OK – this post has nothing to do with writing, publishing, eBooks, podcasting, social media, or marketing. But, this easy cake recipe is seriously good.

Years ago, my mother used to bake this cake every Easter. She would bake it in a pan shaped like a lamb, smother it in butter icing, and then pat coconut onto it to look like the lamb’s fur. My sister and I loved to pick off the jelly beans that she used for eyes, and my dad would eat the licorice nose. My mother recently gave me the pan, and now I use the pan to make “Kitty Cakes” for my own little girl.

This recipe exactly fills the lamb pan, which was designed to take a standard Betty Crocker cake mix. So, that must mean that this recipe will fit any of those specialty character or shaped pans put out by Wilton Cake products.

Jean’s Special Whipping Cream Cake

(Originally taken From Sphere Magazine March 1975)

1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

- beat cream in chilled bowl until stiff
- in separate bowl, beat eggs and vanilla till light and fluffy
- fold egg mixture into cream
- fold in all remaining ingreds in turn
- pour into a greased bundt pan

Bake at 350~ for 50-60 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to finish cooling.

To decorate a bundt-style cake, simply sprinkle w/ powdered sugar.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so good, you don’t need to ice it. I figure if I put the effort into a special homemade cake, I don’t have to bother with elaborate decorations. I have made this cake a lemon flavour by adding a tiny amount of artificial lemon flavour and yellow colour. It also tints nicely, because the cake is a nice clear white – not a yellow colour – so it can easily be made an attractive petal pink with just a dot of red food colour.

Have fun blowing out the candles!

• Woo-Hoo! The pressure is off, and I’m staying in BC for the rest of the summer. Not moving until this autumn: 2 much work 2 do on my house! #

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There are many reasons why getting someone else to ship your books, CD’s or other products makes good business sense.

What is “fulfillment”?

Fulfillment is the act of shipping, or fulfilling orders from Readers who purchase your book or product off your website or through your company. Fulfillment providers will sometimes even manage your entire inventory for you, keeping monthly counts, packing, documenting, and of course shipping orders, sending out larger shipments to retail stores, and then billing you at the end of the month for that service.

There may be some confusion between the terms fulfillment providers, and those who call themselves “drop shippers”, which does not really apply to self-publishing Authors. A drop shipper owns the product until you tell them to send it to your customer. Drop shippers will then typically send you a check at the end of the month for the difference between your cost on the product, and what it was sold for to the consumer. In the case of a fulfillment provider, YOU own the product, be it a book, CD, or whatever. Somebody else is just warehousing it for you, and sending it out when  you send them a packing slip. At the end of the month, you pay them a fee based on volume.

Perhaps you’re casually saying to yourself right now, “But I have plenty of time – I can easily ship my own orders for now.” That may be true – for the short term. But be honest with yourself: how many hours a day are you spending managing logistics instead of creating new products? Do you even enjoy shipping? Does it take time away from your family? Does the money you save equal what you could have earned in the time it took you to do all of that work? (Experience tells me that no, it didn’t.)

Even if time and enjoyment were not issues, perhaps ask yourself if you should be shipping your own products, when your time is better spent running your business. After all, what is your “real job”? Instead, what would happen to your business if you spent that time setting up affiliate relationships to sell your products for you?

(By the way, if you’re looking for the plug in this post, here it is: I have used Michael Bickler of EG Liquidation in Washington State for a number of years. He’s amazing! He ships anywhere in the world for me at an unreal price, and he actually *cares* about his customers. You can email him through info_at_egliquidation.com and tell him I sent you.)

What does it cost?

Fulfillment providers will typically charge a fee based on orders that leave their warehouse, plus a pallet fee for storing your product for each monthly cycle.

Here’s a cost worksheet based on a provider that shipped 100 books for you last month:

Basic pallet storage fee:                                         $____.____

Packing cost per book:                                           $__.____*
Label/envelope cost** per book shipped:     $__.____
Actual freight or postage per book:                  $__.____***

Cost per book:                                                            $__.____ (caution – heavily estimated)
Times 100 books:                                                      $______.____
Plus pallet charge:                                                     $____.____
Total monthly charge:                                             $______.____

Charge per book to ship (revenue):                   $__.____
Times 100 books:                                                      $______.____

Remaining profit:                                                       $____.____

The idea would be to leave a small additional overhead to cover things like returns, delivery problems, etc. A provider should agree with you in advance on a specific cost for things like accepting returns, replacement shipments, and forwarding shipments to you at your own address. While this worksheet assumes that the last line would be two digits, this really shouldn’t be thought of a profit center – it’s more like a slush fund for “just in case” situations.

* This cost can vary widely, and fluctuate from time to time. This can be much lower or much greater depending on volume, item type, packaging, etc.

**Often the post office or courier will provide envelopes or even cardboard boxes at no charge to ensure consistency for their agents.

