It’s Time to Realize Value

“You can hate me, choose not to work with me anymore, that’s ok, but I have to say this guys” my Father In Law, Jeff Zuelke (whom we call PJ which stands for Papa Jeff), said as he took on a more serious look than his normal natural easy-going and fun ways.

I shot a quick look at my wife, then at my four-year old son, concern grew through me as I knew he had something very important to say.

“I need you to start seeing the value in these homes I am showing you. I am taking on a completely different message from my prior stance of, be comfortable with your decision” he paused  “to see value in your decision,” PJ said now waiting for our reaction.

At first I was a bit taken back, why would that statement make me angry? Why would that make me want to fire my father in law as our real estate agent? It didn’t, but I wasn’t sure what he was getting at so I filled the air with “Well PJ, I know we lost on three homes now, but I don’t think I would have been comfortable going any higher than we did,” he stopped me right there after those words escaped my lips.

“Noah, if I could show you how to take a dollar and make it into a $1.30 or even $1.50 within five years, wouldn’t that be of VALUE to you?” I nodded my head to agree “Then Noah, the three homes we lost on, there was value to them. You made a decision based on being comfortable, and we lost. The value is, that those homes would have had a significant return on your investment in the very short-term, even if they were a bit more than what you were comfortable with.”

Before you all start shaking your head and saying “yeah right, what housing market is this guy in?” keep in mind the majority of the homes we have been looking at are short sales and very good deals to be had!

PJ was right, I was still kicking myself over the last bid war we lost on, but I was caught up in nickle and diming and feeling like I got the best price possible that I completely failed to realize that even at full purchase price the house was still a great deal because it had value…..unfortunately someone else was able to see that, and we lost out on the house.

This entire time PJ was waiting for me to come to this resolve myself, but when he saw that I was getting too caught up in “best price possible” and not seeing turning a dollar into a $1.30, he knew he had to say something.

That very moment, as we walked out of the house we were viewing, I came to a stark realization, I was a hypocrite! I have been through so many bid processes for catalogs, brochures, and especially magazines as of late only to have lost it by a very slim amount (sometimes more, sometimes less) that I don’t understand it as I am confident I have shown the Publisher or Print Purchaser how working with us will change a dollar into a $1.30.

I understand it now, sometimes we all get polarized by the day to day events of our lives, the economy we live in, or just trying to get the best deal possible and nickle and diming everything they can.

Friends, I come to you today to repeat a message my Father In Law, Jeff Zuelke, said to me this very night……” I am taking on a very different tone with you, you can hate me, choose not to work with me, that is fine, but it needs to be said. It is time to start making decisions because they hold value, not because you are comfortable or because they are the cheapest deal.”

In the end, when you find a printer that shows you value, you will be very comfortable. Consulting on digital, print, and advertising vehicles, not leaving once the sale is made, establishing relationships, friends, is their value you to that? If so, don’t be like me and realize it before it is too late!

Staying Power?

In the printing and publishing industry we talk alot about whether magazines and the like will be sticking around, and if so, at what capacity? I truly believe the honest answer to this is that there are so many different mediums now days that the consumers can choose to interact with your publication/message, that  it is bound to shrink. With that said, I do believe that printing is not going anywhere, and in fact will become more specialized, meaning higher quality products will be a must in the near future in order to compete.

With that said, one printed product that I truly believe is not going anywhere, and in fact will grow, are marketing collateral products. (ie literature, brochures, catalogs, postcards, direct mailers, and the like).

“Yeah right Noah, I can create a Facebook page, LinkedIn page, Twitter Page, to market my business and not have to pay a thing!” Ok their guy, take a look at this years sales amount and compare it to last years when you abandoned printing all together..what did it cost you?

Here is why I believe this:

1.

