How I Made Money Without Even Realizing I Was Doing It

Yesterday I was reminded to check on how one of my booklets was doing at a website I currently have a licensing deal with.  In this particular deal, I make 50% of every sale.  The money is put into an account which I can access from a special part of the website.  This particular website has many such deals with different publishers, so they’re set up to keep track of publisher accounts.

I must admit I’ve been rather lazy about checking my account to see if there have been any sales.  I’ve been busy with other things and this website isn’t on the top of my mind.  But, I checked the account yesterday and sure enough, there were some riches there, just waiting for me to transfer them to the bank!  It’s like going to the closet to get your coat and finding money in one of the pockets you didn’t know you had!

What’s really amazing to me is just how easy it is to make money online with a booklet.  I remember the pre-internet days when it was really tough to make a buck.  Now you can make money while you sleep!  You can even make money without realizing it – as I found I had yesterday.

Someone once said it takes money to make money.  Doing that deal didn’t cost me a dime.  I didn’t have the expense of creating that website either.  All I had to do was say yes to allowing them to offer the booklet for sale to their customers.  That’s it.  They take care of the rest.  Nothing could be easier!  I didn’t even have to ship anything because they only offer my booklet as a download!

If you’re starting out with very little money, selling online is a great way to go!

To your riches!

Kim

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How To Use The Down Economy To Your Advantage

The economy’s in the dumpster.  Yeah.  Ok.  But, did you know you can use that to your advantage as a booklet author?

Today I talked with a gentleman who is with a company that is a perfect match for my booklets.  He is very interested in making the booklets available to their customer base.  But, due to the economic slump, their sales are down and they are not able to purchase printed copies right now.  No problem!  I suggested we put the booklets online.  He loved the idea!

This was an easy sale to make and it’s all because I was flexible in how I could deliver the product.  Some experts believe that if you create printed copies of your booklet and also make them available online, you’ve got two different products.  I disagree.  I believe you have the same product, but two different ways to offer it to your market.  And the more flexible you can be in terms of how that product is offered, the more likely you are to make the sale.

There are two basic ways you can deliver a booklet – online or off.  Within those two categories there are a number of ways your booklet can be offered.  One way won’t fit everyone’s needs, so the more ways you have to deliver your booklet, the more sales you can make.

I know this gentleman will purchase hard copies from me later when things are better at his company.  But, in the meantime I’ll enjoy a check for the online versions of my booklets.  I used the bad economy to make a sale, and when the economy is good again I’ll use it to make another.  You can do the same!

To your riches!

Kim

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You Win Some, You Lose Some – On We Go!

I received an email today from my contact at the hospital that wanted my booklet for their database.  They decided they would like to order 15 hard copies instead – for now.  Once they see the price, they may well change their mind.   Such a small order is quite expensive.

I reminded them, once again, that I still feel we can negotiate the licensing deal so that it will work within their budget, and I told them if they have a change of heart to let me know.

At first glance, their email was a little daunting.  After working with them for the past couple of months and hoping for a more lucrative deal, seeing that they only wanted 15 hard copies was disappointing.  But, if they do place the order, they’ll eventually run out and need more.  And, eventually they may realize the error of their ways and decide to do the licensing deal, which would be much more cost effective for them.

A sale of 15 hard copies is still a sale.  It’s still a company telling me that they like what I’m offering.  And there’s plenty more companies out there for me to sell to.  So, we’ll see whether this company follows through and orders, and in the meantime, I’ve got plenty more such companies up my sleeve!

Kim

Why One Little Email Had Me In A Panic

Well, today I can finally breathe a sigh of relief – for now.  If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I’ve had a licensing deal in the works for one of my booklets (Simple Tips & Recipes For Feeding The Gluten Free/Dairy Free Child) with a local hospital.  Last Monday, my contact at the hospital emailed me to say that they didn’t have enough money in their budget to to pay the license fee.

The tough thing with licensing is that every deal is different.  In this case, they wanted my files for their database so their nurses and counselors could access them for classes and teaching appointments, and they wanted to be able to print out copies for patients to take with them.  There is no other deal I know of like this one on the planet, and they wanted a price.  I tried to explain that price was something we could negotiate, but my contact didn’t seem to understand.  He just kept asking how much it cost.  So, I did my best to come up with what I felt was a fair price, given that they would have access to my material on an unlimited basis for a year, and be able to print out as many copies as they needed to during that time.  My biggest concern was that my price was too low, and I would be leaving money on the table.  But, that turned out not to be the case.

After I received the email from my potential client, I gave it some thought and emailed him back.  This would be the start of our negotiation to my mind, but I didn’t hear back from him all week.  This seemed strange, given that he had been so eager to communicate before a price was given, and I wondered if the price I gave him was all he could see now, and therefore he didn’t feel there was any reason to talk further.

On Friday, I called him on the phone.  He didn’t answer, so I left a message.  He didn’t return my call.  But, today I received an email from him.  We’re talking again.  I’m breathing again.  I still don’t know if the deal will go through, but at least now there’s hope and I know I haven’t been shut out of their mind as being too expensive for them.  I also feel they’ll do their best to come as close to the price I gave them as possible, now that they have a number in their head.

I’m a firm believer in getting what you’re worth, or what your material is worth in the marketplace.  But, when it comes to licensing deals, there’s no standard to follow.  So keep your fingers crossed for me on this one.  I’ll keep you posted.

Kim