Can You Help Me With My Booklet?

A couple of days ago I talked with a booklet author who was very frustrated.  She had spent quite alot of money on her booklet endeavor (about $2,000) and was now grasping at straws for what to do next.  I was able to steer her in the right direction, but had I consulted with her from the beginning of her booklet journey I could have saved her most of the money she spent, and given her the steps she needed to take in order to profit from her booklet.

Writing booklets doesn’t have to be an expensive undertaking.  When I started out, I too fell into all the usual traps.  But I’ve learned a thing or two since then and now I create my booklets on a very meager budget.  It doesn’t matter whether you have the money to spend or not (and this author truly didn’t).  Why spend more than you have to?

I’ll soon have a couple of products to offer you to help you along in your booklet journey and they will save you from making costly mistakes and spinning your wheels.  But, if you need help today I’m here for you – available by appointment for consultation.

If you’re at the beginning of your booklet journey, or if you’re stuck and not sure what the next step is, we really should talk.  I can save you at least hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and I can help you discover what your next step is so that you profit from your endeavors and do it quickly.

In case you’re wondering about my fee, I charge a modest $149.00 per 30 minutes and I promise you it’s worth every penny, especially when you consider the amount of money you could lose in the booklet money traps that await you if you don’t know what you’re doing.  If at the end of our conversation you don’t feel that you received valuable information to help you get your project going on a shoestring budget, or you don’t feel you received what you needed to move it forward to the next step so you can profit from it,  or you just don’t feel you got your money’s worth, I’ll refund your money right back to you.  I don’t deserve to keep your money if you are not satisfied, and frankly I wouldn’t want to.  I couldn’t sleep at night knowing I kept your money and you were not a happy client.  That’s my guarantee to you and you have my word on it.

So just think about it.  If you’re not ready, that’s ok too.  I’ll be here whenever you are, and so will my guarantee.

The direct route is always better than wasting time zig zagging around, and hitting beats missing every time.

To your riches!

Kim

What Kind Of Education Do I need To Be Able To Write Booklets?

Someone recently asked me this question.  You might be surprised at the answer.  You don’t need a college education to be able to write booklets.  In fact, if you can afford to hire a good editor you don’t even need to know all the grammar rules for writing.  And, if you’re writing non-fiction, you don’t need to be creative either.

I’m all for bettering yourself.  If you have a college education that’s great.  It may help you with your booklet and it may not.  If your education lines up with your booklet’s subject it can certainly lend you some credibility.  And if you majored in English or one of the writing niches, that’s helpful too.  But, it isn’t necessary.  I know because my college stint lasted two quarters before I left and never returned.

Back in my high school days I was an A+ English student who really enjoyed journalism and creative writing.  Knowing my punctuation and spelling has certainly been helpful, but those journalism and creative writing courses are of little use to me now.

Since leaving college I’ve studied many things.  I graduated from travel school, modeling school, and acting school.  I’ve taken courses in business, writing, publishing, public speaking and copywriting.  And I’ve owned several businesses from which I’ve learned things no course could ever teach me.  I’ve also had experience working in the corporate world as well as working for other entrepreneurs.   I don’t have a college degree, but what I lack in a diploma I’ve more than made up for with enRICHment courses and life experience.

If you feel you need to take a writing course, take it.  You don’t need college for that.  Just take the writing course.  You can learn what you need to as you need to.  And don’t discount your life experience.  My third booklet and both of its spin-offs are based on my own life experience and they’re now selling to the medical community.  Had I decided to go and get a degree in nutrition before writing the booklets I might never have written them.

Education is a good thing and you should never stop learning.  But, if you don’t have a college degree don’t let it stop you from becoming a booklet writer if that is what you want to do.  I’m proof that you can do it.

I will continue to discover new things that will enrich my business and personal life because I don’t believe we should ever stop learning.  Even college graduates often have to take classes after they graduate to keep up with the latest information in their field.

Whether you’re a college grad or you went straight to work after high school, or even if you never finished high school, it doesn’t matter.  Write your booklet anyway and if you find you need to take a class in writing or some other subject to help you then do it.  The main thing is to go after your goal and not let anything stop you from reaching it.

To your riches!

Kim

What Are The Advantages Of Writing Booklets?

The main advantage of writing booklets (as opposed to books) is speed. I don’t know about you, but I’m 42 years old. I’m at an age now where I’m thinking about things like college for my kids and having a financially secure old age. But, let’s face it, none of us knows just how many days we actually have on this planet. Why spend years trying to bring something to market when we can spend a month or two?  The faster we can get our manuscript finished the faster we can get it to market and start earning from it – and ultimately live the life we really want to live.

Another advantage is flexibility. You can do this on your schedule. That means if you are working full time, you can write booklets in your off hours. If you’re a full time parent, you can write when you’re at home and the kids are at school or napping or otherwise engaged.

A third advantage is the money to be made from the endeavor. There is plenty of money out there for booklet authors from both individual and quantity sales.

