Printing – 5th Generation 32 GB

 

” I had a really good summer, my internship went amazing and they even said they would hire me on once I finish school this year! I was able to increase their Facebook page “likes” from 100 to 250 in one summer and they were amazed at how well I did!” I over heard the young student sitting next to me on the airplane enthustiastically telling her friend sitting in the window seat next to her as I flipped the physical piece of paper to get to the next page in the book I was reading, “Inferno” by Dan Brown.

 

My ears were a little more open now as I tried to mask my eavesdropping on their conversation by continuing to flip through the pages of the book, although my eyes no longer saw the words printed within. Their conversation went on about their internships, how much they missed each other, and most of all how they should keep in touch more with one another on Facebook. My mind began to drift, and I got lost in thought no longer paying attention to their conversation, but instead thinking about the current landscape and future of printing as well as publishing/print buying.

 

Undoubtedly, the landscape has changed since 2008 when the economy took the biggest hit since The Great Depression. In addition, the print market was under the pressure of increasing paper prices, increasing postage costs and postal regulations, and new technologies like digital magazines, Ipods, and Ipads (and other e-readers) were introduced to the market. People began to scream at the top of their lungs “death to the printer” and a massive panic swept through the market. Words like “integrated marketing provider” and “communications provider” were now commonly used among printers to describe themselves eager to hide the word “print” from their company name and services they offer. 

Fast forward to 2013, some printers have consolidated, some have gone out of business, and some have continued to grow. Sure, we have seen the most changes and adversity since film became a thing of the past and all pre press work flow went to CTP (I was still in high school when that happened). The publisher that went out of print and completely digital is now out of business, because like so many other publishers, they haven’t figured out how to effectively sell advertising into their digital magazine nor produce the conversion results their advertisers are looking for. The business with the catalog that stopped printing and instead threw up a PDF of the catalog onto their website now is scratching their head as to why their sales have dipped so much even though they were able to eliminate print and mailing costs. They begin to realize why, and rush back to print much like the way I run towards my children and wife eagerly awaiting me at the airport terminal after a business trip.

We are in a new genre of printers, publishers, and print buyers, what I call the 5th generation 32 GB. The printer has become the 32 GB needing as much storage as possible to provide all the multi faceted channels to distribute their client’s message via digital magazines, app creation, PURL’s, print and much more. As well, we are in a new generation of Print Buyers, what I call the 5th Generation. Most Print Buyers are not “print specific” for their organizations, but instead purchase a multitude of products and have become younger as well as prefer to communicate over email rather than on a phone call. The 5th Generation and the 32 GB correlate with one another, need one another, and become successful together. Ink, Paper, Distribution, Mailing, Digital Reproduction – They are all stored within my 32 GB, and the young or older buyer has access to every single piece of education, opportunity, and consultation. Service, Consulting, Honesty, and Creative Ideas, are what I promise you, the goal always being to have your organization tell YOU “You did an awesome job on that project, here’s a bigger project, I have the TRUST in you to knock this out of the park too!” It’s not about the ink on paper, Closed Loop Color Control systems are common place on presses which eliminate printing errors for the most part. Becoming “green friendly” is common place amongst printers with most being FSC, Soy Ink, and or Rain Forest Alliance certified as well as offering a wide variety of paper choices with recycled content such as JB Kenehan does. (not trying to down play the importance of consisten print quality or being environmentally friendly here). So what’s it all about? Knowing you will not have to babysit your provider, knowing your provider has provided the most cost efficient ideas, knowing they are going to meet your deadlines, and above all else having TRUST in your sales rep to provide you the 32 GB of education to allow you to shine like the brightest star. TRUST. SERVICE.

 

With so much change and adapting in the past 4-5 years, the coming year(s) are looking like that of being in the eye of the tornado, calm, but will the tornado return back to the heavens or will we need to enter the other side clutching one another to get through another storm? 