I was watching a news cast the other night, I can’t remember if it was 60 Minutes or something else. They were doing a feature on people ordering products online, thinking it was the authentic product, but when the product came to their house, it was a fake. They were using Rosetta Stone as an example, and spot lighted several people that thought they were ordering the authentic Rosetta Stone software to only find out they were duped.

The news cast then went on to interview the CEO of Rosetta Stone, and he showed the news anchor 100’s of different websites using the Rosetta Stone name, and some even using his image on their website. How the heck would a consumer know the difference? They wouldn’t, even the CEO himself admitted that. So my point, where is the credibility and trust? Print is still the most credible marketing/advertising vehicle out there, and think about how that plays back to your brand……

2.

It has staying power. If I see something online that I like, the chances of me finding it next week when I am ready to purchase it seem to be slim. If I want to find out more about you next week I don’t want to jump on my computer to read about you, I want to lay on my couch and hold a physical printed product in my hands that allows me to see what you do. If I am interested, then I will jump on the internet and find out more about you! If I am not ready to partake in what you have to offer, I will hold on to it. Chances are, within the next several months, your catalog, brochure, etc will catch my eye as it sits on my counter top and I will be interested as I am now ready.

3.

People love to receive things. I have to admit this, and you can try to deny it all you want, but you know it’s true! When I receive a message in my email box trying to solicit me something, the first thing I do is “delete”. However, when I receive something in my mail box at home, I can’t get rid of it even if I wanted to!

My son Owyn (4 years old) loves to get the mail, in fact he calls it “his job”. The bills and letters come to me, the solicitations he waits patiently for as I hand them to him. He loves mail, doesn’t matter what it is, it makes him feel special like someone is writing to him. I found myself the other day going through his shoe box of stashed mail, and there were actually really great offers that I am now researching and willing to find out more about. I then realized, I too love to get mail!! (Trust me, this isn’t a shameless plug for the USPS, I don’t have alot of love for them, they need to get their act together, but the fact remains, everyone likes to receive something!

I chose the image I did of the baby, because it goes to show you how many businesses are out their fighting for your attention, and that isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. The image has staying power, images in print have even more staying power, and credibility. Don’t take my word for it, just turn on the news!

Flipping For Flipbooks!

What’s going on with flipbook frenzy!?! I LOVE it! Whomever was the first person to do this, please accept my high five, and give yourself a pat on the back!

First, what do I mean by a flipbook? The magazine you love and can’t wait to for it to show up in your mailbox finally arrives! You begin reading it, get through about half, then all of a sudden the pages become upside down….or flipped! You look up, and see you are still standing on your feet, and think to yourself ” What an error the printer made!” You quickly call up the Publisher’s office, “Hello, I got my magazine, but at page 96 all the pages are upside down, can you send me a new one? What’s that you say? Flip the magazine over?” You slam the phone down before you can tell them your name, now feeling your cheeks getting quite rosey from feeling a bit embarrassed. You see there are two magazines in one. One side, which you thought was the front cover, was the normal magazine you were used to, when you flip it over and see the back side, it too has a front cover featuring the night life of your city. Now your cheeks are getting rosey again…..not because of embarrassment, because of all the nightlife scenes you realize you haven’t taken advantage of yet!

I don’t know if the official term is a flipbook, but thats what we call it over at JB Kenehan. If you want to see a sample of one, contact me and I’ll send you one no strings attached.

Here are some ideas of how you can take advantage of a flipbook:

• If your city regional magazine, and typically cover the lifestyle of your city in your publication, now you can expand to cover the night scene, restaurant scene, gardening scene etc…
• If you are a musical publication, and typically cover one genre of music, now you can expand to other genres, or musical styles.
• If you are an association publication, you can still cover information pertinent to your association, but on the flip side, cover members and what they are up to.

