FORPU Home Publishing

s for Publishing
by
Avril Harper
's For Publishing
CONTENTS
Introduction
file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]
Where do I get my Stock?

Writing - Prime Source at its Best
The Importance of Title
Quality - The Publisher's Buy-Word
Should I Use a Business Name?
What about Stationery?
How do I Price my Stock?
Mailing Lists and Direct Mail
Where Should I Advertise?
What Makes a Good Advertisement?
What Message should my Advertisements Convey?
How do I know if my Advertisements are Working?
How do I Write a Good Sales Leaflet?
Places in Which to Advertise
Copyright: Avril Harper 1992
s for Publishing
by
Avril Harper
Introduction
It's one of the most lucrative businesses ever, and one requiring
very little in the way of starting capital; yet surprisingly, few
people have even heard of 'Home Publishing'. Good news indeed for
the many men and women currently earning anything from 1000% to
3000% profit on each and every sale they make, regularly receiving
20 or more for an item it has cost 1 or less to produce.
Just how much these publishers make each and every week depends
entirely upon the time and effort they put into their businesses;
time and effort spent analysing advertising trends and techniques;
selecting suitable items for stock; and establishing a good and
regular list of customers, who being satisfied with past
purchases, will continue to buy from them in the future.
Publishing, loosely defined, is the preparing and issuing of
printed material, usually for sale. Home publishing, primarily
concerned with the distribution of items not readily available in
bookshops, is perhaps something of a misnomer, since often all
that is required of the publisher is a process of advertising photocopying - distributing. But do not be misled, for a high
degree of organisational ability is essential for success, and
certainly at the very beginning the entrepreneur must be prepared
to work long and hard for little personal reward, as he or she
builds a library of good titles, and formulates that advertising
strategy best suited to his or her personal business requirements.
If the foregoing sounds like bad news, think again! True, a
number of new publishers will become immediately disillusioned
when their letterboxes aren't found to be overflowing with cheques
from day one, but 'failure' sadly is their own fault.
It often takes weeks, even months, to gain the respectability a
home publisher undoubtedly needs. It takes that long too to
formulate a successful advertising policy; sometimes it takes
several weeks to have advertisements placed in the publication of
your choice; even longer to build a list of customers confident
enough to buy from you time and time again.
As a test of the profitability of home publishing, take several
back issues of such as 'Exchange and Mart', then study the
Business Opportunities section. In particular study those boxed
display advertisements costing something in the region of 60 a
week to insert. Though a discount rate is offered to regular
customers, do you sincerely believe that any of those advertisers
whose names appear each and every week, are not being adequately
rewarded for their efforts, both personal and financial?
Home Publishing can be operated on a part-time or full-time basis;
by one person, or by a number of people in partnership.
Some publishers deal in all manner of printed material, both
specialised and general. Some deal profitably in publications
relating to one hobby or interest, such as consumer competitions
or stamp collecting. Others deal in a wide range of subjects from
leisure interest, to self-improvement, and perhaps to the most

profitable line of all, that of information relating to business
and income-boosting opportunities.
The prudent publisher selects his stock of 'titles' with the
utmost care, preferring those that are both well-written and
well-produced. Not for him those manuals that are badly written,
have little or no quality of content, are inefficiently typed, and
presented to the customer without even the courtesy of card covers
to protect them. Yet it is not surprising to be charged anything
up to 20 for such inferior items - a very nice profit indeed and a sure-fire way of extinguishing customer interest in anything
that particular publisher offers in the future.
Conversely, a publisher offering quality of content and
presentation, at an affordable price, will reap his rewards in
terms of repeat custom and world-of-mouth recommendation between
customers and fellow publishers. It's very much worth the time
and trouble it takes to achieve that standard of professionalism
which sets your business, and its profits, way above the rest.
Where do I get my Stock?
Quality stock can come from several different sources, far and
above the best way to acquire new titles, if you feel able, is to
write them yourself. Don't panic, for it isn't anywhere near as
difficult a prospect as it sounds. It doesn't take a literary
genius to present valuable information in a manner that the public
will understand - they are buying what you write remember, not the
way you write it. Obviously, too many spelling and typing errors
will diminish those standards of professionalism you set for
yourself, and for this reason it is always best to have your work
read by someone you trust to provide you with constructive
criticism, from which you can amend the first draft or drafts of
your manuscript.
Writing one's own titles has several benefits, perhaps first and
foremost being that of providing you with sole copyright in the
document; unless you decide otherwise, no-one but you can release
the information it contains into that ever-hungry marketplace.
You will incur little in the way of financial cost for the
document you produce; your only real outlay being in respect of
time, paper, electricity and research material. A few pounds at
the most is negligible when compared to the cost of paying another
writer to provide you with copyright, and of minor importance when
compared with the purchase of reproduction rights which you must
nevertheless remember you will share with perhaps a great many
other publishers. Last but by no means least, there is a great
deal of satisfaction to be had from seeing your own work in print,
especially when the orders start to arrive, often to be followed
by words of gratitude from your work's ultimate reader. To a
professional writer praise is a reward that often far and away
exceeds any level of monetary gain. We will delve further into
the process of writing your own material a little later on.

