Midnight Janitorial Exceeds Yearly Goals and Gains National Recognition

One of our amazing clients, Midnight Janitorial, has yet again achieved a prestigious award, being named the recipient of the 2009 National Ethics Award. This year has been a year of growth, success, and national recognition for Midnight Janitorial. Please take a look at the article written by Kelly Sabetta of Betta Book Publishing, highlighting their growth and explaining how they have achieved such success.

Local company, Midnight Janitorial, continues to display company growth and sales throughout difficult economic times. During the last year alone, they reported a 20% increase in revenue, and are the recipients of the 2009 National Ethics Award. A look inside the company reveals how they achieve such success.

“Midnight Janitorial demonstrates the ability to persevere. They’re focused on their goals and objectives, and watch their numbers very closely,” said David Young, Managing Partner of Young and Company. “What sets Angella aside, is that she works on her business instead of in it. She hires people who are very good at specific jobs, assigns them responsibilities, and monitors their progress. How they treat their employees and clients is a true measure of how good of a business they are.”

Midnight Janitorial is recognized by the community as a company that promises and delivers the highest level of customer satisfaction, gives back to the community on a consistent basis, and strives to provide the best experience for employees and clients. One way of accomplishing this is by providing a positive environment for their employees, which has grown from one to 27 staff members in five years.

“One of the ways we offer our employees a better experience is to treat them with respect,” said Angella Luyk, CEO of Midnight Janitorial. “We constantly ask for their input on any situation that arises and we encourage them to problem solve with us. We take an interest in them as a person, not just an employee.”

This same principle applies to their clients, as well, which has helped Midnight Janitorial achieve a 20 percent increase in revenue. “A lot of our business comes from word of mouth,” Angella said. “By offering the services we promise, our clients are willing to recommend our company to others.”

And they do just that. Midnight Janitorial continues to see their revenue rise, gain customer and employee satisfaction, and be awarded regional and national attention for their efforts. Within just four years, Midnight Janitorial, a State-Certified Women-Owned Business, has received the RAEN 2008 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Award; Vital Women, Vital Roles Award; 2008 Rochester Business Ethics Award; 2008 Small Business Administration Award – Buffalo District; 2008 Small Business Administration Award – New York State and Region II Home-Based Business Person of the Year; and Rochester Women’s Network’s “W” Award.

For more information about Midnight Janitorial, please contact Angella Luyk at www.midnightjanitorial.com, 585-414-6960, or angella@midnightjanitorial.com.

Betta Book Publishing: More Updates on the Website!

Last week, we at Betta Book Publishing, have relaunched our new Website. Since then, we have been receiving amazing feedback about our growth, the new look of our Web presence, and how we can continue to make it even better. Much of the latter feedback has come through the LinkedIn community, as we asked how we can improve on our newly relaunched Website. The feedback has been positive and full of constructive criticism.

Many others in the writing community have also commented, and we are very grateful for the responses we continue to receive. Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you’d like to comment on our Website, please feel free to share your thoughts here, or you can contact us directly. If you haven’t done so already, please visit our Website, send us an email, and let us know what you think! We look forward to hearing from you! And thank you again to everyone who has already provided us with some great feedback!

Visit our Website!

Betta Book Publishing Launches New Website

Hello, everyone!  We are very happy to announce that we have launched our new Website! Betta Book Publishing has a new look and feel, along with more great information for authors who are interested in self-publishing. We also updated our homepage, services (both publishing and public relations), testimonials, and more! We are also reintroducing our team members, which is still a work in progress. We’re just so excited about the new developments that we couldn’t wait to share it with everyone.

Also, keep checking back for updates, as we will be including a section for our author’s work. We’re very excited about this, as well.

We invite you to view our Website, take a look around, and provide us with your feedback. We are always open to hearing what our visitors have to say, so please feel free to contact us. Thank you again for all of your support. Please click on the link below to visit our new Website!

www.bettabookpublishing.com

Our Author, Debra McIntyre, featured in the Daily News, Batavia!

Congratulations to one of our authors, Debra McIntyre, for being featured in the Daily News, located in Batavia, NY. Debra is the author of the Dragon Stone Trilogy, and has been making headlines and expanding her audience. We encourage you to read the article by visiting the link below:

http://thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2009/09/24/entertainment/5981905.txt

Bene-Care to Host Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive, for Ribbon Cutting

As you know, along with helping authors to self-publish their work, Betta Book Publishing provides public relations services for businesses located in Rochester. One of our clients, Bene-Care, has continued to grow and expand, and has recently open a new location to help support it’s growing team and help clients. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony held Sept. 30th, which will feature Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive, as the host speaker. Please read below for more details. It’s great to see Rochester supporting it’s growing businesses and community.

Bene-Care, an insurance broker specializing in health coverage for Upstate New York businesses, will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of their new location at 1260 Creek Street, Webster. The ceremony will feature Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive, who will share opening remarks about the growing company, Wednesday, September 30^th, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

“This project represents a great deal of investment in our community and contributes greatly to the economic vitality of our local economy,” said County Executive Maggie Brooks. “COMIDA is proud to partner with Bene-Care in this job creation effort and I would like to thank them for their commitment to doing business in Monroe County.”