** Bear in mind that postage rates vary widely based on things like weight, dimensions, book thickness and so on.

The next time you’re thinking about where to store your books, CD’s or other products, why not think instead about what you could create in that extra couple of hours per day.

Indexing a book is often ignored because it seems like an “extra step”. But it could be a fast and easy way to add incredible value for book buyers.

Think about the last time you were in a bookstore, either browsing aimlessly, or looking for something specific. How many books did you pick up to give a second glance? Did you flip to the back cover? The flaps? Did you check the index to see what topics the book covered? I’d bet you did, just like I do each and every time.

A well-created index makes the book “a keeper”. Users only want to buy and keep books that do something for them, such as give them fast answers. Think about the books you consider your “regulars”, the ones you keep close at hand. An index allows the reader to maximize their investment in your book by increasing the book’s usability factor. Libraries, reviewers and distributors will all demerit you if no index is present in a book that should clearly have one.

For all the things you do as part of your publishing project, an index has a very low cost in terms of additional overhead. There is typically no additional print cost, or if so, it is virtually nil. Flagging items for indexing as you write takes no calculable time. Planning items for indexing can actually help you during your outlining process, before you write a word, making your book more organized.

In regards to the technicalities of typesetting, there is (like many things in publishing) no “right” or “wrong” way to do it, and it is up to the typesetter to create their own formatting, unless a template is being used that they can rely on. Unlike the rest of your book, here is not the place to get creative. Follow current conventions, and perhaps use a handful of other books you like as a format reference. Give the Searcher what they are already used to.

I always prefer two columns per page, in a simple serif-style typeface, regardless of the formatting elsewhere in your book. Readers have been trained to look for those trademark double columns as they thumb through in a hurry, such as when they are making a decision whether or not to purchase. A serif typeface increases readability, especially at high speed and in smaller font sizes. Your book should have one serif typeface anyway, so re-using it here will ensure continuity. Use italics to bring attention to alternate forms of the word, even if you are duplicating a reference. Readers of a topic rarely think the way the writer does – ask your sample readers for feedback about other terms they feel should be indexed, or alternate ways of saying the same thing, perhaps in “layman’s terms”.

These days, automated indexing tools such as those in Adobe InDesign or even Open Office are remarkably easy to use and accurate. They allow you to ensure accurate referencing to page numbers, even if whole sections of your book are dramatically altered. Searches will guarantee that all flagged words are referenced to the same root word, or to related words and references if you prefer. Even so, be sure to proof all entries, or if that’s not practical, check a broad sampling, to ensure that page references are all accurate before going to press.

As a teaching tool, an index is invaluable. If you plan to use your book as a guide or text, or as a pre-requisite for any sort of coursework or other material, an index is simply a must. Doing some competitive research on other books in your category can also help you to highlight terms that should be flagged for your own index, or bring to light terms that have been ignored elsewhere and deserve greater attention.

• San Fran Jul 8 Self-Publishing Confrnce InStock moved to new hotel- now at the Hotel Monaco rather than the University Club. Better parking. #
• “Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” Mae West – Actress, Author, Screenwriter, Playwright, Director, Producer… Inspiror. #
• The economy made me do it: check out http://wizardofebooks.com for info about my eBook editorial, ghostwriting, affiliate, and design svcs. #
• Thanks to @reneeshupe for hosting this AM’s MasterMind Call with @coachclaire, @sherikhoff, @kimplumley, @angelacrocker and @peggyrichardson #
• Do you have a fave #hotdog vendor in your city? What makes him/her special? #

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In non-fiction writing, Authors can often consider themselves to be Teachers. Here are some tips to help the Reader learn more from your material.

The essentials of instructional design tell us that it’s not enough to simply impart information to the Learner. The Learner must digest that information and put it to good use before the Teacher is successful. Learners must take ownership of of the material by using it in their own unique ways.

Here are my top 3 tips to enhance your Reader’s / Learner’s experience:

1) Focus on the improvement factor.
What is the intended outcome of the act of reading your material? There’s a huge difference between telling readers how to do something, and giving them an opportunity to make comparisons of new techniques to what they are doing now. Learning is active, not passive. If a reader participates in the material through an exercise, answering a series of questions, or even simply reading a well-designed “if / then” chart, they can compare their current skills or status with a new set of desired skills or status.

2) Create a sense of community.
Readers want to know that they are not alone. Community does not necessarily mean arranging real-world meetings of groups of Readers, but if that’s appropriate, why not? Online discussion groups are also now extremely easy to set up. If the content is not an easy thing to put into public discussion, you can use characterizations and examples to personify parts of the learning process, such as creating a character that is always referenced in your examples or stories. (Example: “If Sally uses probing questions with her prospect, she can learn more about the buyer’s needs…”) Real-life endorsements and stories from users perform this function before the book is even in the Reader’s hands.

