Word of mouth advertising. How sweet it is to actually see it in action!<\/p>\n I have a new Affordable Designs in Wood<\/em> banner sign for the top of my van. No one mentions it, but I notice that I have more requests for design quotes than ever before. I actually had people standing in line waiting to talk to me about projects! I was elated, but I couldn’t stop and enjoy the feeling, because I was sketching madly and taking down notes and email addresses. <\/p>\n Two of the other exhibitors came by during the morning and did a hasty browse through Danger Quicksand – Have A Nice Day<\/a>. They still have day jobs while they are ramping up their own businesses. My book struck a nerve and they laugh and promise to return and pick up a copy.<\/p>\n I saw a change in how people approach my book this week. I sold two books where the person picked up the book, looked inside and bought the book within three minutes. One was a woman who bought it for her son, who works in IT. The other was a senior IT manager who had just been laid off because of outsourcing. <\/p>\n By noon, I am wasted. The heat and 100% hunidity has taken its toll, but the day was professionally and financially rewarding. I break down the exhibit, load everything back into the van, and head for home which is 20 miles away.<\/p>\n I unload the van, shuck off my sodden clothing, shower and crash for a few hours while Gretchen handles phone traffic and manages the affairs of her tree care company client. When I surface, all is quiet and I can catch up on my emails and fill an online order that has just been placed for my book.<\/p>\n Those of you who are considering self-publishing might well consider doing fulfillment yourselves. There is incredible satisfaction seeing orders arrive and being able to sign and ship the book the same day. I feel much closer to my book buyers than if they were getting books through a third party and I had no visibility on how well they were being serviced.<\/p>\n I get several chances to interact with buyers. I send them an email telling them when the order is being shipped. I write a note in the book when I sign it and I may write a note on the paid invoice asking them to email me if they have any questions.<\/p>\n This may sound like too much work to some of you, but it is completely voluntary and I get to choose my own priorities. At the end of each day, I am as happy as I have ever been in my life. I am making progress toward a known goal and meeting new and interesting people along the way. Life is definitely good…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you are a cubicle dweller, you may have difficulty remembering what it was like to get up in the morning and be filled with enthusiasm about your day to come. As a micro-business owner, you are much more likely … Continue reading ![\"Citymkt3181web\"](\"http:\/\/ripples.typepad.com\/ripples\/images\/citymkt3181web.jpg\" "\\"Citymkt3181web\\"")
<\/a>I met a few people who offered to help me get my book into various programs at UVA and into the UVA bookstore. I also had the pleasant experience of seeing two women come up to my book display and one said to the other, "That’s the book I was telling you about!" <\/p>\n