Read, Write, Edit, Rewrite, Submit, and Repeat

Summoned to my high school guidance counselor’s office, I learned not everyone thinks being a writer is a good idea.  I still recall the meeting as if it were yesterday.

"Why can’t I be an author?" I asked. I wanted to be the next Kurt Vonnegut, Philip Roth, or Ray Bradbury. They were the best-selling authors of the day.

Her career choices for me came from the father role models on the popular television programs of the era. She wanted me to be the next Mike Brady (the architect dad on The Brady Bunch) or an aerospace engineer like Steven Douglas (My Three Sons).

"Jimmie, you’re a boy. You need a college degree in engineering, math, science, or accounting. You have to earn enough money to support your future wife and family. Forget your silly notion that a man can support himself by writing. It is okay to write for a hobby, but you will need a real job. With your grades you could even aspire to be a doctor or dentist," she said.

I was heartbroken. Raised to believe I could do anything, now I wasn’t so sure.

Has anyone ever laughed at your vision of writing? Perhaps you have been told you lack life experience or you don’t stand a chance because everyone is writing now that they can simply self-publish on Amazon.

You may have feelings of doubt, thinking if only you had an MFA. If only your family and spouse supported you more. If you could quit your day job. Maybe you are in your sixties like me. You think it is too late. You say I am just too old. If only...

We all experience self-doubt. Friends and family do not always understand our passion.

Everyone faces such challenges. My faith as a Christian also helps me overcome such thoughts. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned.

Some people will never understand your passion for writing. Don’t bother trying to explain. Just let them watch as you write.

Read. Reading is necessary for writing. Not only is reading the fodder for writing, it is fun. It also helps me relax as well as grow.

Write. I know it sounds silly, but to become a writer you have to write. I have heard for years that it takes 10,000 hours to master something. 10,000 hours is five years worth of forty-hour weeks. Maybe that is why it takes ten years for so many to get that first traditional book deal. Do not be a want to be a writer. Write.

Edit. This includes proofreading, rewriting, and polishing. No one is perfect. Critique groups help as well as reputable professional editing services. Rewrite as needed.

Submit. To your surprise, someone may like and buy what you wrote.

Rejection.  Being rejected is not personal. Your writing may be bad. It may be good, but just not meet the publisher’s or editor’s needs. You may have submitted to the wrong market or not followed the submission guidelines (both guarantee a rejection). Every writer gets rejections. The photo is a rejection I received from the New Yorker Magazine. I've been rejected by the best.

Acceptance. Selling a book or an article doesn’t guarantee success. Many times it means the real work is only beginning. Having your work accepted by a publisher feels good. It feels very good.

  

Writers’ Groups. Consider joining a writers’ group. I have belonged to three over the years. I have changed groups as I have changed. Some groups I have belonged to were for critique. Some have been to learn the business of writing. Some have been for the encouragement.

I know the thoughts I have shared are all items you have heard many times before. Sometimes a reminder is good.

We all have people like my old high school guidance counselor in our lives. Do not let their negative words keep you from writing. If you have the urge to write, write! It’s not too late. 

The formula really is simple. It is read, write, edit, rewrite, submit, and repeat. If your writing is good enough and if what you write matches the publisher’s need, you just may see your story in print.

Friday Book Review - Moon Over Maalaea Bay by H. L. Wegley

Who needs Steve McGarrett and Danno when you can immerse yourself in Jennifer Akihara and Lee Brandt? Hawaii 5-0 has nothing on this fast-paced and exciting story.  I was so invested in the action from the get-go that I didn't even realize, until I stopped to take a breath, that I loved the characters as well.

  Moon Over Maalaea Bay, the third installment in a series called Pure Genius, stands quite well on its own.  Barely nine hours into their marriage, and before the honeymoon even begins, Jennifer is kidnapped by an international trafficking group. She'd thwarted their operation earlier and they are bent on revenge. Add in Lee's struggle to find her, the FBI, the Maui Police Department, ruthless criminals and a stunning Hawaiian backdrop. This intense thriller, with a touch of romance, tugged at my heartstrings and rose my blood pressure. 

