As the holidays approach, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading my blog and sharing your comments.
I'm going to take a brief break to celebrate with my family and friends, and I'll be back with new entries in 2009.
I hope that the holidays and the New Year find you happy, healthy and successful!
Jill
Tips to Save Money and Have Holiday Fun with Your Children
As the holidays grow close, there are several ways you can save money while still having fun and providing some special holiday surprises for your children. Here are my quick tips:
· Make a list.
Write a list with the names of everyone you need to shop for and the price limit per person. Kids can have lots of fun helping you find bargains if you can give them specific directions (“find a blue t-shirt, size medium, for under $5”).
· Do a cookie exchange.
Find some other parents who would be interested in a cookie exchange and let your children pick the recipe. This way, you can cook together, share what you’ve made and have a variety of cookies to offer guests who come for the holidays.
· Make your own wreaths or garlands.
If you have any bushes or trees with suitable branches, give the kids some clippers and a plastic shopping bag and have them fill it with trimmings. Use green wire (at craft stores and dollar stores) to hook the clippings together and hang the finished product on the mantel or front door.
· Shop as early as possible.
It’s a little late for this year, but prepare for next Christmas by doing all of your shopping at the after-Christmas sales. I buy all gifts for all holidays at once, wrap them and store them in the basement.
These are just a few quick tips from one business mother to another. If you have other suggestions, please let me know. Also, if you have questions about marketing your self-published books, please comment below or send me an e-mail. Thanks!
· Make a list.
Write a list with the names of everyone you need to shop for and the price limit per person. Kids can have lots of fun helping you find bargains if you can give them specific directions (“find a blue t-shirt, size medium, for under $5”).
· Do a cookie exchange.
Find some other parents who would be interested in a cookie exchange and let your children pick the recipe. This way, you can cook together, share what you’ve made and have a variety of cookies to offer guests who come for the holidays.
· Make your own wreaths or garlands.
If you have any bushes or trees with suitable branches, give the kids some clippers and a plastic shopping bag and have them fill it with trimmings. Use green wire (at craft stores and dollar stores) to hook the clippings together and hang the finished product on the mantel or front door.
· Shop as early as possible.
It’s a little late for this year, but prepare for next Christmas by doing all of your shopping at the after-Christmas sales. I buy all gifts for all holidays at once, wrap them and store them in the basement.
These are just a few quick tips from one business mother to another. If you have other suggestions, please let me know. Also, if you have questions about marketing your self-published books, please comment below or send me an e-mail. Thanks!
How to Flourish in a Tough Economy as a Writer
If your workload is slow due to economic changes, there are several things you can do to build buzz, boost sales and grow:
Enter Writing Contests.
There are numerous contests going on at various times of the year for writers. To start, conduct an online search for “writing contests.” Here are a few to start with:
http://www.pw.org/content/grants_amp_awards_your_guide_writing_contests
http://www.americanshortfiction.org/index.html?gclid=CJuv2sbE2ZYCFRsRagoda2Wu3A
http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions
You’ll get some great exposure if you win, but even if you don’t, the contest will give you time to practice and upgrade your writing skills.
Share Your Personal Experiences and Tips.
If you are struggling with economic conditions like everyone else, you may want to share your personal experiences and/or tips with others via blog entries, social media sites, articles, and more. Contact various publications and ask to write articles, blog entries, and more at no charge.
Not only will you be able to share your frustrations and get some free publicity, but you may be able to help others get through their current career and financial problems.
Take a Class.
With a slower schedule, it may be the perfect time to take a writing or business course to improve your skills. Check your local community center, college, library, and various business associations for educational programs.
You’ll be able to improve your writing, meet new friends and learn valuable tips to help boost your attitude and career. You may even want to take a class just to relax or start a new hobby like yoga, knitting, swimming, or scrap-booking.
And if you can’t find a class, offer to teach one. Focus on your area of expertise and share your knowledge with others!
Network.
