Digitizer Group Blog

Morgan James Publishing on NASDAQ

Morgan James Publishing’s David Hancock and Rick Frishman along with Edie Fraser and Robyn Spizman, authors of “Do Your Giving While You Are Living,” preside over the Opening Bell along with representatives from exemplary organizations.

“Do Your Giving While You are Living” representatives come from more than 25 organizations including: AARP, The SCORE Association, National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Free the Children, Vital Voices, Small Act Network (with Technology with a Heart), National Urban League, GoodSearch, Jackie Robinson Foundation, KidSave, National School Boards Association, Dreams for Kids, National Council of Negro Women, The United Nations Foundation, Tanenbaum Center for Inter-Religious Understanding, The National Fragile X Foundation, Dress For Success, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish, National Crittenton Diversity Business, Office Depot Foundation, American Cancer Society, ActiveCause, Count-Me-In, Arena Stage, Adecco, Sodexo, Verizon, Arrow Electronics, and more.

More pictures from the event:

Our Publisher, David Hancock and our Publicist, Rick Frishman – live and in person in front of NASDAQ in Times Square, New York City

Robyn Spizman and Edie Fraser, the Authors of “Do Your Giving While You Are Living” at the NASDAQ Opening Bell ceremony

David Hancock, CEO of Morgan James Publishing, is donating a percentage of sales from this book and others to Habitat for Humanity.

About ‘Do Your Giving While You Are Living’:

Edie Fraser and Robyn Spizman with these organizations and individuals are on a mission to convince others to support those who are less fortunate with time, dollars or both. They’ve interviewed top executives to showcase how to make everyone’s life better.

When you add up those examples, one arrives at the conclusion there is an outstanding set of leaders for non-profits. Fraser and Spizman believe that reaching out to others is even more important in tough economic times. As book contributor (and former Congresswoman and current CEO of the Association of American Publishers) Patricia Schroeder says, “You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time. So choose.”

Other amazing contributors to the book and mission include: Dionne Warwick: Musician and Philanthropist; Norman Lear: Social Activist and Philanthropist; Dr. Dorothy I. Height: Chair and President Emerita, National Council of Negro Women; Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Carlson Industries; Kim McKay, Clean up Australia and Clean Up the World; Essie Calhoun, The Eastman Kodak Company; AARP: Jennie Chin Hansen, President; Robin Talbert, President AARP Foundation; Bonnie McElwane Hunter, Chairman; American Cancer Society: Dr. Marion Morra, Chairman; Office Depot Foundation: Mary Wong, President; CARE: Helene Gayle MD., PhD, President; Make-A Wish Foundation: Dave Williams, President and CEO; Free the Children: Craig Keilburger; Dreams for Kids: Tom Tuohy, President and Founder; Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation: Peter Samuelson, Founder; Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Judy Vredenburgh, President; The National Fragile X Foundation; and many more.

Philanthropy and volunteerism are the essence of one’s life and the book Do Your Giving While You Are Living shares examples of who is doing what and what you can do, too! Just in time for the season of giving, New York Times best-selling author and national media personality Robyn Spizman and diversity and philanthropic leader Edie Fraser release their newest book ‘Do Your Giving While You Are Living: Inspirational Lessons on What You Can Do Today to Make A Difference Tomorrow’ (Morgan James Publishing 2009).

Available now for purchasing in bookstores now and online at DoYourGiving.com and Amazon. (www.DoYourGiving.com), this inspirational and motivational book features stories from charitable people around the world and encourages everyone from high-powered leaders to struggling parents and children to make a difference TODAY. The signal is clear– that even during these tough times, it’s important to help nonprofit organizations and individuals in need.

A handbook for life, ‘Do Your Giving While You Are Living’ is a quick read, one meant to be shared and enjoyed time and time again. Designed so the reader can flip through and delve in at any point, Do Your Giving While You Are Living has a valuable message that resonates long after the last page has been turned.
For more information, visit www.DoYourGiving.com

Do Your Giving on NASDAQ

More to come… Very proud moment for Morgan James, the authors and Rick and I!

Do you want to be a Talk Show Star?

I was doing a research on what it would take for an ordinary author/speaker/expert (such as myself, for example, i.e. NOT a celebrity), to get booked on a national talk show to promote a book, to launch a campaign, to create a buzz about an upcoming product, etc. and the results of my search led me to believe that…

Yes, I certainly can!

According to Steve Harrison, the Publisher of highly successful “Radio-TV Interview Report” (RTIR), it is highly possible these days.

However, according to Steve, “certain topics are more appealing to talk show producers than others.”

