Productivity

Best 3 Tips For Your Independent Path to Publication Success

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Despite a little bit higher costs many modern writers prefer to bring a book to publication without going through a traditional publishing house, retaining the rights to all their content. The whole process of getting the final product involves book development, its production, and distribution, as well as a marketing effort. It adds much professional value if you know how to put the publication on a resume. To meet the expenses on each stage of self-publishing you should know how much it costs and build a strategy to maximize profits.

How Much Indie Publishing Costs

1. Book Development Costs

Though you can contrive to spend several hundred dollars, the printed edition will cost you $4,000 – $6,000 on average. Paper quality, graphics, color photos, illustrations, and a hardback raise the ante.

Genre as well does matter for the price you pay as an indie author to experts with deep knowledge and special skills in certain subjects. Look, how self-publishing costs may vary within the genres for an 80,000-word product:

  • Romance $3,819;
  • Sci-fi & Fantasy $4,300;
  • Mystery, Thriller & Crime $4,184;
  • Young Adult $4,132;
  • Non-Fiction, Coaching $6,172.

So you can bargain for $10,000 in the upper end of the range. But take it easy and treat your expenditures on books as a business investment.

a) Development Stage

You’ve written your own book, but you won’t be able to edit and proofread your product because of your emotional attachment to it. It’s better to leave editing and formatting to the professionals. Aside from conceptual editing, fact-checking, and paper, size, or pricing recommendations, the average editing budget is $1000. The costs include:

  • Developmental editing — about $7 per page;
  • Copy editing — about $5 per page;
  • Proofreading — $3 per page.

b) Cover Design

The professional approach to competitive publishing and sales dictates that even the high-quality product by an unknown writer needs a standout cover to get sold. Mind, that no one likes amateur products as people judge a book by its cover. When it comes to front and back covers design or interior design layout hiring a pro designer is the best decision.

A high-quality, stylish, complex book cover design can increase sales, although it wouldn’t be cheap:

  • Beginners take $300-$500;
  • Experienced designers ask for $500-$1,000;
  • Talented designers with 10+ years in design cost $1,000-$1,500.

2. Book Production Costs

As soon as the final project is finished, your file is ready for print. You can choose any from the following options:

  1. Print-on-demand.
  2. Offset printing.

a) Print-on-Demand

Digital printing will cost you $10-$500 per book. The copies created with the help of a digital printer are identical to those created with traditional offset printing. The high-quality copies are printed with advanced inkjet technology as ordered.  You can get any amount of copies on-demand or one book at a time. The advantages of print-on-demand are a tunable book format, the possibility to print and assemble your book fast, and cost-effective price. 

b) Offset Printing

Volume printing is a traditional method of publishing that can reduce per-copy costs by 40%. But it works only for larger orders without regard to customizations, design, and overseas printing fees. It should be printed at least 1,000 copies, which means that you’ll get lower cost per copy but higher cost at the outset. Among offset printing advantages the writers admit the possibilities of brick-and-mortar consignment retail, in-person sales, event sales possibilities along with options to manage the personal distribution of the book.

3. Distribution & Marketing Costs

Before you publish a book, try to build an audience and generate demand for it through blogging. Creating a blog is free but it may be your lucky chance to connect with and identify your target audience to build your fan base. Networking through social media is another great opportunity to connect with your audience and remain engaged in the conversation.

To identify the real costs of a particular distribution service you should take into consideration its ease of use, reputation, reliability, and security to protect your content and assure delivery to end-users. It makes sense to count cost-effectiveness dealing with as many of them as you can individually.

Every store is a little bit different and their prices as well. Many companies such as Amazon offer additional benefits such as access to promotions deals available only to direct users or pre-sale through online retailers. If you value time more than cash, using an aggregator may be the best course for you.

The Bottom Line

Writing a book is a time-consuming process that requires hard work but seeing your book in print is incredibly gratifying and worth the effort. As opposed to traditional free publishing, indie one makes you pay to get the content produced and promoted.

Nevertheless, it provides a lot of exciting opportunities and allows you to control all aspects of content before, during, and after its publication and to earn more money in the long run. You should research all service options, create a budget, and find your way to become the author of the best-seller.

About the Author: Gillian Grunewald

Gillian is a talented writer with a strong research approach in the career field. Has over 12 years of experience in resume, LinkedIn profile writing, and editing. Education Master of Fine Arts, Writing Eastern Washington University.

