Power To The Publisher

By Donesia Muhammad Copyright (c) 2002 KDM Publishing


I am beginning to think that publishers have watched too many movies these days because they have this glamorous perception of the publishing world. 

Just as every morning, we wake up to read our local newspaper and we appreciate what we see in print, we know that they will deliver interesting thought provoking information that we know we can use.

I remember in high school working for the school paper, helped me tremendously. I knew that when I put my name on that article, I was proud of it.

Then I was just a writer.

Now I am a publisher, which means everything is on me.

From the creation, maintenance, circulation, and everything in between, the responsibility is mine.

Well, by looking at some ezines online, you could've fooled me!

I have seen some great ezines, once ezines that I loved to read reduced to issues that have no personality, a certain negativity about it.

But I know what has stumped our creativity lately: 



READERS UNSUBSCRIBING TOO QUICKLY

However you obtain your readers ( although not through Spam I hope) through ad coops, purchasing subs, or just by your site traffic, always remember:

If you Say Opt-in, it means just that. They have a choice.
You didn't hold someone hostage. People have a right to choose whether they want to leave or not. 

It is normal for at least 1% of your subscribers to remove themselves weekly. 

Now over the past few months, you think that people are unsubscribing, it is their ISP's ( Internet Service Providers) that are removing your ezines from their inbox. So before you think that no one wants to read what you write, they haven't even had the chance to make that decision. 

Regardless, every few months or so, you should ask for feedback from your readers to see how you are doing, and what changes, if any, need to be corrected. 

Also with the latest viruses going around, the viruses themselves are subscribing your address to many ezines that I never even knew about beforehand. I simply unsubscribe myself, letting publishers know that the virus subscribed my address, not me personally. Sounds weird but once it happens to you the first time, you don't panic the next or yell Spam unnecessarily. 





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SPAM FILTERS 

This is one of the things that is really getting people down. We don't know how to handle this situation. We are reducing ourselves to less than catchy subject headings for fear of being blocked. We are all either going back to text or only publishing our ezine on site instead of in our reader's inbox. 

AOL will bounce your email after one chance. Any more and you may get blacklisted. 

What's a publisher to do? 

Some publishers have stopped accepting free email addresses, it's either a paid ISP address or your own domain. I don't blame them, and who knows what I would have to do next year. My favorite yahoo addresses may become obsolete by default. The only people left who will accept free addresses may just be the ones we know personally. We are learning slowly to adapt to these new "rules" of the game. We were used to gaining hundreds of subscribers every month, now we are lucky to see 100 subscribers that actually made it through the filters. 

But I am not discouraged in the least. I have seen my list shrink, grow, and stay at a standstill. But after almost one year of publishing, and hopefully many more years to come, I have to go with the flow, and keep doing what I have been doing all along. Bring quality information to my readers. 

I know you didn't think that a thing such as spam filters was going to bring down one of THE most effective ways to market your product online, did you? 



LOW AD SALES

So, like me, you figured that you can really rack up in ad sales and clean house, huh? Wrong! 

Some weeks are good for me and some weeks I couldn't pay for a can of soup with my earnings. It has it's ups and downs, and that is just how the game is played. Until you are truly established in your ad sales and advertisers are getting good results from your ad, the word will get out and you will see consistent ad sales. Until then, just keep growing like everyone else. 

Here is something to remember: 

In order to grow as a publisher, you have to become selective of your words, your thoughts, and what represents you? 

What am I talking about? 

You do have the final say on all ads that go in your issue. 

You are the publisher, remember.. 

We can all read those type of "get rich quick" ads. They're everywhere. But they don't have to show up in your publication. 


Don't be afraid to tell a paid advertiser " I do not publish ads of this nature. Can you resubmit another ad according to my guidelines, or I will be happy to refund your money" 

Easier said than done huh? 

Not really, place your ad guidelines firmly on your site. Remind them before and after they make a payment of your ad guidelines. That can eliminate a lot of hassle later on down the road. 

Even if the ad is from an ad coop, you are not bound by law to publish their ad, if it doesn't fit their guidelines. I have had a few publishers that have contacted me about not publishing one of the ads I have sent them. Not because of the content, but because of the length of the ad. Sounds simple, but if that is your guideline, then stick to it. 

But here is a tip from a coop owner. Before you sign up for any ad coop, look to see what type of ads that they publish so there are no surprises in the long run. If you choose not to publish an ad for whatever reason, that also means not to subscribe that advertiser to your ezine either. Fair is fair. 

Don't get desperate with your publications. I hate to see a product or service take over an ezine instead of enhancing an ezine. 



Your readers don't know you face to face. They don't know your personality, your lifestyle, what makes you tick. 

All they know is what you tell them, so your words account for your personality. 

Make it work, stop complaining, it will get better. 

You see, your readers look to you to determine what products and services are good for them. Don't recommend just because it has a high commission. 

Do something because you want to, not because you think it is the thing to do. 

I have seen so many ezines throw in the towel lately and I'm talking about some of them that are still publishing. 

How many of your readers can spot your clickbank id without even reading the ad? 

I know the spam filters have put our spirits down. You think no one is reading, no one cares. 

When I get emails from some of my readers asking me if I am still publishing, I know that their email was filtered and I also know that they care enough to ask. 

That is the power of the publisher. 



Copyright (c) 2002 Donesia Muhammad

Donesia Muhammad is an aspiring Netpreneur. Visit her site at http://EzineAdHelper.com for help with your ezine advertising. Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free gift
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