3) Testing solidifies and confirms the Learner’s experience.
Think back to elementary school: did you ever really know how well you were doing until that math test came back with your mark on it? Feedback is important all the way through the learning experience, and testing is the easiest and fastest way to make that happen. A test doesn’t even have to look like a test, as summaries at the end of a chapter or section will help the user perform self-testing. Even clever section titles can help the reader ask themselves questions and lead them down a logical path that you plan for them.

Treating the Reader like an intelligent Learner is the best way to ensure that your content is thought of as useful and professional. Readers always want information they can put to use imediately.

I find this blog post from the Society of Authors in France interesting because it’s what many of us perceive as the main points of debate on self-publishing.

Here’s what I agree with in this post:

- Every Author needs help. It’s real work – you can’t do it all yourself.
- Every Author is afraid of selling. We all get over it, and the faster you do, the more you’ll sell.
- Hire an Editor. I don’t care if it’s me or not, but almost nobody can edit their own work. (I should know – I’ve tried for years and it always sucks when I edit my own stuff.)
- It’s true that more people are reading eBooks, and for some, that’s definitely the way to go. (BUT: see note below.)
- Write because you have something new, groundbreaking or truly useful to say, not because you think you can make money writing about a particular topic. It is twisted but true that writing just to make money will make you poor.
- Finding alternative or unusual markets for your self-published material can be your greatest success. In fact, any truly great self-publishing success that I’ve personally experienced or witnessed has happened in this way. Don’t think bookstores – they are rarely profitable.
- A new breed of professional is definitely developing (ahem – such as Yours Truly) who is all about helping self-published Authors get their stuff out there.
- All self-published Authors need to get serious about selling from a quality website which includes an affiliate marketing plan.

Here’s what I don’t agree with:

- You don’t lose out on anything such as editing, graphic design, or quality printing if you self-publish. Anything is available to anybody these days.
- eBooks are not a direct alternative to printed book publishing. They are a different market altogether, and anyone considering the eBook route should perform market research to see if an eBook is appropriate for their market and materials. (See a future post for details.)
- You do not lose out on marketing, publicity, distribution, or reviews in the press if you self-publish. (Who ever said a traditional publisher got you all that stuff, anyway? All Authors end up doing tons of work in this area whether self-published or not. You may need help, but it’s no harder than for a traditionally-published Author.)
- Being self-published does not mean that you are not going to be of interest to agents. It means that you are going to have to approach them differently, but they will probably be just as interested if not more, because they know they’re working with an Author who is committed and hungry.
- Shipping your own books is rarely practical. There are plenty of fulfillment providers that will do this for you, and I can recommend a great guy who ships for me worldwide if you need one.
- Self-publishing does not rule out any opportunities to sell foreign rights. I don’t know where anybody got that idea, actually.
- I don’t know why an Author would want to sell their eBook to a publisher. The bulk of the cost of self-publishing is in the printing, so once that is out of the picture, why wouldn’t you self-publish?
- Here I go again, but print-on-demand is not usually the way for most Authors to publish their books. (For my reasons, just read some of my old posts.)

Every Author wants to produce the best book that they can. For some of us, self-publishing seems difficult to navigate, and we’re worried about being forced to accept sub-standard results. We worry about things like learning to sell and how we can afford to launch a national marketing campaign. The reality is that if we are treating our books as a business, we won’t have any trouble selling it. This means doing proper market research, writing very well (ie. saying something really valuable), and performing due diligence on things like quality graphic design and product creation.

In conversations with plenty of authors, self-published or otherwise, I have heard many of the same concerns over and over again. But with help, anything is possible. Always remember that another Author has been there before you, and if they did it, so can you.

• Man, do I ever need to get out and see the new #StarTrek – haven’t heard a single bad review yet. #
• Oooh – conference for #self-publishing authors: http://www.instockconference.com/ July 18 in Frisco. Anybody else going? #
• Can’t wait for my #mothersday breakfast in bed tomorrow AM: Fruit Loops, scrambled eggs, green juice and a cuddle with my girl! #

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July 18 in San Francisco is going to be an interesting opportunity to examine the self-publishing industry. Click to http://www.instockconference.com for details about speakers and venues.

Information from the site:

Join us this July for INSTOCK, a conference for book self publishers. Panels will address:

- Marketing your book
- Selecting a POD or printing house
- Understanding rankings
- Finding your audience
- Publicity tactics
- Pricing your product
… and more.

To see the current schedule and speakers, click here.

Panelists will include successful self publishers, marketing pros, executives from the traditional publishing industry and others who will get you thinking strategically about your books.

Register by June 30th to get the early bird rate of $195! Tickets can be purchased via Ticketweb.

Publishing is fast-changing, and self publishing authors are inciting a re-examination of the industry. Meet other authors, learn how to improve your game, and be part of the movement at InStock.
…..
Sounds like I might see you there!