Steve firmly believes that “WORDS MATTER” and, since their very start back in 1986, his company helped a number of best-selling writers book themselves on Radio and TV Shows, including the likes of Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, co-authors of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series, Robert Kiyosaki, author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Deepak Chopra and many, many others.

The success of RTIR is undeniable and Blanquita Cullum, President of the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts of Washington, D.C., calls RTIR “the bible of the industry”.

Why?

Because “Each of their issues reaches over 4,000 producers, hosts and program directors nationwide.”

But here’s the “kicker”: After having helped more than 10,000 people get on the air, they discovered the following. Some show topics are MUCH more popular than the others, so your success highly depends on knowing what they are and using that knowledge to your advantage! For instance –

Talk show topics with the MOST appeal include:

• Anniversaries of famous events
• Celebrities
• Conspiracies
• Controversy
• Current events
• Funny/humorous topics
• Movies, TV, entertainment
• Politics
• Provocative opinions
• Relationships/romance
• Relevance to pop culture
• Related to current news
• Rock & pop music
• Sports
• Strange/unusual
• Timely topics

As I mentioned to you at the beginning of this article, the RTIR conclusions gave me a source of inspiration.

“Listen, Val…”, I thought to myself,  “if you want to book yourself on a Prime-time TV or a Radio show, your story should sound somewhat like this:

“My name is Rock “Bull’s Eye” Popsome, today we celebrate a 10-year anniversary of “PopSportCelebstock”, a highly controvercial and famous event that started a decade ago in Prockins, Rockonado as a conspiracy of a whole bunch of rock & pop stars, comedians, movie, TV and Sports entertainment celebrities who got together and voiced their opinion against certain political leaders that were trying to suppress their provocative views on pop culture, news coverage and strange/unusual relationships & romance, an integral part of their culture.

This year over 1 Million people, including rock & pop stars, comedians, movie, TV and Sports entertainment celebrities are getting together – once again – in Rockins, Provocado to celebrate the PopSportCelebstock anniversary and to discuss the timely topics relating to their so-called “Re-Union.”

Get the idea? 😉

If you think you can do better – please leave me some Comments below.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

NASDAQ Opening Bell Ceremony

Morgan James Publishing has been invited to Ring Opening Bell at NASDAQ MarketSite along with Authors of New Book, Do Your Giving While You Are Living! (http://www.DoYourGiving.com)

David Hancock and I will join authors Edie Fraser and Robyn Spizman at MarketSite in New York City on Wednesday, December 17th 2008 (THIS WEDNESDAY). Serving as the epicenter for NASDAQ news and events, MarketSite is located in the heart of New York’s Times Square. Each day MarketSite hosts some of the world’s most prestigious business leaders to preside over the Market Open.

The MarketSite Tower is located at 43rd and Broadway, this high-tech electronic display wraps around the cylindrical NASDAQ building, providing up-to-the-minute financial news, market highlights, and advertisements. The MarketSite Tower is featured in films, television programming, and news articles. This modern day icon soars 7 stories high and illuminates Times Square 24 hours a day.

The MarketSite houses a state-of-the-art digital broadcast studio that transmits approximately 100 live market updates by a host of networks including CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Reuters, NDTV Profit, CNBD India, Business Week TV and other financial networks to reach millions of viewers around the world with up-to-the-second market news. Dedicated NASDAQ technical and production staff provide real-time trading information to reporters 14 hours a day. You can watch the action LIVE from the NASDAQ MarketSite live webcam:

http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx

Be a part of a live audience at NASDAQ’s Opening or Closing Bell Ceremony.

NASDAQ is offering an exciting new opportunity. They are currently offering public groups the opportunity to attend and view the NASDAQ Opening or Closing Bell Ceremony from their studio located in the heart of Times Square.

Groups of between 10 and 15 guests can be accommodated at each ceremony. Guests will have the opportunity to view the Opening Bell/Closing Bell Ceremony from inside the studio as well as view live reports from domestic and international business networks.

Guests will be asked to arrive by no later than 9:00am for an Opening Bell and 3:30pm for a Closing Bell. Guests will be greeted by a NASDAQ official and escorted inside the studio to view the Opening/Closing Bell Ceremony.

For more details or if you are interested in this opportunity please send an email to MarketSite.Events@nasdaq.com.

About the Book:

Not Only a Book, it’s a Mission… With the support of corporate and non-profit leaders, outstanding philanthropists, dedicated volunteers, celebrities, ambassadors for change, and innovative activists working to better humanity, Do You Giving While You Are Living has become a movement. Its mission is to encourage every single person to seek out a personal style of giving and determine the ever-evolving answer of why we should give now. Readers will join us as we share the truth and a behind-the-scenes look at giving through the eyes of the most dedicated and knowledgeable individuals on earth. After reading this book, readers will never think of giving in the same way… Read More at http://www.DoYourGiving.com

Who wants to Get Altitude and become an Info Millionaire in 2009?

