Aaron getting to dance in NYC
May. 28th, 2010 02:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altarflameIn a way, we are almost there - Shaun and some Dance Empire parents joined forces to buy the plane tickets, and Bobby is sending me a $300 check that will also help.
In another way, we have a LONG WAY TO GO, because 7 days of eating and lodging in NYC is (while not some exact number at this point) a heck of a lot more than $300. So, a lot of it is falling to my Usborne book sales.
The good news is, I've sold $300 in person so far - which amounts to a $75 commission and $80 in free books, which I can sell for increased profits or keep for the family. I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot more RL sales as I am just getting started networking within our various groups. I am also going to start going to schools and churches to try to get some big accounts.
The bad news is, I was really hoping to get most of my sales online, and thus far there has not been one. single. one.
I was trying to figure out how in the world this could be, with the level of traffic this lj gets, and I am pretty sure it's because my default Usborne site is ABYSMAL. The books are wonderful, when I carry the samples and nice glossy catalogues around people genuinely want them and this is easy. But you click the url and your eyes kind of cross and then you just navigate away as quickly as possible, I think. The horrible lack of web quality probably even makes people nervous about the quality of the books, which is a shame, because I've been buying Usborne at Spellbound Books and Barnes and Noble for years and they are some of my kids' favorites.
Having a (VERY BUSY) web designer for a husband, I am hoping to make the site more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing soon...in the meantime, I am here to MAKE THIS EASIER FOR PEOPLE who might want to help, with this post ;) Because I genuinely believe there are people out there who would want something(s) for children they know if it were not such a headache to try to find on that site.
For instance, you can:
Click here for all the pirate-related kids' books!
Or here, for fairies!
Three pages of science books They range from elementary to advanced, everything from Growing Up books to Forensics, with DNA, electricity, magnets, experiment ideas and a lot of other stuff in between.
Hitler, Anne Frank, Baba Yaga and the Witch, Around the World in Eighty Days, Black Beauty; all kinds of great stuff in this long section
The Gas We Pass, subtitled The Story of Farts - only 7.99
This is funny stuff, I have seen it at Barnes and Nobles.
For a great pair, also try:
Everyone Poops
Both of those links (and many others on the site) have "Peek Inside This Book" features available, similar to Amazon's.
For all the lactivists out there, the same series includes the book Breasts which is very breastfeeding-normative as well as just funny - you can see the positive reviews for it at amazon, but DON'T BUY IT THERE!! :p
new Chapter books and adapted classics for older readers
Picture books for young kids as well as several pages of "kid kits" that include extras; guides to card games that come with a deck, magic tricks with accessories, craft guides with yarn or paint included, and so on. Great gifts, in other words ;)
Spanish language!
Many of the books on the site are award winners, and I really think they are reasonably priced. These are the internet-only specials, many of which are under $5. Because I am in my first 90 days as a rep and doing this as an "eshow" and several other factors, I'm getting 25% commission and double free books - which is incredible.
So, if you are in the market for childrens' books - be they toddler board books or The Illustrated Dictionary of Math for school kids (we have that and Annie reads it for fun...) I would really appreciate it if you would consider helping us fundraise :)
I jazzed up our front porch a bit yesterday by replanting things in fancy big pots we just retrieved from Grant Sr's (where we had forgotten about them for 2 years), cleaning junk off of it and rearranging things:
I wish it were simpler to get the porch floor looking good, as well as the paint around the front door, but for now it is a big step up.
Also, Grant took a video of Elise dancing to Jimi Hendrix that I think is pretty adorable :) There are points where it drags a little, but then other times where I lol and clap.
Last, I am so proud of Isaac lately :D He came with us on an interactive museum field trip and was attentive and participated, on Wednesday. He had a drop-off playdate that went great. He finished the last of his events for Presidential Physical Fitness Testing yesterday at PATH - and landed the role of Super Skunk in a play the 3 oldest will be rehearsing over the summer with some other PATH kids. He's even gotten more affectionate lately, which is just making me happy on a purely selfish level <3 I'm just amazed by how much he's growing up - he does his chores without complaint, and thoroughly. He is WONDERFUL with his siblings (except if I make the mistake of a shared bath). I'm just really impressed with him in general, the progress is ASTOUNDING. And I definitely think he is happier, - dairy and + probiotics.