If you choose not to write your own material, several other
methods exist whereby good and saleable material can be obtained.
Sometimes your stock will come straight from the writer, perhaps
from fellow publishers; at other times from firms dealing
exclusively in the sale of reproduction rights and copyrights.
Prices too will vary, much depending upon what 'rights' are
actually conferred. You may, for instance, be offered simple
'reproduction' rights, meaning that you can make as many copies as
you wish from the master document you are provided with; sometimes
the price is set for you, sometimes you are free to determine the
price yourself.
You may be offered reproduction rights, with additional authority
to re-sell those rights, enabling you to transfer the same to
fellow publishers. With increased rights, you can expect to be
asked a correspondingly higher price for your stock.
Remember, with the ability to transfer reproduction rights to your
customers, there is a real danger of saturating the market, and
consequently drastically reducing the lifespan of even the best
titles - a very different situation indeed from that monopoly
enjoyed by the writer/publisher, or publisher who has chosen to
purchase exclusively all rights, i.e. copyright, from the writer
or his agent.
Much has been said about buying and selling of manuals between
writers and publishers, and between publishers and fellow
publishers, but it is from the general public as customers that
your greatest profits are likely to come.
Before we leave this vitally important subject of stock
acquisition, let's look first at just how you can go about writing
your own material.
Writing - Prime Source at its Best
We know of course, that it doesn't take an award-winning writer to
turn out something customers will flock to buy, and having bought,
will derive great benefit from.
First and foremost try to find a subject that is in demand; not
one already 'done to death' by many others before you. If that
subject is one in which you have more than a passing knowledge,
perhaps one concerned with your hobby or profession, then you
already have a head start, in that the research for your manual
will almost certainly take you less time to complete than would
the same subject for a relative novice.
List all of those points you wish to cover in your writing, taking
time at this stage to ensure that you have covered every area of
the topic concerned. This pre-writing stage is the most
important phase in the production of your manuscript; anything you

miss out will be noticed - there's always someone out there,
ready, willing, and able to point out your shortcomings.
When you are confident that your research is complete, and
remember it often takes a lot of time to research those points you
wish to include, then place these points in the most logical order
of presentation. My personal method is to have all points
produced on small cards, then positioned in sequence, juggling
them around until I am finally satisfied with their order.
Now comes the process of actually writing up your work. Whether
you choose to get straight into it and continue typing or writing
until you are finished is entirely up to you. If you are new to
writing, you may however feel more comfortable in writing each
section individually, before collating them into manual form. You
will of course have to make sure you don't in the process, either
leave out some important point, or duplicate something that in
fact might not be of justifiable importance.
Once your first draft is completed in writing, or perhaps is typed
up in individual sections, your next task is to have your work
typed into manuscript form, preferably on A4 size paper. If you
can't type or don't have access to a typewriter or word processor,
it doesn't cost too much to have your work professionally typed
for you.
When typed, check your manuscript for spelling mistakes, typing
errors and such - not something usually necessary where
professionally produced by an outside source. Now - and believe
it or not but this is a vitally important part of the writing
process - put your document to one side for a week or so, before
reading it again with mind and talents refreshed. You'll be
amazed what errors and omissions come to mind. Remember though to
carry out this particular exercise before you pay someone else to
type your work, unless that person is happy to produce a draft for
you, prior to typing out the final product.
Now, if you can take constructive criticism, and if you have
relatives and friends you can trust to give just that, have them
read your work, following which you will ask them for their views.
These views will remember, be similar to those of your future
readers and should highlight potential errors, irregularities, or
just things they wish you'd explained in a little better fashion,
or perhaps more fully. Incorporate any changes you feel are
justified.
If you document is now produced to an acceptable quality, i.e.
typed, word processed, or typeset, then ensure that the pages are
numbered, and provide a contents sheet outlining what sections and
topics your work covers, and on what page/s the reader will find
them.
A cover, in my opinion, is vital for any publication worthy of
reading, and amazingly easy to produce to an exceptionally

professional standard. you may have the title printed with the
aid of rub-down lettering available at almost all stationers. You
might even illustrate your cover by means of many of the clip art
documents available from dealers advertising in most main mail
order magazines and adsheets.
Your very own manual should now be ready for marketing.
Congratulations!
The Importance of Title

