Blog

Vervante • January 11, 2022

If you’re feeling a bit apprehensive about what this new year will bring, you’re not alone. The good news is that we’re always thinking about ways to help, and we figured what better what to start strong for the New Year that to share the best of what we've been talking about here at Vervante headquarters! Our team works in-depth and personally with each and every one of our customers. We’ve kept a close eye on what’s working for products and publishing right now so we can provide you with the best ideas and resources to help make this the best yet. That’s how we came up with: Our Top 5 Lessons for Thriving in 2022 Lesson #1: Your Author Platform is Very Important Once you write a book or create a product - you need to make sure that people know it's there! Every author  needs an author platform. Especially self-published authors. Social media is great, but when it comes down to it, you need to create and nurture an audience of interested and excited fans that will support your growth (and your bottom line). An author website that you control is a great place to start. Create and maintain a database of contact information as well, so you can send them newsletters or updates for new products, events or promotions. Add an active social media account and an Amazon Author Page and you've got all the makings for a vibrant author platform. A few resources to help: How to Create An Author Website How to Build A Contact List How to Set Up and Use Amazon Author Pages Lesson #2: Don’t Stop with Just One Idea If you’re launching a book, planner or other new product for 2022, don't stop with just that one idea, turn it into a collection! Customers who love your products will be excited when they see you have additional items available that complement or make it even better. For ideas about how to do this, check out our article about how to turn a planner into a whole collection. You can use these ideas for anything - books, journals, business training products, etc. Lesson #3: Take Your Products for a Test Run Looking at a product on your computer screen is a whole lot different than holding it in your hands in real life. We offer samples and resources to help you make absolutely sure that your product fits your vision before you send it out into the world. Start by watching videos of our CEO showing how products look and function Next, order samples of our products to road-test how they look, feel, and function Once you've created your book or product, order a test copy (or copies) for a final check Lesson #4: The Technical Stuff Matters When it comes to designing and creating a book or product, it's important to pay attention to design details for a successful printing experience. For example, you can have a gorgeous cover design for your book, but if when you look inside the words are cut off in the margin, or holes are punched in the wrong places, it can ruin the whole experience. Details like margin width and print file formatting are very important, as you can see. Whether you are doing the design yourself, or you use a graphic design professional, attention to these technical details is crucial. Here are a few resources to help: The Ultimate Checklist for Creating Print-Ready Files Why Margin Width is Important for Printing Using Canva to Design Printed Products How to Prepare Your Files for Printing The Importance of Copyediting Lesson #5: Start Planning Now As our CEO, Cindy Tyler, stated in last week's newsletter, it's very important to start planning now to ensure a successful experience down the road. If you want to create a 2023 planner, start now. If you want to write a book, develop a new product, etc., start now. Even if you're thinking of a holiday launch and it seems soooo far away, it really isn't. Set your goals, strategize your timeline, and don't put it off. We’re cheering you on for a successful and satisfying 2022!

Vervante • December 18, 2021

If you’re like us, as the New Year approaches it’s very exciting to think about new projects and new possibilities. But one thing we like to take a moment for as well is to reflect on the past year. Celebrate, learn, and take what we’ve experienced to make our future even better. As we move forward, we thought it would be fun to invite you to look back with us at some of the best of what we put out this year - new products, enhanced services, and ideas that can help you share your talents in a bigger way. So here's our Best of 2021, wrapped up with a sparkly bow!   #1 Author / Entrepreneur Empowerment Our bottom line is to help the people we work with succeed, so we are always looking for new ways to educate and empower our customers. During the past year we posted even more guides, how-to's, and instructions to help you take action, turn your ideas into products, and make the process as easy and lucrative as possible.  If you sell on Amazon, you know how important photos are. Our tips for adding attractive photos to your amazon listing were a big hit How to calculate Amazon profits: Because the bottom line is important too How to improve your author website The importance of copy editing Why authors should consider imprinting (you should really know about this) #2 New Product Debuts We are always listening to your ideas and looking for new ways to provide what you want and need. This year we were excited to debut many new items that can either stand alone, or make your current products even better.   Gold Wire-O and Metal Spiral Binding (so glam!) Customized Door Hangers (so fun!) Magnetic Boxes for Card Decks Faux Leather Covers Perforated Pages and Cards Die-Cut and Kiss-Cut Stickers Poly Paper Covers Board Covers (a hardcover alternative)   #3 Information You Need Knowledge is power and we did our best to share the latest and make sure you stayed informed. From ideas to help authors connect with customers to printing best practice and beyond, our team did their best to make sure you are always ahead of the game. How to set up and use Amazon Author Pages How to prepare files for printing Use Canva? We shared two tutorials to help you: Here’s our tutorial for placing bleed and crop marks Tips & tricks for Canva design The difference between print-on-demand and bulk printing #4 Planners Still Rule Planning for the future is always fun, and this year planners continued to rule as one of the hottest products to create, sell, and share. We spent a lot of time on planner education this year in order to give you everything you need to create planners (and journals!) that help your customers find the success they deserve. How to Create a Daily Planner, step by step How to Sell Spiral-Bound Products (like planners) on Amazon Adding special touches and extras for planners and journals What to do BEFORE publishing a planner How to set a price for your planner   Here’s to starting 2022 in a memorable and exciting way! We'd love to know what your thoughts and wishes are for the New Year, so please feel free to email us at [email protected] with your ideas to help us serve you best.

