How to make professional-looking booklets right at home for fun and profit
Making booklets at home can be fun and also profitable .I started making booklets to help the Sunday school kids take home something fun to do and read during the week .Otherwise usually they forget what the were taught and we have to start all over again the next Sunday.
It took me three or four tries to finally get it right but it was worth the effort.I turned all my favorite e-books into booklets and also became a self-published author by making a booklet out of the manual I had written :) .
What you need -
A small table
A printer
Desktop computer with word processing software
Card stock paper for the cover
A4 paper(a whole bundle) for the inside pages
A long armed stapler
Paper cutter
Internet connection
First go online and download fineprint software (www.fineprint.com). You can use the options in the print options of Microsoft word too but I like fineprint better.The free version lets you print out booklets but puts 'printed using fineprint' at the bottom. It is fine with me but if you want you can even get the paid version.
Edit the pages and format it.Give it an Index,preface etc,everything a regular book would have.Now using the booklet printing option of fineprint print out the pages on both side ensuring that the page number come out correctly(this step you might want to try out with printing just a few pages first till you get it right.Also remember to number you pages.
Now open another blank document and on the first page,use fancy fonts and colors to make it look like a cove page.on the next page create the back cover -you can maybe name your publishing company and write under published by 'Mayflower Publishing'--or whatever name you like.Why not?It make the booklet look better.
Now print this out on card stock paper and place it underneath all the previously printed paper arranged in order.Now use the long armed stapler and staple the middle three time so that it can be folded in half sideways, into a booklet.You will have to put some heavy books or sit on the booklet for sometime to get the booklet to stay folded.Use the paper cutter to trim the jutting edges.
Thats it! You booklet is ready.Try making a booklet for your child using the poem or story she has written and put her name as the author on the cover.Give her the booklet and watch her face light up.
This is just one of the ways to self-publish at home for more helpful information go to www.firsttimepublishing.com.
You can use these tips to start your own profitable publishing business right from home. Join the club of first-time publishers at www.firsttimepublishing.com.
“Message in an Article”
If you are stuck in the past, you are not moving forward.
If you want to be financially secure, then why are you still working the 9-5 job that only pays you enough so you can't afford to quit? If, you keep doing the same things you did in the past ?A slave to the time clock?, you're stuck in the past. Because you want to become financially secure! Ask yourself this question and then answer it with the truth. From the first job you had till now, Have you become financially secure? If you answered ?NO?, then you are stuck in the past. You are not moving forward to becoming financially secure.
These days and times, there is no such thing as job security. If you keep punching the old time clock you will always have what you have now. NO FREEDOM, IN DEBT, LIVING JUST ABOVE THE POVERTY LEVEL. STRUGGLING FROM PAY CHECK TO PAY CHECK. That is your future if you don't change your way of thinking and your actions.
What are you going to tell your children and grandchildren? Work hard for your money! Not me! I would rather tell my children and grandchildren that they would have a better chance at retiring financially secure by playing the lottery.
I would feel like I'm lying to them if I told them to work hard for their money, only to retire broke. Hey, if you haven't achieved it yet, do you really think they will. Things will be a little tougher when they grow up. I think you already know this without being told.
The only way you or your children and grandchildren will ever become financially secure is to work for your self. There is no glory in becoming a slave to the time clock. It's only a waste of precious time that you will never get back. Time frozen in the past.
OK HERE IS THE SOLUTION!
If you truly want to become financially secure, then start moving toward success. Stop putting off your future or you will arrive broke. I guarantee!!!
Take chances! Invest in your future! From my experience, I think the Internet holds the key to our future. WHY? You know that if you are going to become financially secure, you have to be selling something, RIGHT?
Ok, lets say you want to open your own gift ship. OK you apply for a loan, say %50,000. You purchase a building for $30,000. Now you have to buy insurance, say $200 a month, that comes to $24,000 a year. Now you have to buy merchandise to sell. Say $5,000 worth. Now you are open and ready for business.
Now, I'm going to give you another break. Say you have 1,000 people walk by your store. OK 600 drop in. 500 of them makes a purchase. Now that is your business for that day, and you go home after working from open to close, say 8 AM to 5 PM.
I don't know about you, but that still sounds like a slave to the time clock at the expense of $50,000 dollars.
NOW HERE IS MY IDEAL BUSINESS!
I TURN ON MY COMPUTER, GET ME A CUP OF COFFEE, SEARCH THE internet for Home Business opportunities. I come across a great sounding Home Based Business. Hey, and for only $100. I can get my own website put together for me. And I will have 5 streams of income all from this one website. And all it cost me is $100 a month.