Just because things are slow, it’s not the time to reduce your networking efforts. In fact, start attending more events and meetings. You’ll learn new things, meet interesting people and talk to other writers who can help you discover opportunities you may not find on your own.
Instead of waiting for things to change, use this down time to prepare for the future. Share your experiences, improve your skills, meet interesting people, and enjoy new hobbies.
You’ll not only have a more positive attitude, but you’ll see things start to move in a better direction filled with hope and opportunity!
If you’d like help selling your self-published work, just let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you!
Enter Writing Contests.
There are numerous contests going on at various times of the year for writers. To start, conduct an online search for “writing contests.” Here are a few to start with:
http://www.pw.org/content/grants_amp_awards_your_guide_writing_contests
http://www.americanshortfiction.org/index.html?gclid=CJuv2sbE2ZYCFRsRagoda2Wu3A
http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions
You’ll get some great exposure if you win, but even if you don’t, the contest will give you time to practice and upgrade your writing skills.
Share Your Personal Experiences and Tips.
If you are struggling with economic conditions like everyone else, you may want to share your personal experiences and/or tips with others via blog entries, social media sites, articles, and more. Contact various publications and ask to write articles, blog entries, and more at no charge.
Not only will you be able to share your frustrations and get some free publicity, but you may be able to help others get through their current career and financial problems.
Take a Class.
With a slower schedule, it may be the perfect time to take a writing or business course to improve your skills. Check your local community center, college, library, and various business associations for educational programs.
You’ll be able to improve your writing, meet new friends and learn valuable tips to help boost your attitude and career. You may even want to take a class just to relax or start a new hobby like yoga, knitting, swimming, or scrap-booking.
And if you can’t find a class, offer to teach one. Focus on your area of expertise and share your knowledge with others!
Network.
Just because things are slow, it’s not the time to reduce your networking efforts. In fact, start attending more events and meetings. You’ll learn new things, meet interesting people and talk to other writers who can help you discover opportunities you may not find on your own.
Instead of waiting for things to change, use this down time to prepare for the future. Share your experiences, improve your skills, meet interesting people, and enjoy new hobbies.
You’ll not only have a more positive attitude, but you’ll see things start to move in a better direction filled with hope and opportunity!
If you’d like help selling your self-published work, just let me know here or at www.jexbo.com. I’d love to hear from you!
Tips for Traveling with Children
As the holidays approach, you will probably be doing some more traveling. And it can be a true joy or a terrible nightmare to travel with your children. By planning ahead, you can spend quality time with your children while visiting different places.
I’ve traveled with my son many times and have some great tips to share. First of all, make sure you bring enough to do for the journey. You can never bring too much to entertain/distract your kids.
What we do throughout the year is buy small prizes like you get with fast-food meals whenever we see them at garage sales, or at after-holiday sales. These are kept in a big bag in the closet and any time my son does something prize-worthy (for instance, all tests with no more than 2 mistakes) he’s allowed to choose a prize.
When we travel, he’s allowed one prize per hour of travel. So for instance, because we live in Germany, which is about 9 hours from our hometown of Detroit, he’s allowed to choose 9 prizes. Then during the flight, he’s allowed to open 1 prize per hour.
Another tip is to buy puzzle and sticker books from the dollar store. They can be lots of fun and very inexpensive. Also be sure you have a pen handy, and if possible a small bag filled with colored pencils or crayons. Drawing is always a fun, quiet activity.
Do everything you can to prepare your child for the trip before you go. If you’re going to visit family, look at pictures and go over everyone’s name. If you’re going to a new city, check out books from the library that show what you’ll see once you get there.
If you’re taking a trip to an amusement park, check youtube.com to see if you can find videos of any of the rides your children can see before you go. And you may want to consider buying a couple disposable cameras for your children to use during the trip.
Also, let your children make a few decisions about the trip so they feel they have some control over things and their opinions are valued. It can be something as simple as “which jacket should we take, the blue one or the red one?” Or something like, “should we visit the zoo or the museum?”
By planning activities for your children to do before traveling, your entire family can have a fun and relaxing trip that you’ll remember for a lifetime!