 Highly Recommended.

Character development from an obit

Using the sheet from my website 

I’m going to develop a character for my next book.

Ew, you say? Really, from the obituaries? Yes, I really do troll the obits on occasion for juicy tidbits for my characters. It’s like a smorgasbord of  factlets and tidbits of fascinating information. When I read the following obit, I knew that I had met that shadowy man before—I knew which story he belonged to but not how to work it out. Three years later, I finally put him to work.

The worksheet below is offered on my website: 
http://www.lisalickel.com/2011/03/fictional-character-development-tools.html

Though of course, you have to fill in your own answers. I've used it for Gervas, my male protagonist in my work in progress.

Fictional Character Development Tools

Use this sheet to get to know your characters. © Lisa J Lickel Permission granted to recopy and use as needed.

Working Book Title/Today's Date: Centrifugal Force (date)

Overall Theme of the story in one word: retribution (though in a positive way)

Name of Character (including nickname): GERVAS FRIEDEMANN, Doctor PhD, Professor

 

Significance of Name (family, heritage, culture, purpose – include significance and circumstances of nickname): The Friedmanns are a significant family in European history; ancient and aristocratic in social and government circles; Gervas is an old name; ger means “spear”; Friedemann means “man of peace,” something Gervas realizes as he faces family crisis he’s never known.

Main conflict of character – internal: When he returned to Germany, he left behind more than a fantastic historical and culturally significant piece of jewelry. Although he’s not close to his grown daughter from his first marriage, she needs something only he can provide: a bone marrow transplant from the child he never met - if that child, Maeve, will agree. Can he make amends to his former lover, Rachel, while convincing her he’s truly sorry for his former actions, and his current motives for reaching out to her are not all underhanded.

Main conflict of character – external: Professor Friedemann lost a piece of history that wasn’t his. Decades later the rightful owner demands its return or he will expose the Friedemann family’s shameful past—in time to repudiate an important vote by Federal Minister Manheim Freidemann, Gervas’s brother, in German parliament that will affect the economy of modern Europe.

Sub-conflicts, as necessary: Rachel is alone, lonely though she’s never acted that way or admitted it; has cursed herself always for falling for the German professor though she has made peace with her family and the resulting daughter, Maeve. What will happen when Professor Doctor Gervas Friedemann, the father of her daughter, shows up after all this time, asking if she has the antique ring she took from him, and oh, by the way, would Maeve be willing to be tested as a bone marrow donor for his oldest daughter?

Hook sentence (in progress): “Mom, here’s another e-mail from that guy.”

Physical description (include height, weight, body type): average height, 5’11, on the thin side; works out but not prolifically, forward-momentum walk, as if he’s in a perpetual hurry, long arms, narrow hands and feet, few wrinkles on face so looks younger than sixties

Outward/visible characteristics (such as tattoos, piercings, scars, limp, lisp, etc.):  no piercings or tattoo; light scar on the left side of his mouth where first wife hit him

Manner of dress: academia; turtlenecks or shirts with pointed collars, jackets, suede or cashmere, black denims and henleys upon occasion when in informal situations; loafers

Hair color, skin color, eye color and glasses, significant facial features: receded hairline; near balding, grayed, goatee, half-glasses, Caucasian, gray, washed-out eye color

Emotional type (calm, hysterical, theatrical, sensible, chatterbox, suave, mature, etc.) This will help define the character's mood, actions/reactions, tone of voice, speaking voice, internal voice: mature, thoughtful but not sensitive, somewhat arrogant though works to control it, aristocratic though not formal, slightly sarcastic, lets his German accent become more European to sound more suave than harsh, smooth and practiced speaking voice from his years as a teacher, in charge personality but not necessarily calm

Birthdate, and age during the story: was born after WWII, early sixties during this story (about 2010)