Of all the Internet Marketing launches and re-launches that happened this week I definitely recommend these two:

Eben Pagan’s “Get Altitude” re-launch and Frank Kern’s “Info Millionaire” re-launch.

Why?

Because Product Launches and Marketing fads come and go all the the time and then they vanish.

At the same time, proven Business Strategies that created success for their founders in the past remain valuable forever. Those are the ones that are being re-launched again and again for a reason.

And that’s why I can recommend them to you, my valuable blog readers with such high degree of confidence and certainty.

What I mean to say to you is this:

You can take these strategies and implement them in your business RIGHT NOW or ANY TIME LATER, regardless of the existing economy, regardless of the future trends and regardless of where you stand financially.

And that’s why I love these 2 programs! This is why I strongly recommend that if you are serious about building a business of your dreams in 2009 while the rest of the businesses have to starve and wonder if they even survive, you should definitely look at these 2 programs, study them, internalize them and put them in practice.

So Get Altitude and become an Info Millionaire, my friends! 🙂

At the Habitat for Humanity in Toronto

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Val A. Slastnikov and Geoffrey H. Fullerton promote the Morgan James Publishing Network at the local event of the Habitat for Humanity in Toronto, ON, Canada

To Give Is To Receive

• Posted by David Hancock
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There is more to corporate giving than just writing a check. Learn how to give the right way and your company will benefit in the process.

A decade ago many companies looked at giving as an admirable, though not necessary, activity. But with consumers and investors increasingly interested in social responsibility, corporate giving is now a need-to-do item but not only for the altruistic reasons you may expect. Thoughtful support of organizations and causes can be good for business too and more companies are getting into giving.

Consumers are watching and reacting. According to the Roper Report, 71% of U.S. consumers feel corporate giving should be standard practice and 83% have a more positive image of a company that gives. 67% say if price and quality are equal, they’ll support the company that supports a cause. Employees even feel 87% stronger loyalty to a company that gives.

Strategic giving can reinforce the message that your company makes good use of its resources and cares about its impact in the community. Strategic giving also gives you the tools to demonstrate that you are making a difference. These tools can make you a better business person, helping to attract and retain customers, employees and investors who support the same things. When your giving gets attention, you get a PR boost.

There is more to giving than just writing a check every so often. Make sure you match your giving to your brand and values. For a giving program to have the greatest impact on your community and your business, it must tie closely with the culture of your company. Being an engaged, outspoken leader will help you define a culture of giving and will promote a giving strategy that will make a significant impact on the success of the company.

Now don’t let me overwhelm you. You can think beyond the checkbook. Many nonprofits benefit from non-financial contributions as well. You can look for ways you can help the organization leverage its ability to raise funds like participating in awareness campaigns and don’t forget the power of blood, sweat and tears. Your time volunteering can be invaluable too.

Do you think Morgan James could afford to write a check to build a new Habitat home in 2005 when we first launched our building partnership with our local Habitat for Humanity affiliate? No way! But we did see the power of creating an awareness campaign by putting the Habitat logo and a statement in every book sold and compelling staff to volunteer with their local affiliate. We also knew that even though we couldn’t afford to give big then, but we could give a percentage of sales as they happened. You can do the same thing.

I’m sure you’re asking me why am I talking about this now. Well, I’ll tell you. Last night I experienced a movement at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. when Edie Fraser and Robyn Spizman Freedman launched their new book Do Your Giving While You Are Living: Inspirational Lessons on What You Can Do Today to Make a Difference Tomorrow. Over 400 people gathered to be a part of that movement with a very big–and very timely–message. To inspires readers to embrace giving and to understand that the highest purpose in life is quite simple: doing for others. During the event, some of the most influential and philanthropic people and organizations in the world today, spoke about how the act of giving can change the world and also change their own lives in ways they never thought possible.
It was incredible. What better way to get out of an economic downturn than giving, and I mean giving more than just your tithe. Give above and beyond. Your profits will thank you, your competitors will fear you and your community will praise you.

So I hope I’ve compelled you to nurture your social responsibility and begin your giving while you are living.
Do Your Giving While You Are Living is available at your favorite bookseller now and at www.DoYourGiving.com.