Ironically, the worst written and most garbled of manuscripts will
become best sellers with the right title, and sadly vice versa,
for with a poor, drab title, even the greatest of manuscripts may
never be seen by other than their writers.
The best titles are designed to catch the attention, arouse
curiosity, sometimes shock, but primarily they are intended to
make the reader need to know more, and for this privilege he or
she will buy.
Some of today's more imaginative titles include the following:
'Make 150 in Ten Minutes'
'Mail Order Blunders and How to Avoid Them'
'How to Avoid Paying your Debts'
'The Lazy Man's Way to Riches'
'How Mail Order Fortunes are Made'
'25,000 for a Few Hours Work doesn't Seem Fair'
'The Midas Touch'
'How to Ask for the Moon - And Get It'
A good title is therefore a good advertisement for your wares;
sometimes leaving very little else to be said in the advertising
blurb; sometimes not. Don't though promise anything your work
won't deliver, if only out of sympathy with your readers and their
soon to be shattered expectations - and faith in your products!
Repeat custom remember, is important to the mail order operator.
Quality - The Publisher's Buy-Word
There is, as for most other items, a vast difference in quality of
manuals offered for sale. To gain respect, and the repeat orders
such respect generates, the publisher must strive to always offer
quality of content and presentation. Content is perhaps something
you will best be able to judge for yourself by reading the manuals
you acquire. Always do this, firstly to discover any inadvertent
errors that may have crept into the work of even the most
reputable of writers and publishers, and secondly to assess the
quality of items from sources you have only recently become
acquainted with. Any source that habitually sends 'rubbish'
manuscripts is to be avoided at all costs; they will have
purchased their rights inexpensively, and have little or no
consideration for subsequent buyers or the ultimate reader.
Selling such will only give you, and the world of home publishing,
a reputation that can well be done without.
One satisfactory purchase however, does not mean you may forego
the need to fully inspect future stock. Even if you trust the
standards of your suppliers, you owe it to your customers to
instil a process of quality control that ensures you will notice a
suppliers' shortcomings, long before it leads a regular customer
to suspect yours, and possibly cause him or her to transfer
allegiance elsewhere.
In the course of researching subjects for the manuals I personally
write, I acquire several items of a similar nature, from libraries
and publishers alike. The standard of some has left me little
short of disgusted at the type of grot some publishers will ask
10 and more for. Sometimes the quality itself is to blame; one
list of 200 or so 'opportunities' advertised in a British
magazine, provided me with dozens of useful addressees - if that
is I ever choose to live and work in the U.S.A. - absolutely
useless should I choose instead to remain loyal to my home soil.
That same purchase I will never forget, not for the quality of its
content, but because the manuscript had been so 'reduced' in size
via the photocopying process, that I couldn't read the text
without a magnifying glass! I kid thee not!
The number of pages contained means absolutely nothing if one
delivers 100 pages of absolute garbage. Such a massive document
has nothing on 10 pages of valuable, useful and legible text.
Many manuals you take reproduction rights in will arrive with a
covering sheet, usually indicating the title, author, and
sometimes bearing an illustration. That cover may arrive purely
on standard paper or it may come in the form it is intended to
reach the ultimate customer, perhaps on card, thicker paper, often
coloured, sometimes highly attractive. No matter how it reaches
you, I truly believe the contents of the manual are reflected in
the quality of the cover. If it's worth presenting attractively,
perhaps with protective card covers and a plastic strip to house
the spine, then subconsciously that manual acquires respectability
long before it has even been opened. As discussed earlier, for
those titles you write yourself, or those that arrive without
covers, it's an extremely easy task to produce attractive covers
by means of Letraset and other rub-down forms of lettering and
transfers available at almost all stationers.
Your newly-acquired manuscripts will most likely arrive

camera-ready, that is, suitable for immediate photocopying. If
finances allow, you may consider having the manual 'typeset' for a
better finish, especially if you intend having large quantities of
copies printed - nice, but by no means essential!
Should I Use a Business Name?
Much akin to the perennial question 'How long is a piece of
string', there are many people who will swear the answer is 'Yes'
and possibly as many who will disagree vehemently with them. My
own opinion is that a business name often instils a degree of
faith and confidence in your enterprise; those unwilling to send
hard-earned cash to 'Billy Bloggs' will prove perfectly happy to
send it to 'Supremo Publications'. A degree of permanency is
accorded to a business name, even though the actual choosing and
using of such is an extremely straightforward exercise, that in no
way, shape or form makes one publisher more creditable than
another. There is now no need to register a business name, but if
you use an address different to your own, for instance a
relative's address to accommodate your post, you are required to
disclose your own address on business stationery.
What about Stationery?
As in almost all other areas where people come into contact with
one another either physically, or via the auspices of the postal
services, there is a great psychological tendency for first
impressions to greatly colour all subsequent communications.
Your stationery is likely to be the only contact some customers
will ever have with you - if you are to obtain and retain their
custom, make their first impressions of you good ones, by using
the very best stationery you can afford. Don't use plain paper
with handwritten address appended; don't cut costs by having a
perfectly good letterhead poorly photocopied. A well-printed
business heading on good quality paper will pay handsome
dividends, and really isn't going to set you back too much
financially.
If you can use a typewriter and your finances will stretch to
actually acquiring one, this is far better than writing your
business letters, orders, invoices, and so on. If however you are
an atrocious typist, then have someone else do it for you, or
really make a concerted two-fingered attempt to plod out your
message as neatly and professionally as you are able. It really
will be worth that often painful effort.
Incidentally, if you find yourself in the enviable position of
owning or being able to afford a word processor or typesetting
facilities, then regardless of how bad a typist you are, your
communications need never contain errors of typing or spelling,
for the inbuilt programmes of most machines have spell-checking