Significant events in character's past, and age at the time that impact the character's actions in the current story (death in the family, marriage/divorce, attack, births, influential family, friends, moves, accidents, education, contests, work history, sibling relationships, adult relationships, pets): Gervas was born second son after Friedemanns returned to Germany to the estate after WWII; first son Manheim is in politics, the German parliament and represents German interests in several international and European cultural and financial boards; is being groomed to take over the Friedemann family interests. Gervas has not been ignored, but is understood to be somewhat the black sheep of the generation who is tolerated and supported but understands he must never do anything to cause real trouble to the family name. He has been divorced twice and has two children, a son and daughter, from his first marriage. His mother died in the mid-sixties of a heart condition; his maternal aunt died young of leukemia and his daughter has a rare blood disorder and needs a bone marrow transplant. No one else in the family is a close enough match. Manheim is married in name, has no children; his father has only distant relatives. Among Gervas’s several affairs was with Rachel Michels, while on a teaching exchange to the state, Wisconsin’s Edgewood College of Madison, twenty-some years earlier, and the cause of his first divorce (and second). Gervas carried with him always a lucky charm, a ring from a collection of Etruscan jeweled pieces left to him after his mother’s death. He’d given pieces of the set to his first wife upon their marriage. Recently, however, the story of their exodus from Germany has come to light, along with the real story of the Etruscan jewelry. His first wife and daughter have returned the pieces; however, the ring he used to wear has been missing for over twenty years. Unless he returns it along with the other precious pieces to the rightful owner, a descendant of the former Jewish neighbor who has made private, but legal claims to the property, the Friedmanns will be exposed as thieves and betrayers and Manheim’s swing vote in the upcoming decision of the German parliament whether to continue to support the failing European Union may come into question, causing a radical and potentially devastating change in the face of Europe.

Character's family history as needed: The Friedemanns are an ancient family with connections worldwide in imports, finance, and government. Gervas is the odd one in academia. The family removed from Germany in the mid-1930s, promising to help prominent Jewish neighbors by taking with them a cache of precious art history. Upon return after WWII, the Friedemann’s neighbors were no longer “available” and so the treasures were never returned.

Defining relationships in this story (marriage, friendships, siblings, co-workers, social standing): Gervas Friedemann has been divorced twice, is somewhat distant with his colleagues at Freiburg University, is an international expert on European intellectual culture and civics, the anthropology of indigenous peoples of Europe.

Book Review: The Soul Saver by Dineen Miller

What an incredible gift to have--to be able to sculpt the face of someone God wants you to meet long before you do. You never know what your mission is, what you're to do when you meet this mystery person, just that God has a job for you. In The Soul Saver, a supernatural women's fiction novel by Dineen Miller, Lexie Baltimore has that gift, and it leads her to meet a pastor who understands her pain over losing a child and her frustration over having a husband with whom she cannot share her faith. She doesn't know yet whether Nate Winslow is her mission, or she is his.

The widower Nate develops an attraction to her and tries to drive a wedge between her and her husband, who is becoming more and more distant from her as he pursues his career goals. Hugh also becomes more belligerent toward her religion, which makes Nate more attractive to her.

What she doesn't know, and what Nate constantly battles, is that he owes the devil a favor for saving his daughter after she and his late-wife were in an accident. The favor is to split up Lexie and Hugh so the demon Tobias can win Hugh's soul more easily--without Lexie's influence. To make sure Nate remains compliant, Tobias sends his daughter to the hospital with a life-threatening condition. Consumed with guilt and feeling cut off from God, Nate is torn between tearing apart a husband and wife, or losing his only child.

So much is wrapped in this story: the need for strong prayer support, the invisible battle between principalities and powers, the pain and loneliness of a mismatched marriage. Dineen is the author of Christian novels, and The Soul Saver is the definition of what that genre is--a novel whose story would collapse if the Christian thread were removed. Many Christians write novels, but not all Christians write Christian novels. This one fills the bill. It's scripturally sound and full of wisdom, particularly addressing the mismatched marriage. This one's a five-star keeper.

Authors: How Much Social Influence Do You Have?

Part of the challenge in determining what your platform really is involves numbers. It’s not just the Twitter or Facebook numbers you have but the way you use social networking. Someone with 3,000 Twitter followers can actually have more influence than someone with ten times that amount simply because they know how to engage properly.

