MAKING MONEY WITH HOME-MADE BOOKLETS

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 drop ships 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 Graphics 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. 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.