| "Build your advertising campaign around a BIG | | | | is to type key words into google search. Then |
| IDEA or it will fail."David Ogilvy, certainly | | | | check how many pages are listed for Bed & |
| one of the five greatest advertising people | | | | Breakfast, Home Exchanges, Time sharing, etc. |
| who ever lived, constantly preached that | | | | A semi-annual check of the increase in pages |
| advice to his staff. I was a creative | | | | indicates the subject is getting "hotter" in |
| supervisor for his agency, Ogilvy & Mather, | | | | the minds of the public. I have brought |
| Inc. in New York for eight years, creating | | | | together writers, photographers and artists |
| print and TV ads for clients that included | | | | to create new books for major publishers on |
| American Express, IBM, KLM Airlines, United | | | | bed & breakfasts, travel and nature guides, |
| States Travel Services and others. I tried | | | | etc. You can check some of these books under |
| very hard to find the "big idea," not always | | | | my name in 4. Learn through trial and error |
| successfully. I hit more "doubles" than "home | | | | how to self publish books"I never met a |
| runs" but D.O., as Ogilvy was referred to in | | | | vanity publishing company that I liked. Some |
| interoffice memos, always stressed swinging | | | | companies that promise great rewards for |
| hard at every advertising pitch.I often | | | | unknown authors have turned out to be more |
| learned more from my strike outs than my | | | | scamsters than publishers, charging |
| occasional home runs, and I later applied | | | | outrageous fees and providing few marketing |
| what I learned when I started my own book | | | | services for writers. My first self published |
| publishing firm. Look for a "big idea" for | | | | book, CARING FOR PETS, turned out to be a |
| the book. Decide who can most benefit from | | | | dog. I got good publicity but sold only about |
| the book and write it for that audience. | | | | a hundred copies. Then I had to pay warehouse |
| Consider how you can test the waters for a | | | | storage fees on the unsold books. Finally I |
| book and presell it to reduce the costs of | | | | offered the lot to Doris Day to use as |
| failure (which are common and high in the | | | | premiums for donors to her pet foundation. |
| book publishing field).Here are five things I | | | | Got a nice letter from Doris and a decent tax |
| have learned about reducing the risks and | | | | deduction. But now print on demand has become |
| increasing the rewards of self publishing | | | | a godsend for writers. There are a growning |
| books. I hope some of these may help you. 1. | | | | number of these publishers, but my favorite |
| Build a reputation in the field that you know | | | | is lulu at They don't charge for prep work |
| by writing about what you know.I knew a great | | | | and guide you with online help. They also |
| deal about travel advertising and marketing. | | | | help sell your book on their website and send |
| I wrote to Gordon Greer who was then travel | | | | you royalty checks. Customize self published |
| editor of Better Homes & Gardens and proposed | | | | books for higher profitsPrint on demand and |
| a series of consumer-oriented articles about | | | | fast turnaround (a printed book within a |
| how to read travel brochures and ads, how to | | | | week) allows me to create books that are as |
| reduce the costs of trips, and how to avoid | | | | current as weekly magazines and to create |
| the growing number of travel scams. I wrote | | | | special editions of books for "sponsors." For |
| three articles for BH&G and had my first | | | | example, I put the ReMax logo on the cover of |
| journalist credits in a national magazine. 2. | | | | the WILLIAMSBURG ONE-DAY TRIP BOOK and some |
| Earn money as you write your book by creating | | | | of a ReMax agency's property listings in the |
| a subscription newsletterEverything in life | | | | back of the book. I sold 5,000 copies to a |
| can be a stepping stone. Based on my | | | | large timeshare comany that gave them to |
| experience in travel advertising and travel | | | | prospects. I am working with a leader of the |
| journalism, I interested a large corporation | | | | Lutheran Church who has written a wonderful |
| in sponsoring the Travel Advisor - a monthly | | | | book, LAUGHTER - using good humor to raise |
| consumer newsletter with an annual | | | | your spirits and celebrate the risen Christ. |
| subscription price of $35. Because of the | | | | Individual churches can add their own |
| direct mail marketing expertise of the | | | | messages to this book. My current nonfiction |
| corporation, we had more than 30,000 | | | | book, REINVENT YOURSELF. features advice from |
| subscribers. I researched the articles | | | | 40 successful Americans that I interviewed. |
| carefully, e.g., "Why you may pay twice as | | | | CEOs and individuals can customize this book |
| much as the person sitting next to you on the | | | | with their own messages of advice. |
| airline," and "Why hotels overbook." I then | | | | |
| selected the best of these articles and | | | | Best selling self published books are |
| combined them into a book that was published | | | | internet marketing, web design, travel |
| by Simon & Schuster, CONSUMER HANDBOOK FOR | | | | guides, other self-help guides. Novels, in |
| TRAVELERS. Several years later I developed a | | | | general, do not sell well either as self |
| newsletter of job hunting techniques. The | | | | published books or on the Internet.Hal |
| newsletter never sold well, but I had all the | | | | Gieseking is a past president of the Society |
| chapters for a new book, 30 DAYS TO A GOOD | | | | of American Travel Writers and former |
| JOB. sold in a record 48 hours to Simon & | | | | Consumer Editor of Travel Holiday magazine. |
| Schuster. 3. "Package" books for publishers.I | | | | He is currently CEO of the Business Scribe, |
| looked for Big Ideas that might interest | | | | Inc. |
| publishers. A simple way to look for trends | | | | |