Social influence is important because without it you’ll have a shaky platform. That means that you might have the “numbers” that make it look like you’ve got the platform, but as soon as that platform is used it will “fall apart” (meaning: you won’t sell books, there will be no engagement, no one will respond or care.)

Here are some ways to help determine your social influence. It should be noted that even these are things you need to take with a grain of salt. It’s best to use a combination of sources and information to really determine the answer to how far your “social reach” really goes. Never rely on just one thing.

Klout

Klout tries to determine your social influence by a combination of things including Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, etc., and even things like Wikipedia. (Seriously.) It measures not just followers but how many times there is engagement (someone responds to you, retweets you, etc.)

The scores go from 1-100, the higher your score the more “influential” you are. Average Klout scores are about 40, and anyone with a 63 or above is in the top 5% of all users.

They also show you where your influence (or engagement lies). For me, you can tell I like to spend a lot of time on Twitter.

Kred

Kred seems to build on the concept of influence by adding “outreach.” So with Kred, you have two different scores.

The first score relates to your influence. This works similar to the Klout score: when people like your content, share it, respond to it, your score goes up.  Anything about 700 is considered a good Kred influence score.

The second part of the score is outreach, which determines how likely someone is to share, retweet, or comment on your stuff. The score goes from 1-12, with seven or higher being “an impressive score.” I also like that they break out the "communities" where your influence is strong. (For me it's bloggers, publishing, and artists. This is where they see the biggest interaction.)

Twitter

Twitter is very misleading because people think it’s all about numbers, which it isn’t. They also think you sit there and look at the Tweets that come in and that’s how you connect on there. It isn’t that either.

It’s a microblogging platform that allows you to search for keywords, make lists of people (even if you don’t follow them) and easily see what’s trending. Someone with a million users may tweet out something once a day that is never seen by their users while someone else with 2,000 users will have had good conversations with people and really made their influence known.

To see if someone is “influential” on Twitter, check out the number of people that respond to them, the variety in the tweets they share (comments, links, random thoughts) and how often they use the site. Someone that tweets out an automatic link once a day isn’t very influential.

Blog

Blogging is still a great way to determine your influence. How many people come to your site? How many stay? How many are new users and how many are return visitors (this will tell you if they are “one and done” visitors or loyal)?

Also, check your Alexa Rank and Google Page Rank. Both are important for their own reasons. If Alexa, for example, says they don’t have enough data to look at your site, you’ve got some beefing up to do.

Feedback From Readers

Hearing from readers involves more than just blog comments or tweets. If readers seek you out, send you emails, and inspire loyalty in some way, this is huge. People are busy and don’t have time to just seek someone out and read their articles or books. If they do, that’s a great thing and a good indicator or your influence. 

__________________________________________________________

Cherie Burbach has written for About.com, NBC/Universal, Match.com, and more. Visit her website, cherieburbach.com.

What's In A Name?

I finally had opportunity to watch Saving Mr. Banks. Any author could identify with Mrs. Travers passionate plea to screenwriters and producers. “You don’t understand, Mary and the Bankses are like family.” That part of the movie really struck a chord with me. 

Google Free Images

 The male MC in my debut novel was named Adam West. Yep. Made everyone including my editor think of the man who played Batman. Zowie. Not gonna work. I never thought of that. It had to be changed. Our characters are like children. We can be very protective of them. I didn’t want anything to be a deal breaker since I’d just gotten my foot in the publishing door, so I picked another name. I felt like a murderer. I needed a masculine sounding, salt of the earth, regular kind of guy moniker. OK, hello Scott. It took me quite awhile to get used to it, but he finally grew into the character with that name. The takeaway of this lesson?