The 2008 Habitat Gingerbread Build – Dec. 6 & 7

Date:
10:00am – 3:30pm (12/06/2008)

Location:
Habitat Toronto Home Building Factory (Located at 1627 Danforth Ave.).

Description:

Habitat for Humanity Toronto’s 6th annual Gingerbread Build is just around the corner! This family-friendly event will be held on the weekend of December 6th & 7th at the Habitat Toronto Home Building Factory (Located at 1627 Danforth Ave.).

While volunteers have to be 16 to participate in a Habitat build, children of any age can participate in the Gingerbread Build. By doing so, they will offer a ‘hand up’ to children in need of a simple, decent, affordable home. Hundreds of families sign up to build and decorate one, two or several gingerbread houses at this event.

Houses are purchased through Habitat Toronto and cost $55 for the first house and $50 for each additional house. One hundred percent of the funds raised through this event will go directly into building more Habitat homes for families in need.

Choose from 4 different build times each day: 10:00AM, 11:30AM, 1:00PM, 2:30PM. To purchase a kit now online, please click here. 

Want to join in the fun? Here’s how:

1. Click here to book your build time and purchase your gingerbread kit now! Or…

2. Contact Joanna at jmatthews@torontohabitat.on.ca or 416-755-7353 ext.228 and let her know how many gingerbread houses you would like to build, how many people will be in your group and the date and time you would like to participate.

3. Pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Amex) or write a cheque made out to Habitat for Humanity Toronto (please write “Gingerbread Build” in the memo field) and mail it to to 120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 600, Toronto, ON, M4P 1E2

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Calls It Quits On New Acquisitions

Posted by David Hancock on December 1, 2008 at 3:11pm

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It’s been clear for months that it will be a not-so-merry holiday season for many publishers, but at least one house has gone so far as to stop acquisitions. Morgan James has learned that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Mark Twain’s publisher and the original publisher of Guerrilla Marketing) has asked its editors to stop buying books.

Publishers Weekly reported that Josef Blumenfeld, Vice President of communications for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, confirmed that the publisher has “temporarily stopped acquiring manuscripts” across its trade and reference divisions. The directive was given verbally to a handful of executives and, according to Blumenfeld, is “not a permanent change.” Blumenfeld, who hedged on when the ban might be lifted, said that the right project could still go to the editorial review board. He also maintained that the the decision is less about taking drastic measures than conducting good business.

“In this case, it’s a symbol of doing things smarter; it’s not an indicator of the end of literature,” he said. “We have turned off the spigot, but we have a very robust pipeline.” The action by the highly leveraged Houghton Mifflin Harcourt may also be as much about the company’s need to cut costs in a tight credit market as about the current economic slowdown.

While Blumenfeld dismissed the severity of the policy, a number of agents said they have never heard of a publisher going so far as to instruct its editors to stop acquiring.

An agent who had also heard about the no-acquisitions policy at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called the move “very scary” and said it’s indicative of an industry climate worse than any he’s ever seen.

Thus far one agent has confirmed that at least one of his manuscripts has been declined at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt per the policy. But perhaps an editor at the house put it best; in an e-mail, the editor mentioned the policy and added, “Who knows what’s next.”

With general bafflement over Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s willingness to admit out loud that they have a freeze on buying new books, the New York Times speaks to Jeremy Dickens, president of Education Media and Publishing Group, the private equity company that owns the trade publisher. “He denied that the company was for sale, but said, ‘If there’s a transaction that makes sense for all of our stakeholders, we’ll consider it.'” And “he said that the company had received inquiries from other trade publishers interested in acquiring Houghton.”

On the freeze, Dickens said they wanted to be “extremely prudent about the way that we allocate our capital and where we make our investment decisions.” He added, “We have plenty of titles in the pipeline that will be coming out next year and we will continue to evaluate opportunities if and when we decide to lift the freeze.” That “if” will cause some additional concern…

The buyers took on massive debt to swallow Houghton Mifflin and then Harcourt, back when credit was at least cheap and freely available, and they now have “about $7 billion in debt” with annual debt service of “about $500 million.” DIckens says they have no problem covering the payments, but are not “allocating as much capital” to trade publishing, which is a small part of the company.

Is it time for an overhaul of the traditional publishing model? I think the answer is clear. According to McGraw Hill’s former Publisher, Morgan James is “taking the BS out of publishing”. If BS means 200 year old tradition that just doesn’t work anymore, I’m inclined to agree!

Meanwhile, Morgan James title acquisitions are up 32% and overall book sales are up 52%. I’m further inclined to share a quote from one of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt most successful authors, Jay Conrad Levinson (Guerrilla Marketing): “I’ve seen the future of publishing, and it’s name is Morgan James”.