facilities, and all allow you to view, check, and if necessary
amend your words before you work appears in print - marvellous!
Such machines also allow you to keep copies of all communications
on disc as opposed to hundreds of bulky pieces of crumpled paper
jammed into tatty cardboard files. For around 500 new,
considerably less second-hand, it may be a more than worthwhile
investment to consider making for a business in which the printed
word is of paramount importance.
How do I Price my Stock?
Sometimes the price will be set for you and you will not be able
to deviate from it, primarily so as not to undercut your fellow
publishers. On other occasions you are free to charge what you
wish. That price may well be in line with what others are asking
for the same publication; it may instead be lower, in the hope of
attracting more custom your way.
On occasion you might offer manuals half-price, especially if they
have proved slow movers, or else have been on the market for quite
a while. You may wish to offer a 'buy 2 get 1 free' or '2 for the
price of 1' for similar reasons.
Your pricing policy will largely depend upon your advertising
costs, costs of production, newness or otherwise of title
concerned, and what rights of reproduction you actually possess.
With sole copyright of a valuable title, you will most likely ask
a much higher price than that for a manual of similar size which
is available from a number of other sources.
Never be afraid to reduce your prices - it's all a matter of trial
and error, but something which happily will become easier with
experience. In the early days look at what your competitors are
charging, and if you have authority to do so, charge sufficiently
less to attract a share of the custom, whilst still retaining an
adequate profit margin. Lower prices in the beginning of your
career in mail order will attract customers who may well stay
loyal to you for many hears to come; not a bad return for the
leaner times of your early days in publishing!
Mailing Lists and Direct Mail
The market for good titles, well-presented, is vast. The only
limit placed upon you is that which your advertising policy
dictates; good, regular, extensive and well-analysed advertising
policies will attract many customers. Publishing is something of
a self-generating business activity since a great many customers
continue to buy, whether in respect of a hobby, special interest,
or because they are continually seeking opportunities for making
extra money, or advancing their careers.
There is no substitute for that list of customers you build for

yourself, retaining and recording the names and addresses of
people who have responded to each of your advertisements.
Sometimes you will be offered lists of opportunity seekers, or
perhaps of fellow publishers, either from firms specialising in
the provision of such lists, or from individuals in much the same
position as yourself but seeking to supplement their income by
selling their own lists. If you decide to operate from such a
list, choose it with care, preferably from a reputable and
specialist firm with a reputation to protect, which will therefore
be more likely to supply up-to-date, genuine names and addresses.
You will then provide those named with details of your manuals,
perhaps a selection of advertising sales leaflets, or a list
briefly describing what you have to offer. Sometimes you will be
able to use this list of names as often as you wish; on other
occasions it is for once only use, subsequent use requiring you to
pay a further rental fee.
On occasion one sees advertisements placed by people wanting
suitable manuals for their own use, often under the Opportunities
section. Always respond to these advertisements, for these are
amongst the keenest of buyers you are ever likely to meet.
Many of the mail order specialists' magazines carry advertisements
from fellow publishers and opportunity seekers. If you are able
to offer re-sell of your reproduction rights, and if you in fact
wish to do so, then a good and eager market could well be awaiting
your titles, particularly if they are new and the price
attractive. Think carefully though - remember the advantages of
monopoly!
Alternatively, if you have a range of material suited to those
with a common interest, for instance consumer competition
enthusiasts or writers, then try to obtain details from clubs or
societies of their members' names and addresses, and forward
details of your publications by direct mail. Advertisements
placed in special interest magazines can draw high levels of
interest. Ask your local library to let you view their 'Willings'
and 'Benns' directories wherein are entered all publications
available in the United Kingdom.
Where Should I Advertise?