1.      Be careful naming characters. Not as problematic, but an interesting point arose in this same book. I always wanted to name a child of mine Bailey (my maiden name). That didn’t work out so I gave the name to my female MC. A regular question I receive from readers is “Was your Dad like Bailey’s dad?” Uh, no, my dad was a sweet man, not at all like the character in the book. This one has opened doors of discussion, but I hate for anyone to think I might have had a dead beat dad. Far from it. I found this article about how to choose a name: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-7-rules-of-picking-names-for-fictional-characters

2.      Decide what you really want the story to accomplish, and be willing to part with what doesn’t help that. I wanted folks, particularly women, to be encouraged to view themselves through the eyes of Christ, and not get their self worth from a negative past. That would come through no matter what the male MC’s name turned out to be. I’ve read of authors sometimes having to fight for things on principle. That wasn’t the case for me.

Have you made any mistakes naming characters?

Friday Book(s) Review: Project Enterprise Series by Puline Baird Jones

Who will like these books?
"Readers who like their science fiction made up.
Readers who like science fiction, space opera and some romance thrown in because love is cool.
Readers who like quirky and are willing to give quirky steampunk a chance.
Readers who like action and adventure.
Readers who like time travel.
Readers who like to laugh.
Readers who don’t mind risking their head exploding because of too much made up science fiction."

This above is quoted from the description of Steamrolled, book four in the series. It's fitting and very accurate for the series. Ms Jones is a talented writer who creates a convoluted galaxy made more so by Time and the Time Council who tries to police Time. There are bag guys who want to twist Time to suit their own desires. There are people (aliens) who want to rule their galaxy. People with unusual talents and abilities, steampunk machines, nanites who used to be people but are now teeny tiny computers who are hosted by people and help them deal with life and the trials that come up in the books.

'Time's a bitch.' 'The impossible only takes longer.' A transmogrification machine. Numerous idioms used which confuse the listener since they are not from Earth. The books are funny, fun, compelling you to keep reading. They include stream of consciousness writing which is not a usual point of view and can jump heads fairly often. The inner dialog between the character and it's nanite really demonstrates the cooperation of two individuals needing to work together. Often they need to rely on the other to get them out of situation.

If you want your science authentic. Don't bother with these books. Ms Jones makes up lots of incredible devices and the idea of a manipulating Time with the Time Base and Time patrol is fair out enough to made purests cringe.

The books really need to be read in order as they follow chronological order, although with Time all out of whack that seems an oxymoron. Three of the books are super novel length. Tangled In Time is a novella and priced accordingly.


Sophie Dawson is an author of Christian Fiction. Her latest release is Seeing The Life. sophie-dawson.com

Secrets to Planning a Party

Ever been to a Facebook party? Want to have one of your own?

Creating one is as easy as poking a button: On the left side of your newsfeed page, there’s a button called “Events.” Poke that, and it’ll supply you with a list of all sorts of goings-on. At the top of that page is another button, “Create Event.” Poke that, fill in the blanks, and let ’er rip. That part of creating the party is easy. The hardest thing to remember is to mark what time zone your party will be in.

Quick tip: Until you've gotten your page set up, put your privacy setting on "invitation." You can change that later.

You’ll need a catchy banner. Here’s mine:

I've given the name of the give-away, the date and time, and I've shown what I'm giving away--the five coffee mugs in the picture, along with a copy of my new release. Lynnette Bonner at IndieCoverDesign helped me with my banner, but you can do it yourself through any number of programs and sites, including PicMonkey.

You'll also need some catchy ads for your social sites. Christi McGuire gave me an excellent tip about this: Create several ads so you don't become invisible. After everyone has seen one ad several times, they tend to skip over it. Make different ads, using different slogans, and keep things fresh. This is the first one in my collection:

Notice I forgot to mention the time zone--Oops! Like I said, that's the hardest thing to remember. Anyway, I post these ads everywhere and put the party link in the comment section. The next ads will include the pyramid of mugs, then the individual mugs.

Write copy that is catchy and lets folks know what's in it for them, not just the give-away, but also opportunities to ask questions of a published author, or whatever you think will help to engage them.

And speaking of engaging them--and keeping them engaged--preplan a series of questions and comments that are designed to elicit comments and discussion. Have them ready so all you have to do is copy and paste them into the comment spaces. For instance, in the first FB party I participated in, I asked what the readers would do if they ran into their high school sweethearts (because Emily and Scott were high school sweethearts). The responses were a riot and ran along the lines of "Probably ask him to take out the trash [he's my husband now]" to "So, did they let you out, or did you escape?"