 

I un-buckled the seat belt as we now had landed and pulled into the terminal. As I stood up, I reached down and grabbed my brief case under the seat in front of me, opened it and pulled out a magazine. I turned to the young college student who was still sitting in her seat, and handed her the magazine ” Here, if they hire you on full time or if you have an internship with another organization place an ad in print. You will increase the “likes” on their Facebook page 10 fold, and you will look like the rock star you so deserve to be, TRUST me.”

 

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!

Social Media Through The Eyes of a Child

 “Dad, when are you going to be done with the computer? I want to go on Youtube!” my 9-year-old daughter said with annoyance in her voice. “Yeah dad, get off the computah, I want YouTube and watch Goosebumps, hurry up” my soon to be 4 year old chimes in right behind his big sister.

This literally happens every day in my household, several times a day. I never thought I would be competing with my kids for computer time, because when I was a kid I was playing with GI Joes and Monster Trucks. Oh, how times have changed!

“Guys, you like YouTube?” and both of them shook their heads while jumping in the air as if the Packers just won the Super Bowl all over again.

“What is it that you like so much about YouTube?” They looked at me as if they couldn’t comprehend the question, as if it was “the world’s dumbest” question ever asked!

“Well duh dad” my 9-year-old daughter began, ” I can watch i-carly clips, Lemonade Mouth music videos” ….”Don’t forget Goosebumps, I like that” my son with hand raised was squealing through his wide smile.

“Well guys, what if I told you I was on YouTube?” They both looked at me as if to say “Yeah right dad, you’re not that cool!” It’s a sad day when your kids stop believing your cool 🙂 ! So I pulled up a video I had made on YouTube, and hit play.

Their faces said it all, my son screamed “you’re a star” and my daughter asked “How did you do that? I want to be on YouTube!” The astonishment they both were feeling made me feel happy, because I once again became cool!

But there is more to learn here than “How to get your kids to still think you are cool!” So I took it a step further, and asked my son and daughter, “What if I told you I was in a magazine?”

I was half thinking they wouldn’t care, but they both again told me to “prove it” with the same excitement. I pulled out a magazine that used some of my quotes and had given me credit for them, and showed the two miniature YouTube experts that were standing in my office. They couldn’t believe it, and were just as excited.

The next day I came home from work, on the fridge hung the magazine article I was mentioned in cut out, and pasted to an orange paper background that had hearts all over it. When I walked into the living room I could hear my own voice, but I wasn’t speaking. So I walked into the office, and there were the two of them watching me on YouTube.

Sure my kids were proud of me, but that isn’t the lesson I am looking to point out here. What I am saying is the more things change, the more things stay the same.

Change is inevitable, I never would have thought kids would be so caught up in things such as social media. I recently read a blog that stated 72% of internet users are on social media, I can’t believe it isn’t more than that!

However, because there is change, doesn’t mean that things from our past aren’t as relevant as they ever were before. Maybe even more relevant? Studies have shown print still offers the highest credibility to your message and ad.

Take it from my two YouTube experts, seeing their dad on YouTube was pretty cool and “in the now” trendy, but being in the magazine solidified that I was still their cool dad!

What my graduation taught me about technology!

Tassle on the left side check, ok Noah, remember, take diploma with left hand shake with the right hand, don’t fall, don’t walk too fast.

“Melissa Karger, summa cum laude” the speakers boomed through the auditorium, one person left in front of me then it was my turn to step up onto the stage.

Where is my family, man there are alot of people here, why are my hands shaking, oh man I am sweating so bad…. thoughts were running through my mind like a run away freight train.

“Mark Knable” the speakers boomed, I was up next, and then I saw them in the sea of people, my wife and children waving frantically at me as if they had been trying to get my attention for some time. A kiss blown from my wife now landed on my cheek, the look of pride in my childrens eyes filled me with strength, and in that very short moment, my journey to what brought me to this very step flashed before my eyes.

