It seems like the Olympic trials 2008 was just yesterday, yet it was weeks away. It comes every 4 years and we all gather around watching top athletes do their thing… their passion and excellence showing in every breath they take.
They’ve worked hard for this, studied, researched and practiced over and over the skills necessary to succeed…and place for their category. Most likely this has been a lifetime goal, to be a participant in the Olympics, to belong to that special group.
As an author you too have your own special Olympics. The book you are writing takes special preparation. Over time your book becomes a bigger part of you and your life. You find that you think about your subject and the next piece of information you will share. You are following your passion.
Keep it up. Create the passion that makes you a gold metal winner too!
Enjoy the journey!
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tags: being a self published author, book cover design, book design, book marketing, bookcoverdesigner.com, branding, childrens books, how to design a book cover, Karrie Ross, self publishing
Book Design, Book Promotion, Book Interior Design, Self Publishing | Karrie Ross | 
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Book Design: Use of Cartoons
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!!
Your book cover is more than you see…it’s what you think as well. More than once a new publisher has come to me with a cartoon for their cover ‘because all the other books in the catagory’ had used a similar image so it must work. Not necessarly true. Cartoons. Is your book funny? Does it need to be introduced in a non-threatening way? Leave your options open to other possibilities when you hire a designer. Knowing the right questions to ask make all the difference in the final result.
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tags: book cover design, book marketing, bookcoverdesigner.com, branding, childrens books, interior design, ISBN and barcodes, Karrie Ross, self publishing
Book Design, Book Promotion, Book Interior Design, Self Publishing | Karrie Ross | | Comments (0)
Tuesday, April 17th 2007
Tomato Soup Cake… my Sons’ favorite!
Other related subject: Great Receipe!
Tomato Soup Cake (1971) My son Jasen’s traditional Birthday Cake
Mix the following:
2c flour
1c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Add the following:
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional 1 cup dates
Mix all the dry ingredients above then add and stir with a spoon as the mixture will be thick…you can try a mixer but be careful not to burn up the motor! the following ingredients.
1 tsp vanilla
1 can Campbell’s Tomato Soup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Place mixture into an 8×8 baking
pan or loaf pan…flour the
bottom only to prevent sticking
Bake 45 mins to 1 hr at 350º or until a toothpick or clean knife when inserted comes out clean
cool then frost with the following butter cream frosting
1 3oz pkg cream cheese (soft)
1 T butter
1tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
combine first three ingredients then gradually add the powdered sugar until smooth and frost cooled cake. I like it refrigerated…tastes better but similar to carrot cake.
Enjoy!
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
What is it about the prospect of having to sell and promote our new book design that makes us think we don’t know anything? We wake up to the process of sales every day. It begins with us asking what we’re going to wear and progresses into who we talk to at work. The process of creating rapport, stating benefits and follow though with each action we take… which is really all aobut the sales or promotion of us! Think about it?
So, lets take a few minutes to see what that might mean to our book?
1. Is the topic interesting?
2. Have we shared benefits throughout the text?
3. Have we taken the time to really show we care about how the book is perceived by having the cover and interior professionally deisgned?
4. Does the back cover pull the reader in?
5. Are we blogging?
6. Have we checked with local book stores?
7. Have we gathered relevant magazines?
These are just a few of the techniques needed to develop for the sales and marketing of our book… after all, it is our business card. Right?
And when you start thinking about all the ways you already unconsciously sell yourself… how hard can it be to do the same for your book?
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tuesday, March 20th 2007
This may seem off subject for my blog but I have the toughest time with things like insurance and lawyers and corporation procedures… so when I was told I needed to have general libility insurance I litteraly freaked! To put it mildly. The lawyer who told me, referred me to an insurance man who said I didn’t make enough for him to bother with me! REALLY! Then the search began for a company who could write me a policy… and I called all over locally, the internet, friends gave me names… finally I realized I belonged to NASE, the National Association for the Self Employed… yes, I didn’t think of it in the first place… and they helped me. There is a company, Hartford Insurance that has an online form for small businesses…. easy to fill out and their response was timely. Here is the webaddress, the companys name is Crescent Insurance.
http://www.crescentinsurance.com/business_owners.asp
Posted by: Kareen on Sep 20, 06
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tags: book cover design, book marketing, bookcoverdesigner.com, branding, childrens books, interior design, ISBN and barcodes, Karrie Ross, self publishing
Book Design, Book Promotion, Book Interior Design, Self Publishing | Karrie Ross | | Comments (0)
I attended BEA with two intentions. First from the view of a Book Cover & Interior Designer and the second from the view of a new Author.