Best 9 Productivity Hacks For Procrastinators To Act Now

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Procrastination is a habit of postponing your obligations without an apparent reason. This type of behavior includes everything from getting up from the bed to meeting a job deadline. Once a person sinks deep into procrastinating they may experience difficulties with getting back on the track. Although procrastination has some upsides like not rushing into decisions and actions, it’s important to learn how to avoid getting into trouble.

There is a common misconception that procrastination leads directly to lower productivity. This sort of claim, however, is not entirely true. Although it’s not advisable to postpone your work and leave for tomorrow what you can finish today, people don’t just stare at the wall, doing nothing. While work is on hold, one might do some online shopping, pay the bills, clean up the house a bit, etc. When you put everything on paper, this could count like fairly productive time.  Additionally, writers often take time before they start working on a project. While the deadline keeps closing in, a writer’s mind keeps working on ways to finish the project. When that “last minute” hits, the writer would sit down and become more efficient.

Case study service editor Miranda Black states: “I always prepare for work by cleaning up around my desk because it keeps my mind free and more creative. When the time comes, my mind is already prepared to execute the task.” This actually means that procrastination is not the opposite of productivity, to say the least, it helps a person become more productive if you follow some simple rules.

 1. Don’t snooze

We already mentioned waking up as one of the issues that procrastinators really have trouble dealing with. In most cases, they would hit the snooze button endlessly until the last minute, and not too seldom until they’re already late. There is an easy trick that might help you cope with this kind of problem.

  • Set the most annoying alarm sound you can think of. This could be a song you don’t like or a high-pitch sound that’s difficult to listen for longer than ten seconds.
  • Don’t put your phone or alarm clock near to you. This way you will have to get out of the bed in order to stop the alarm ringing. Once you get up from your bed it’s unlikely that you’ll go back.

In addition, you can set more alarms so if you manage to ignore the first one, the others will make you jump out and seize the day.

2. Create a schedule

Break your day into actionable segments. Make every moment of your time count by setting up deadlines for each part of the day. However, don’t forget to add some free time, it will help you to juice up and continue with your work. Pauses are excellent productivity boosters.

3. Move your deadline ahead

This practice allows you to start earlier with your work, even if you wait for that last minute bell. The fact that you know you still have the time to finish the project will simply keep you relaxed, therefore you won’t rush or do something wrong because you were too hasty.

4. Keep your phone as far as possible

Although there are hundreds of productivity apps and time trackers, phones are the easiest way to lose track of time. What starts with answering a simple message could result in hours lost on social networks, funny videos, etc. Leave the phone aside and answer only to important phone calls.

5. Carrot and a stick

We all like gifts, no matter who is presenting us with the prize. Therefore, rewarding yourself for a job well done is a great way to motivate yourself to work. For example, you can set up different awards for various milestones.

6. Get out of the house

It’s easy to stagnate when you’re inside. Getting comfy on your sofa while watching your favorite show is the easiest way to forget you have work to do. If you feel bad about delaying your work but you just can’t get enough focus to start working, it’s best to get out and take a walk. The fresh air will do you good, oxygen will pump up your brain and give you the energy to start working.

7. Use notes

Write down your obligations and put them in places where you spend the most of your time. If you go to the fridge and you see a large note saying “Clean up the pool” it should make you go out and finish this daunting task momentarily.

8. Wake up earlier

If you feel that you need more time to finish all your work, consider waking up earlier. It will give you a few extra hours that you might need in order to finish your tasks and have enough time to procrastinate as well.

9. Cut corners where you can

Most procrastinators are perfectionists. They don’t start working until they’re absolutely sure they will put out the best results and finish everything perfect up to a fault. Try and become just a bit looser when it comes to working. Work until it’s done, not until it’s perfect.

Conclusion

As we can see, procrastination is not the end of the world. However, it makes you waste a whole lot of time. We human beings can get back most of the things that we lose, time is not one of them. Once lost time is forever lost. Use your time wisely.

Author’s Bio

Mary Whitman

Mary Whitman is a freelance writer and blogger based in Adelaide, South Australia. In her spare time, she enjoys talking about Sustainable Development and writing essays.
Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

Positive Words Research – 9 Productivity Hacks For Procrastinators

Best Tips On How to Encourage Positivity in the Workplace

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Positivity in the workplace – If the way we spend our days equates to the way we spend our lives, then what we do at work makes up a great chunk of our lives. People can spend over half of their lives at their jobs. Some because they are passionate about their work and others because it pays the bills. In either circumstance, your work life can greatly affect your overall levels of stress and happiness.

Positive Words Research has found that if you try to avoid negativity, you can improve your work day. How you go about your workday can affect different hormones in your body. Stress at work will produce cortisol while feeling successful will produce endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin.

