Thinking about trying to produce and publish a comic book? Think again! Unless your goal is to spend a bunch of money and never see a return, comic book publishing is a terrible investment.
That is… unless you’ve got a fresh idea that can meet the changing needs of the 21st century readers.
Today’s all about the reality check… prepare to be challenged!
Articles, Comic Book Publishing | SeanJJordan | 
July 31, 2007 3:21 am | 
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100 years ago, publishing was a fairly simple affair — if you printed a book and sold it, you were the publisher. Times changed, and the copyright system altered the rules a bit: whoever was legally entitled to print the book at the discretion of the copyright holder became the publisher. And now, with the advent of the Information Age, there are even more ways to publish a book, and it’s hard for many outside the industry to know who the true publishers are!
Fortunately, there is a starting point…
Articles, Self-Publishing | SeanJJordan | July 30, 2007 3:20 am | Comments (0)
Have you ever sat down and thought about what it really means to be a “published writer?”
I can tell you what a lot of people think — they imagine a writer who lives a life of semi-luxury, flitting around during the day with no responsibilities, sitting down every now and then to bang away some piece of brilliant prose on a computer keyboard, whenever the mood strikes. The writer they imagine is an ace when it comes to dealing with publishers, a welcome sight at any bookstore and a sage when it comes to talking about the craft.
And almost none of it is true.
Part of the problem is that word “published.” It lends credibility to a writer’s work, because it implies that someone thought enough of the writing to print it and sell it. But all the word means is that a writer made a book available in printed form. It doesn’t speak about the quality, or print run, or sales, or anything else that might actually indicate a writer’s true credibility…
Articles, Self-Publishing | SeanJJordan | July 29, 2007 3:18 am | Comments (0)
Do you have cable television? If so, check out C-SPAN2 some afternoon, and you’ll probably catch a glimpse of BookTV. This program, though about as exciting as anything else you’ll see on C-SPAN, features journalists interviewing authors about recent books, and it’s fascinating if you’re into the world of publishing because you get to see authors attempting to generate buzz for their work. Some of them pull it off with great success by looking great on camera and offering interesting quips, while others look terrible and ramble on about things that no one cares about.
But whether the authors do a good job or a bad job, they’ve got a great reason to participate in the program…
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | July 28, 2007 3:16 am | Comments (0)
Promotion is one of the most important aspects of marketing a product, but it’s not as hard as it sounds. In fact, with the help of the internet, promotion has never been easier.
Since I was so hard on the topic of advertising yesterday, I thought I’d follow up with a positive piece. So, here are five free ways you can promote your products on the web — all without leaving home.
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | July 27, 2007 3:15 am | Comments (0)
Today, I had an interesting experience — I met with an advisor at my local small business center to talk about my business plan for Army Ant Publishing… and how I can secure more funding to get the company off the ground.
For those who haven’t been following my story, I founded Army Ant Publishing earlier this month, and I’ve spent most of the summer researching the publishing industry and writing my business plan. As a business school student, I understood that a well-crafted business plan is the first step towards gaining investor confidence, and so I went all out, putting together a 55-page business plan that laid out my entire strategy for the next five years.
I won’t get into the details of my business model here, but suffice it to say that my advisor, Jo Ann, said she was impressed with the plan, and thrilled that I’d taken the time to plan out even the minute details. She gave me some tips on better organizing the plan, which I thought I’d include here for those struggling with their own plans…
Read more »
Articles, Business Planning | SeanJJordan | July 26, 2007 3:13 am | Comments (0)
I call advertising “The Wishing Well,” because they have a big similarity: both require you to throw money into the unknown and wish for a favorable outcome. Both generate about the same results, too.
“What?” you may be asking. “Are you saying advertising is a waste of money?”
I absolutely am. But I have some good reasons for doing so, I promise. So hear me out — I have a feeling that, but the end of the article, you’ll find yourself questioning the whole idea of advertising as well!
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | 3:13 am | Comments (0)
Have you ever heard the phrase “marketing mix”?
When I first heard this phrase, I thought it referred to something like the way a product was being promoted, like the proportion between media reviews, website promotion, direct mail coupons and advertising, or something along those lines.
As it turns out, that’s only part of the story.
The phrase “marketing mix” refers to the four areas of marketing that businesses use; four words that start with P. And every one of them is essential if you want to realize any of the P that results: profit…
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | July 25, 2007 3:10 am | Comments (0)
Middlemen. Jobbers. Bandits. Parasites. These are all names commonly used to described marketing intermediaries, the companies who go between the manufacturer and the consumer to help distribute product. These are the people who buy product at a low price and sell it to another party at a profit.
Many people accuse intermediaries of being unnecessary and of existing solely to jack up the price, but they actually play an important role in marketing, especially in publishing. If you’re a publisher, you’ll learn to love the middleman when you’re ready to go national — they’re vital to the selling process!
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | July 24, 2007 3:09 am | Comments (0)
Do you, like most people, associate the field of marketing with either selling or advertising?
I know I did, at least until I started investigating the world of marketing and learning more about the topic. Marketing is something that affects every aspect of a company’s operations, and it involves far more than just trying to make a few extra sales.
So here’s a basic introduction to the world of marketing that will help you as you develop a marketing plan for your publishing business. Enjoy!
Articles, Marketing 101 | SeanJJordan | July 23, 2007 3:08 am | Comments (0)
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