Indie Books Now Have a Better Shot With Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores |  |
- Indie Books Now Have a Better Shot With Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores
- The Problem With Social Media
- 10 Tips for Making Your Startup A Success
- Parental Leave from Employment: The Parent Trap
- Why Small Businesses Have Trouble Getting Credit
| Indie Books Now Have a Better Shot With Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores Posted: 27 May 2013 07:35 PM PDT
Self-published authors and indie publishers will now find it is easier to have their books distributed in the United States through major book distributors, such as Baker & Taylor. Indie books are now on a similar footing as books published by larger traditional publishers, when it comes to the opportunity to get in front of brick and mortar bookstores. Best-selling author Kristine Rusch, who also has owned a publishing business and a book distribution startuop, outlines her take on the changes recently on her website. She says it’s a recent change. Bookstores now have access through Baker & Taylor, to all published print books, whether via Amazon’s Createspace (for self-published authors) or large traditional publishers. The changes have to do with Baker & Taylor, one of the major book distributors, changing its policies. Earlier this year, she says, Baker & Taylor made the terms of discounts and returns for print on demand (POD) books by self-published authors, more favorable for bookstores. Also, POD books are now mixed in with traditionally published books, instead of being segregated, on Baker & Taylor’s lists, Rusch notes. In the past, self-published authors were at a disadvantage. Their discount/returns policy was less favorable from a bookseller’s perspective, than traditionally published books. Rusch says the changes will be a boon to self-published authors:
In the past, self-published and indie writers might literally drive around with books in their cars visiting bookstores. Only after a lot of hard work would some manage to get their books into bookstores. She recommends you list your book through “Extended distribution” in Amazon’s Createspace. Doing so will get it picked up by Baker & Taylor. Extended distribution costs $25. Still, It Won’t Mean Automatic SalesRausch is quick to point out that simply getting an indie-published or self-published book in front of bookstore owners, won’t necessarily mean your book will be stocked in a bookstore. Your book still has to present a good business proposition for the bookstore:
Rausch told us in an email interview that it’s best to have “several books” under your belt, before expecting to get picked up by brick-and-mortar stores. ”Books also need good covers and good cover copy. They need to be priced similarly to traditionally published books or the bookstore won’t make any money,” since bookstores make money off of the over price. Marketing, especially word of mouth, is essential. She offers marketing advice for authors on her website. Aren’t Brick and Mortar Bookstores in Trouble?You might wonder if getting into brick-and-mortar bookstores even matters. After all, every time we turn around we hear that brick-and-mortar bookstores are in trouble. But some signs suggest that their death has been predicted prematurely. According to a report in the Christian Science Monitor, sales at independent bookstores are up:
That’s good news for self-published authors. Independent bookstores are more likely than large chains to stock indie books. So the growth of independent bookstores, even as large chains like Barnes & Noble cut back, is a positive for self-published authors and POD books. Bookstore image, Shutterstock The post Indie Books Now Have a Better Shot With Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Posted: 27 May 2013 03:30 PM PDT
Last month, both Forbes and USAToday ran stories on how social media isn't working for small businesses. The Forbes piece was titled, "Why Small Businesses Are Losing On Social Media." The USAToday piece was a bit stronger, "Study: Social Media a Bust for Small Businesses." Both were in response to a survey recently released from Manta revealing that most small businesses (over 60%) don’t see any return on investment (ROI) on their social-media activities. That bares repeating – most small businesses don’t see any return. When I came up with the title for this I was not yet aware of any of this. As a business owner myself who's done extensive research with years of direct personal experience with social media, I feel the need to share my perspective with fellow business owners trying to decide the best way to spend their marketing money. The Problem With Social MediaThe Manta study was not a surprise. Despite the social media hype, I know that many small business owners are having a hard time justifying the expense of a social media marketing effort – and for good reasons. For one, it's hard to be certain what a social media marketing effort even means. Talk to four social media experts and there's a good chance you'll get four answers. Assuming you get an answer you like, it's then hard to interpret the results. Not a strong case for investing a ton of money, or time, in social media. No one likes to be unclear about what they're paying for and that's especially true with small business owners. It's hard to spend hundreds, or thousands, on something you can't show or cleary explain to your spouse. While we know there's no guarantee on ROI (Return on Invesment), we like to see what we're paying for and have a good sense of its value. You'd think things would be different from 100 years ago when John Wanamaker famously said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half." If he were commenting today, referencing social media, it wouldn't be, "Half the money I spend is wasted", it'd be "60%." Social Media experts will argue that it's not working for 60% of small business owners because they don't truly understand it, they're going about it wrong. They're not working with the right people and they're not giving it enough time. All of those things may be true, and all of those things can be said about all marketing. While some liken social media, and social media experts, to the necessary evil of auto maintenance and auto mechanics, journalist B.J. Mendelson takes it a bit further. He calls social media BS. In his new book, “Social Media Is Bullshit,” Mendelson examines popular tales of social media "success" and reveals some unsettling truths behind the surface. While I appreciate Mr. Mendelson's perspective, it seems harsh. Anything that provides a