Month: November 2015

I host writer interviews
on one of my blogs.
Today, I posted an interview
with a paranormal writer
who recently published
a SciFi story.

She talked about how
she doesn’t read SciFi
and doesn’t enjoy
SciFi movies or TV shows.
She wrote this story
as a SciFi
because she couldn’t make it work
as a paranormal.

She wonders
why she hasn’t sold many copies.

To have the support
of a community,
you have to be part
of the community.

Make an effort
to get to know
and understand
your prospective customers.

When AMC launched
Fear The Walking Dead,
the spin off from
their hit TV show,
The Walking Dead,
they scheduled it
when The Walking Dead
was on break.

An obvious decision,
you say?

Maybe but it is an obvious decision
few stations make.
Normally the spin off is scheduled
to play during the same months,
perhaps even during the same day,
the same hour.

Some of my writing buddies
release multiple books
on the same day.
Yes, the same day.
Super fans on a budget
are forced to decide
which book to buy.

The world is competitive
as it is.
Time product releases
so you don’t compete with yourself.

Theft can be a significant cost
for small business owners.

At one retailer I worked with,
an entire order of a popular offering
was shoplifted
before a single unit was sold.

What are some tips
to reduce shoplifting?

Harvey Meyer,
in the November/December 2015
The Costco Connection,
shares

“Keep aisles clear,
shelves tidy and
displays low to enhance visibility.
Provide adequate lighting throughout
and install an “annunciator”
that sounds off when customers enter.
And place checkout registers
near exits
to facilitate customer monitoring.”

“Lock small valuable items
in cabinets or secure places,
and place pricey merchandise
away from store exits.
Alternate the direction of hangers on racks,
some of which should be bolted down,
to make it harder to grab and run.
And while it can be expensive,
consider affixing an electronic tag
to products.”

There are ways to do all of this
while not damaging the experience
for legitimate shoppers.
For example:
The salespeople could treat
the shoppers interested in the locked up items
as ‘premium shoppers.’
Those items aren’t for just anyone.

Make efforts to reduce
the cost of theft.

November is
NAtional NOvel WRiting MOnth.
Writers are challenged
to write 50,000 fresh words
during November.

Many writers love NaNoWriMo.
Why?
Because they have a reason
to focus on writing.
They can tell friends and family
that during this month,
during these 30 days,
they’ll be concentrating
on their stories.

Loved ones realize
this will only be
for 30 days.
Anyone can support someone
for that length of time.

I do this
whenever I have a push project.
I’ll tell my loved ones
that I’ll be very busy for X days.
They’re accepting of that
because after X days,
I’ll be back,
spending time with them.

If you’re going to concentrate
on your business,
tell your loved ones
how long
you’ll be heads down, working.
They’ll likely be much more supportive.