Vervante • November 16, 2021

You've got a daily planner you love - and your customers love it too. What's next? Give them even more! Creating products that complement and boost the value of your daily planner is something that will drive your fans wild with joy this holiday season. And you’ll love how easy it is to support the success of your planner while also adding to your revenue. Established planner companies and planner visionaries like Erin Condren, Emily Ley, Inkwell Press, and Dayspring know that people who love daily planners love to get extras to make them even more fun and functional. You can do the same by creating and offering products such as: STICKERS: Who doesn't love stickers? If you like the idea of sending custom stickers with your own branding, design and message as gifts, we can help you create them. Learn more on our blog by reading "How to Create Your Own Stickers." DOOR HANGERS These are easy to create and can be customized with any design. If you missed last week's newsletter about these fun products, check out the details and ideas on the blog here: "How to Create Custom Door Hangers" CARD DECKS: Card decks can be printed any size. Packaging can be a custom printed tuck box, a clear tuck box, drawstring bags, and we have magnetic boxes too! Samples are available with examples of the different paper stocks we offer for cards on our Samples Page here.  For even more ideas, how about.... Notepads Bookmarks Recipe cards Greeting cards Planners are great, but turning them into collections really gives them serious pizzazz! For more ideas, be sure to check out the Vervante Video Vault for videos that show ideas for products that can easily be bundled with daily planners. You can also check out our Samples Page to see everything we have to offer there for fun extra products. We can help you turn your planner into a complete collection with all the products and services you need. For questions or to get started, just send us an email at [email protected].

Vervante • November 11, 2021

If you plan on selling products this holiday season, this is one of those emails you need to keep on hand. No matter what you need - from extra print runs to calculating postage and shipping - we can help. CHOOSING SHIPPING METHOD Vervante gives our customers the ability to choose the best shipping method for your needs. Our shipping system will automatically default to Media Mail for domestic shipments. However, if you want your orders to arrive by Christmas, we don't recommend Media Mail after November 30. If you want to set a specific shipping method for a product, you can do this from your Author Dashboard. Here's how: STEP #1: Log into your Vervante Author Dashboard and select the link that says "Select Specific Shipping Methods." You will see a list of your products, their estimated weights, and the default shipping methods. Initially the shipping methods are set to the default of "Best Way." This means that we will use Media Mail unless you change (or have previously) changed the shipping method to something else. (Remember, if you want your packages to arrive by Christmas, we don't recommend using Media Mail after Nov. 30). STEP #2: FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING please click on the link at the top of the page for International Shipping Methods. STEP #3: TO SET DEFAULT SHIPPING METHODS for each of your products, select the desired method you prefer in the right hand column, then click on the "Update Ship Methods" button at the bottom of the page to save your preferences. (VERY IMPORTANT: Don't forget to save your changes) For more details and tips on things like using Media Mail and making sure you're choosing the best shipping method, be sure to check out our article on the blog here: "How to Set Up Shipping for the Holidays." CALCULATING POSTAGE We offer a postage calculator on the Vervante website for our customers. Here’s how to use it: Log into your Vervante account Scroll down to the Support section and select Calculate Postage You will see your products listed and their weight Below your product list you’ll see a USPS shipping calculator.  You can then enter information such as destination, dates, weight, etc to calculate shipping costs. PRINTING TURNAROUND TIMES Be sure to allow time for your products to be printed as you plan your holiday sales deadlines. Turnaround time for products printed on demand is usually 5-7 business days.  Due to increased volume in December, orders may take an additional 2-3 business days to print. HOLIDAY SHIPPING Did you know that because Black Friday falls on Nov 26 this year, you only have less than a month to make sure all orders make it to your customers on time? For that reason, it’s a good idea to get familiar with shipping deadlines. UPS: If you use UPS, check here for their November and December deadlines US POSTAL SERVICE: For USPS, you can check here for shipping deadlines and postage information 2022 DAILY PLANNERS If you’re planning on selling a daily planner for 2022, here are some important dates and information to know. Turnaround times for hardcover planners is approximately 4-6 weeks. For all other planners (laminated, board covers, poly paper, etc.), turnaround time is approximately 4 weeks.  If you are planning on selling a hardcover planner, we are still accepting orders, but cannot guarantee that they will be finished and shipped in time for the Christmas holiday. Please email our team at [email protected] for questions or assistance. FULFILLMENT HELP If you already printed your products and need an easy to manage distribution resource for the holidays or for any time of the year, we can help. Here’s how: Store your products in our modern warehouse facility located in Utah Provide us with order information and we will pull the required products from inventory, package and ship directly to your customers This can be done for individual orders or bulk orders Click here to learn more about our Fulfillment Services Click here to learn more about our Warehousing and Inventory Management Services

