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Home Office Set-Up Tips for Marketing and Selling Your Books


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people who work at home has grown again substantially over the last decade. If you are going to promote and fulfill your book orders from home, you'll join the approximately 4.2 million people who also work from home.

As an author, you're probably familiar with the reasons for using a home office. You know that working from home has a number of advantages. Among them, having more flexibility, saving time and money by eliminating the commute, avoiding noise and distraction in the workplace and being able to arrange work around family commitments. If you are committed to putting in time and energy to promoting your book, you should devote a permanent space for mailings, storing files, and managing the business of marketing and selling your work.

If you are going to set up your office, make sure to keep track of every sales-related expense, no matter how big or small. If you don't already have these items, you'll need to invest in a few high-ticket tools to get started.

Computer

No office can function in this day and age without a computer. There are dozens of models to choose from, but perhaps the most convenient would be a laptop which can be brought to meetings when necessary. As a writer (and if you're on this site), you most likely have some form of a computer. But how updated is your software? Are you running anti-virus programs? Also, there is a growing movement on the Internet called "Open Source", where a number of constantly updated software products are available free to consumers - OpenOffice, Zoho.com, and Nvu are a few to start with.

Printer/scanner/fax machine

A printer is a must for any home business. So are a scanner and fax machine. You used to have to buy these separately, but nowadays, you can benefit from the convenience of having all the office functions you require in one reliable solution. Several companies make all-in-one models and they are worth the investment and save a lot of space.

Postage Meter

Time is money, and no one wants to waste any of it standing in line at the post office. So, you'll want to invest in a postage meter that will allow you to print postage anytime you need it. This is important when you're fulfilling book orders or sending out PR mailings for your book.

Pitney Bowes offers a model that comes with a built-in scale that weighs your mail and prints exact postage every time. The meter hooks up to a telephone line and you can dial in your request to add funds 24/7. According to applicable rules and regulations, postage meters cannot be owned by a business, but you can rent one. Depending on the model you choose, it will cost between $15 and $20 per month -- an expense you'll be able to write off at the end of the year.

If you only have a few items to mail at a time, you can just set it out in your mailbox for pickup by your local carrier. If you need to send out a large volume of mail, you can contact the U.S. Postal Service (www.usps.cokm/pickup) and make arrangements for pickup.

For a limited time, you can try the mailstation risk-free for 90-days, and get $50 in free postage coupons by clicking here.  

Paper shredder  

In this day and age where security is such a concern, a paper shredder is also a good idea. You can use this to safely dispose of sensitive documents you no longer need.  Any piece of paper with account numbers, your name and address, etc., should be shredded before being placed in the recycling bin.

Once you have these basic tools in place, the only other things you'll need are a phone, stationary, pens and pencils. Then your home office will be ready for business.

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