Ten years prior I was a high school graduate beginnig my first semester at college. More scared, and nervous than excited, because unlike many other kids, I had no idea what I wanted to be for the rest of my life. Two years of college, and feeling like I may be the only one at the university without a hint or a clue of what I wanted to do, I dropped out and entered the work force.

There was no going back now, and a few years passed. Feeling the regret of not finishing college, I heard of something I had never heard of before, you can go to college online! Wow, this was new and exciting to me, now having kids and a full time job I may be able still get that degree! Who knew you could go to college online, well it turned out this was something that many colleges had just started expirementing with.

So I jumped at the opportunity, and enrolled with a renewed confidence in knowing where I wanted to go in life. Life was good, and I found a new home with my current employer. I began traveling to meet with people, but dragging these heavy text books and laptop everywhere I went so I didn’t miss an assignment or posting was becoming quite the hassle!

Then came along this wonderful new thing, called a Kindle. I quickly found out that many of my textbooks could be downloaded right to the Kindle itself, making my business trips much less cumbersome. Then another new thing, there was an app for Blackboard (online program) and I could access it from my smart phone (or i pad if I had one) no more lugging around the laptop.

Technology helped me out tremendously, and made my life much more convenient on those trips. Every time I got home though, I always went for the printed textbook, and the laptop.

“Sir” the days and months that just flashed before me were gone and I was again back in the auditorium, “do you pronounce the K in Knoble?” the speaker asked and I shook my head violently yes. “Noah Knoble” boomed the speakers and my name echoed throughout, shake with right grab with the left, check, walking slow, check, smile and breathe….check!

The moral of what college and graduation taught me about technology is that it is very convenient and makes many of our lives much easier. However, it’s also nice just to have the “real thing”  and finding that balance is the key.

Believe me when I say while I was looking at the pride that filled my children’s eyes that day, I too looked back at them with just as much pride in them. Bonds are what hold us together, something physical, but technology will allow us to keep those bonds strong when they eventually reach the day that they hear their name being called through the speakers.

Who’s in your black box?

Recently I rolled out a new marketing program, and when I received what I had ordered, I had a stunning and embarrassing realization, what I had ordered were too big to fit into the packages we had! If you can’t send them, then what’s the point of having them!

Feeling like Gomer, I sped across the street to Wal-Mart, they had to have the best pricing on the packaging I needed, after all, they are the biggest retailer in the world and their commercials always say, “We’re rolling back prices!” I found the packaging, bought the entire shelf of it without even looking at the price (because they are Wal-Mart, pricing had to be the best), paid, and ran back to the office to start stuffing packages.

Later on that same week, I began running out of the packaging, and needed to purchase more. Just as I was pushing myself out of my chair to run to Wal-Mart, I realized something that made me sit instantly back down. I had a lunch meeting the week prior with a friend of mine, Tim Horton, also a local business owner of Discount Office Items(http://www.discountofficeitems.com/). His words came roaring back into my memory :

“Noah, do you know why people choose to purchase their goods at the largest retailers?” asked Tim.

“Well duh Tim! Because they have the best prices, the smaller retailers just can’t compete” I quickly responded without giving it a second thought.

Tim sat there, a grin began to make its way across his face and as he shook his head he said, “No Noah, it’s because they tell you they have the best prices. It’s the perception that they have built.” and now, these words echoed through me. So I jumped on Tim’s website, found the exact same packaging, saved a significant amount, and even better it was delivered to my doorstep the very next day.

They got into my black box, and I didn’t even know it! What is the “black box”? This is where we as humans make decisions, and is the role of marketers to infiltrate it without us even knowing it to influence our purchasing decisions.

It got me to thinking, do people do this in the publishing and printing industry too?, have their black boxes been infiltrated? I began to evaluate the many phone conversations I have had with publishers and purchasers of print. “Well you can’t co-mail in-house, you are too small for me” said one person. Another said “I print with one of the largest printers in the world, there is no way you can beat their costs.” “You couldn’t possibly match the turn around times I am receiving” yet another proclaimed.