In deciding which publications are best to advertise in, the
answer ironically is first of all to try those in which your
competitors regularly advertise. They don't do so for the good of
their health; if they advertise in a particular publication each
and every issue you can bet it's a good one. Join them! 'Exchange
and Mart' incidentally, is almost universally regarded as the best
medium for Job and Business Opportunity publications.
For those keen to expand their businesses in as many directions as

possible, there are other opportunities for advertising, including
shop and post office windows, either locally or by having agents
working to commission to place them in other areas of the country.
Your agents usually take the order, and forward to you the
customer's name and address, together with an agreed amount of
money after their commission is deducted.
You can also advertise in local and national magazines, in local
freesheets, direct to club secretaries in the case of special
interest titles, even by having your leaflets distributed for you
by firms specialising in such a service.
What Makes a Good Advertisement?
Words themselves can make or break your chances of a sale; good
words can make the worst document seem highly attractive, and
sadly vice versa. You must of course, for financial reasons, keep
words at a premium whilst retaining your intended message.
Your advertisement must stand out from the rest; it may be in
competition with hundreds of others! Sometimes the presentation
of the advertisement will make it stand out from the others. look
at those display advertisements in any popular advertising
publication; look too at the attention-grabbing qualities of
'impact lines' and bold lettering. If not too financially
prohibitive, it may be worthwhile trying one or two of these
techniques for yourself, remembering of course to carefully
analyse the results of such in terms of response attained.
The aim of an advertisement is:
To attract ATTENTION
To arouse INTEREST
To create a NEED OR DESIRE
To get the reader to ACT OR RESPOND
Attention may be attracted as we have already discussed by one's
choice of words and methods of presentation - more about words
later.
You must also arouse and retain the interest of the reader,
usually by means of the words you choose to convey your message.
The desires we seek to fulfil are usually those of wealth,
security, success, etc.
Various methods exist whereby we can encourage the reader to act
or respond. Our sales leaflets sent in response to enquiries, may

include a tear-off slip and address reply envelope - anything to
make the task of replying just that little easier on the intended
customer! Make it too long or arduous a task and you might lose
him!
What Message Should my Advertisements Convey?
Basically, as far as classified advertisements are concerned, one
should say as much as possible in as few words as are possible.
For financial reasons you are limited in the number of words at
your disposal; every word must count; every word must work. Your
words must be chosen with care and must arouse and retain the
interest of the reader, leading him or her to need that manual or
further information you offer.
If you offer a wide range of money-making guides, your
advertisement might read:
'I have lots of moneymaking guides for sale'.
Actually you've just said in so many words exactly what is claimed
by fellow publishers who regularly earn hundreds of pounds for
their efforts. BUT I bet you don't earn the cost of your
advertisement this week! Why? Well, just look at it, what have
you said? What promises have you made? You've made a very basic
statement, and one which will become totally lost in the midst of
those advertisements over which the originators have taken a
little more time and trouble. So what's wrong with it?
For a start there's nothing there to arouse anyone's interest, is
there? The words are entirely devoid of impact or emotion; it
amounts to nothing more than a plain, bald and boring statement.
So what could you say instead? How about:
'000s each and every week, working for yourself'
Not perfect, but much, much better! We'd all like to earn
hundreds of pounds every week, and most of us would like to earn
it working for ourselves. Good, there must be at least a few
readers' curiosity rates hurtling into overdrive.
Research has shown that to be effective, an advertisement should
take on the form of a 'headline' much like those in the daily
tabloids. Shock, surprise, - play to your readers' fears,
emotions, motivations and desires - and do it within your first
six words. These six words it seems, will make or break your
chance of response, so choose your words with the utmost care.
The most emotive and attention-grabbing words include:
FREE MONEY EASY SECRET DON'T STOP
So how about:
STOP WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE! Let me show you how. Hundreds of
opportunities for self employment.....'
Yes, it's getting there, and notice how we have made the first
words stand out by having them printed in capital letters. This
will sometimes be an option, but in some publications those first
words would instead be printed in bold lettering as is the case in
'Exchange and Mart'. Let's try impact lines now:
____________________
STOP WORKING FOR
SOMEONE ELSE!
Let me show you how.
____________________
Yes, much better!
Study well the advertisements placed by your competitors,
especially those with a few years' experience behind them. Study
too any books, reports or articles on effective advertising
techniques. Most importantly of all, study your own
advertisements; analyse the effect of a subtle change to wording,
a different layout, different publications and so on. Never be
afraid to change an advert that in the past has served you well the mail order market never stands still!
How Do I Know If My Advertisements are Working?
Sometimes an advertisement in one publication will work amazingly
well; in another publication it won't even bring one enquiry.
If the same advertisement in several publications yields a poor
response, it is most likely the advertisement that is wrong, as
opposed to the choice of medium. Re-check your advertisement;
could you use bolder, more striking or emotive words; might you
have benefited from the use of some technique by which to make
your advertisement stand out? What about impact lines? Bold
print perhaps? If the advertisement concerned is very much
different from those of your competitors, analyse those
differences; could yours be wrong; are your words confusing; too
complicated perhaps?
Conversely, if the same advertisement works in one publication but
not another, it is likely that the medium itself is at fault. Is
yours the only one of its type in that publication? Remember,
ironical though it may seem, it's far better to advertise exactly
where your competitors advertise - the must have good reason for
their allegiance to that particular publication.
Always test the response to your advertisements, particularly with