Chances are, you're going to need help with the party because your giveaway prize is desirable, your questions are quick and funny (or thought-provoking), and everyone is engaged and having a blast--which means it's gonna get nuts. Having at least one helper is vital. Your co-hosts can watch for lulls in the conversation, catch comments you may have missed, greet newcomers, remind folks to hit refresh, among other things.

Refreshing your page often is important--but not refreshing it for a minute or two is also important. It gives you a breather and lets you skim through to see what you missed. You don't want to be inactive long, but it never hurts to let yourself slow down a bit. Facebook's "comments" notifications help also, as well as the "globe" icon on the top right of the page.

Be sure to keep pen and paper handy so you can remember whose names you've drawn and what prize(s) they won. Then, as the party winds down, remind them to send their addresses to you so you can send out their prizes (and add these to your contact list!).

Preplanning is key. Plan your ads. Plan the party introduction and climax. Plan the questions. Plan what you're going to do at different points of time during your party--for instance, every twenty-five minute, I'll be giving away a coffee mug, and I intend to use a timer to remind me to do it! Believe me, it goes so quickly, it'll be easy to forget!

It helps to attend one before doing your own, so~~~

You're all invited to the

CAT IN A COFFEE CUP GIVEAWAY! 

June 12, 7-9 pm CENTRAL TIME!

(See? I remembered!)

Sites for promotional items

List of online printing services

Marketing items for authors and other vendors 

Do you have a favorite printer or a story to share about printed materials for your business?

I checked the cost of 250 bookmarks at the following sites (some other prices will apply, such as shipping or other coating, etc). Most prices fell around $40 plus shipping, except for GotPrint. I didn’t get an actual quote from VistaPrint, but I know they have lots of sales and specials. I got quotes on the most basic product, usually, and basic service.

gotprint.net

printplace.com

earthlycharms.com

vistaprint.com

moo.com

printrunner.com

digitallizard.com

overnightprints.com

Uprint.com

Bookmarkprinting.com – This company had the best basic deal, but minimum order is 500

48hourprint.com

copycraft.com

printsafari.com

DIY: Avery sells postcard-sized sheets to print on and then divide. Also sells tear-off tickets that could work well as bookmarks.

Gotprint.net  http://gotprint.net/g/pricing.do

UV Coating: For 14pt. Gloss Coated Cover, UV Coating will be applied to the color sides, unless No UV Coating on Back is selected. If you select Color Front/No Back or Color Front/B&W Back, only the color side (front) will be coated.
File Format: We accept the following file formats: .TIF, .TIFF, .EPS, .AI, .PSD, .JPG, .PNG & .PDF.
Upload Manual Proof: 24 Hours (excluding Holidays)
After we receive your uploaded file(s), we will review each file. If we find any problems with your files, we'll contact you, otherwise you'll receive a link to your PROOF to review within 24 hours. Please use our templates to build your files correctly. Important: Prices include processing one set of uploaded files and creating a single proof.

Product

Type

Please Select an Option Business Card Banner Blank Paper Booklet Bookmark Brochure Calendar Catalog CD Package Club Flyer Collectors Card Door Hanger DVD Package Envelope Event Ticket Flyer Hang Tag Letterhead Mini Menu Notepad Postcard Poster Presentation Folder Rackcard Rip Business Card Roll Label Rolodex Special Shapes Staggered Cut Flyer Sticker Table Tent Tent Card Wide Format Poster Window Cling Window Decal Yard Sign

Product Options

Size  

Please Select an Option 1.5x7 2x8

Paper/Material/Substrate  

Please Select an Option 14pt Gloss Coated Cover with UV (C2S) 14pt Premium Uncoated Cover 16pt Dull Cover with Matte Finish Recycled 100lb Dull Cover with Matte Finish

Color  

Please Select an Option Color Front, No Back Color Both Sides

Quantity  

Please Select an Option 100 250 500 1000 2500 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 30000 35000 40000 45000 50000 55000 60000 65000 70000 75000 80000 85000 90000 95000 100000

Proof   Please Select an Option Manual Proof 24 Hrs by eMail (1st Proof Included)

Price:   $23.52 ($0.11 each)

This product may have additional options that can affect the price. Visit the order page for complete pricing.

