BYOS = Be Your Own Syndicate A business proposal to you from Joe King, Founder: IMAGINE NATIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This text file is offered with appologies for those who suffered my scribbles ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (page 1) THANK YOU! Dear IMAGINE NATIONS friend, thank you for respoding to my post: "Coming to a coffee shop near you ... YOU!" Here's what I have in mind: 1. PREMISE: Many of us have already, over the years, created an archive of cartoons ready to be published. 2. FALSE ASSUMPTION: We cannot go any farther without a syndicate. 3. CORRECT ATTITUDE: No one has a greater interest in seeing our work published than us. 4. RESOLUTION: We can do it ourselves. Many of us are enjoying moderate success by self-syndicating our own work. DON'T STOP! I don't want to interfere with any momentum you already have. BUT -- IF you are interested in an additional source of income AND satisfaction... PLEASE READ ON... (page 2) THE BIG IDEAR Sudden realization: "Wait a second... I'm ALREADY a syndicate." (evil grin) That's right. You are ALREADY a syndicate. So why aren't you pulishing? ie: MAKING MONEY? Let's get busy. We will be setting up our own news stands and wearing a variety of hats. Each of us will act as our own satelite office printing, publishing and selling our work. I am using your neighborhood coffee shop as an example -- but any business will do. * The business is the LOCATION of the news stand. * The NEWS STAND is a simple plastic bin (with adhesive backing -- see hanging plex fileholders at office supply store) * The PUBLICATION is a collection of our toons. Are you still with me? Bitchin'! Here's how it works... (page 3) THE FUNNY PAPERZ The Funny Paperz is designed to be a 6-page periodical. It can be published monthly -- but you will be more successful, ie: PROFITABLE if you take it on as a weekly effort. Once you get one rolling -- you may choose to start another! Each one is easier to do and takes less time than the first. BUT -- your income willl grow geometrically. The 6-page template is comprised of the following: * a 4-page sleeve (11"x 17" folded once to yield 4 letter size pages) * a single sheet insert (8.5"x 11" to yield 2 letter size pages) I will supply you with the following: (every month) * CD rom with all .TIF files ready to edit/print * I have a 12 month supply ready to go. You will receive them on a quarterly basis.) You will (weekly) modify a single insert page by adding one (1) original toon of your own. * Instead of a toon, you may add a cross-word puzzle, written column, poem, ANYthing that you want to personalize the publication with -- YOU ARE THE EDITOR. * You will need 12 toons/features to start (1 every week for 3 months = 12) Did I lose you yet? Hang in there with me... (page 4) Q & A * The news stand business gets the PUBLICATION for FREE in exchange for allowing our bin to be placed in their lobby. * They also get FREE weekly news/specials/features posted on the front of the weekly INSERT. * The PUBLICATION is paid for by 10 local business' whose cards will appear on the back of the weekly INSERT. By providing the NEWS STAND business with a 3 month preview of existing issues they should take your offer seriously. By showing the local sponsor business' a preview of 3 months existing issues they should take your offer seriously. By maintaining the NEWS STAND on a weekly basis you have control over selling your ads for the INSERT on a weekly or monthly basis. The 4-page sleeve will be black and white with the INSERT page being a different color stock each week. Almost done - (whew!) (page 5) LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK * So I supply you with files and templates and even SAMPLE SALES CONTRACTS for the sponsors. * You schmooze your local coffee shopmanager (with a cup o' joe) and ask him to support your new PUBLICATION for a 3 month trial -- while he gets FREE Funny Paperz each week. * Shake hands with a few local merchants who might like more effective direct advertising to qualified buyers in their own neighborhood (as opposed to stupid yellow page ads -- who goes there anymore?) or those junky coupon mailers! * Collect the dough -- zip on over to Kinko's -- Serve hot (as in "off the press") * Business card ads for the INSERT page should sell for around $10/week = $40/month. * 10 ads sold = $100/week or $400/month. * Minus the cost of duplication ( we split everything 50/50) just like a "real" syndicate. * You should plan on each NEWS STAND business getting at least a few dozen Funny Paperz each week, with maybe a dozen more going to each of your business card sponsors -- this is up to you. * Plan on duplication costs to average a buck per issue. DO THE MATH WITH ME? 1 coffee shop = $400/month (-) minus the printing costs (-$100) (=) nets out at about $300/month SPLIT THAT BETWEEN US AND GO FROM HERE. The same Funny Paperz with a different sponsor INSERT sheet can be sold to other coffee shops without any additional costs! (page 6) "NUFF SAID?" So that's it then. This program nets you out at a minimum of a buck and a half ($1.50) for each comic of yours over the course of a monthly distribution (approx. 100 copies) ex. 100 copies x $1.50 = $150 net This is way better than ANY major syndicate would ever pay. If you choose to go into two coffee shops per month with 100 copies each you will gross $800/month. $800 gross (-) minus the printing $200 (=) nets $600/month SPLIT THAT WITH ME AND GO FROM THERE. "Yada-yada-yada" Since you are already a member of IMAGINE NATIONS I have an easy (easier anyway!) time of trusting y'all. I even have a year's worth of sleeves and templates waiting for you. All you need is some gumption and a dozen of your own features to start you own publishing empire. THE FUTURE After the first year of partnering with you I will rotate out my cartoons on the sleeves -- replacing them with previously published samples from the weekly INSERTS. YOU HAVE TO SEND ME A COPY WITH MY FRACHISE CUT! Then we will expand the distribution even further to other areas. OK -- that' all folks. Make me proud and sing up for your FREE SALES AND SAMPLE KIT. THANK YOU AGAIN. Existing IMAGINE NATION members please send $5 to cover postage -- Cartoon friends who aren't signed up yet must send $20... to: Joe King 2801 Ocean Park Blvd., #300 Santa Monica, CA 90405 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The following additional Q & A came up during beta testing and are provided here FYI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The weakest links in the inks business have put their pointy noggins together to try and answer most of your questions. Q: Is this a pyramid scheme? A: No. It is a franchise. Q: Who is the CARTOONIST and who is the SYNDICATE? A: You are both. Q: How do I get paid? And when? A: You pay yourself. Upfront. Q: Who owns the copyright? A: Each participant retains their own copyrights. Q: Do I have to fill an entire page? A: No. All you need is one (1) cartoon per week/per insert. Q: Can I sell more than the basic 10 spots? A: Yes. I have more insert art. Q: Can I sell more than one edition to different sponsors? A: Yes. That's the goal. You can duplicate your insert cartoon. Q: What happens after the first year run? A: My cartoons are phased out after priming the pump and production schedule. Participants insert cartoons from the entire network are phased in. Each participant is paid a fee for each edition their work appears in across the network. Q: What happens if I use all your work to sell papers and don't deliver? A: That's between you and "Tiny," leader of the pack. * MORE TO COME I'M SURE ...