease and conclusion whilst writing does lead to faster writing and better results This writing style allows your thoughts to flow free, lets your creativity develop thoughts and associations Because you avoid writers block that way, you’ll be writing your next article fast and without pain Footholds will magically appear on that wall that earlier used to block your writing Go and try it!

Rolf C. Zimmerli is a web developer, web consultant and editor. He has been working on the Internet since 1996. He manages a free article submission site: ZNMC Article Directory accepts well written articles for free publishing and welcomes your contributions.

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles
By thoughtsearch.com

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Upper Body Chi for Beginners [VHS]

Author : Scott Boyd

Self-publishing original eBooks can be a profitable means of generating a lucrative income eBooks are books that can be written, designed, downloaded and purchased through electronic means If you’ve been on the internet for even a short period of time, you know that eBooks are extremely popular and have made money for many people

What makes eBooks so hot is the fact that they provide information to online readers who want to be able to access knowledge quickly and immediately These are individuals who don’t want to wait around for days or weeks for a book to be delivered via snail mail Their thing is instant gratification and eBooks satisfy that need

So, where do you come in?

Even if you’ve never had experience with writing, you can still be a success as an eBook author All you need to do is to figure out what topic you have some helpful knowledge about and create an eBook based on it Each of us has experience and know-how in some area that we can share with others who desire to learn more about it Your eBook may be the very answer to somebody else’s questions

Some eBook writers opt to go through third party publishers, in order to sell their work While this can be a positive enterprise, there is always the risk that third party publishers could reject your work Even if they accept it, they could end up watering down your message so much, that it hardly resembles your original concept Another problem is that you will only get a percentage of any profits from your eBook sales

Self-publishing, on the other hand, can offer you much better advantages

Self-publishing your eBook allows you the freedom to express yourself without being edited or rejected by a third party publisher or editor You have complete artistic control over your work, including its content, its design and all price-setting You also retain all the rights to your eBooks and can change or edit them at your own personal discretion, without any protest from somebody else The profits from all sales of your eBooks go to you In other words, you are totally independent

Sounds wonderfully empowering, doesn’t it?

That being said, being able to actually accomplish the task of publishing your own eBooks may seem overwhelming to put into practice What should you write about? What tools do you need? What resources do you use? How in the world do you market your products?

These are all questions that you are going to need answers to, in order to become a thriving eBook writer and self-publisher

You need to learn about the basic “mechanics” involved in putting together well-organized eBook products that address subjects that will be of interest to a specific target group For instance, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, you could focus your eBooks on topics that would concern other stay-at-home moms, such as work-from-home options, parenting issues, tips for frugal living and more When you get a solid idea of your niche market, you then need to get busy writing and find out how to put everything in an appealing, orderly package

You then need to find out about the practicalities involved with the business of self-publishing Learn what it takes to make your eBooks grab the attention of potential buyers, so that you can have a competitive edge over other eBooks out there in the cyber world

Once you discover these things, writing eBooks and self-publishing will be a snap

Scott Boyd is an author of Internet Marketing and Health related Books. See more information about writing, publishing, and selling eBooks at Writing & Selling EBooks.

Check out my jam packed Self Publishing Ebooks where you will discover a wealth of free information for a lifelong resource.

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles
By thoughtsearch.com

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IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit

Author : David Granoff

Generally there is a single traditional approach to putting a hardback book together Most modern printers and binders use the “case” method which must always begin with the printing of the pages in the book This is done on a commercial press according to the needs of the book Some books use large pages of glossy expensive paper, others may use lightweight and bright white paper that is far less expensive The choice in paper depends upon the type of book being made A “coffee table” book full of fine art prints and images will use an extremely high quality and thicker paper A simple “how to” manual will probably use the least expensive paper possible

Once the pages have been created by the publishing house they are sent off to a printer who must print them in sections called “signatures” Signatures in a hardback book will be divided equally by the total page count, and their number depends on the weight of the paper and the binding style to be used

When creating a case bound book the printer or binder will either sew or glue the signatures together with a flexible glue and spine tape The determination to sew or glue comes from the thickness of the book For example, most modern hardback children’s books are constructed without the use of sewing because the glue and case are strong enough to meet the needs of many readings