Printplace.com

Instant Pricing

$40.00 ($0.16 each)

Standard Options

Size(?)
7.25x2 9x2 10.5x2

Paper Type(?)
14pt Cover, Gloss 2 Sides 14pt Cover, Gloss 1 Side 10pt Cover, Gloss 2 Sides 14pt Cover, Uncoated

Quantity(?)
25 (Digital) 50 (Digital) 100 (Digital) 200 (Digital) 250 (Offset) 500 (Offset) 1000 (Offset) 2000 (Offset) 3000 (Offset) 4000 (Offset) 5000 (Offset) 6000 (Offset) 7000 (Offset) 8000 (Offset) 9000 (Offset) 10000 (Offset) 12500 (Offset) 15000 (Offset) 17500 (Offset) 20000 (Offset) 22500 (Offset) 25000 (Offset) 27500 (Offset) 30000 (Offset) 32500 (Offset) 35000 (Offset) 37500 (Offset) 40000 (Offset) 42500 (Offset) 45000 (Offset) 47500 (Offset) 50000 (Offset) 60000 (Offset) 70000 (Offset) 80000 (Offset) 90000 (Offset) 100000 (Offset) 110000 (Offset) 120000 (Offset) 130000 (Offset) 140000 (Offset) 150000 (Offset) 160000 (Offset) 170000 (Offset) 180000 (Offset) 190000 (Offset) 200000 (Offset) 210000 (Offset) 220000 (Offset) 230000 (Offset) 240000 (Offset) 250000 (Offset)

Printing(?)
4 Color Front, Empty Back 4 Color Both Sides

Turnaround(?) (Production days)
5 Business Days 3 Business Days 2 Business Days 1 Business Day Same Day

Proof(?)
Electronic Proof Next Day Mail Proof

Finishing Options

Front Finish(?)
Aqueous Coating High Gloss UV Coating Dull UV Coating

Back Finish(?)
Aqueous Coating High Gloss UV Coating Dull UV Coating

Hole Drilling(?)
No Drilling Single 3/16" Hole Single 1/4" Hole Single 5/16" Hole Three 3/16" Holes Three 1/4" Holes Three 5/16" Holes

Hole Drilling Location(?)
N/A

Shrink Wrapping(?)
No Yes   sets of:  

Rounded Corners(?)
No Rounded Corners 1/4" radius 1/8" radius

Vistaprint.com http://www.vistaprint.com/search/bookmarks.aspx

The site says “starting at $15” and has several templates, but does not indicate size of product, nor would let me price them without going through the set-up process and creating a log-in.

Earthlycharms.com  http://www.earthlycharms.com/

BOOKMARKS

Full Color, 14 pt. card stock.

Your choice of UV Gloss coating (cannot be written on)

or Aqueous coating (a fine sheen, can be written on)

View samples below.

(Minimum order on double-sided Aqueous coating is 1000)

Standard Bookmark Sizes and Prices

Quantity:

250 Standard 2 x 6-inch size, $72 ($0.29 each)

(Plus $50 design fee and any other fees, which bumps the cost to $0 .48 each)

Other sizes available

inkgarden.com  

company has lots of promo items

several themes to personalize, or design your own:

Bookmarks: 10 - $7.49

20 – 14.98

60 - $39.90

100 – 58.99 ($0.59 each)

Print Runner.com  http://www.printrunner.com

Very similar to Printplace.com

·         Size                          2" x 6" 2" x 7" 2.5" x 8.5"

·         Quantity?

250 500 1,000 2,000 2,500 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 12,500 15,000 17,500 20,000 22,500 25,000 27,500 30,000 32,500 35,000 37,500 40,000 42,500 45,000 47,500 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 90,000 100,000

·         Colors?