The ideas are endless for you! Here are some of the benefits of a flipbook:

• Increase your readership! With new content you will expand into new markets that may not have found your publication before.
• Increase your advertising! With new content, you will be able to show advertisers why they should advertise in your publication. This opens up a whole new market of advertisers to attack!
• Increased page counts! New content, new advertisers, means a thicker publication!
• Low Costs! You had been thinking about starting up a new magazine to supplement your publication, but were afraid of the additional costs. Now there is no additional Make Ready costs, no additional mailing, and don’t need to worry about making a page count for it to make sense economically for you!
• Diversity! Allows you the opportunity to diversify your publication and keep it cutting edge and new….which will keep the readers and advertisers coming back!

These are only some of the many advantage of a flipbook. Worried about creating one? Don’t worry! Just create the publication like you typically would, we at JB Kenehan will “flip” it for you at the page number you tell us.

It’s simple, beneficial, and will increase the diversity of your market, which will only lead to your long term success!

So start flipping today and join the flipbook nation!

 Here is a short video with an example of a flipbook for your viewing…Enjoy! : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNnIbqWZ3eY

Could Paper Reduce Deforestation?YES!

 

Disclaimer: This was not meant as a blog post, this was a paper I wrote for a college course….it is very long, but well worth the read!

How many times have you received an email from someone, and at the bottom of that email it says “before you print this email, think about the environment?”  I get these e-mails every day, several times a day, from people all over the country, and I am sure you do too. Maybe you are even one of these people that have it saved as a signature to your email? The reason behind the perception here is that by reducing our usage of paper, we believe that we will be doing our part to reduce deforestation and save trees worldwide. Now, what if I was to tell you that by not using paper, you are effectively speeding up the process of deforestation? Would you think twice about hitting print then? Would you look beyond all the propaganda to see what it truly means to be green? Or would you just laugh and delete these facts from your computer screen because they can’t possibly be true?

            Everyone has their own definition of what it is to be “green” from purchasing a hybrid car, recycling more, down to carpooling. Surely, by not using paper you will be able to save trees, which can only be good for the environment, right? Well think about this, if that land is no longer used to responsibly harvest trees, then someone else is going to use it to make a profit in some other shape or form such as land development. Then, think about all the parts that go into a computer, you begin to wonder, is it really more environmentally friendly to campaign against the use of paper? Once you see the facts regarding paper use, my hopes are that you will see that using paper actually helps to responsibly maintain our forestland.

            Forests in the United States cover the same amount of our landscape today as they have for the past 100 years. In fact, today the U.S has 20% more trees than it did 25 years ago (http://www.afandpa.org/forestry.aspxid=406&linkidentifier=id&itemid=406). However, population growth, and changes in ownership of the forestland could drastically alter the landscape in the next few decades. More than 1/3 (750 million acres) of the United States is covered in forestland. Of that, 56% is owned by private owners, for example, commercial or family owned lands. Of that privately helped forestland, a recent survey by the USDA has shown that 25% of these owners plan on transferring or selling the land rights.(http://www.internationalpaper.com/apps/gopaper/ownership.html) So what’s the problem with this scenario? Why is this a growing trend now? The answer lies in the landowner’s profits.  Profits now have been drastically reduced with the campaigning to phase out paper.  Reduced profits means that if there is less money to be made by these private land owners, they will look to selling the land to developers, and selling the land to developers means massive amounts of forestland being destroyed…permanently!

Environmental Issues

            What can be the harm if we lost 56% of our forestland that is held by private ownership? The losses are huge, 60% of at risk plant and wildlife are associated with our forestland. These species of wildlife and plant life would go from being at risk, to protected, in a few short years. This is also so important because one acre of forestland alone produces enough oxygen to support eighteen people annually. Two thirds of our natural water resources flow from our forestlands, the better maintained the land the less polluted the water.(http://www.internationalpaper.com/apps/gopaper/ownership.html) The private landowners are the keepers of the ecosystem, as well as our natural resources, and the profits from trees allow them to maintain the land as it should be. At the current rate of deforestation in the rain forest, there will be no rain forest left  100 years from now.(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-deforestation.html) Domestically, 56% of the forestland is owned by private land owners, and of that amount, 25% plan to sell the land to urban developers or utilize it for agriculture or commercial developments that will yield higher profits instead of allowing paper mills to manage the forests responsibly.http://www.internationalpaper.com/apps/gopaper/ownership.html)