A fourth advantage is the market for booklets. It is vast and varied enough to welcome just about any subject. There is even room for fiction.

A fifth advantage is that writing booklets showcases your writing talent on your subject to publishers. Those publishers will be interested in publishing a full length book if your booklet does well.

A sixth advantage is the opportunity to create further products from your booklet. I have published three titles. I’m in the process of spinning-off two additional titles from my most current one, and I’ve got two related titles that will follow. This means that I will have created 5 related titles which can sell to the same market. Your booklet can be the end, or it can be just the beginning.

A seventh advantage is that a booklet will promote you as an expert on your chosen topic every bit as much as a book would, without the time delay of publishing a book.

Finally, booklets can be written as chapters in a book, and sold for more each than the single book price. If your booklets sell for $5.00 each, and you’ve got 10 of them in a series, you would sell all 10 for $50.00. But, if those same booklets were combined into a book, they would probably sell for between $10.00-15.00 each in paperback, or about $25.00 each in hard cover. Do the math and you can see that it pays anywhere from two to five times more to write booklets.

There are many other advantages to writing booklets – too many to list here. But, as you can see, booklet authors have advantages that book authors don’t.

To your riches!

Kim

What Are The Hottest Topics To Write About?

When writing booklets, you should stick to subjects you know about or are very interested in. Realize that people will believe you’re an expert on the subject because you wrote the booklet, so make sure what you write about is something you won’t mind being known for.

Here, then, in no particular order, are some timely topics as well as some evergreen ones for you to consider:

1) Pets – pets are the new kids for the boomers who now find themselves empty nesters, but you don’t need to focus only on boomers. Booklets for parents about how to choose the perfect pet for their family or child, or booklets about pet care would find a waiting market place.

2) Going Green – Anything to do with going green at home or in the office. This is huge among businesses right now. Booklets about how to go green in the work place will be welcomed.

3) Saving Money – as prices rise this is on everyone’s mind.

4) Making Money – This subject is always fresh. Everyone wants more.

5) Losing Weight – Ever wonder why there are so many diet books? It’s because the market for weight loss products and information is huge. There’s plenty of room here for your booklet.

7) Relationships – Anything from how to have a better marriage to how to find the perfect mate to how to get along with your boss. This is another timeless subject.

Health – My booklets fit into this category. You can write about ways to stay healthy or focus on a specific health issue. You could even write about health hazards in the work place. This is a very broad category.

9) Anything “how to” – “How to” books almost always do well. So do “how to” booklets.

10) Travel – A timeless classic that never goes out of style. Someone is always traveling. You could write about traveling for pleasure or for business.

11) Anything of interest to baby boomers – This is a very large segment of the population today. The market is wide open.

12) Parenting – Too many possibilities to list. Parenting teens, parenting toddlers, foster parenting, becoming a new parent, adoption, and the list goes on! Write about timely issues parents are facing today, such as internet safety, or write about something classic such as toilet training.

13) Education – Everything from how to get into the best pre-school to how to get into the best college. Homeschooling is a hot topic too.

14) Sex – I saved the best for last! This could fall into the relationships category or the health category, or it could be in a category all by itself.

There are tons of things you could write about. Think about what you know that could help someone else.

To your riches!

Kim

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How Much Should My Booklet Cost?

The cost of booklets from one author to the next will vary, but the average price of a single copy is currently $5.00 each. You may decide to sell yours for less, or you may sell them for more if you’re selling to an upscale market.

The sticker price on my own booklets is $6.97 each, but what my buyers pay for them depends on how many they buy and how the booklets will be used.

Aside from your market, you must also consider any costs you have in producing the booklet if you self publish. If your booklet is published by someone else, you won’t have to concern yourself with price at all as they will determine what the market will pay (and how much you will make).

If you are writing about an average subject I would suggest an average price. But, if your subject is specialized information, you should charge a higher price for your booklet.  I’ve seen some nice fold out type brochures in doctor’s offices sell for $8.00 each.  So, consider who you’re selling to and whether your information is easily found somewhere else.

Ultimately, pricing is up to you. There is no right or wrong answer as long as you have customers willing to pay your price and you’re able to make the profit you desire. Your booklet’s price should be a win for your readers or buyers, and a win for you.

To your riches!

Kim

Should I Publish My Booklet Through A Publisher, Or Self Publish?

There are publishers who publish booklets. You’ve probably seen booklets in grocery stores, gift shops, and even in bookstores. Publishing your booklet through a publisher is possible, but I would advise against it.

When you hand your manuscript over to someone else, you have given them control over it. They can now make all the decisions regarding the look of the booklet, the price, and how it will be distributed. They may choose not to consult you on any of it. And, you’ll only get a small percentage of the money the booklet makes in the marketplace. The rest will go to the publisher.

Self publishing booklets makes more sense. When you self publish, you are in the drivers seat and you don’t have to consult with anyone else regarding who the booklet will be sold to, how much it will sell for, or how much profit you will make. You don’t have to share the profit with anyone. And self publishing booklets is cheap and easy.

