Marketing plan for Very Simple Guides:
These booklets are aimed at a large community of people in recovery from drugs, alcohol, and those affected by a friend of family member’s problems. Some of the titles also work for less problematic folks who are on a spiritual journey.
This is a very large market. It is growing every day.
Beyond placement in recovery/spirituality sections in
bookstores, I would suggest direct sales to the thousands of drug and alcohol
treatment facilities across the
In addition some of these books would also do well in spiritual retreat centers of which there seem to be about two thousand.
While there are already a plethora of self help books for this group most of them are wordy, dense and often hard to read. My booklets on the other hand make a point of using few words and instead urge the reader to spend time looking at the photographs. Mine are books to be read in times of trouble, when the reader’s mind is not ready to settle down into dense text. I make the same points, just more simply. I do not claim anything new, in fact I tell the reader in each book this is something they already know.
Very Simple Guides continues to grow in content and scope and has taken a turn which is moving it in directions aimed at vastly enlarging potential readership. The original series is aimed at readers who are on spiritual quests or are in recovery and has grown to thirty titles.
Upon reflection it is clear the idea and format lend themselves to a separate, though similar, series aimed at children and teens. These books will look at and address the challenges they face.
Very Simple Guides for Kids is already taking shape with titles such as, “Being picked on really sucks” , “Feeling good about yourself” , “Feels Like I’m Different”, “I’m not good enough”, and “I hate it when you don’t listen to me.” These topics work for elementary, middle school and, with a bit of editing, for high school students. Some of these are re-worked from the recovery series, others, like being picked on, are completely new.
I have shown drafts to teachers and a guidance councilor who are very enthusiastic and have suggested many possible topics. They say they know of nothing like it. The combining of interesting and beautiful photographs with pithy forthright text produces a product which will have impact on the reader, but will not overwhelm them. These books are different they say because they do not preach and do not talk down to the kids the way much of the current don’t do drugs material does. They also approach topics which are not delt with (and need to be.)
In the more distant future another series could deal with transitions. Themes would include - When a parent has to go into assisted living, When you have to go into assisted living, Upon learning the bad diagnosis, Dealing with adult children, Financial whammy, Asking for help. I would suspect the booklet on getting a bad diagnosis would have a large market among the doctors who have to give the news. It would be something they could give the patients besides a referral to an oncologist or surgeon.
Very Simple Guides -
for people in recovery.
These are “finished” (have photos and two rounds of editing.) Version .99
1.
Be Happy or
Not
2.
God Who
3.
Denial
4.
Attitude
5.
Isolation
6.
Keeping it
Simple
7.
Joy
8.
Synchronicity
9.
Recovery
10.
The Rut.
11.
Acceptance
12.
Addiction
13.
The
Committee
14.
Self esteem
15.
Gratitude
16.
Renting
Space
17.
Anger
18.
Serenity Prayer
19.
Slips
20.
Change
21.
Projection.
22.
Secrets
23.
FROG - Fully
Rely on God
24.
Staying in
the Moment.
25.
Asking for
help
26.
Waiting
27.
Step 1
28.
step 2
29.
step 3
Text done Pub format - photos
need be inserted.
30.
Feelings
31.
Fear
32.
Problem?
What Problem?
33.
Not so alone.
34.
Dysfunctional
families
35.
Meditation
36.
You want
What? When?
37.
EGO becoming
right sized
38.
You are Safe
39.
step 4
40.
Step 5
41.
Step 6
42.
Step 7
43.
step 8
44.
step 9
45.
step 10
46.
Step 11
47.
Step 12
Text drafted - word documents
48.
I don’t
belong here.
49.
Too smart
for your own good
50.
Relationships
51.
Who are
these people?
52.
Deep down
inside (different format)
53.
The steps as a whole
54.
Folding
chairs in a church basement
55.
Used to know
most everything
Below are some other potential
topics listed in no particular order. This list is by no means done
56.
Service
57.
Fear
58.
Codependency
59.
Balance
60.
Love
61.
The Journey.
62.
Enough –
You’ve got it.
63.
Willingness
64.
Grief
65.
Serenity
66.
Trust
67.
Spirituality
- more than one
68.
Thrive –
past survive.
69.
Comfort
70.
If Only
71.
Taking
suggestions
72.
Resentments
73.
Sponsorship
74.
Amends
75.
Forgiving
76.
Forgiving yourself.
77.
Letting go
78.
The
traditions
Very Simple Guides For kids - aimed at middle school /high school kids
similar or same format.
Text drafted