regard to the publications' effectiveness, since an advertisement
that is inherently wrong will reveal itself without any need for
research. You simply won't get any enquiries whatever your choice
of publication; unless of course all of your publications are
equally unsuitable and the advert is in fact quite satisfactory.
If you suspect the publication is at fault, run the advertisement
in 'Exchange and Mart', or one of the small independent magazines
and newspapers catering specifically for the mail order trade. If
it still draws no response, unless some hidden factor is at work,
change the advert!
To test response to advertisements in particular publications, you
must of course have some means of knowing to which advertisement a
potential customer has responded. Without your contact specifying
to which advertisement he or she is responding you have very
little to go on. The answer then, is to key your advertisements,
giving each a symbol to indicate the wording used and the magazine
or publication in which the advertisement was placed. If
advertising in something called 'Opportunities Unlimited' you
might use the initials of the publication's name incorporated into
your own name and address, thus:
Avril Harper (O.U.) O.U. = Opportunities Unlimited
You might instead, particularly if your advertisements are few,
make subtle changes to your name or address, by which to analyse
the response to your advertisement. But exactly what are we
analysing? Is it the number of replies received, even though none
produces a sale, or is it instead the number of replies which do
in fact result in sales? If you are requesting cash with order
then it is the latter, i.e. sales per advertisement which you much
analyse. The cost of the advertisement must also enter into your
calculations, since vastly increased sales might result in an
overall loss where unit advertising costs are too high. For my
purposes I find the following calculation perfectly adequate in
deciding whether allegiance to any particular publication is
cost-effective:
COST OF ADVERTISEMENT
____________________
NUMBER OF SALES
With such a formula you have of course to decide what level of
advertising expenditure you are prepared to accept in respect of
each sale you make.
Sometimes you will invite readers to apply for further details of
what you offer. You will most likely then send a selection of
advertising leaflets or perhaps a list or booklet of what you have
available. What are we analysing now - the response to our
advertisement, or the number of sales your literature brings
about? Remember, even if you make no actual sales on one

occasion, you have a list of names to which you may send details
of future titles. You may also have the option to sell or rent
those names to fellow publishers; so even without sales on this
occasion, there is hope for profit in the future. Sale and rental
of lists of opportunity seekers, publishers, those sharing a
particular interest, is big business in the mail order world.
Never overlook the possibility of selling your list to other
dealers, unless of course you prefer to offer exclusively to them
in the future. Names lists though, can provide a useful sideline,
inviting many repeat orders from satisfied mail order colleagues,
if that is, you keep your list 'fresh', i.e. you remove those
names that the postal services indicate as 'gone away'; and those
which have been around for long periods without showing any
interest in anything you have offered.
If you receive several replies to your advertisement, but a low

sales level ensues, it may well be that your sales literature is
at fault. Again, much depends on what level of response and sales
you personally view as unacceptably low. Generally speaking, if
selling from sales leaflets sent out in response to customer
enquiries, you will receive something in the region of two
enquiries for every 1 your advertisement has cost; from these
enquiries you should average a 10 - 40% sales ratio. The nearer
you are to 40%, the better is your sales literature; too near 10%
or even lower, and something is wrong - check it out!
Your formula is:
Sales
_____
x 100
Number of enquiries
Of course the foregoing is highly generalised; you might be quite
prepared to accept a much lower profit margin than do your
colleagues in mail order. If this is the case then fine, simply
work out what are the margins of profitability below which you
will not go, then continue to monitor your response and sales
ratios, continuing with those advertisements that meet your
requirements, and dropping or modifying those that don't.
It must be pointed out that people being what they are individual and highly changeable, it is possible that some other
factors are at play, causing your sales to drop suddenly or
drastically. Don't immediately assume that your advertising
policy needs reviewing; even the time of year has a bearing on the
tentative enquiries and actual sales you can expect to obtain.
And the individual can be very changeable indeed - what he or she

