Here's one use for a Minibuk
David and Kathy Seid have come up with an intriguing new idea to get your message heard. It’s the Minibük, a 3½ x 5-inch book that can be used for anything from inexpensive marketing giveaways to small books that you can sell to people who share common interests with you.
The Seids own a publishing business in Phoenix, and they both have strong marketing backgrounds. They looked at the modern communications landscape and drew several conclusions:
- Our time-compressed, digital culture is here to stay.
- Many experts don’t have time to write a full-sized book to 60,000 to 80,000 words, even though they have something valuable to say.
- A growing percentage of people does not have and will not take the time to read a full-sized book.
- Still, the power of having a book in print is undeniable. It brings credibility and standing in a way that almost nothing else can.
With that assessment in mind, the Seids created the Minibük. A 64-page book can cost you as little as a dollar or so a copy for a run of 2,000. (A minimum run of 250 copies of a 64-page book will cost you a little more than $500, not counting shipping and taxes.) Your book can be anywhere from 16 pages to 200 pages. The Seids will walk you through a step-by-step process to complete your book.
Kathy and David have identified eight strong uses for Minibüks, but that’s not to say they won’t serve other purposes just as well. The list includes:
- Guides, including directories, event information, “best of” lists, educational tools, etc.
- Story-telling, including children’s stories, war stories, personal memoirs and family histories.
- How-to books, which include anything from how to build something to how to cook.
- Marketing materials. The Seids believe Minibüks can take the place of brochures. They’re less likely to be tossed, they believe, because people have more respect for books and tend to keep them around.
- Fund-raising materials. Nonprofits can use a Minibük to tell their story succinctly.
- Inspirational messages. If you have a message to share with the world, or an inspiring speech, this could be a good format.
- Gifts. Minibüks can accompany gifts to explain more about the thinking behind the gift as well as how the gift can be used.
- Celebrations. Family reunions, weddings and milestone birthdays all can be occasions for presenting a Minibük.
I know I already have a couple of ideas for using the Minibük format. How about you?
