Got a book idea?

You don't have to have a Pulitzer Prize-winner on your hands. But I'm willing to bet that you have ideas or information living between your ears like I do!

Think about some things you might like to write about...

• Geneology and family stories
• Childrens' stories
• Cookbooks
• How-to manuals
• Technical guides
• Advice and self-help books
• Your annual report

If you really put some thought into it, you might surprise yourself at how much you have to say about a subject. Even a personal family history, with humorous and compelling stories and faded old photographs, can help you build a connection with your audience.

Tell your story!

Once again, the internet makes possible what was once desperately difficult to achieve. You can publish a book – and you don't need a big publishing firm in New York to sign you on.

Let me back up a little bit...

When I first started out on this career path, my primary function was to create illustrations and layouts for educational materials. (Remember, this was in the pre-desktop era... it was all done by hand honey!)

I even attended the Banff Publishing Workshop in 1990, where I got an in-depth look at how the publishing world operated... back then. (The workshop moved to Simon Fraser University in 1996 and has expanded its program significantly.)

My have times changed since then!

Today, you have the ability to publish your books and market them completely online.

Let me hold up a client's job as a perfect example of how you can do it too!

Eric Jensen had been working on his family history book for a couple of years, collecting the photos, having them scanned, writing his hilarious anecdotes. He got one draft printed in color – but he recognized that the price would be too much to ask family and friends to pay.

Then we found lulu.com. He provided me with the documents and photos, and following lulu.com's guidelines for production, we were away. (All those years working at Xerox paid off, because lulu.com uses their production equipment! I already knew the ins and outs for setting up the files!)

Eric now sells his book in both black and white and color, hard copy print or downloadable PDF, at his lulu.com store. Just click the cover photo to review it. Pick up a copy – it's a great read.

Now, let's get back to YOUR book!

The buzzwords in publishing today is "user-generated content", or loosely paraphrased in plain English, "Self-Publishing". It has grown phenominally in the past 5 years with advances in digital print technology. No longer the cerlox-bound, cheesey photocopies you remember from older generations of self-publishing, today authors can create polished, professional documents and market them worldwide... right from the comfort of their home office!

So mull it over... and when you realize that there are ways to get all that wonderful knowledge and those brilliant ideas out of your head and share it with the waiting world, I'll be here to help you do it!

Once again, may I present my three Publishing Package Prices...

Package #1: Cover Me Did you know that the cover of a book is one of the biggest influences on a reader's decision to purchase? And that a reader will decide in under 8 seconds if they will buy a book – based soley on the cover design? You are pretty certain that you can manage the whole lulu.com and self-publishing thing yourself. You've got the book just the way you want it... now all you need is the cover design – the one that will tell your reader "buy me". This offer gives you that cover. We will discuss your book, review three potential concept designs, and design the one that works for you. Package Price: $257 CDN + GST

Package #2: Small Runs Need a little more help than just a cover? No problem. Like I said, I've been publishing books and manuals and reports of all kinds for over 20 years. I can help you get your book done and posted on lulu.com for friends and family to purchase. You simply provide material on CD (your text and photos) and I take it from there. With Small Runs, you get: The selling cover design Layout for the book format you need Files uploaded to lulu.com Your 'storefront' started "Buy Now" buttons for you to put on your website Minor editing (if I see that something "doesn't read right", I wave a flag for you.) Hard copy or downloadable versions, black and white or color. Your call. Whether it's your favourite recipes from your kitchen, your family history, or even a calendar to promote your business, this package gets you published simply and effectively. Package Price: $797 + GST

Package #3: Big Biz Blowout You want it all, baby. Go big or go home. You've got a winner and you know it. So you want to get the full treatment. Winning cover design. Professional layout. Editing services*. Online promotion**. The works. lulu.com offers a lot of marketing services. Now you could do all this yourself, but you have an empire to run, remember? So why not have someone with publishing and marketing experience look after it for you? In the Blowout package you get: A professionally designed cover that helps sell your book Complete layout and design of book content Editorial services as required* A customized storefront Press release ISBN number** Pay-per-click online promotion** "Buy Now" buttons for your website An action plan for other marketing avenues, both online and offline Package Price: $1497* + GST OR... Ease the burden on your cash flow and make 3 easy payments of $497 + GST! Your credit card will be billed in 30-day increments. * Extensive editing services may be billed over and above package price. ** Online promotions and ISBN subject to lulu.com fees in addition to package price.

Additional overages and services are billed at $85.00 per hour and up.

Questions? Drop a line, and we'll discuss your alternatives.

Winning Designs for YOUR Business.
mouse-jockey.com
P.O. Box 70002
Olds, Alberta, Canada
T4H 0A3
403.556.7537

Copyright ©2005-2008 mouse-jockey.com. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 12:55 PM