desperately wanted in January is not given even a passing thought
in June. Holidays, Christmas, personal matters - all have a
bearing on how much response your advertisement will achieve. For
moneymaking and business manuals for instance; it seems the best
time of the year to advertise is during those months immediately
before and after Christmas, but excluding December itself potential customers are far too busy making arrangements for
spending money to be bothered with ideas for making it! After
Christmas they're in need of ideas to bolster their flagging
finances. In the summer months response tends to drop along with
the readership sunning itself on the Costa del whatever. Do don't
worry if the advertisement that drew 200 enquiries in October
suddenly draws only 120 in May. Your response rate shouldn't fall
below 50% of your best though, for more than a month or two at a
time without you considering the need for a little amendment.
Rates may of course drop suddenly and drastically in respect of
those publications also in the hands of too many of your
competitors. The demand for such a manual will be as strong as
for the same manual in which you have exclusive copyright; all
that is different is the method of supply - it's quite simply
shared, perhaps by a great many publishers. Try for sole
copyright if you wish to avoid such saturation of the market.
How Do I Write a Good Sales Leaflet?
When requested to send further information about a particular
title, always take the opportunity to send details of as many
other titles as you are able. Some publishers have a separate
sales leaflet for each title, often copied onto both sides of each
sheet. If you choose to save costs by having your sheets copied
on both sides of the paper it may be as well to have them printed,
top and tail fashion, thereby allowing the customer, if he or she
wishes, to complete the tear-off strips for both titles.
Whether you ask for a stamped addressed envelope in which to send
your leaflets is entirely up to you; research seems to indicate
that no fewer replies are received when one is requested, and it
will go some way to offsetting your costs.
Sales leaflets generally take the form of printed A4 leaflets on
which are set out the details of the title concerned, its price,
and a tear off slip on which the customer enters the name and
address to which correspondence will be sent. Sometimes the
details are merely typed onto the leaflet; sometimes the leaflet
is typeset; some bear illustrations, some don't. Again it's a
question of deciding what works best for you. Always try as many
variations as you are able before deciding which form of sales
leaflet to adopt. Certainly first impressions will be highly
important - a tatty, badly typed leaflet full of ambiguities and
errors, will lead the reader to suspect that your manual is
similarly defective. Typesetting can alleviate most problems of
presentation and really isn't an expensive option to consider.

Some sales leaflets are completely self-explanatory; everything
the potential customer wants to know about the document is set out
for him. But it is by no means unusual to find a leaflet in which
there is no indication at all of what the document will reveal.
On many occasions the reader is made grand promises, and his or
her curiosity aroused to such an extent, that purchase is the only
way to obtain answers to those questions which simply must be
answered. Even the title of the publication gives no indication
of what will be forthcoming.
Again it's entirely up to you as to how you approach the matter.
My preference is not to confuse the customer into buying a
document which he or she subsequently discovers no need for - will
that person buy from such a source in future, I wonder? I ask you
this not sarcastically, for some publishers are quite happy with a
once off sale and that is entirely for them to decide. I though
am not happy with such a situation, and once a customer is
satisfied with a title purchased from me, I feel happy to approach
that person again with similar titles in reasonable confidence of
a sale.
Always have any photocopied sales leaflets produced onto as good a
quality paper as you can afford; preferably no less than 80gms in
weight. The quality of photocopying machines varies drastically
too; some offer grey grainy reproductions, whilst others offer a
standard so high it's often impossible to identify the original
from the copy. Some machines offer colour printing facilities worth considering for a professional, eye-catching leaflet.
Some publishers have their leaflets printed on coloured paper

ranging from pastel shades to vivid penetrating shades to attract
the attention. Personally I favour white or subtle pastel shades,
with words to do the task of securing a sale.
Send out your leaflets and goods as carefully and neatly packaged
as possible, and if your finances will stretch to first class
mail, there's every chance you will get in there before your
rivals.
Strive to provide as professional a service as you can and make
all impressions of you as favourable as the first. In so doing
you will succeed in building a large and regular clientele.
Always offer a money back guarantee and don't quibble, as long of
course as your customer returns the goods in the same condition as
they reached him!
USEFUL PLACES IN WHICH TO ADVERTISE
NATIONAL ADVERTISING PUBLICATIONS

Argus Newspapers Publications, 2 Old Crown, Windsor Road, Slough,
SL1 2DJ
Buy Sell, 64 High Street, Tarvin, Chester, CH3 8JJ
Camberley Mercury, Review House, 9 Poole Road, Woking, Surrey,
GU21 1DY
Daltons Weekly, CI Tower, St George's Square, New Malden, Surrey,
KT3 4JA
Exchange and Mart, Link House, 25 West Street, Poole, BH15 1LL
London Weekly Advertiser, 137 George Lane, South Woodford, Essex,
E18 1AL
London Newspaper Group, 123 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11
Loot, 24-32 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 5UJ
North East Supermart, Auto Trader House, High Street, Gateshead,
NE8 2AP
Northwest Bargain Mart, 164 Deansgate, Manchester, M60 2RD
The Trader, 1-3 Wine Office Court, Fleet Street, London, EC4A
LOCAL FREE NEWSPAPER GROUPS
Advertiser Series, Borough Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS1 3AZ
Citizen Group, 20 Secklow Gate West, Milton Keynes, MK9 3LJ
Guardian Group, Guardian House, Sandiford Road, Sutton, SM3 9RN
Herald Group, Herald House, 58 Church Street, Luton, Beds, LU1 3JQ
NATIONAL DAILY NEWSPAPERS
Daily Express, Express Newspapers, Fleet Street, London, EC4P 4JT
Daily Mail, New Carmelite House, London EC4Y OJA
Daily Mirror, Holborn Circus, London, EC1P 1DQ
Daily Telegraph, Peterborough Court, South Quay, 181 Marsh Wall,
London E14 9SR
The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3ER
The Independent, 40 City Road, London, EC1Y 2DB
The Star, 121 Fleet Street, London, EC4P 4JT
The Sun, P O Box 489, Virginia Street, London E1 9XJ
The Times, P O Box 496, Virginia Street, London, E1 9XJ
Today, P O Box 489, Virginia Street, London, E1 9XJ
NATIONAL SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS
The Mail on Sunday, Northcliffe House, London, EC4Y OJA
News of the World, P O Box 489, Virginia Street, London, E1 9XJ
The Observer, Chelsea Bridge House, Queenstown Road, London, SW8
4NN
The People, Holborn Circus, London, EC1P 1DQ
Sunday Express, Fleet Street, Lonson, EC4P 9JT
Sunday Mirror, Holborn Circus, London, EC1P 1DQ
Sunday Telegraph, Peterborough Court, South Quay, 181 Marsh Wall,
London, E14 9SR