Stay tuned for more tips and helpful hints for being a mother and an entrepreneur and a self-published author. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time via www.jexbo.com.
I’ve traveled with my son many times and have some great tips to share. First of all, make sure you bring enough to do for the journey. You can never bring too much to entertain/distract your kids.
What we do throughout the year is buy small prizes like you get with fast-food meals whenever we see them at garage sales, or at after-holiday sales. These are kept in a big bag in the closet and any time my son does something prize-worthy (for instance, all tests with no more than 2 mistakes) he’s allowed to choose a prize.
When we travel, he’s allowed one prize per hour of travel. So for instance, because we live in Germany, which is about 9 hours from our hometown of Detroit, he’s allowed to choose 9 prizes. Then during the flight, he’s allowed to open 1 prize per hour.
Another tip is to buy puzzle and sticker books from the dollar store. They can be lots of fun and very inexpensive. Also be sure you have a pen handy, and if possible a small bag filled with colored pencils or crayons. Drawing is always a fun, quiet activity.
Do everything you can to prepare your child for the trip before you go. If you’re going to visit family, look at pictures and go over everyone’s name. If you’re going to a new city, check out books from the library that show what you’ll see once you get there.
If you’re taking a trip to an amusement park, check youtube.com to see if you can find videos of any of the rides your children can see before you go. And you may want to consider buying a couple disposable cameras for your children to use during the trip.
Also, let your children make a few decisions about the trip so they feel they have some control over things and their opinions are valued. It can be something as simple as “which jacket should we take, the blue one or the red one?” Or something like, “should we visit the zoo or the museum?”
By planning activities for your children to do before traveling, your entire family can have a fun and relaxing trip that you’ll remember for a lifetime!
Stay tuned for more tips and helpful hints for being a mother and an entrepreneur and a self-published author. And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time via www.jexbo.com.
How to Create a Good Book Title
For those of you who have finished your book and are ready to self-publish, congratulations! But for many of you, you’re still in the process of developing a title. What makes a good book title?
Well, from my personal experience, it helps to visit a local bookstore and see what stands out on the shelves. It is also a good idea to check Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, The New York Times bestseller list and other online sources related to your book’s topic. I also go through a checklist to develop just the right idea.
For example, once you have a few ideas written down, here are a few questions to ask yourself about each of the titles on your list:
· Is it interesting or useful?
· Is it unique?
· Is it specific?
· Does it cater to the needs of my target market?
· What will readers think of when they read it?
· Does someone already have a copyright on this title?
· Does it sound too much like another title?
· Does it capture the essence of the book or is it misleading?
· Is it timeless?
If you still have trouble coming up with your book title, you may just need to take a break. Spend time outdoors, visit friends, see a movie, participate in your favorite hobby, take a nap, etc.
This way, you can rest your mind and be open to inspiration from outside sources. And who knows? When you least expect it, the right title for your book may just pop into your head.
If you need help with your self-publishing efforts, feel free to write to me below. I’d love to help!
Well, from my personal experience, it helps to visit a local bookstore and see what stands out on the shelves. It is also a good idea to check Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, The New York Times bestseller list and other online sources related to your book’s topic. I also go through a checklist to develop just the right idea.
For example, once you have a few ideas written down, here are a few questions to ask yourself about each of the titles on your list:
· Is it interesting or useful?
· Is it unique?
· Is it specific?
· Does it cater to the needs of my target market?
· What will readers think of when they read it?
· Does someone already have a copyright on this title?
· Does it sound too much like another title?
· Does it capture the essence of the book or is it misleading?
· Is it timeless?
If you still have trouble coming up with your book title, you may just need to take a break. Spend time outdoors, visit friends, see a movie, participate in your favorite hobby, take a nap, etc.
This way, you can rest your mind and be open to inspiration from outside sources. And who knows? When you least expect it, the right title for your book may just pop into your head.
If you need help with your self-publishing efforts, feel free to write to me below. I’d love to help!
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