Though it’s not always possible to control the factors that will influence what hormones you produce, you can make decisions for yourself and direct your thoughts towards positivity. This is important for all team members to keep in mind, from upper management to entry-level workers.

Company Culture for Success – Positivity in the Workplace

Company culture is important for success. It affects drive, motivation, and productivity. According to Pepperdine University, maintaining a positive company culture is important in all stages of the company, including when hiring, when growing, and when working.

The university reports the following habits to be damaging to company culture:

  • Inefficient management
  • Too many meetings and emails
  • Emotional pressure to perform well
  • Negative employee behaviors such as gossip and ego
  • Bonuses and performances rewards that don’t ensure quality

Instead, Pepperdine recommends that companies incorporate play, purpose, and potential into their structure. They can do this by implementing the following:

  • Encouraging respect among employers and employees
  • Expressing confidence that goals will be accomplished
  • Support to do more than is asked
  • Investing in both company and individual success

It’s important to shut down negative behavior, such as gossiping or bad attitudes. For managers, this means talking to an employee to let them know that hard work does not excuse a negative influence and offering support. For fellow employees, this means shutting down any conversations that include gossip or inconsiderate comments to others and shifting the conversation to a more positive subject.

Management Matters – Positivity in the Workplace

In general, there is a lot that management can do to ensure that they and their employees have a positive experience at work. It’s important for companies to choose their leaders carefully. That’s because they set the tone that everyone else will follow. Managers should embody the same positivity and tone that the company does.

Research has found that great bosses generally share five common characteristics. Sufficient educational support, a positive outlook, a desire for feedback, an eye for opportunity, and forward thinking. It’s important to keep all these things in mind when hiring managers, and not hire based solely on experience or education.

Leaders ultimately have a great influence on the rest of the company. The way they handle last-minute problems or setbacks will influence the way employees handle them as well. If they are patient, understanding, and maintain a positive mindset during unexpected issues, it can reassure employees and they can have the same attitude.

How to Create a Positive Work Culture: Practical Tips

Let’s shift from the general rules to the practical tips. Tech companies have proven to be successful when it comes to creating an attractive work environment for their employees. And it is not just about competitive salaries and career opportunities they offer. It is also about building a positive atmosphere. Here are a few useful tips on how to create a positive work culture:

  • Recognition of the work and achievements of each employee as well as rewarding them for the work well done will significantly increase motivation and create a great basis for a positive workplace culture.
  • Team building. Every executive has to keep in mind that team building is more than just daily meetings of all team members. To bring positivity in the workplace it is necessary to make employees feel involved and appreciated. Things like corporate parties, board games evenings and bowling outings can help with team bonding big time.
  • Equality and inclusion also influence the level of positivity in the workplace. Not only do all employees have to be treated equally, but they also need to be provided with the right to express their opinions, ideas, critiques, and initiatives. After all, it’s important for everyone to feel valued and have opportunities for growth both professional and personal.
  • A positive work culture highly relies on flexibility, caring, and kindness. Thus, it is important to create an environment where people can listen and be heard. When employees are free to try new methods and ideas, they can offer interesting solutions that will be rewarding to the company as well.

Encourage Work-Life Balance 

Another way to encourage positivity in the workplace is to encourage a work-life balance. Working too much can be draining. It leaves employees without enough energy to enjoy spending time with their loved ones after they clock out.

To avoid this, companies should make an effort to not overwork employees and to encourage them. This can be done by giving them a reasonable amount of work to do and hiring more workers if that is not enough. A work-life balance gives employees the chance to feel refreshed during their time off. That way, they can come to work ready to complete their tasks with a productive attitude.

An encouraging company culture and a constructive management team can be the key to a successful company. Not only do these characteristics drive optimism in the workplace, but they can affect the overall job satisfaction of employees. In turn, this will lead to a happier life where employees look forward to coming into work.

About the Author: Avery T. Phillips is a freelance human being with too much to say. She loves nature and examining human interactions with the world. Comment or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or suggestions.

Positivity in the Workplace

8 Productivity Hacks To Strike a Better Work-Life Balance

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“Productivity is not just about doing more. It is about creating more impact with less work.”—Prerna Malik

Stressed out? Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted? Being productive translates into striking a better life-work balance in most of the cases. Learn how to mitigate the little devils called stressors that drain our efficiency and our life-force.