So what happens with the loss of all of this forestland? First and foremost, the ecosystem will be completely destroyed. With over 70% of plant and animal life living in forests, hundreds if not thousands of plant and animal life will be endangered or completely lost. It will be highly unlikely that they will be able to recover at the rate we are cutting down our trees and utilizing the land for development. Second, deforestation impacts our climate. Leaves and canopies protect the forest floor from harmful sun rays, and without them the soil will quickly dry up killing all plant life. In addition, trees help perpetuate water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without forests, the land would become much like a desert, and temperature swings will be very severe. Next, trees absorb carbon monoxide (CO2) and emit oxygen into the atmosphere. Remember, one single acre of forestland emits enough oxygen to sustain 18 people every year. In addition, trees catch and provide us with millions of gallons of clean rain water every year. Less trees means less natural clean rain water for our usage.(http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-deforestation.html)

A recent study, done by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland showed that greenhouse gas emissions produced by a single newspaper during its entire life cycle correspond to a car journey of approximately one kilometer. The carbon footprint of a book bought from a store is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a car journey of approximately 7 kilometers. The carbon footprint of an annual volume of weekly magazines is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a journey of 45 kilometres by a car. The carbon footprint of a book is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of a journey about 7 kilometres by a car. The contribution of newspapers, books, and other paper products to the climate impacts of consumption by Finnish households in 2005 was small (approximately 1%). The biggest climate impacts of consumption by Finnish households were attributable to housing (28%), food products (16%), and transport (13%). The most efficient way to reduce environmental impacts is to lower the consumption of energy and fuels at different stages of the life cycle. Other important ways to reduce environmental impacts include reducing the amount of raw materials and using materials more efficiently. (http://www.ceepackaging.com/2011/03/24/print-contributes-little-to-carbon-footrpint/)

Social Issues

The perception that paper mills are the ones to blame, and that by stamping out the usage of paper is going to make a positive difference in the environment is simply wrong. In the Amazon alone, 60-70% of deforestation takes place due to ranchers. In the U.S., between now and the year 2030, 57 million acres of forestland are expected to be destroyed as to see an increase in housing.( http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-deforestation.html) Currently, many urban developers are seeking to clear out forests to make growth for communities, use raw materials for building houses and furniture. Other economic reasons for deforestation here in the United States are agricultural in nature in efforts to allow the indigenous people’s cattle to roam and feed, or to plant crops that yield higher profits. With either of these situations, the trees are not being re- planted and the land is being converted for other uses.  All the signs point to the use of agriculture, urban development, and not properly managing forestland by using improper techniques such as clear cutting.

Economic Issues

The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP. Industry companies produce about $175 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries. The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 48 states. With less paper being used, means less demand, which also equates to the loss of jobs of one of the biggest manufacturing markets in our country.( http://www.afandpa.org/ourindustry.aspx?id=35)

Opponents of paper usage will claim that to produce paper requires too much energy. This is simply not true, in the US paper mills are the largest consumer and producer of renewable energy. Working in this field as a printer, we too benefit from this as we utilize our paper mills renewable energy whenever possible. Paper can be used over and over again, as it is an infinitely renewable resource, and is very easily recyclable. To put things into perspective better, think about technology today, with a new version of the latest computer, cell phone, etc. coming out every year and being purchased by consumers rapidly, you have to ask yourself what happens to the old equipment? People throw it away to get the next latest and greatest consumer product. One must then consider all the input and output that goes into making these devices, where they end up, and how often they are actually reusable and if they are, are they actually being reused?  Right now, 3.2 million tons of electronic trash is dumped into our landfills every year. Compared to paper, with more states setting up recycling programs at local levels throughout, 89% of newspapers, 72% of boxes, and 66% of office paper is being recycled right now and with increased awareness regarding this issue we will reach the high 90 percentiles in just a few short years. (http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/paper/faqs.htm)