I can tell you today two of the people who made the above statements are now clients. Sure we can’t co-mail in-house, but we do offer co-mail through the worlds largest co- mailer, and how do you know how much savings your printer that co-mails in-house is passing on to you? I am sure your printer has very aggressive rates, why else would you have chosen them? But what can I do to consult with you to help reduce costs even further? I am sure you are receiving great turn around times. But how flexible are they when you might miss a deadline? Will you get bumped? Or will they work with you? Being a medium-sized printer, we are going to work with you and be as flexible as you need us to be!

Just because a company “says so” isn’t good enough, it takes a proactive approach with the willingness to listen to ideas that may be of major benefit to you. Big or small, there is no right or wrong answer, but writing someone off without even giving them a chance makes you wonder, has your black box has been infiltrated , have you been influenced without knowing it?

It benefits you, and if it benefits you, it benefits me to know about it.

I am known within my company as the “technology” kid for two reasons: first, my age compared to almost all of my cohorts – I could be their kid – and second, I get so excited about new technology, people begin to wonder how I could possibly be a print representative.

I was in a meeting earlier this week, we hit it off, and then I laid it on him and asked, “What are you doing to bring the web into your publication and bring your publication to the web?” He looked at me the way a dog looks at you – confused, kind of cockeyed. His blank canvas of a look was easy to read, “This guy couldn’t possibly be in printing if he is asking me this!”

After about 30 seconds of stillness, he said, “Well, I have a digital magazine.” As I nodded, he continued politely, “But it’s a free one. I know printers offer digital magazines, but I really am not interested in paying for one.” I immediately thought to myself, are printers only synonymous with digital magazines? I prodded a little more about his digital magazine. Did he see it as a way to engage his readers or a way to increase profits from his advertisers by being able to offer rich media and the like, or hopefully both? The conversation went on for a few more minutes about digital magazine capabilities and what he liked and didn’t like, etc. I asked again, “What else are you doing?” And again that look came over him, but this time I didn’t wait for silence to fill the air. “How about QR codes, Augmented Reality, PURL’s? How are you using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to interact with people?”

He immediately said, “Are you sure you’re in printing? How does any of that benefit you?” I smiled and said, “It doesn’t, but it benefits you, and if it benefits you, then it benefits me to know about it.” Through further discussion, I found out that he creates videos for his website, and we spoke about how he could easily incorporate Augmented Reality and QR Codes with the skills he already possessed. And how he might be able to offer it to his advertisers for additional profits and create more market share for his publication. We also talked about his social media strategy, and I shared my point of view. When I left the meeting, he looked at me and said, “You really seem to be up on your stuff!” We shook hands and agreed to talk soon.

On my drive back to the office – it was a long, three hour drive back – I thought of a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago with my old boss. He is the reason I am in printing, the person who hired me without any background in printing, but knew I was a bill collector at one time and had no fears about picking up the phone and establishing relationships. He is now president of a major publisher/marketing communications provider.

At first, it was a conversation about how life was, but then I quickly realized what a great opportunity to get some insight that not many other print reps have into the publishing market. We spoke about iPad apps, and I learned they had just begun to create some apps for their magazines. I asked him, “What are you looking to do? Are you trying to go all digital or just supplement the printed magazine?”

He gave me the best answer anyone could ever give, and changed my view on everything when he responded, “Noah, I am not trying to dictate anything. I am giving the readers and advertisers what they want. Where they go, I go. If this is what they want, then this is what we will do. If it is all print, then so be it; if it is all digital, then so be it; but ultimately the market will decide.”

Now, driving back from this meeting, I fully understood what he meant. Why should a printer only educate, sell, and consult about print when there are so many integrated communications available to publishers? Why should a publisher limit themselves when the market is demanding all of these channels to be open to them? The answer is, they shouldn’t, and as a young guy in printing, I am confessing I am in love with print AND technology! We all should be, and we all should look at ways we can gain the most market share available to us.