In another way, we have a LONG WAY TO GO, because 7 days of eating and lodging in NYC is (while not some exact number at this point) a heck of a lot more than $300. So, a lot of it is falling to my Usborne book sales.
The good news is, I've sold $300 in person so far - which amounts to a $75 commission and $80 in free books, which I can sell for increased profits or keep for the family. I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot more RL sales as I am just getting started networking within our various groups. I am also going to start going to schools and churches to try to get some big accounts.
The bad news is, I was really hoping to get most of my sales online, and thus far there has not been one. single. one.
I was trying to figure out how in the world this could be, with the level of traffic this lj gets, and I am pretty sure it's because my default Usborne site is ABYSMAL. The books are wonderful, when I carry the samples and nice glossy catalogues around people genuinely want them and this is easy. But you click the url and your eyes kind of cross and then you just navigate away as quickly as possible, I think. The horrible lack of web quality probably even makes people nervous about the quality of the books, which is a shame, because I've been buying Usborne at Spellbound Books and Barnes and Noble for years and they are some of my kids' favorites.
Having a (VERY BUSY) web designer for a husband, I am hoping to make the site more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing soon...in the meantime, I am here to MAKE THIS EASIER FOR PEOPLE who might want to help, with this post ;) Because I genuinely believe there are people out there who would want something(s) for children they know if it were not such a headache to try to find on that site.
For instance, you can:
Click here for all the pirate-related kids' books!
Or here, for fairies!
Three pages of science books They range from elementary to advanced, everything from Growing Up books to Forensics, with DNA, electricity, magnets, experiment ideas and a lot of other stuff in between.
Hitler, Anne Frank, Baba Yaga and the Witch, Around the World in Eighty Days, Black Beauty; all kinds of great stuff in this long section
The Gas We Pass, subtitled The Story of Farts - only 7.99
This is funny stuff, I have seen it at Barnes and Nobles.
For a great pair, also try:
Everyone Poops
Both of those links (and many others on the site) have "Peek Inside This Book" features available, similar to Amazon's.
For all the lactivists out there, the same series includes the book Breasts which is very breastfeeding-normative as well as just funny - you can see the positive reviews for it at amazon, but DON'T BUY IT THERE!! :p
new Chapter books and adapted classics for older readers
Picture books for young kids as well as several pages of "kid kits" that include extras; guides to card games that come with a deck, magic tricks with accessories, craft guides with yarn or paint included, and so on. Great gifts, in other words ;)
Spanish language!
Many of the books on the site are award winners, and I really think they are reasonably priced. These are the internet-only specials, many of which are under $5. Because I am in my first 90 days as a rep and doing this as an "eshow" and several other factors, I'm getting 25% commission and double free books - which is incredible.
So, if you are in the market for childrens' books - be they toddler board books or The Illustrated Dictionary of Math for school kids (we have that and Annie reads it for fun...) I would really appreciate it if you would consider helping us fundraise :)
I jazzed up our front porch a bit yesterday by replanting things in fancy big pots we just retrieved from Grant Sr's (where we had forgotten about them for 2 years), cleaning junk off of it and rearranging things:
I wish it were simpler to get the porch floor looking good, as well as the paint around the front door, but for now it is a big step up.
Also, Grant took a video of Elise dancing to Jimi Hendrix that I think is pretty adorable :) There are points where it drags a little, but then other times where I lol and clap.
Last, I am so proud of Isaac lately :D He came with us on an interactive museum field trip and was attentive and participated, on Wednesday. He had a drop-off playdate that went great. He finished the last of his events for Presidential Physical Fitness Testing yesterday at PATH - and landed the role of Super Skunk in a play the 3 oldest will be rehearsing over the summer with some other PATH kids. He's even gotten more affectionate lately, which is just making me happy on a purely selfish level <3 I'm just amazed by how much he's growing up - he does his chores without complaint, and thoroughly. He is WONDERFUL with his siblings (except if I make the mistake of a shared bath). I'm just really impressed with him in general, the progress is ASTOUNDING. And I definitely think he is happier, - dairy and + probiotics.