The key to all of this is sustainability, responsibility, accountability and proper knowledge. With many watch dog agencies like that of the FSC, Rain Forest Alliance, Sustainable Forest Initiative, and many more, there has been a standard created for land owners, paper mills, and printers to follow. Over 25% of private land owners carry a certification from one of these watch dog agencies that ensures trees are replanted (paper mills re plant 3-4 times more trees than they cut down), paper waste is recycled, and renewable resources are utilized.(http://www.internationalpaper.com/apps/gopaper/ownership.html)

So What’s The Issue?

When it comes right down to it, it’s the perception of the people regarding the use of paper that needs to change. All too often we listen to what we hear on television, we then quickly and easily allow this information to become “fact”.  The challenge here is to think about deforestation critically, and to see the issue from all sides in an unbiased manner. We see a tree being cut down for our use, and immediately we believe if we no longer use the product that the tree is being harvested for, the trees will be saved. Think of the opportunity cost of harvesting trees by paper mills. If there are no profits to be had, then the land will be used in another way in order to gain profits, all which lead to no trees being re planted what so ever.

We are all correct in believing that deforestation is a major problem, not only locally, but also globally. The best way to combat deforestation is to ensure the people that make a profit off the land continue to protect their profits by responsibly using, and replanting the trees. This only makes good business sense, should there no longer be a channel to reap the profits of their labor, its only common sense that they look at the next best thing. In most cases, this will be to sell the land to an urban developer, or use the land for agricultural issues. In both cases, we lose critical habitat and no re planting is done.

Now that the issue of using paper is clarified there is more work to be done. The first step is to re brand paper products as the only infinite renewable source in the world, which it is. The second step is to produce the facts for the real reasons of deforestation, and with that comes a responsibility to manage our forests before it is too late and urban developers have created new cities and homes to be moved in to. Last we need a call to the people to look beyond the surface, and dig deeper into the problem to find the true reasons for the problem in order to find the right solution.

The true solution, recycle! That is where the emphasis needs to be put, not on attacking paper which will only put thousands of people out of work, increase deforestation, and hurt our environment the most. It is important to remember all things are linked together, if we take away paper, we will see all of these statistics drastically reduced, which will only lead to more job losses:

• Recycling creates 1.1 million U.S. jobs, $236 billion in gross annual sales and $37 billion in annual payrolls.
• Public sector investment in local recycling programs pays great dividends by creating private sector jobs. For every job collecting recyclables, there are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products.
• Recycling creates four jobs for every one job created in the waste management and disposal industries.

(http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html)

As you can see, if we follow the crumb trail, not using paper will devastate our economy and environment. Socially, we all need to make a change and take it upon ourselves to look beyond the rhetoric to get to the true source.

Correct Grain vs Cross Grain

I am going to tell you a little story, and admit to alot of you that I still have alot to learn! 🙂

As many of you know, the company I worked for, Conley Printing, was bought by J.B. Kenehan back in early September. Before, we were primarily a publications printer, and, not to toot my own horn, but this I know alot about. How to beat the USPS, offer econmical paper stocks, and to offer the most efficient way of creating your publication. NOW, our capabilities have vastly opened up, we can do slim jims, digest sized publications and the like because we have sheet fed capabilities and web presses that allow us to be competitive etc… Believe me, my eyes got pretty wide, and needless to say, I was and still am pretty excited about what we can do in house.

With these new capabilities comes a great amount of learning, and believe me, I am still learning! I recently bid on a publication. It was a digest sized publication, (when I say digest sized I am talking about publications that have a smaller trim size like 5 3/8x 8 3/8 etc). Although this was something that I probably wouldn’t have gone after in the past, with our new capabilities I went in confident knowing this was something we can do.

