ISSN Fact or Fiction: for Serious Home Business Owners and/or Newsletter Writser

International Standard Serial Number

Today's entrepreneur has to market himself and his product as much as he must be market-oriented and with both tasks comes the need to be professional. Whether you're a freelance health care provider, working a multi-level marketing business, running a daycare, or writing, there will come a time when you realize a newsletter, on- or off-line, is an information pushing time-saver your business cannot afford to do without: Enter the International Standard Serial Number.

ISSN for short, the International Standard Serial Number is the identifier accepted for periodicals (which are works published regularly on some type of schedule; GIIW!, for example, promises to publish their writer's newsletter sporadically, "never knowing" when you'll get your newsletter nor how often).

We've all seen the ISSN as a line of numbers or a barcode for decades-the letters "ISSN" are followed by two groups of four numbers (and/or possibly an X*) divided by a hyphen. This is commonplace enough you might not notice it.  

However unremarkable the ISSN has become, for the business owner/newsletter writer, it's use can be quite remarkable:

By obtaining and using an ISSN, you automatically lend an air of credibility to yourself and your newsletter in the way that a business card, once-upon-a-time, gave a buyer confidence in the card-giver and his gimmick. Sure it doesn't promise quality or usefulness--certainly there's no "buyer beware"--but that's beside the point: people believe in it and that alone is worth untold sums.

ISSNs have other relatively "just okay" points, such as electronic archiving and cataloging, which are especially useful in libraries, keeping your publication within public reach. Furthermore, while I've never personally seen this happen, it's been said newsletter old files can easily be updated across the board thanks to standard identification. 

TeraisaAtHome assumes you're a small business owner working from home and will not be submitting your newsletter into major institutions where cataloging is required for management and sanity's sake... having said that, IF YOU CAN - DO IT, because when you hit the big time with your newsletter and subscribers, the ISSN uses widen, allowing for better management of subscription and distribution. 

Bottom Line:
Apply for an ISSN for serial publications because having a leg up on competition from the get-go far outweighs the time it takes to fill out and send in the application.

Interactive Moments:
Share in our comments what is your newsletter and where can we find it? Have you obtained an ISSN? What caused you to make this decision? If you do not have an ISSN, are you now going to apply for one?

Where to Go:
What you fill out depends which country you are in or publishing in, be sure to read all the information that pertains to you before filling in the application found at ISSN.org

Hard Up!

Believe it or not, there's still sickness lurking inside our home, infecting our lives and business in every way imaginable.  For At Home America, I literally cannot hold a home party even if I forced myself (it's contagious, it seems), the only person I mentor, I've failed because I could not come to her party because of this (and now she's sick with probably the same thing, so she's in the same boat as I am), and since I cannot concentrate, I'm not writing or reading.  But check it out; I have the BEST ideas right now. Figures!

Most days, I try to make it to the game room and to my desk once a day. The game room holds the family TV and pretty much, the family!  The desk, it's just so I can say I made it to work once again, never mentioning I didn't actually work.  Though I am admitting it now.  Today, my bed's my office.

The two things I seem to be able to do are work on the website and attempt to share At Home America with friends online.  The website has been difficult since the change to Mac and the more recent switch to Dreamweaver, which makes this a bit positive. It helps that I finally broke down and purchased the Dreamweaver CS4 for Dummies book, too (if only I could concentrate and read it).

Here's my idea for next week:
Free shipping with all online orders, even to Hawaii, begins November 23. I'm going to create an event on Facebook, with pictures of MY favorite sale items people would want before Christmas, inviting them to order using the online catalog and order form and getting their shipping free. On my private page, I'll take an idea from fellow ATA, Amanda, offer our countdown snowman to 10 lucky people who are willing to part with $10 (includes shipping and tax).

I do not want to SPAM anyone or make them hate coming to my Facebook wall, but I do not want to lose the Christmas spirit sales, you know?

Teraisa's November Holiday SALE Picks:

 

  Reindeer tumblers, 8 oz.: 4 for $3.99 (beats the recalled McDonalds cups, even in price!)

Snowman counts down the days 'til Christmas - nearly 2 feet and just $7.99

 

Holiday pitcher holds a whooping 85 oz., that's a LOT of eggnog!  Use this in the dishwasher and microwave safely or use as a festive vase $6.99

What a LONG Night!

My mind is reeling. There's so much to think about, many ideas swirling in my head, so many pretty things to look at and sort out.

The night couldn't go fast enough; all I wanted to do is get up and WORK. Crazy. Does it die out? Once I host that first party, will I change my outlook?

By the way, my first party was a catalog party and is mostly a bust. I MAY get a sale out of it, but because we ship to the hostess... her guests couldn't pay for shipping twice. When I set that first party up, I had not even applied. I was determined (and required) to set up 6 parties prior to the application. Once I was in, I learned the catalog parties are great, they're easy, BUT there are certain things you need to know and explain before you begin.

This could be a blessing or a curse. You see, you may get a few EXTRA parties out of it, as those who are too far, may decide to host their own party. Or, you'll lose all the guests, as I did.

I'll be sharing a post on direct shipping and I'll try to get a list of other home based opportunities and their policies. As I said in another post, I'm here to change things for the better. And I will.