platform to present our product, service or perspective to our target audience and potentially engage them, isn't BS. Confusing? Yes. Over-hyped? Probably. However, Mr. Mendelson is right about one big BS aspect of social media: Facebook "Friends" and Twitter "Followers.” As we all now know, most Facebook Friends aren't really friends and most Twitter Followers don't follow. Adds Regina Hartt of Hartt's Pool Plastering: "No amount of Facebook Likes is going to sway a prospective customer to spend 5 to 40k on a pool plastering job." So, that's the problem I see with social media. Even social media rock star, Gary Vaynerchuk, admits it's a confusing landscape. I just returned from a Digital Summit where Vaynerchuk spoke and stated that "Marketing in 2013 has never been harder." He then added, "But you have no choice. You have to do marketing." He's right, we have to market. There just may be better ways to do it than with social media. Thumbs Down Photo via Shutterstock The post The Problem With Social Media appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 10 Tips for Making Your Startup A Success Posted: 27 May 2013 12:30 PM PDT
The entrepreneur community has been buzzing with the story of Yahoo acquiring Tumblr. The Internet giant purchased the site founder David Karp launched from his mother’s Manhattan apartment for $1.1 billion. At only 26-years-old, Karp is expected to receive up to $220 million from the deal. Though he eventually took venture funding, Karp launched his hugely successful social blogging platform from a simple idea. His story is an inspiration to others seeking to start the next big thing. Here are 10 tips from the business blogging community for creating the next big startup success story, from a simple idea: Start with a great product. - Erica.Biz Twitter and similar Silicon Valley startups gained momentum with support from the so-called “digerati.” However, you don’t need the support of top tech bloggers or trend setters to launch a great startup. All you need is a really great product or service and a customer base that loves it. Blogger Erica Douglass gives us a look at the "Macklemore Effect" and how it can rocket your startup to success. Pick the right startup name. - Entrepreneur Picking the right name for your startup is also important. Gary Backaus and Justin Dobbs of Memphis-based ad agency Archer>Malmo gave a presentation earlier this year at the South By Southwest Interactive Conference. The presentation looked at how to pick the best name for your startup. Here are their five best suggestions for picking a business name that will take you from startup to success. Pay attention to your business plan. - SBA.gov Entrepreneurs may differ on the importance of a business plan or on what form it should take. But a good business plan is key to startup success. Here are five fundamental principals of good business planning from business planning expert and startup founder Tim Berry. Look at Berry’s suggestions as a best practices list to aspire to when creating the business plan for your startup. Make sure the price is right. - Startup Professionals Musings Investor and blogger Martin Zwilling gives us an overview of the kinds of pricing decisions startups must make. These are not simply decisions about how to price a product or service competitively. They are also decisions about the kind of pricing model, for example, free product or service monetized by ads, freemium service et cetera. Change your approach to recruiting. - The Verge Startups have been evolving their approach to recruiting for quite some time. Plain old want-ads were replaced by online job boards and replaced by recruitment via LinkedIn. Now there’s yet another way to hire workers. TaskRabbit, a site dedicated to contractors, is moving toward offering more long-term work. Make your startup an attractive acquisition target. - Business Insider Tumblr wasn’t the only Yahoo acquisition last week. The company also bought online gaming company PlayerScale for a price not yet disclosed. Sometimes the key to success is to build a company, product or service other businesses can use. Create something other companies could build into their model then sell it to the highest bidder. Generate some buzz. - Small Biz Viewpoints This is basically the art of getting people talking about your brand, and it’s not confined to the Internet. Consultant Harry Vaishnav offers 15 creative suggestions including everything from placing ads on billboards to giving away some of your products. Don’t stop with these suggestions. Come up with some creative ideas yourself. Learn two simple tips for viral marketing. - Small Business Trends Viral marketing has become the holy grail for those seeking to get their message out and have it spread. But once you create an infographic or other piece of content that goes viral, what’s your next step? Tech and social media blogger Drew Hendricks teaches us how to capitalize on that initial success. Create infographics and videos that pick up where your initial viral marketing message left off. Understand social media marketing — for real. - Social Steve’s Blog Social media and social media marketing are not the same things, says social marketing director Steve Goldner. Just because you have a Facebook or Twitter account you update regularly, does not make you a social media marketer. Goldner outlines a list of considerations that go into real social media marketing. Have you developed a serious social media marketing campaign for your startup? Think about your mobile customers - About Us No matter what kind of startup you are launching, getting your message to mobile customers is more important than ever. In this post, Simon Phillips discusses some of the questions you should ask when thinking about your mobile presence. A website is no longer enough unless it can be viewed easily on mobile devices, for example. How might the mobile revolution affect your startup? The post 10 Tips for Making Your Startup A Success appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Parental Leave from Employment: The Parent Trap Posted: 27 May 2013 09:55 AM PDT