I noticed myself falling back into the comfort of the first since this is known to me and the way I make a living. I found many interesting services for authors from printers to doll makers for children’s books. I also came away with good information regarding what publishers are looking for to better inform my book design clients who use my services.
I attended on the last day of the show in the hopes of being a more welcomed conversation to the booth vendors, which turned out to be a good decision and I got some free books at the end!
And the second view as author being new and unknown brought several surprises. I eventually braved it up and asked at a few booths if they were taking submissions. Some were kind and handed me sheets of rules but no business cards. There were two publisher booths that actually had Reps sit down and discuss possibilities with me, they were interested in my topic…!
I’m not sure if it was the topic or the publisher or the fact that I smiled and laughed a lot! Whatever the reason, I did get business cards and a much warmer welcome than I did a few years ago when I just had a children’s picture book to sell.
I did hear from all the publishers I had the chance to exchange a few sentences with, that they were interested in authors who were savy to publicity and self promotion of their books and if they had an internet platform.
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tags: BEA, book cover design, book design, book marketing, bookcoverdesigner.com, branding, childrens books, how to design a book cover, interior design, ISBN and barcodes, Karrie Ross, self publishing
Book Design, Book Promotion, Book Interior Design, Self Publishing | Karrie Ross | | Comments (0)
Amazon and most other book sales sites depend on the reveiws buyers give to the books that are listed…so…list some…there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t post a review of your own book!
Extend your opinion to possible readers…don’t let your book just sit there waiting for a review…take the initiative and put the first one up yourself.
The websites algorithm examines the number of reveiew and rank of the reviews when determining exposure levels… and we all know what that means!
Call your friends, family, anyone you know to submit a review and make them 5-star reviews, and state that your book was informative and helpful or any other appropriate words that will motivate that next person out there looking to buy your book. The Amazon computer likes books that receive 5-star and considered helpful information.
Solicit reviews from others, after you write a review for yours begin writing reviews on all the books you’ve read and post to their listings rememebering to mention your book in the review…(for example, “this review by the author of –name of your book here— or also recommended by the author of — name of book and info —-
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Is there a realistic formula to generating substantial book sales without a gazillion dollar marketing campaign or a rave reveiw from Oprah? There is, and it amounts to building a “platform” – industry lingo for a regular column, blog, newsletter, or seminar that allow an author to pitch to a ready-made audience.
An increasing number of nonfiction authors who have found success these days have parlayed their platform into book sales; T. Harv Eker, Jeffrey Gitomer, Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen (among others) are hitting the bullseye because they built an audience before they wrote their books which is why we’re seeing so many successful bloggers landing book deals with major publishers lately.
Posted by: Kareen on Apr 03, 05
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Sometimes we just need to slow down and consider our clients and their motivators.
Twitter didn’t do that in my opinion… and had to reassess their action and did a quick back-step. I was wondering just how many of their employees actually are using twitter and did they even poll them to see how they liked the function of ‘replies’. And now, we users are primed for future changes, but not in the way I think twitter intended! Improvements in their eyes but in ours, their clients, a problem, a restriction.
I like twitter. (follow me here KarrieRoss on twitter) I’ve made some really interesting connections with people I wouldn’t have normally met. It could be because of location, industry, interests… but, twitter brings us all together in a sharing capacity and, for me, that is what the replies action is all about. Being able to carry on a conversation and share it with others and at the same time spreading who I am to people who might not know me, but the person I’m conversing with…NETWORKING
Now, lets take this lesson and apply it to your book, product or business.
When positioning your business and motivating your customers always remember to see your actions from your clients perspective and ask the question “Will this add to their benefit or not?”
Remember, do something everyday toward your book design, product or small business promotion and branding.
Karrie Ross
Book Design Branding
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Websites! You all need them. Some of you can actually make and maintain them. But what about those of you that really find it hard to do?
To create and maintain your own websites so you save money and are empowered to express yourselves when you want to and not have to wait for someone to make the changes for you and charge an arm and leg!
So, I’ve been working on a way for you, the authors that use my services, can take care of their own websites whenever you want to!
It took me a long time but I figured it out and I now offer it as a service
I have a complete package that walks you through the URL purchase, hosting setup and how to maintain the site you build.
Take a look, here’s the link for more information.
Remember, do something every day toward your book, web-presence, product, service and promotion.
Karrie Ross, Book Designer, Web-presence, Branding, Coaching & Consulting Services
Tags: book cover design, book design, book marketing, bookcoverdesigner.com, branding, childrens books, how to design a book cover, interior design, ISBN and barcodes, Karrie Ross, self publishing
Book Design, Book Promotion, Book Interior Design, Self Publishing | Karrie Ross | | Comments (0)