Be it your work or personal life, productivity plays an important role in making you successful at both. Grappling with the challenges of a competitive work environment, in addition to juggling a multitude of chores at home, you need to be productive.
You need to keep pace with the rat race, while still being able to spare yourself those rare and luxurious moments of reprieve and leisure every day. With so many distractions around you, you can end up putting in hours at a task that would otherwise have taken mere minutes to get done.

To help you stay productive and positive about your life, here are 10 effective but simple productivity hacks. It can help bring your work life, and in turn your inner peace, back on track.

1.     Every Minute Counts

Crystal Paine sums it up brilliantly when she says, “If you want to be more productive, you need to become a master of your minutes.” Successful people know this secret very well. They break down their day into hours and minutes and make the most of their time.
Lost time can never be reclaimed, and each minute that you squander away in a day translates into one less minute for completing your tasks at hand. Focus on one thing at a time because when you multitask, most of the time is wasted in switching between the tasks. That hampers your productivity instead of boosting it.

2.     Avoid Meetings

“The least productive people are usually the ones who are most in favor of holding meetings.” – Thomas Sowell

You will be surprised to know that meetings are the biggest productivity killers in any workplace. According to a survey by Salary.com, 47% of participants think that useless and redundant meetings don’t do more than waste their time.

Every year, 37 billion dollars are spent on these useless meetings. In short, if you want to be productive, you need to avoid meetings altogether or at least minimize the time you spend on these meetings. Only attend meetings that have a clear agenda which had been conveyed to the participants well in advance.

3.     Organize Your Email inbox and Check it once

According to statistics, unnecessary emails can cost you $1800 in terms of annual productivity cost per employee. Yes, you read that right; $1800!To add insult to the injury, it takes at least 16 minutes for an employee to refocus after handling emails, especially after being bombarded by a deluge of spam.

You can easily stay productive at work by organizing your email inbox. Batch together emails and neatly arrange them into folders and categories. This will help you quickly respond to emails and save hours.

Instead of checking your emails multiple times during the day, make a routine of checking your email inbox at the beginning or end of the day. Learn how to write ridiculously great emails and make your life clutter-free.

4.     Take Multiple Breaks during the Day

Tom Rath, the bestselling author and employee engagement consultant, shed some light on the importance of taking regular breaks throughout the day.

He said, “Don’t fret over the fact that taking 20-minute breaks throughout your workday might ruin your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.”

Take 20-minute breaks after every 90 minutes of work to replenish your energy and feel rejuvenated from inside out.

5.     De-clutter Your Desk

“Every minute you spend looking through the clutter, wondering where you put this or that, and being unable to focus because you are not organized, costs you dearly.”—Jean Chatzky

You might have heard this age-old adage on a number of occasions, “Get your house in order”. My friend specializes in brand activation who owns a website design company in Dubai – Branex clears his desk first thing in the morning. Your work desk is your house and you must get it in order to be productive.

Nothing can rain more over your productivity parade than a messy work station. An article published in Forbes elucidated the negative impact a messy desk can have on your productivity and other aspects of your work. Keep things organized so you do not waste time looking for stuff.

6.     Make a To-Do List

Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group, which boasts more than 400 companies to its name, has a great formula for staying productive. He uses a number of To-Do lists to monitor the tasks he has completed and keep track of tasks he needs to do.

He once said, “I have always lived my life by making lists: lists of people to call, lists of ideas, lists of companies to set up, lists of people who can make things happen. Each day I work through these lists, and that sequence of calls moves me forward.”

Creating a To-Do list is not difficult anymore, thanks to a plethora of credible To-Do tools available in the market. They will help you keep your work life organized.

7.     Defeat Procrastination with the Two Minute Rule

Another enemy of your productivity is procrastination. We have all been guilty of procrastinating throughout our careers, at some point or another. Some might do it rarely while others delve into this deadly sin almost religiously.

Depending on the frequency, your productivity takes a massive hit. Stalling tasks at hand do not only wreak havoc on your productivity at work, it can also ruin your personal life as well.

David Allen, a bestselling author and productivity expert, proposed an ideal solution to resolve the procrastination dilemma once and for all. He proposed a “Two Minute Rule” to conquer deferment.

The Two-minute rule states, “If it takes two or fewer minutes to complete the task, do it now.”

8.     Keep Digital Distractions at Bay

Congratulations, you have managed to skimp on meetings and cut down the amount of time spent on checking your email inbox. But is it enough to make your more productive? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

There are many other distractions which can throw you off your focus. These include annoying calls, and the ping of messages and pop up notifications that are almost irresistible. Add social media to the equation, in addition to wasting time in browsing the web, and you will find it a real hassle to achieve your daily, weekly and monthly productivity goals.
You can easily get over this problem by shutting down notifications, avoiding calls and messages, or using your phone only during break times.