The new office space will accommodate the needs of a growing staff in an extensively renovated 13,085 square-foot building in Webster. The project, supported by COMIDA and the Small Business Association, was approved as part of the stimulus package. Work started in April 2009.

The renovation included new energy efficient windows to allow for natural light and a complete revamp of the lavatory facilities. Other upgrades included wheelchair-accessibility throughout the building. The exterior now has two new stair towers to conform to fire code regulations and new paving in the parking lot.

“We are excited to officially open our new building and have Maggie Brooks join us to celebrate this event,” said Jeff Bach, Vice President of Bene-Care. “Bene-Care has doubled in size in the past four years and our new building will allow us to better serve the needs of our clients.”

For more information about Bene-Care and their new location, please contact Jeff Bach at 1-800-333-1673 or jbach@bene-care.com.

Local Author’s Published Trilogy Makes Lasting Impression on Audience

Local Author’s Published Trilogy Makes Lasting Impression on Audience

A local writer has accomplished her long-time ambition to become an author and has had three of her books published over the course of seven years. First written in 2002, the Dragon Stone Trilogy was written by Debra McIntyre, and features three full-length stories, titled, Dragon Stone, Sea Dragon, and Dragon’s End.

“The Dragon Stone Trilogy is an escape from the ordinary; a journey to a new world, and yet a journey that doesn’t take you so far from home you cannot look back to see something familiar,” Debra said.

Readers are first introduced to the young soldier Althus in Dragon Stone. When the soon-to-be hero’s guardian – the last good wizard in the world – goes missing, Althus goes out in search of him, gathering valuable allies and terrifying enemies on his journey. He also finds himself the subject of a chilling prophecy and responsible for the safety of the people of Anduin, the kingdom he left behind.

Sea Dragon allows readers to continue following Althus on his quest, as his allies join him to save the wizard from the effects of the evil Dark Lord’s stone. The second book takes readers up to the meeting of the leaders of the allied races and beyond.

The third and final book, Dragon’s End, spans two worlds as Althus travels to our dimension to rescue his friends and face the Dark Lord in an unfamiliar world. The suspenseful journey takes readers along with the allies as they prepare for the last great battle to save their homeland.

Debra’s love of fantasy was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Intertwined with her fantasy world, Debra said, “Those who read my books speak most often of their love for the characters. Some have admitted that they seem to follow them about their daily lives even when they don’t have time to read.”

Debra lives in Linwood, NY with her husband Gary. They have a daughter Holly.  Debra is actively involved as a member of the Ladies of the Valley, Wyoming Writes, and the Northampton Driving Society. She grew up in Caledonia, New York and graduated from SUNY Geneseo. Beyond writing, her passions are horses and photography.

For more information about Debra’s work, please visit http://www.lulu.com/DragonStoneBooks, or email alleina@frontiernet.net.

Tips for Creating a Smooth Manuscript

You’re a writer. You have an idea for a book, and you spend weeks, months, even years crafting your idea into a manuscript. You have friends and family read it and tell you they think it’s great. As a result, you become more confident and start submitting your work to publishers.

In a nutshell, that’s how many of us think; that it’s an easy process and we’re going to have the next bestseller. But it’s not that easy. Here’s one thing publishers and editors can agree with: Not all manuscripts are created equal. You may feel your work is a masterpiece, only to find markups and edits all over your work after submitting it, or even worse, receiving  rejection letter after rejection letter. Well here are a few tips for you to follow when writing and revising your manuscript that will  help you develop and polish your work before it leaves your hands.

Proofread

Sometimes the simplest mistakes can hurt your chances of impressing an agent, editor, or publisher.This goes for not only your manuscript itself, but for emails, query letters, and any type of correspondence. Watch for spelling errors, grammar, and punctuation. Some of us may be used to short-hand abbreviations used with texting or Twitter, so be careful not to write, “U,” or “Thx,” when typing. All of these will affect your professionalism and your talents as a writer.

Transitions

One thing an editor will be looking for is transitions. For example, how well one paragraph flows into the next. They’ll also be looking at how well you bring your reader into situations (too fast or too slow), and how each of your scenes and chapters tie in with the overall story. You want to make sure your work is seamless…this goes for fiction and non-fiction manuscripts.

Show the readers, don’t tell them

When outlining a novel, you may start out by listing the situations in a scene, which is often a great idea to getting your ideas down on paper. But when you begin filling in your story, you want to show the readers instead of telling them. What do I mean by this? Instead of making a laundry list of actions and reactions, provide the readers with details of characters, their expressions, movements, etc. Create a scene where the reader can come to their own perceptions of your characters and story by the details and descriptions you offer.

Give credit where credit is due

When editors read through a manuscript, they also look for citations. If you’re submitting a non-fiction manuscript, be sure to cite quotations, work from another book, and photographs. In today’s day and age, it is very easy to Google a photograph or text of a book. Does it mean you should do it?

There are copyright laws out there and the last thing you want on your reputation is that you plagiarized someone else’s work. So if you do decide to use the work of others, please give them credit for it.

