In month eight I took an Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution class. In this class I learned about different avenue channels to distribute our literature products, if any. I also learned how to write and research a query letter agent. For my leadership portfolio assignment I had to “write a formal business strategy in which to digitally self-publish, promote, distribute and merchandise their own print media, music, or audiovisual content. At a minimum, the Strategy must include at least one paragraph on each of the following topics:”
o Mission Statement
o Executive Summary (You need only list yourself)
o Company Description
o Product
o Manufacturing Strategy
o Distribution Strategy
o Marketing and Promotion Strategy
This assignment taught me how to research credible distribution sites and gain bar code numbers for my product, as well as various ways to market the product. I included a sample of my project disclosing the product along with the manufacturing and distribution strategy.
The Product
S.M.I.L.E: SELF.MATURITY.INTELLECT.LOVE.EMPOWERMENT is the title of the poetry book. The title is inspired by the company name. The year 2010 has turned out to be another year continued with the United States recession, and unstable living conditions. We are all victims and S.M.I.L.E wants to put something small, but motivational on the market to help ease the stress. That’s when the company produced the poetry book S.M.I.L.E. The intention for the book is to motivate and uplift individuals during their time in need. The book will include outstanding artwork and photography along with elegant poems and motivational speeches. The book will contain fifty pages of content not including the table of content and the dedication page. Each chapter is based off the title with ten poems/speeches per chapter.
Manufacturing and Distribution
Plenty options are available to satisfy S.M.I.L.E’s requirement for quality manufacturing and reproduction of the poetry book, S.M.I.L.E, will outsource this function to LuLu.com to start. This company has been selected based on the fact that the Arthur is able to keep copyrights. Lulu also provides Global Distribution. Lulu provides 80% Royalty rates paid to the Arthur. If you receive a paper check the royalties are paid quarterly, and if royalties are paid via PayPal it is paid on a monthly basis. Lulu also provides free ISBN codes and you’re free to bring your own ISBN as well. Proofs are granted to the Arthur. Discounts are provided to the Arthurs who are purchasing their own material. The materials purchased are expensed at the manufacturing & shipping cost only. If an Arthur wants to distribute on another website and/or with other publishers they can because all copyrights are owned by the Arthur. This is the first book the company is producing so the free templates provided by lulu also helped a great deal. It was important to S.M.I.L.E to be able to create it’s own artwork and lulu can appreciate that as well. Lastly, but almost most important S.M.I.L.E will also distribute it’s product with lulu.com via website only. In addition with distributing there we will also use the company website. A relationship with this company will allow S.M.I.L.E to generate a profit of $7.99 per unit sold. S.M.I.L.E came up with an estimate of $9.99 for the cost of the book based on the going rate for other like books, and the company wanted to start here. Lulu gets 20% and the company gets 80% leaving us with $7.99. If the demands for the book rise to over a $100 copies a month, the price shall rise to $14.99, which will generate profit to $11.99 per unit, sold. The ultimate goal is to at least sale 1200 copies per year to start.
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