BillRuesch

Entry #6, Bill Ruesch recession-recovery diary Dear Reader, In my last post I mentioned redirecting my efforts toward book printing. Some may think that is a fool-hardy strategy, after all, e-books are all the rage. Paper books are passe. E-book readers are being sold everywhere. Amazon has the Kindle. Barnes & Noble markets the Nook. Sony sells the Librie and there are at least 8 other brands available including the iPad and iPhone. In fact, the e-book reader competition is so hot that... Read Full Story

Day 5, Bill Ruesch recession-recovery diary Dear Reader, Some may wonder if I’ve been sitting on my hands the last two years. My previous blogs could lead you to that conclusion, but you’d be wrong. For a quarter century (doesn’t that sound painfully long?) I semi-specialized in direct mail printing. Most of my customers were either DM agencies or in-house marketing departments of companies communicating with their customers through the mail. We all know what happened when the recession... Read Full Story

Day 4, Bill Ruesch recession recovery diary Dear Reader, The name for a watch without hands--broken. I remember when the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons were first aired. I remember when pagers were the hottest thing. Why, someone could reach you even if not standing near the telephone. Yup, telephone answering machines, faxes, cell phones, digital watches,and personal computers have all be introduced during my lifetime. I tell you this to remind us all that this world is very different... Read Full Story

Day 3, Bill Ruesch recession recovery diary Dear Reader, In my headlong rush to create a diary of my experiences in recession recovery, my wife says that I’ve been revealing T.M.I. She says that it is no body’s business how much I used to earn in the pre-recession world. Maybe she’s right. Probably she is right. She usually is. My only excuse is that I want my readers to know that I’m not a rank amateur who has garnered a little information and decides to pass himself off as an expert... Read Full Story

Day 2, Bill Ruesch recession recovery diary Dear Readers, When I was a young salesman I was taught that “prospecting is like shaving–if you don’t do it everyday you’re a bum.” This quote is attributed to Jack Schwartz, the telephone sales guru. In the pre-recession, business came to me through referrals. Sometimes I had to send customers elsewhere because I couldn’t handle them all. As a result, I haven’t made prospecting calls in twenty years! I think I’ve forgotten how to prospect... Read Full Story

Day 1, Bill Ruesch recession recovery diary Dear Readers, You may have noticed that I haven’t been posting for awhile. I have to confess that this recession has knocked the wind out of my sails. You know what happens to a sailing ship when there is no wind. It’s stuck. I’ve been stuck. Sparked an idea in me. Just recently I caught the movie Julie and Julia on cable TV. The only saving grace for enduring a “chick-flick” was that it centered around cooking and food–two of my favorite... Read Full Story

by Bill Ruesch Rosanne Dingli, a Chicken Scratchings reader wrote, “This is great Bill (referring to the previous post How to Lose a Book Sale in 2 Seconds Flat! ) now tell us a bit about the actual graphics that go on the cover of a standard perfect bound.” Good question. You’ll think I’m copping out if I respond with, every publisher whether traditional or self wish they knew the answer to that . Wouldn’t it be great if there were an ABC design formula guaranteed to grab the reader’s... Read Full Story

by Bill Ruesch Maybe two seconds is generous. It’s really a second or less. No one will even pick up a book if it isn’t appealing. No one. A glance is all you will get–if that. What is the first thing a reader sees when they decide to look at your book? Think about it . That’s right–the cover. If your mind jumped to cover art –Stop!–and back-up. There are at least nine other things you need to consider before exploring cover art. I’ve spelled out  nine basic cover and binding... Read Full Story

Don't be so quick to place the marker. The Internet has been buzzing with reports of the demise of printing. The book industry in particular has been all aflutter about The Kindle, The Nook, and iPad. Are they right? Have electronics finally won? Is printing dead? I am old enough to remember all of the predictions of a paperless office. Computers were supposed to eliminate the need for paper. Instead, printing flourished at a time when the era of paper was sure to be over. It is... Read Full Story

IBM Selectric Typewriter by Bill Ruesch I nearly tripped over an IBM Selectric typewriter, once the King of all the offices,now leaning against a painted door, relegated  to a basement hallway’s supply closet, forever consigned to be a lowly doorstop. My, how things have changed.  What was once considered swell was using the word my as an exclamation at the beginning of a sentence, or even using the word swell at all for that matter. I’m not really into archaic slang, it just seemed... Read Full Story