And one of the amazing things I like about it is. I don't have to purchase any merchandise whatsoever. It's all Here with the one website that I now own. Now my only one task that I have to do and do it aggressively is ADVERTISE the heck out of my website. Now don't get me wrong, you will not become rich overnight. But with a lot of patience and steady advertising, I will become successful in time. But I can't tell you enough. You have to be an aggressive advertiser. Get serious about your future, no one else will.
Take care of you and the rest will take care of itself. Stop looking back at your 9-5 job, only work it long enough till your income from your Home Based Business out produces your income from your 9-5 job. Then and then, tell your boss.
You have to start slowly and let go of your past. You can't straddle the fence. Put as much effort into your new Internet Business as you did your 9-5 job. And in time, it will pay off. Never slack off and stop advertising your website. To make your Home Based Business pay off, you have to advertise it continuously.
Remember, you are in control of your future. If your business fails or if it is successful, you are to blame and no one else. And I will tell you the truth ?the only way that your business will fail is if you quit?. PERIOD. It's all up to you. How bad do you want to be financially secure? Don't be a quitter, be a doer. A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.
FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!!!
Just make your dream happen. Stay focused.
Copyright ? 2006 & Beyond - All Rights Reserved. This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.
About the Author:
John Arrington has been in the marketing business since 1995. John is dedicated to helping others to become successful with their business.
You may visit his website at:
http://tinyurl.com/ph8nk
Become a Mompreneur: 10 Money Making Ideas for Moms at Home
Many moms struggle to find a way to earn some extra income and still have flexible time to devote to family. Whether you're interested in part-time work or want to start a full-time business at home, here are ten business ideas that can fit into the busiest of schedules.
1. Virtual Assistant ? Virtual Assistants provide administrative services to small businesses that don't have in-house staff to handle these duties. A variety of tasks can be offered at an hourly rate or on a per-job basis ranging from contact database management and writing and sending business letters, to designing brochures and newsletters and coordinating mass-mailings. Realtors and small business owners make good target clients for these kinds of services.
2. Freelance Writer ? Freelancers write articles for newspapers and magazines. Most articles require research, must be well-written, and suited to the style of the publication. Pay can vary widely from $.10 - $2.00 per word. Businesses also contract freelance writers to create reports, press releases, advertising copy, and other special projects.
3. Computer Tutor ? Computer tutors teach students how to navigate the internet, access email, set up a new computer, and use programs like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Quickbooks. These services can be delivered one-on-one or in classes held at local adult learning campuses, retirement centers, and churches. Tutors can charge by the hour or a fee for class registration.
4. Pet Sitter ? Pet sitters provide in-home pet care while pet owners are on vacation. Typical service offerings include feeding and playing with the animals, yard or litter box cleanup, and dog walking. Pet sitters usually charge a per-visit fee.
5. Infopreneur - Infopreneurs sell information in the form of books, e-books, special reports, teleconferences, seminars, workbooks, and video programs. You can take advantage of your expertise in business, hobbies, or virtually any subject matter by hosting a website to sell your information products.
6. Ebay Trading Assistant ? Trading assistants provide a service to members of their community by acting as sales brokers on eBay. These brokers contract with clients to list items for sale, collect fees from buyers, ship the items and then keep a percentage of the profits?usually between 30-50%. This is an excellent service to offer people who are not computer savvy yet have items they would like to sell online. EBay offers a complimentary directory where trading assistants can promote their services.
7. Knitted Creations ? Knitting is a hot trend with plenty of opportunities for generating income. If you create hand-crafted scarves, blankets, sweaters or hats, you can sell them on eBay, consign them with local boutiques or set up a booth at a local crafts fair. You could also teach knitting classes in your home, through local adult learning centers, or at craft stores.
8. Kid Taxi ? If you're already taking your own kids to and from school, why not get paid to taxi other people's kids? Many parents would be happy to spend some cash to make sure their kids get to and from school safely.
9. Resume Designer ? Resume designers help job seekers by crafting professional resumes and cover letters. Resumes can be created using special software or with templates and a basic word processing program. This service is in demand with college students and all kinds of job seekers. Fees range from $50 - $250 depending on the level of work involved.
10. Custom Recipe Books ? Every family has sacred and favorite recipes that deserve to be preserved for future generations. Creating a custom recipe book involves compiling recipes in a keepsake book using a word processing program and your creative skills. These books make great gifts and could potentially be ordered by everyone in the family tree. Books can be printed at a local copy shop or through an online publishing service such as www.lulu.com.
If you decide to start your own business, contact your county business license department and apply for the necessary permits. Fees range from $50 to $200 and the application process is relatively simple. There can be many tax advantages with a home-based business so be sure to save receipts, track any business-related mileage, and develop a solid system for accounting. Soon you could find yourself enjoying the financial and emotional rewards of business ownership?all on your own terms.
