Book Publishing

Filling the Education Gap

Debbie Elicksen — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 02:52:36 +0000

Many businesses and university graduates are experiencing an alternate universe when it comes to communications and marketing. On one side, people are engaged in the latest technological devices and platforms. On the other, there are some content to stay with traditional practices for as long as it takes but others are struggling with the learning curve. The challenge and reality is that graduates are having a difficult time in the workplace; and businesses are trying to learn the new methods, but are not seeing any results either due to poor advice or the fact that the graduates don’t know it either. Now there is a downloadable course on Internet Media that can help.

Here are some comments from recent grads that show the frustration:

“Everything is going digital now and people need to learn how use it, or eventually we will have another epidemic of illiteracy…but this time with smart devices.”

“I’m a recent college graduate, and I probably would not be able to take over a social media campaign with just the knowledge I got from my courses. All I learned was textbook information on what marketing was. A lot of the marketing/communication jobs also expect some Adobe program skills along with web design. In addition to that, many relevant jobs require some sort of analytic experience with social media and SEO practices. But I didn’t learn any of that! My marketing courses had me create marketing campaigns, but we ignore the evaluation part of the plans, which I think is one of the most important part of marketing. Knowing how your marketing campaign turns out and how to measure the success is so important today.”

“The educational system appears deeply divided in America. I meet some people who have graduated college, but you wouldn’t know it unless they told you, because they are dumber than a box of rocks! I think some of the private colleges and for profit schools are churning out worthless degrees. Simply having a degree doesn’t make the person fit for the job. The real question is whether or not that candidate has the required skills to get the job done! Technology changes incredibly fast so we have to keep up.”

This is a comprehensive look at Internet Media and how to adapt it to business or basic communications. The goal has been to arm people with a general understanding of the platforms that are available and how to customize them and make them work. The purpose behind developing this course was to steer business people away from the bad advice, as well as help graduates become well-versed before they enter the workforce.

For more information, visit: http://www.freelancepublishing.net/wp/internet-media-course/

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2012 Technology Facts You Need To Know

Debbie Elicksen — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:34:00 +0000

Teens 2012: Truth, Trends, and Myths About Teen Online Behavior

View more presentations from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

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My Dream for Publishing

Debbie Elicksen — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:02:23 +0000

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Global Connectivity Has Replaced the Industrial Revolution, Now Passe

Debbie Elicksen — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 20:13:40 +0000

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When $CDN/US Is Par, Why Do We Have to Pay Higher US $ on the Back of the Book?

Debbie Elicksen — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 23:34:33 +0000

It seems like a big scam, doesn’t it? The Canadian dollar has been on par on and off with the US dollar for some time now, and the difference in CDN versus US pricing on the retail shelves still remains several dollars higher in Canada, and the booksellers refuse to sell at the lower US price. It makes no sense.

I don’t know about you, but when you’re looking at a medium-sized to a large coffee table book, I will leave the book on the shelf rather than pay $10.00 to $40.00 more than the Canadian price. I don’t need a book that badly. Chances are, like most consumers, I’ll buy it directly from the US instead. Enter Amazon.

It doesn’t make much business sense. The booksellers try to explain that the prices are set months in advance – before they reach the shelves. But wait? Don’t booksellers unilaterally discount books to clear their inventory? When you ask the clerks, they offer the corporate line that the publishers set the price. But they also don’t ask the publisher’s permission to discount.

Maybe that’s why we’re starting to like eBooks. Despite that the device is a lot lighter to lug around than a book, there doesn’t appear to be a Canadian/US price difference.

On the other hand, if the Canadian dollar keeps above the US greenback, publishers will start charging more for US versus CDN. Then wanting to pay the Canadian price might be a mute point.

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The Power of Networking

Debbie Elicksen — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:58:28 +0000

My California friend Mitch has given me some plugs in his Paper.Li newspaper and this is because of a LinkedIn group. One of the LinkedWorking St. Louis members connected with me in February. We found synergy and are now working on a project together. He connected me with three fabulous South Florida women and we Spreecast every Friday together at 1PM EST (#SocialChats), and through these Spreecasts is where I met Mitch.

You never know what will happen when you are an open networker.

http://paper.li/mitchjackson/1334015744

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How To Get Your Proposal Deleted

Debbie Elicksen — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:41:26 +0000

What you must do:

1. Edit and proofread.

2. Check out what a publisher actually publishes and submission guidelines.

3. Don’t do this:

(Group email listing every email in the Association of Canadian Publishers’ directory in the “TO” box.)

Friday, October 27,200612:23 PM
Looking_for _a _publ isher.pdf
Looking for a publicher

Estimable Sir
I wrote two books in informatics. I think that these are good and I send to you the cover, the contents
- and a paragraph from everyone. If you are interested, please answer to me for sending the entire fist form for every book. Everyone has a CD with the application programs, whose design was performed in the books. I trust in you, for helping me. See attachments. No viruses.

the authOr.