Vervante • November 2, 2021

We've got the gold! We're so excited - the ship we've been waiting for finally came in! Several months ago we purchased shiny bright gold wire-o and metal spiral binding from a manufacturer in China. The ports have been backed up for a long time, but the boat finally arrived with our shipment and we now have beautiful bright gold wire-o and metal wire-o binding in stock.   We offer silver - and now gold - metal spiral binding on-demand, or in any other quantity. Our wire-o binding is available in minimum order quantities of 25.   We will be ordering more bright gold, but based on the port situation, it will be many months before we get more shiny bright gold in stock again so order now while supplies last. We cannot get bright gold in either wire-o or metal spiral from a U.S. distributor so we are excited to finally have this in-demand item in stock. For more information or to inquire about using gold wire-o or gold metal spiral binding for your planners, journals or other products, contact our team at [email protected].

Vervante • September 22, 2021

Our 2022 daily planner is here and we're so excited to share it with you! After the last couple years we've had, the theme of "Choose Happy" is one of our favorites, and we hope you love it as much as we do. With light and bright colors and positive messages throughout, we feel like the "Choose Happy 2022 Planner" is one of our best yet. It features a board cover, full color inkjet printing, with round corners and white metal spiral binding. Another option we debuted recently is the undated Orange Blossom Planner that features a sturdy 10 mm laminated cover with metal spiral binding. We've designed these planners to be used in several ways: You can order and use it just like it is. Personalize with a simple change like adding your logo. Or you can fully customize to fit your branding and vision. (We provide access to the InDesign files so you can change anything you want.) How to make these planners your own As we mentioned above, you are welcome to modify or change whatever you'd like to make the Choose Happy or Orange Blossom planner your very own. We provide the InDesign files, you make the changes, then send the files back to us. Here are a few links for ordering, accessing, and customizing these planners: "Choose Happy" Planner View planner cover-to-cover online Order a sample copy of the 2022 Planner Access the InDesign files to make changes / customizations Check out the Vervante Video Vault for detailed ideas for planners, planner add-ons, and lots of other products and customizing options available.  "Orange Blossom" Planner To watch a video with details, click HERE. To order a sample, click HERE.  Access the InDesign files here: Orange Blossom Planner InDesign File Download We're pretty excited about all of our planners - and we hope you are too. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Vervante • August 31, 2021

Check out our latest video that takes you through a tour of our new gorgeous "Orange Blossom" planner. This undated planner is available to order as a sample and features a sturdy 10 mm laminated cover (one of our most popular new options!), metal spiral binding, stickers, and undated monthly and daily planning pages. To watch the video, click HERE. To order, click HERE.  If you love the look of this planner, and would like to customize it to use, share, or sell as your own, you can download the InDesign files from Dropbox by clicking here: Orange Blossom Planner InDesign File Download