Sunday Times, P O Box 496, Virginia Street, London, E1 9XJ
Sunday Mercury, 28 Colmore Circus, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6AX
Sunday Sun, Thomson House, Groat Market, Newcastle on Tyne, NE1
1ED
Sunday Independent, Burrington Way, Honicknowle, Plymouth, PL5 3LN
Sunday Mail, Anderston Quay, Glasgow, G3 8DA
Sunday Post, Albert Square, Dundee, DD1 9QJ
Sunday News, 51-59 Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2GB
MAIL ORDER MAGAZINES AND ADSHEETS GEARED TO MAIL ORDER SPECIALISTS
AND OPPORTUNITY SEEKERS
All The Way To The Bank, 30 The Cloisters, 145 Commercial Street,
London, E1 6BJ
Business Ventura, Manor House Publications, 7 South King Street,
Blackpool, Lancs, FY1 4LS
Exchange Mailers and Remailers Club, 96 Manor Road, Enfield,
Middlesex, EN2 OAW
Have You Heard, 17 Milverton Road, Erdington, Birmingham, West
Midlands, B23 6ER
Homeworker, G.T.B.O., P O Box 88, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 1UB
Homeworkers' Job Line (HJL), 28b Park Hall Road, London, N2 9PU
Homeworkers' Post, The Old Chapel, Scorrier Street, St Day,
Redruth, Cornwall, TR16 5LH
Karael International, Karael House, 76 Gover Road, St Austell,
PL25 5NG
It's In The Post, 1 Middlefield Road, Rotherham, S60 3JH
Ken's Advertiser, 'Ty-Gwyn', Bryngwyn, Newcastle Emlyn, Dyfed,
SA38 9QA
The Money Mail, 77 Bishops Walk, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2HB
Money Pages, 131 Hurst Street, Oxford, OX4 1HE
The New Libran, 3 Hall Terrace, Willington, Crook, Co. Durham,
DL15 OQN
The Newcop Opportunities Magazine, 16 Nevendon Drive, Newall
Green, Wythenshawe, Manchester, M23 8RR
The Opportunist, 24 Tranmere Crescent, Heysham, Morecambe, Lancs,
LA3 2BD
Notable Notions, P O Box 40, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX1 1JY
Opportunity Knocks (OK), Ladybrae, Ladysbridge, Banff, AB45 2JR
Phil's Phlyer, Ladybrae, Ladysbridge, Banff, AB45 2JR
Stamped and Addressed, 33 Kennistown House, Leighton Road, London,
NW5 2UT
TOPS, 1 Tabernacle Street, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2JQ
Your Choice, 5 Lydgate House, Greenway Drive, Allerton, West
Riding, BD15 7YL

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Where do I get my Stock?

Copyright: Avril Harper 1992

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leisure interest, to self-improvement, and perhaps to the most

the process of writing your own material a little later on.

important phase in the production of your manuscript; anything you

reading, and amazingly easy to produce to an exceptionally

The Importance of Title

file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]

Your newly-acquired manuscripts will most likely arrive

for the inbuilt programmes of most machines have spell-checking

file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]

There is no substitute for that list of customers you build for

Where Should I Advertise?

For those keen to expand their businesses in as many directions as

or respond. Our sales leaflets sent in response to enquiries, may

file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]

Always test the response to your advertisements, particularly with

about? Remember, even if you make no actual sales on one

If you receive several replies to your advertisement, but a low

file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]

And the individual can be very changeable indeed - what he or she

presentation and really isn't an expensive option to consider.

Some publishers have their leaflets printed on coloured paper

USEFUL PLACES IN WHICH TO ADVERTISE

file:///L|/...ete%20Programs/Money/Business/A%20collection%20of%20155%20Business%20eBooks/Business%20e-books/FORPU.TXT[10/5/2016 1:36:58 PM]

NATIONAL ADVERTISING PUBLICATIONS

London, E14 9SR

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