Larger or thicker hardback books will always demand sewing of the signatures since the sheer weight of the pages would break or crack a simple glue and cloth tape combination Once each group of signatures has been pressed and sewn, the bindery then flattens the spine and applies what are known as “end sheets” End sheets will serve as the inside lining on the case of the book and also as the first (and always blank) page The spine is then taped and glued again at which time the hardback or case is applied While the glue is still pliable the book is inserted into a special finishing press which squeezes the spine and creates the distinctive grooves that line each side of every book’s spine These are not simply decorative features, but allow the cover to be opened and closed without causing stress to the spine and signatures

Today there are a number of styles for hardback covers, or cases Many printers allow a customer to choose a glossy cover that has full color art printed on a special wrapping There are also options for the printing of dust jackets as well Hardback books are one of the most popular options in “self-publishing” and many printers make “short runs” or jobs of less than one thousand copies available to the public

David Granoff is a 25 year veteran printing business owner. His company specializes in commercial printing in Dallas, as well as other services such as digital printing,book printing. There is a also a commercial printing Addison location.Check out http://www.ThePrintPlace.com

Syndication Source: Thought Search Articles
By thoughtsearch.com

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Self-publishing original eBooks can be a profitable means of generating a lucrative income. eBooks are books that can be written, designed, downloaded and purchased through electronic means. If you’ve been on the internet for even a short period of time, you know that eBooks are extremely popular and have made money for many people.

What makes eBooks so hot is the fact that they provide information to online readers who want to be able to access knowledge quickly and immediately. These are individuals who don’t want to wait around for days or weeks for a book to be delivered via snail mail. Their thing is instant gratification and eBooks satisfy that need.

So, where do you come in?

Even if you’ve never had experience with writing, you can still be a success as an eBook author. All you need to do is to figure out what topic you have some helpful knowledge about and create an eBook based on it. Each of us has experience and know-how in some area that we can share with others who desire to learn more about it. Your eBook may be the very answer to somebody else’s questions.

Some eBook writers opt to go through third party publishers, in order to sell their work. While this can be a positive enterprise, there is always the risk that third party publishers could reject your work. Even if they accept it, they could end up watering down your message so much, that it hardly resembles your original concept. Another problem is that you will only get a percentage of any profits from your eBook sales.

Self-publishing, on the other hand, can offer you much better advantages.

Self-publishing your eBook allows you the freedom to express yourself without being edited or rejected by a third party publisher or editor. You have complete artistic control over your work, including its content, its design and all price-setting. You also retain all the rights to your eBooks and can change or edit them at your own personal discretion, without any protest from somebody else. The profits from all sales of your eBooks go to you. In other words, you are totally independent.

Sounds wonderfully empowering, doesn’t it?

That being said, being able to actually accomplish the task of publishing your own eBooks may seem overwhelming to put into practice. What should you write about? What tools do you need? What resources do you use? How in the world do you market your products?

These are all questions that you are going to need answers to, in order to become a thriving eBook writer and self-publisher.

You need to learn about the basic “mechanics” involved in putting together well-organized eBook products that address subjects that will be of interest to a specific target group. For instance, if you’re a stay-at-home mom, you could focus your eBooks on topics that would concern other stay-at-home moms, such as work-from-home options, parenting issues, tips for frugal living and more. When you get a solid idea of your niche market, you then need to get busy writing and find out how to put everything in an appealing, orderly package.

You then need to find out about the practicalities involved with the business of self-publishing. Learn what it takes to make your eBooks grab the attention of potential buyers, so that you can have a competitive edge over other eBooks out there in the cyber world.

Once you discover these things, writing eBooks and self-publishing will be a snap.

About the Author

Scott Boyd is an author of Internet Marketing and Health related Books. See more information about writing, publishing, and selling eBooks at Writing & Selling EBooks.

Check out my jam packed Self Publishing Ebooks where you will discover a wealth of free information for a lifelong resource.

Article Source: Content for Reprint

By ScottBoyd_10

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