I got the job! I was estatic, busted out my happy dance which is a horrible version of the moon walk (ask any of my co-horts) and began planning. As soon as my boss came in, I ran up to tell him the good news, after listening to me he immediately asked me “Did you bid it cross grain or correct grain?” I looked at him the way a dog looks at you when he is thinking WTF are you talking to me like a baby for with their head titled sideways, (you know what I am talking about). A smile creeped across his face, it was more of a smirk, he could tell I didn’t know what he was talking about. I knew then I was about to be schooled as we walked into his office.

He put two publications on his desk in front of me, one was a signature and the other was a tabloid sized publication. “When we talk about correct grain, we are talking about printing and binding the publication with the grain of the paper,” he said as he opened up the signature sized publication. “Signature publications are typically always correct grain, so this is something you wouldn’t have had to worry about in the past.” Then he opened up the tabloid sized publication, “When we talk about cross grain, we talk about printing and binding the publication against the natural flow of the grain of the paper, tabloids are typically always cross grain on a web press so this is something you wouldn’t have had to worry about in the past.” He pointed towards the spine of the tabloid publication ” Do you see how it is wavy towards the binding, this is called puckering, and happens because the paper is bound cross grain, there is nothing you can do about it.”  Then he went on, “Digest sized publications and slim jims can either be done correct grain or cross grain, but it makes a huge difference in the price, it all depends on what the customer wants.”

I looked like a deer in headlights, and new exactly what he was getting at, was I about to give a client what they were expecting? I ran back to my desk, reviewed the RFQ, and there was no stipulation of cross or correct grain. Then I reviewed my bid, and found out that I had indeed bid the publication cross grain. So I picked up the phone, called the client, and asked them if they had a preference of cross grain or correct grain. I knew that same look on my face earlier when that question was posed to me was now on their face ” Noah, this is the first time we are doing this publication, and the first time we are using this trim size, can you explain to me what the difference is?” How could I blame them for not knowing when I didnt even know? I went on to tell them the differences, the difference in cost, quality, and so on.  Like many publishers in today’s market, they told me they wanted the best quality product for the least amount of cost.

With that, I explained to my boss what they had told me, and we agreed to honor the price for the cross grain, but produce it correct grain. In the end it was all worth it, the client absolutely loved the product, and this is all that truly mattered to us.

So, if you are going out to bid, make sure you are asking for exactly what you have in mind. The last thing any printer wants to do is to give you anything other than what you want. Should you not care about a little “puckering” towards the spine in order to get the best price possible then note it. Should you want the best product possible and are willing to pay more in costs, then you may want to note in your bid to quote correct grain. It all comes down to what fits the equipment which effects the pricing, a good printer should be able to show you all options.

Lucky for me I have an emormous resource of knowledge in printing surrounding me. Not everyone has that, so remember if you are going out to bid, make sure you are getting what you want. Grain isn’t something you only find in your cereal bowl or in a field, it is something that effects the price and look of your publication as well!

FYI ….Here is another blog about correct grain printing that I think you will find explains it more in depth http://www.authorsandspeakersnetwork.com/danpoynter3.html

Supplementing your magazine with a book!

I know what you are thinking, I haven’t heard from this guy in three weeks, and now all of a sudden he is telling me to do twice the work and publish a book in addition to my magazine! Hey! Get off my back, I had fallen and couldn’t get up. Truth be told, things are so exciting right now that I have been “catching” myself up on many things, it’s a great time to be alive! Secondly, yes, I want you to do twice the work…..hard work pays off!