Vervante • August 3, 2021

Ever have a feeling that you forgot something, but not sure exactly what it is? If you’re creating a daily planner (or any other kind of product), we’ve got what you need to feel confident that you’ve checked all your boxes and never miss a step. The Vervante Expert Guide Page and the Vervante Video Vault are free resources that contain invaluable guides, how-to’s, checklists and inside tips for creating and publishing planners, books, and other printed products. You’ll find everything you need to know from A to Z and help ensure a smooth and stress-free process from start to print to sales and shipping. Whether you’re working on a 2022 Daily Planner (the deadline is less than 3 months away) or an undated one that can be launched anytime, you’ll find everything you need to know so you don’t miss a step. Free Guides for Creating Daily Planners Start with our 7 Steps to Create a Perfect Planner guide Download and print out the Planner Checklist Infographic to keep you on track For deeper insight, learn how to create and use Custom-Printed Die-Cut Tabs for your planner Finally, scan through the rest of our library for resources to help you with everything from print file preparation to sales, royalties, retail distribution and even zombie invasions. All-Access Video Guides for Creating Daily Planners Another great place for daily planner resources is the Video Vault page on our website. This page is filled with real-life, full-color demos of our products and all the extras showing how they look and function to help you make your decisions. Take a few minutes to watch our videos, like this sampling listed below, and you’ll be sure to not miss a step as you create your new daily planner: Our Annual Customizable Planner Planner & Journal Add-On Options Hardcover Planners & Journals Planner Notepads Concealed Hardcover Wire-o How to Order Daily Planner Samples Did one of our planners catch your eye? In addition to reading and watching videos about planners and how to create them, you can also order samples to ensure they fit your vision. Check out our Product Sample Page to order any of a variety of styles.  We hope this helps you to avoid that “Did I forget something?” feeling and keep the excitement going as you create new daily planners for the people who really need them. We’re looking forward to helping you make your vision come to life and are here to help every step of the way.

Vervante • May 16, 2021

You’ve created the perfect planner, now the big question is how much to charge for it? It’s like a scary math problem where the answer isn’t always clear. Price it too high and no one will buy. Price it too low and you devalue your work and your profits. Finding the right price doesn’t have to feel like a guessing game, though, especially if you follow these steps. (btw, these work for any product – books, journals, card decks, etc.) STEP #1: Research similar products and see what they are charging. This will give you a starting price range and an idea of what customers are willing to pay. A note about pricing: If your community is relatively small and you’re planning on printing a small batch, for example less than 500 planners, don’t compare your product and price point to planner industry leaders Emily Ley or Erin Condren who both print thousands at a time, making their costs significantly lower.  STEP #2: Calculate your costs including printing, production, and fulfillment to get a break-even baseline. If you plan to sell on Amazon, remember to add in 15% commission for Amazon.  If you sell from your own site, include fees such as credit card processing and other merchant fees. STEP #3: Consider the value your book, planner or product is offering to your customer. Will this product help them save time, money, stress? If you deliver a lot of value, this in turn raises the value of your product and the price you can charge. STEP #4: Set a price that feels right to you. If you think you’re charging too little, then you’ll feel resentful and that will come through. If you think you are charging too much, you might feel nervous, unsure or scared to put it out there. STEP #5: Poll beta testers. Reach out to friends, colleagues, anyone who might fit your target customer demographic and ask for feedback.  A soft-launch is a great way to test the water.  Pre-orders are another great way to test your product, price, and even help determine how many to print. The other added benefit of pre-orders is that it helps offset the cost of the print run. STEP #6: Relax that this isn’t set in stone. Pricing can be nerve-racking, we know, but you can always adjust. You might start out with an introductory price to test the waters and then adjust it to fit demand. Coupon codes, special packaged deals, and other similar methods can be used until you’ve got it just right. STEP #7: Add value to support your price: Make the price you set a no-brainer by adding so much value that your customer is excited to buy! Create packages to make it unique and different than anything else – and add value with extra products that complement it. For example, for daily planners you could include extras like pens, clips, bookmarks, notepads, stickers, card decks, or even experiences like an introductory coaching session or limited-time membership in a mastermind or online program. Adding a little something extra like this will elevate your planner's value in your customer's eyes. Yes, there might be similar products with lower prices (that are most likely bulk-produced in China), but you have the ability with self-publishing services to create something unique, elevate your customer's experience, and make yours the choice they want.

