Postage Stamps, the Holidays and Your Book

Tidbit on Postage from the Midwest Review

I love Jim Cox's newsletter. He's the guru behind the Midwest Review; it is a generous effort he makes to help authors. In this edition he talked about the fun, personalized postage stamps that one can order to help promote one's books. These postage stamps may not have been intended for that, but they sure enough can be used that way.

It seems that the holidays are an especially good time to utilize this service though it is probably too late to do it for this season. In fact, think of the opportunity for anyone with a Christmas title, a cover that somehow broadcasts Christmas cheer (Kristin Johnson, your Christmas Cookie book would be ideal, wouldn't it?) But Mothers Day is coming, too. There are Valentines to be sent in February. Spring is coming, the season of love and pastels.

I haven't tried the postage stamps, though I've mentioned them in my newsletter before. I do keep thinking about it. The cost puts me off a bit. Instead I have used return labels from Vista Print featuring, yes, my return address, but also my book covers and my website address. If you want to know more about resources like Vista Print, please subscribe to my newsltter by sending an e-mail with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line to me at hojonews@aol.com.)

Here's what Jim says: "Three [resources for ordering] author/publisher customized stamps are www.utilized zazzle.com; www.photo.stamps.com; and www.yourstamps.com. If you do a Google search and type in Postage Stamps you will find them and many others you can choose from."

You may find buying your stamps directly from the postal service site, www.usps.com, more frugal. Let us all know in the comment section of this blog. (-:

Jim also says, "for you who are incorporated, or who are operating as an unincorporated sole proprietorship, remember that you can deduct for tax purposes not only the 41 cent cost of the individual stamps, but any and all costs of producing them as a line item in your business expenditures ledger."

To subscribe to Jim's newsletter, go to http://www.midwestbookreview.com. You won't be sorry you did. He runs a Q&A similar to the one you frequently find in my newsletter and sometimes on my blogs. It's only smart to take advantage of his knowledge by subscribing and asking him a question now and then.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books, THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T; and THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS.
Her other blogs include TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog that helps writers and publishers turn a ho-hum book fair booth into a sizzler.