Times are changing, print is still relevant, but even more there are now additional channels to use to create the most effective brand possible.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” – Helen Keller

5 Tips to reduce your paper costs..

My friends, it is official, all paper mills have announced rate increases effective 4/1/2011 of an additional $2 per CWT. If you are wondering what compromises you can make to not only budget for this rate increase, but possibly reduce your paper costs, then this blog is for you!

1. Look at backing off on the brightness of the paper. Let’s say you are printing on a 60# No. 3 gloss with a brightness of 87, well there is also a 60# No.3 with a brightness of 84 that will offer you a savings. You can also look into #4’s with brightness of 76 or #5s which are typically around a 72 Brightness. The bottom line here, if you are willing to compromise on the brightness of your paper stocks, you will reduce your paper costs. In addition, this is an effective method that doesn’t scream “I changed my magazine” to your readers and advertisers alike. Subtle changes like this can save you money in a big way.
2. Look at reducing your basis weight of your paper stocks. You might be thinking to yourself “I can’t do that, everyone will notice” then my question to you my friend is how serious are you about reducing costs? The key here again are subtle changes to keep it as unnoticeable as possible. For example if you are on a 70# paper, look to a 60#, if you are on a 50#, look to a 45#…I think you get it….. Keep in mind too, the less your publications weighs, the more savings you will see in postal costs as well.
3. Remove your cover! I know this one isn’t going to be for everyone, I realize this. But if you are willing to make a drastic change to reduce costs, then this one would be right up your alley. Many publications have a 4 pg cover over the inside pages. Get rid of it! If your inside pages are on a lighter basis weight paper stock such as a 38# and you are utilizing a 80 or 100# cover to protect it, look to bump your inside pages up to a 50# or 60#, you will still see a savings. I know many advertisers pay top dollar for positioning on the cover, they can still have quality positioning within the publication, and with the amount you will be saving you may be able to offer them two ad spaces at a discount to keep them happy. Based on your print quantities, savings can be enormous.
4. Change your trim size. I love big, and truly believe the larger your publication the more readers and advertisers you will attract. HOWEVER, I realize this is a very simple way to reduce paper costs and mailing costs. Again subtle changes such as 10×13 print in 16 pg forms, at a 10×12 we can print you in 24 pg forms. 10×12 prints in 24 pg forms, at a 9×10 7/8 we can print in 32 pg forms. The more pages in a form, the less your paper and press costs. From there, you can look to reduce your trim to whatever compromise you are willing to make because most printers tap out at 32 page forms. Changing your trim size to reduce your paper consumption can yield a very nice savings depending on your print quantities.
5. This one I was on the fence about, but am going to put here anyway. You may be able to reduce your paper costs by supplying your own paper. Printers typically purchase paper directly from the paper mills. You can look to paper brokers to see if you may be able to find a better cost on your paper stocks.Here is the caution, this paper is sometimes a “secondary paper” meaning there are imperfections in the paper. In addition, printers typically charge a paper handling fee if you are supplying your own paper. The amount you are saving by supplying your own paper may be eaten up by the handling fee, and now you have one more thing on your plate which is the paper broker. If you are going to supply your own paper, make sure your printer is involved with the process. Get samples of the paper, send those samples to the printer so they can evaluate it as well. I would suggest allowing the printer to supply the paper, however, I wouldn’t be completely honest with all of you if I didn’t recognize that this was another way to reduce your paper costs.

In case you didn’t notice, the theme was subtle changes to reduce costs. I can think up some very drastic changes to reduce costs such as going from gloss to newsprint, going from heatset to coldset ect….. I believe protecting the integrity of your publication while doing everything possible to reduce your costs will lead to your longterm success as we fight through these tough economic times and rate increases.

Talk to your print rep, I am more than just a salesman. Without you there is no me, I will be here to help in anyway that I can be which is more than just providing you numbers.

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.