Get Ready for Summer Break

Summer will be here before you know it, and there’s a lot you can do to get ready for the warm months ahead (and even fall).

To start, find out from your child’s school what books and supplies your child will need for September (if possible). Everything you can put together and store in the front closet will be one less thing to worry about in the rush to get ready for the first day of school.

My son always needs light-soled gym shoes too so these are also stored over the summer break with the new school supplies. Why frantically search for them in September at the last minute when we can have them in advance?

And if you have any friends or family with birthdays in the summer, go to a dollar store and stock up on birthday cards. I keep them in a stack by month, and at the beginning of the month, I sort out what needs to be sent and when.

Another idea is to check your local library about summer programs for kids and sign them up in advance. Sometimes there are a limited number of places, and they fill-up fast. Also, check with the recreation department in your city, and find out if you can purchase pool passes in advance.

Print out a calendar (try www.printablecalendar.ca or www.printfree.com/calendars.htm among others) to keep track of everything you’ll need to do. I keep my calendar on the refrigerator, but you can also print more than one copy and keep one in your purse, or make copies for the family.

These are just a few of my tips for preparing in advance for the summer (and fall) months ahead. After all, by getting things ready now, you’ll have that much more time for summer fun with your friends and family!

Have questions about being a Mom entrepreneur, selling a self-published book or small business in general? Please contact me here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you!

How to be a Successful Self-Published Author

Anyone can be a self-published author, but if you want to be a successful self-published author, you’re going to need to work at it. Once you’ve had your book self-published, your new job will be to market your book yourself.

Marketing Suggestions for Self-Published Books

I always recommend sitting down with some friends or family who have read your book and brainstorming about your target market. Once you can zoom in on your target, that’s when you can start thinking about how to reach that market. Here are a few ideas:

· Is your target local in your city?

Contact the local paper and tell them a little about yourself and your book. They might do a story about you and that would be fantastic, free publicity.

· Is your target a certain group of people, for instance, Monopoly™ lovers?

Check out Monopoly chat rooms and leave messages.

· Go to your local bookstore or library and ask if you can leave copies of your book there for sale.

· Find out if the printer you use will let you sell some copies of your book there.

If you use an online company, they may let you list your book for free on their website.

Your target audience may purchase the most copies of your book, but there are other readers out there who might not find you unless you have a worldwide presence. That’s where the Internet comes in.

And with this in mind, you may want to consider listing your book on my website, www.jexbo.com, for 99¢ per month. This way, you can design your own page about your book, print bookmarks about your book to help market your book, talk directly to customers and reach the world!

Do you have questions about self-publishing and marketing your books? Please let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to help!

How to Sell Self-Published Books

You’ve written your book – great! Now what? There are several things to consider next. Here are a few of my thoughts.

• You might want to go with a local printer with whom you develop a relationship and can reach easily in-person or by phone. Check the phone book to see if you have one in your area and call them to find out what options they have for publishing your book for you.
  
  
• There are many publishing firms online that offer a variety of things to help you publish your book, including help with editing and choosing artwork to include on your cover, and step-by-step guides to get your book printed and ready for you to start selling yourself.
  
  Whichever firm you choose to help with your publishing, make sure you understand what you’re paying for, and what control over your book you are giving up, if any.
  
  Does the fee include shipping the printed books to you, or just printing the books?
  
  Do you give up certain rights to your book? For instance, will the printing company be using your book in their advertising, and will you be compensated for that?
  
• Check for recommendations from others about the publisher you’re choosing. You could ask for a list of references, or you could do an online search to find out if there are any complaints about a company before you choose to work with them.

These are just a few of my thoughts on selling your self-published books. And if you have some great ideas about this, why not write a book about it and sell it on jexbo?

If you have comments or need help selling your self-published book, please let me know here or at http://www.jexbo.com/. I’d love to hear from you!