Some General Misconceptions About Publishing

The publishing process is complex. It’s one thing to say, “I just wrote a book, now I want to have it published,” yet quite another to set the ball in motion. As authors prepare their manuscript for a publisher(s), many have preconceived notions about how things happen. We want it to be printed as is. We don’t want to pay for editing (friends and family have seen it, that should be enough, right?). We want it to be free. We want high royalties. We want the publisher to handle all of the work. Right?

Wrong. Sure there are publishers out there will print and publish your work as is, but that doesn’t ensure the highest quality product for you or you audience. Sure there are publishers that will provide the work “for free,” but that doesn’t mean you’re not paying for it via your royalties. All these things must be taken into consideration, researched, asked about, and fully explained before you make major decisions.

Below are some of the most common misconceptions that I’ve come across that I feel should be addressed right away. Please feel free to add to this list, as I’m sure there will be more to come on this topic. So let’s take a look.

The submission process is, or should be, the same for all publishers.

Every publisher is different. Each will have its own set of guidelines. One publisher may accept romance novels, while the other may accept science fiction. The same is true for non-fiction material. That is why it’s important to research publishers and learn about what they accept and do not accept. If you submit a manuscript without following the specific guidelines of the publisher, it could be considered an unsolicited manuscript. Your manuscript may not even make it to the rejection pile; instead, it may end up in trash. It is a waste of the publisher’s time, as well as your time, to submit work without following the publisher’s guidelines.

My work doesn’t need to be edited before I submit it to publishers.

Proofreading, editing, revisions, and more revisions are all necessary for a manuscript to be at its best when submitted

to publishers. When friends and family read your manuscript, more often than not, they are not looking at your work objectively. A writer needs to have at least a second set of eyes to evaluate the content and offer constructive criticism.

Please keep in mind that editing is a very in-depth process and will help you further develop your work as you prepare for the publishing process. It takes time and expertise, and the editor is there to help you refine and develop your work to make sure it is of utmost quality. It will also help make a better impression with publishers when your work is free of errors and is fully developed.

Writers should stay away from publishers who charge fees for services.

Traditional publishing is becoming increasingly difficult to break into, especially for new authors. Now-a-days, writers are taking their dream of publishing into their own hands and are finding other outlets where they can publish their work. Both self-publishing and small/Print On Demand publishers are becoming more popular because they allow writers to remain in control of their work and earn higher royalties. POD also eliminates the risk of printing too many books at a time and having to warehouse inventory. Interestingly enough, traditional publishers are now incorporating POD equipment and practices into their realm to keep up with the changing times.

Publishers should be responsible for all promotion and marketing for my work.

While publishers will perform such services (sometimes for a fee), it is imperative that the author plays an active role in the promotion and marketing of his/her book. Along with the publisher, the author must be willing to promote his/her work at any given opportunity in order to achieve the best results.

This may include book signings, handing out your business card when meeting people, attending seminars, networking, utilizing social media, blogging, and doing everything you can do to get your name out there and share your achievements with others.

Our Team is Growing

As we continue to evolve, our team continues to grow. We are in the process of reaching out to local (Rochester) professionals who can incorporate their expertise to our budding success! We are expanding our resources and adding more services to our menu! We have a great thing going and I’m so excited for our expanding possibilities!

Publicity vs Marketing: Similarities and Differences

Through my experiences, I’m realizing that many people have different views, opinions, and assumptions of how to define publicity, marketing, and sometimes advertising. They do fall into the same family of careers and services, however, they are all very different from one another. So I thought, I’d like to take this opportunity to outline the similarities and differences of the above, so you can have a clearer idea of how each of these work.

Publicity: Publicity, or often known as public relations or media relations, is just that. A professional in this arena would work with a client to pitch their story, event, achievements, etc. to the media. The media includes broadcast, print, and Online outlets, which all have their own staff of journalists who cover different beats, or topics.

There is an art to publicity, or PR, in how to craft releases and alerts to capture the attention of journalists, and to have them cover the story or event. Publicity does reach the audience, but the main focus is toward the media.

Marketing: Marketing, which is related to publicity,  is geared specifically toward the client’s audience. It could include a marketing plan, brand development, and encompass having materials created such as business cards, fliers, etc. to enhance the project.

A marketing professional will work with the client to identify the target audience and will offer a tailored plan as to how to reach that audience. Also, if there are products to be sold (for instance a toy with a children’s book), product development will tie into the marketing plan.

Advertising: When people publicize or market their work, often times others will say they are advertising. Again, advertising is related to the above, but it is different. To advertise, which can be the most costly of the three, entails paying a fee to have a print ad (newspapers, magazines) or commercial (radio, TV) strategically placed to target your audience.

Things to consider include a full-page ad in the newspaper, a one-inch x one-inch ad in a magazine, a 60-second video commercial, or 30-second radio slot.  Advertising is very much competitive and can become the most expensive venture.

So as you can see, publicity, marketing, and advertising are related to one another, yet have their differences. It is my hope that you can use the above outline to differentiate between the three, and when asked what type of services you would like performed, you will have a better idea of how each one operates.