                          4/0 - Color Front, No Back 4/1 - Color Front, Black Back 4/4 - Color Both Sides

·         Paper?

14 pt Gloss (AQ) Coated 14 pt UV Coating on Front 14 pt Matte Coating 13 pt. - 100% Recycled Paper

·         Hole Placement?

                          None Top Left Top Center Top Right

·         Hole Drilling?

No

Rounded Corners?

                          No Yes

Regular Price: $ 40.18 
only $ 0.16 each

Digital Lizard

http://www.digitallizardprint.com/dlp/UserContentHome.aspx

Someone mentioned this company, but I found it difficult to log in; the pages take forever to load. One-sided 2x8 on 100# paper was $38.81, plus shipping. Upload your own pdf artwork at 300 dpi.

Overnightprints.com

Here is the link: http://www.overnightprints.com/bookmarks

25 Bookmarks - $3.85 50 Bookmarks - $5.95 100 Bookmarks - $14.55 250 Bookmarks - $16.35 500 Bookmarks - $23.35 1,000 Bookmarks - $33.85 2,000 Bookmarks - $56.45 2,500 Bookmarks - $64.05 4,000 Bookmarks - $76.25 5,000 Bookmarks - $78.85 10,000 Bookmarks - $155.05 15,000 Bookmarks - $226.95 20,000 Bookmarks - $299.25 25,000 Bookmarks - $373.95 30,000 Bookmarks - $449.95 35,000 Bookmarks - $523.25 40,000 Bookmarks - $595.55 45,000 Bookmarks - $667.05 50,000 Bookmarks - $741.75 55,000 Bookmarks - $813.35 60,000 Bookmarks - $894.45 65,000 Bookmarks - $964.45 70,000 Bookmarks - $1040.25 75,000 Bookmarks - $1117.25 80,000 Bookmarks - $1191.85 85,000 Bookmarks - $1259.65 90,000 Bookmarks - $1337.05 95,000 Bookmarks - $1401.25 100,000 Bookmarks - $1479.95

250 Bookmarks - $16.35Select Options:

Sides

• Single-Sided
• Double-Sided

Add envelopes

Corners

• Square
• Rounded ($2.00 per 100 cards)

Front UV Coating

• No Gloss UV
• Full UV (free)
• Spot UV (free)

Back UV Coating

• No Gloss UV
• Full UV (free)
• Spot UV (free)

Final delivery options available in the shopping cart will depend on all the products added. International shipping options also available in the shopping cart.

Price Discount Applied: – Sale Pricing Today. VIPs log-in

Product Subtotal:  regular: $17.95  |  sale price: $16.35

Total:

$16.35 Plus shipping

Price is estimated based on a single product.
Additional discounts may apply in the shopping cart.

NOTE: Officemax.com and Shutterfly.com do not do bookmarks

UPrinting.com

Configure & Price: 250 2 x 6 inches, front side printing only, 6 business days turnaround, $36.19

 

Bookmark Printing.com
http://bookmark-printing.com/index.html

You’ll want a lot: minimum order is 500 for $58, at $0.12 cents, for basic 2 by 7 inches, double-sided (standard)

Finishing Services extra

 

Copycraft.com

http://www.copycraft.com/bookmark-printing

minimum order: 1,000

2x6 inches, basic everything, $49

48 Hour Print

https://www.48hourprint.com/bookmark-printing.html

Price includes (4/4) full color both sides

Finished Size: 2 x 6

Printed on digital press

Printed on 14pt Cover Stock (10% PCW)

When Will I Get My Bookmark?

500 to 5,000 Bookmark: Ships or ready for pick up in 2 business days from proof approval.

Under 500 Bookmark (printed digitally): Ships or ready for pick up in 1 business day from proof approval; rounded corners or UV coating require 1 additional day.

Over 5,000 Bookmark: Ships or ready for pick up in 5 business days from proof approval.

BASE COST: $48, or about $0.19 each

PrintSafari.com

 www.printsafari.com/us_en/bookmarks

250 2x8 inches, 14 pnt gloss coated with UV, one sided

Standard business turn-around 3-5 days  $41.48

Price: $41.5