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer got a lot of flak earlier this year when she announced that employees would no longer be able to work from home. But the company's more recent announcement concerning parental leave stating that all new dads would get 8 weeks of paid paternity leave hasn't generated nearly as much buzz in the blogosphere. While there's still a whole lot of attention to the roles of women in the workforce, the roles of dads are far less up for grabs, it seems. Parental Leave: The Parent TrapShould your business consider offering paid paternity leave? According to a study cited by Marketwatch, last year 15 percent of employers did so - up 55 percent from the prior year. While paid paternity leave might sound like a luxurious perk that only big companies can afford, the reality is it may be a smart move for your business. Why? If you offer paid maternity leave, you can pretty much bet every new mom in your company is going to take advantage of it. But if you offer paid paternity leave, it may not end up costing you a cent. That's because few dads actually use the privilege. Another study cited in the Marketwatch article reports that just 12 percent of fathers took advantage of paid parental leave when it was offered. Even dads who did take the leave typically used much of it to work. There are a variety of reasons for this, from cultural norms and peer pressure, to the need many new dads feel to become super-breadwinners, to the simple fact that new dads aren't breastfeeding 12 times a day while recovering from a major medical procedure. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act requires small businesses with more than 50 employees to offer 12 weeks of unpaid leave with benefits and job protection to qualified workers (those who have been with the company at least 12 months) for the birth or adoption of a child. Your state likely has its own version of the FMLA, which might impose more stringent regulations such as additional unpaid time off or disability payments for new mothers. Parental Leave PoliciesHow can you create a parental leave policy that makes sense for your business, as well as for new mothers and fathers? Start by working with your attorney, HR person and accountant to determine what laws apply in your state and what types of policies will work for your company. I mention the accountant because you need to consider financial issues in the worst-case scenario. If you have a lot of young, married people on staff, and offering paid paternity and maternity leave could leave you with half your staff out on leave while still being paid, you may not be able to offer this perk. On the other hand, if most of your employees are in their 50s, you're probably safe offering a more generous policy. If you do choose to go beyond the "bare minimum" with your parental leave, make sure you let employees know it. Parental leave policies vary so much from state to state and company to company that employees may not realize offering, say, two weeks of paid leave is a generous gesture on your part. For example, your employee handbook could state that while the law doesn't require any paid leave, you believe it's important to give new parents the best start, so you choose to offer X weeks of paid leave. Finally, be flexible, yet consistent. Whether you're dealing with new dads or new moms, a personal approach goes a long way to making employees feel valued during a stressful time of their lives. Work with each employee to figure out how their duties will be handled while they're on leave, whether that includes some type of work-at-home arrangement, hiring a temp or cross-training another employee to carry the workload. At the same time, be sure you don't offer options to one employee that you don't offer your other staff members, or you could end up with disgruntled (and possibly lawsuit-minded) employees. Family Photo via Shutterstock The post Parental Leave from Employment: The Parent Trap appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Why Small Businesses Have Trouble Getting Credit Posted: 27 May 2013 05:00 AM PDT Only one third of small business owners were able to obtain all of the credit that their businesses need, a recent National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey shows. The survey's finding is not surprising. Many economists, policy makers and small business advocacy groups have long explained that small businesses have a harder time obtaining credit than their larger counterparts. When it comes to accessing capital, size definitely matters. Even among small businesses, the smaller the company, the lower the odds that it has a loan (see figure below) or a line of credit. Only 15.7 percent of businesses with one or fewer employees have a business loan and only 33.7 percent have a line of credit, the NFIB survey shows. By contrast, 56.8 percent of businesses with between 50 and 250 workers has a business loan and 65.4 percent has a line of credit.
Rather than reveal some sinister motives among bankers, however, these patterns simply reflect the economics of business credit. Fewer small businesses have access to credit than larger companies because lending to them is riskier and more expensive than extending credit to larger companies. Default risk is higher in the small business loan market. Small businesses fail at higher rates than big businesses and changes in the business cycle have a larger impact on their profits. Because lenders cannot always charge interest rates that are commensurate with a borrower's default risk, the most risky small business borrowers are often unable to get credit. Lending to small businesses is more expensive than lending to big companies. Part of the problem is the fixed cost of making a loan. Some costs are the same whether you make a $50,000 loan or a $5 million loan. Therefore, profit margins are higher on bigger loans. Of course, larger companies are more likely to need bigger loans than their smaller counterparts, which leads lenders to focus on larger customers. Additionally, evaluating small business loan applications is often expensive. Little publicly available information on the financial condition of small companies exists, and small businesses' financial statements are not always very detailed. Small business owners' personal finances are sometimes intermingled with those of their businesses. The very large variety of small businesses and the way they use borrowed funds make it tough to apply general lending standards. Finally, monitoring the financial condition of small businesses often requires lenders to build personal relationships with small business owners. These economic principles have important implications for those seeking to boost small businesses’ access to credit. Encouraging more lending will require policies that take into account the greater cost and risk of lending to small companies — and why small businesses have trouble getting credit. The post Why Small Businesses Have Trouble Getting Credit appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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