Why make .50cents a copy when you could make the whole $5.00?

To your riches!

Kim

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Who Will Buy My Booklet?

The market for booklets is wide and varied. There are many possibilities for sales. You might choose to sell to individuals. Or, your might decide to sell to businesses, corporations, non profit groups, churches, website owners, the government, schools, gift shops, museums, historical societies, and any number of other places.

Who you sell to will greatly depend upon your booklet’s content. For example, a booklet about easy auto care for women might interest auto repair shop owners, auto parts stores, multi-department stores that carry auto parts, manufacturers of car care products, car dealerships, car manufacturers, auto clubs, colleges that teach powder puff auto care classes, women’s magazines, auto magazines and so on.

Some of these places might have purchased booklets or books in the past from another author. This means they know the value your booklets will bring to their business and to their customers (or employees). Other times, a business will never have thought of using booklets to promote their business. Since most businesses are always looking for new ways to market their products and services, your booklet may just be the answer they’ve been searching for – even if they didn’t know they had a problem!

The market for your booklet is out there – waiting. And chances are it’s a much larger market than you realize.

To your riches!

Kim

How Much Money Can I Make Writing Booklets?

If you’re asking this question, you’re not interested in writing booklets as a hobby.  Neither am I.  I write booklets to make money.  If I couldn’t make money writing booklets, I would be doing something else.   I want a better lifestyle than I would have if I worked for someone else in some 9 – 5 job.  I want the freedom to work when I please from where I please, and writing booklets gives that to me.  But, I want more, too.  I want financial security, and the only way to have that is to be in control of how much money I make rather than allowing someone else to hold the keys to my bank account.

So, how much money can you make writing booklets?  There’s no limit.  That’s the truth.  How much you get from it is up to you.  It will depend on your booklet’s subject, title, and audience, as well as your own enthusiasm for your product.

If you have a marketable product, you should do quite well.  I’ve known booklet authors who have made thousands of dollars on one sale, selling hundreds of thousands of copies.  And I’ve known of authors who have sold fewer copies at a time, but they’ve made many sales which all add up.

Since you are the one in control of your booklet’s destiny, it is impossible to predict how much you will make as an individual.  I can only say that there is plenty of money out there for the taking.  You could make a nice sideline income and keep your day-job if that is what you want, or you could make a full time income and then some working from home.

You could make a few dollars so you could afford to go to movies, out to dinner, buy a few groceries, put gas in your car, pay for your kids’ ballet and piano lessons and get out of debt.  Or, you could make thousands of dollars so you could dine in fine restaurants, send the kids to private school, hire a maid, buy a yacht (I don’t want a yacht-too much upkeep!), take family vacations to exclusive resorts, buy a fancy new car, move to an upscale neighborhood and live the lifestyle of the rich and famous.  It really depends on your goals.  Me?  Give me the rich lifestyle any day!

To your riches!

Kim

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Fiction Or Non-Fiction?

A booklet may be either fiction or non-fiction, as long as you have the market to support it.  Non-fiction titles will be easier to market, but fiction titles that revolve around events that happen in real life should do just as well.

You’ll have a more difficult road ahead if you write sci-fi, fantasy, romance or similar types of fiction, at least as far as selling the booklets as a promotional tool is concerned.  Of course, there’s always an exception to the rule, and I know these booklets could be lucrative if marketed to the right audience.

Kim

What Is A Booklet?

It was brought to my attention today that some of you may not know what a booklet is or how it is defined for the purpose of this blog.

There are many different kinds of booklets. When you think about it, a magazine is really a booklet. Booklets have fewer pages than books, and are generally smaller in size. My own booklets tend to run around 20 inside pages, but it varies depending on what I’m writing and the needs of my clients.

The booklets I have been writing are promotional booklets. They help to promote other businesses’ products and services because the content ties into a theme that is of interest to the market those businesses serve. For example, my current title, “Simple Tips & Recipes For Feeding The gluten Free/Dairy Free Child” is of interest to the medical community – specifically allergy clinics who treat children with these allergies, as well as food manufacturers who produce products for the gluten and dairy free market. Had I written a booklet about improving your golf score, I’d be selling it to companies that sell products to golfers.

I used to have a tight definition of what a booklet should be, but I’ve learned that clients will always want to change what I create. One client told me he loved my layout and design, but that he needed full color throughout – which meant a complete re-design. Another client wanted to turn the booklet sideways so that it was bound from the top. And, although I’ve only written non-fiction booklets in the past, I came up with an idea today for two fiction booklets for children that tie in with the ones I already have – meaning they’ll appeal to the same market. Therefore, my own definition of what a booklet should look like or how many pages it should have is rather broad in scope. It depends on what the client wants, what you can afford to do, and what you want to write.

Keep your eyes open and you’ll see booklets everywhere. They’re in the grocery stores at the check-out counter, in bookstores, and I saw two offered with products in tv commercials today. Look around you and see what the possibilities are.

Have a great weekend, and if you like my blog tell someone!

Kim