MAKING MONEY WITH HOME-MADE BOOKLETS

VICTORIA'S REPORTS 121

MAKING MONEY WITH HOME-MADE BOOKLETS

Self-publishing home-made booklets and/or manuals is probably the easiest
way to break into your own small home business. Even if you do not have
training as a writer, you still can research information on an interesting
subject and report its statistics.
Publish Post
Have you been afraid to self-publish because you thought you had to send
drafts to publishers for acceptance? There is nothing further from the
truth. You can self-publish just by typing your book or manual and having a
competent typesetter place it in camera-ready format for you. (One
typesetter we highly recommend is Muchmore Marketing, PO Box 50027, Reno NV
89513.) Or, do it yourself and save a lot of money! This is the 1990's --
the age of computers. We don't have to have a minimum of 10,000 books
printed and hire an agent to sell them for us anymore. In fact -- the
computer has made publishing affordable and easy for everyone!

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.

A competent mail order printer will print them for you when you need 250 or
more done; but keep in mind that the more you order, the more money you'll
save. But once several copies are made and bound, you can begin marketing
them. Advertise the book or manual in the 100's of mail order publications
(if your book appeals to the mail order folk) 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.

Or perhaps you may want to try selling the book locally by taking it to
flea markets or placing copies in convenient stores. 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 books 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. A printer, Kem's Graphics, 549
Friendship Rd, Seneca SC 29678 specializes in low-cost printing of booklets
but if you want to do-it-all-yourself, any good mail order printer will
print them and ship back to you. All you pay for is the 2-sided printing
price.

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.