I have been speaking to many publishers across the country, there has been a resounding idea, so I can’t take credit for it, but I know a good thing when I hear it! Here is the basis behind the idea: publish a book to supplement your magazine. For example, let’s say your magazine is a city regional magazine, why not publish a book about the history of the city, the main attractions in the area, or just to tell your own unqiue point of view about the city. Or, if you have a pet publication, publish a book about the different breeds of dogs/cats, give tips on training them (by the way does anyone have good potty training tips for a Black Lab?), or write a story about a featured animal in your publication. If you are an association, write about the history of your profession (members take pride in their roots), or simply feature the many events you will hold annually.

These are just some thoughts, but I think you get the idea.

Now, here is why I have bought into this strategy:

1. Readers hold on to books! – I still have books from when I was a kid on my book shelf. Books I bought two years ago and read immediately, I am now going back and reading again. For some reason I get a new message from them, the story and message hasn’t changed, but my point of view has!

2. It can be inexpensive.- There are printers that will print on demand so you don’t have to hold inventory. Otherwise, printing a small quantity is typically an efficient way to test if it will work for you before jumping all in.

3. It transfers easily to digital.- With the Kindle conquering the book publishing industry, you may not have to print very many. Here is a quick story for you: I was on travel for business this week and was watching CNN in my hotel room. Anderson Cooper comes on and is doing a story about how the Kindle is taking over the printed book, he goes on to say “printed books are supplementing the Kindle”. I shake my head in disbelief, shut off the tv, and head to the airport thinking this guy is fabricating the story…must be a slow news day. I get to the airport, minding my own business when I see out of the corner of my eye a women, probably in her 40’s, looking like she is reading. Me being the nosey guy that I am, look over to see what the book is, and it is a Kindle! Already being pissed off at Cooper from the morning I had to ask her what was so special about the Kindle and how she liked it. Big mistake on my end! She ranted and raved about how great it was because, it stored books for her, it fit in her purse, it was light, easy to see, flips pages easily, and best yet it was cheap! (Now I know who Anderson Cooper interviewied for his story I thought to myself), but then she handed it to me and said “see for yourself”, she must have noticed I was looking at her quite skeptically. I flipped through with ease, could actually read the screen (no glare), and when she showed me all the books that were stored on it, and how inexpensive each download was I was sold! Please, someone tell Santa I want a Kindle for Christmas! Anderson Cooper I owe you an apology!

4. Several options available.- There are several options available for your printed book, it doesnt have to be a hard cover with opaque or offset traditional style trim book. Make it a glossy book, with uv coating, pictures, oblong trim, or if you like the more traditional style that’s fine too!

5. It can be interactive (No, I’m not talking about the Kindle).- How about adding Augmented Reality into your book, much like a QR code but an actual short commercial or movie that plays both before (introduction) and at the conclusion (recapping) of the book.

6. Profit Center.- Not only can you easily sell the book for a profit, you can also easily tie it into your magazine supplementing your profits for your publication as well.  For example you could say, Subscribe today and we will offer you our special book on “how to become a millionaire” at half price today. You can polybag the book in with the magazine, or sell it seperately.

7. Books spread across many demographics.- We all love books! From a very young age we are taught that reading is good.

8. Credibility.- Print still offers the most credibility out of any marketing channel available. Use this resource to enhance the readshership of your publication. Who doesn’t want to be an author? We all do! Why? Because we know that it offers us credibility in our field, think about how you can use that to attract more readers and advertisers alike.

There are a lot of ideas and tips here, only you can decide if supplementing your publication with a book would work for you. It doesn’t have to be a monthly thing, make it special, maybe bi-annually. If you want my advice, in a saturated market, utilizing credibility and uniqueness to stick out is never a bad thing! You don’t have to have 200 pages to publish a book, you just need to be a resource.  Finally, it doesn’t have to be hard to get started, ask your printer about how to get started and for some options. If your printer can’t print it, chances are they know someone who can, utilize your resources!

 The older I get, the more I want to re-read the books I got years ago, so they will always have a special spot on my bookshelf! I think many others feel the same way.