Conclusion

By making small tweaks to your daily routine, such as organizing your desk, sorting through your email inbox, and keeping all kinds of distractions at bay, you can do wonders to your productivity both at work and at home.

Avoid multitasking and take breaks to save you from employee burnout and work-related stress. It will also help you stay focused. Value each minute of your day and never waste your time because once wasted, time can never be reclaimed. Last but not the least, avoid procrastination with the two-minute rule.

Which productivity enhancing hacks do you use to stay productive at work or at home despite all the distractions? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.

Author’s Bio

Muneeb Qadar is a veteran branding expert. He currently works for Branex AE and is a professional when it comes to offering companies taut solutions that can make any product a household name.
His treatment of the marketing tactics is instrumental in the success of a product. If you are trying to launch a product and make a name for it in quick time, then Muneeb is the right person to contact.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.

productivity

Top 5 Free Resources to Boost Your Productivity Today

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Regardless of your given profession, efficiency always pays exponentially. Been able to get more work accomplished in less time is one of the major ways of getting ahead professionally. This is always the case, whether you are eyeing a lucrative promotion or perhaps trying to grow your own business venture. With a wide variety of productivity tools made available online, you can now be in an excellent position of exploiting them to significantly boost the amount of work you can get done. Best of all, many of these online resources can be accessed completely free of charge. Also, if you happen to work at a PC throughout your workday, you most definitely struggle with pesky distractions that ruin your focus. So, instead of letting the internet to impede on your productivity, why not allow it to work for you? Here then are some top 5 free resources to boost your productivity, save you time and streamline your workday.

1. Unroll.Me

Like most busy professionals, you will certainly not wish your inbox to be cluttered with spam mail. This is where Unroll.Me comes into the picture. This free online productivity resource, once you sign up for it, will obtain a list of all your email subscriptions. After reviewing them, you then get to unsubscribe automatically all those which don’t add value to your professional duties. This software, at the same time, will roll all those emails subscriptions you wish to retain into just a single message. This way, you can be able to skim through them all at a single glance each and every day. Instead of being forced to go through dozens of emails consecutively.

2. Evernote

Evernote is a cloud-based online workspace that you can make use of across all your devices. It also permits you to fully customize its many features in order to suit your unique requirements and preferences. In essence, you can utilize this free online productivity tool to keep abreast of all your to-do lists, conveniently access crucial work documents and even research logs all in a single place.

3. Coach.Me

At some point in your career, you will feel the need of having some individual who can push you, despite yourself, to develop useful habits and get rid of bad ones as well. This is exactly what the free online productivity tool, Coach.Me, was specifically created for. If you are probably trying to develop a better workflow strategy, this resource is right down your alley. Additionally, it can assist you in other non-work related activities, which can indirectly boost your overall productivity. This includes helping you to sleep better or even starting an appropriate workout regimen. This application offers free instructions along with suggestions and message boards for hundreds of different work-related topics. In the event you wish for it, for an upgrade fee of a paltry $15, you can gain access to a real personal coach. One who will always check up on you each and every day to make sure you are able to stick to the strategies that will expand your career horizons.

4. RescueTime

This free online productivity tool can let you efficiently keep track of the exact time you spend working, viewing specific websites or using certain apps. You will then get to appraise your time-saving progress on a daily basis. While after every week, you will obtain a comprehensive report, which breaks down all this information in user-friendly and easy to decipher charts. You will also get a productivity score after every week to enable you to push yourself to the limits and improve your time-keeping skills.

5. Online typing tutors

Touch typing is a skill that has been introduced to improve typing speed as well as accuracy. When you become a touch typing master, you will come to discover that you can immensely improve your productivity in all typing associated tasks you undertake. This, in its turn, will go a long way will let you take up much more work than you previously did in your usual work days. More to the point, learning how to touch type will allow you to accomplish all this in a significantly shorter time frame than you would not have thought possible. To this end, there are now numerous online typing tutors, which are solely devoted to teaching the art of touch typing. These websites provide many resources that can assist you to become a skilled touch typist. Even better, a good number of the best of these sites offer their invaluable services at no cost at all, and you can easily sign up at any time.

About the Author

My name is Daria Postoyalkina, I’m a development manager at Ratatype. This project helps children and adults to learn touch typing via an online typing test and lessons.

I am in charge of developing the proper typing lessons and exercise for typists who want to improve their typing speed.

Positive Words Research – Top 5 Free Resources to Boost Your Productivity

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