Thursday, October
16, 2008 3:22 AM

Subject:Good Book

Attachment: The Master’s Stick.doc (908 KB)

Dear Literary Agent, Dear Publisher,

(His picture was inserted here)

My name is ___, and I am an Italian writer. It is an honour for me to send you a piece of my work entitled: “The Master’s Stick”. It consists of a collection of short stories and aphorisms, based on the zen style, and it has already been published in Italy, obtaining a good number of sales.

If you are interested in my work, as I hope you are, you might like to know that a second volume of such work is already available and has not been published in Italy yet. It would be a pleasure for me to collaborate with you for our mutual economic and moral satisfaction.

Yours faithfully,

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What Goes On The Copyright Page?

Debbie Elicksen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:23:00 +0000

The copyright page is that page on the left-hand side where you find information about the publisher, ISBN, and the library cataloging number. This is also where publishers leave instructions to the reader, such as whether the material is shareable, disclaimers, and publisher contact information.

Before you send your book to layout, here are some questions you’ll need to answer:

1. Who is the publisher? Me or my business?
If you are self publishing, you choose what you want the publisher name to be. Think of your branding, if you plan on doing more than one book. You need to know this before you start applying for an ISBN.

2. ISBN number?
You always include the ISBN number. This is your book’s DNA. The ISBN is applied for in the publisher’s country of residence.

3. Edition?
Is this the first edition, or did you revamp your book and reprint with several changes and updates, in which case, you should have a new ISBN and call it the second edition.

4. “Printed in …” — what does it mean?
For printed books, you must have “Printed in Canada, U.S., China…” in the copyright page and the back cover, mainly if you intend to move books in or out of the country.

5. Format and layout of the page
The format and layout of the page is somewhat standard. The best thing to do is pick a book off your shelf that has the layout that resonates with you and copy that format.

6. Cataloging in Print data
Canada: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/cip/041003-3000-e.html;
U.S.: http://www.loc.gov/index.html. You can’t apply for a cataloguing in print number without the ISBN and you can’t generate a barcode without the ISBN.

The copyright page should be on the left-hand side.

The copyright of the written manuscript belongs to the author. As soon as you put your thoughts into physical (print, audio, electronic form), it is IS already copyright material. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. But if everyone in your address book wrote about the same idea with the same angle, each person would use different words. Each representation of that idea is copyright.

If a publisher (other than the author) publishes the book, you lend the rights to publish to that firm. Contracts vary, but with traditional publishers, you are giving your rights to publish until the publisher deems it out of print. If you are using a print on demand company, you need to CAREFULLY read the contract and know that firms have a tendency to change their contracts unilaterally without advising the author. Publish at your own risk with a print on demand firm.

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Advertising Reality Check

Debbie Elicksen — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:02:27 +0000

I just received an email from a magazine to which I do receive its e-newsletter — and it does provide many great nuggets that I frequently share with my online peeps.

The purpose of this email was to solicit me to advertise in the print magazine. Here was the selling pitch:

Reasons you should advertise in xxxxx magazine:

Reach more than 1700 non-profit communications, social media, production, publications and membership professionals that keep the magazine at their fingertips.
Target your niche audience: association/non-profit publishing and media professionals.
Additional exposure: Your advertisement is part of the digital editions available online to members.
xxxx delivers practical information and news about the industry, addresses current issues and technology, and keeps members abreast of new developments in association media and publishing management.

The truth is, if I WERE to spend money to advertise in any medium, it would be solely because I support the organization and feel very generous, NOT for any ROI the magazine perceives I might receive. Because truth be told, advertising in this or most other print magazines will net you zero return in 2012.

Instead, I take that money, invest it in time, and use the Internet to reach my niche audience DIRECTLY. Between Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, so far I have amassed over 5,000 followers — engaged followers — not the kind you spam “follow me please” with Twitter bots. Thus my ROI on $0 has been sustaining my business for the past two years.

Yes, this publication is a valued resource and it does hit the inbox of many social media, communications, and publishing professionals. But, if I WERE to pay for advertising in any media, this would be one of the ones I would choose. Who knows. But to pay good money (which is usually four figures) to access 1,700 versus 5,000 for free? It’s kind of a no-brainer.

(Also…I really don’t know why the spacing between paragraphs won’t take in this post after the bullet points. If you have a suggestion, I’m all ears.)

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The World Is Our Living Room

Debbie Elicksen — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:11:11 +0000

Here is my friend Francisco delivering a Toastmasters’ speech to his local chapter, but also sharing it worldwide.

Why is this significant? Viewing this video will open the door to many possibilities. We can create and participate in virtual events without having to leave the confines of our homes.

Francisco and I only met in February, when he connected with me after seeing my post in the LinkedWorking St. Louis group on LinkedIn. After a couple of minutes of conversation in our first phone call, we realized we were in sync on a number of topics. Each of us had already put in place some progress on a project that ended up being almost the same. So we decided to partner and help each other out.

That’s only the start of it. Through Francisco, he introduced me to Spreecast and to three phenomenal women in the south Florida area. All of us have been conversing twice a week via videocast for the past four weeks. It’s as if I’ve known them for years and when we get together as a group, it’s as if they are sitting over coffee in my living room.

This is what the Internet means to me. It’s all about people and connecting.

So without further adieu, here’s my friend Francisco.

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