Vervante • April 28, 2021

No matter what type of product you have, there are always ways you can make it better. Even just the smallest little extra can be the key that inspires customers to hit the "buy" button and choose your product over the rest. We've rounded up a few ideas below for popular products that you can easily add for your products.  Card Decks Custom-designed card decks are fun, valuable, easy to use, and very memorable. A great way to uplevel your card deck presentation is by creating custom packaging. Many people provide bags for card decks that we can package them in, but did you know that we can also print custom-designed boxes and packaging for cards? Check out our expert guide, "How to Create Custom Printed Card Decks," on our Expert Guide page to learn more about card decks and the packaging options we offer.     Spiral or Wire-o Binding Journals, planners, coloring books, and workbooks are just a few examples of products that increase in both function and value when you have the ability to lay them flat. When it comes to spiral and wire-o binding, we have a lot of options. Plus, we can help you list and sell spiral-bound products on Amazon - something most other print-on-demand publishers don't offer. Spiral binding can be used for:  Soft Covers Poly Paper (water and tear resistant) Hard covers Laminated Soft Covers 2-Ply Board Covers We offer a range of colors for spiral and wire-o that have the power to deliver a high-impact first impression, as well as a reliable binding option for your customer. Your product, already packed with value, becomes awe-inspiring and unique with the simple addition of a color or metal option. Plastic spiral binding (50+ colors) Metal spiral (3+ colors) Metal wire-o (7 colors) For more information about using spiral or wire-o binding for books, journals, planners, coloring books and more, see "How to Sell Spiral Bound Products on Amazon" on our blog.   Custom Labels or Custom Printed Boxes Custom labels are an excellent way to maximize your brand, logo, or message. Take advantage of this valuable – and often overlooked – brand-boosting opportunity by creating a fullcolor label that features your unique design. Custom labels are a simple, yet vastly effective way of dressing your letter and packages for success, and making sure that your brand is the one that stands out. A custom printed box stands out from the crowd. Add your message to the outside and inside of the box and wow your customers! For more information about custom printed boxes, watch the video "Custom Printed Boxes" on our video vault page on the website.   Printed Newsletters Direct mail pieces such as newsletters are a great way to connect to your readers at a deeper, more emotional level. Sending them in a standard white or brown envelope is great, but sending them in a clear mailing envelope is a great way to let your newsletter shine through and wow your readers before they even start reading them.   Check out our expert guide, "The Secret Weapon to Successful Newsletters," on our Expert Guide page to learn more about creating, mailing and packaging printed newsletters.  For more product and packaging ideas that will help your products stand out from the crowd, be sure to watch the videos in our website Video Vault. We are also happy to provide free quotes and answer questions about any of the products mentioned here,

Vervante • April 6, 2021

Spiral binding is popular for many types of books because it makes them so much easier to use. Planners, journals, workbooks, cookbooks, and coloring books are often so much easier to read and write in with spiral binding as it allows them to open fully and lay flat. Picture a coloring book or planner that is perfect bound, like a novel, next to one with spiral binding that lays flat, and you’ll see why spiral binding is often the better choice. Did you know, however, that spiral binding on-demand is rare in the publishing world? That’s why we’re happy to share with you that we offer on demand spiral binding and the ability to sell your spiral-bound product on Amazon and anywhere else you want too. Spiral binding options Spiral binding is sometimes also called spiral coil, plastic coil or coil binding. Spiral binding is durable, won't break or bend under pressure, and comes in more than 50 different colors allowing you to customize your book by matching the binding to the cover for a unique and attractive finish. Spiral is also available in metal.  This is a very popular option over metal wire-o binding. The reason is because it is a continuous metal spiral so the binding cannot come apart. Sometimes with wire-o binding, the loops can be pulled apart or they inadvertently don’t get clamped together properly. We love metal spiral binding because this doesn’t happen. Metal spiral is available in three colors: silver, black and white. We stock silver metal spiral. Black and white can be special ordered. Plastic spiral is available in more than 50 colors. We stock black and white. Other colors can be special ordered. Both Metal and Plastic spiral binding are available on-demand or for bulk orders. Wire-o binding A similar binding option for books is wire-o binding, also known as twin loop, double-loop, or wire binding. It also allows a book to lay flat, comes in a variety of colors, and is a popular choice for journals and planners. The minimum order quantity for wire-o binding is 25. Click on these links to see the color options for plastic spiral, metal spiral, and metal wire-o binding: Metal Wire-o Metal Spiral Plastic Spiral Using spiral or wire-o binding with custom covers We offer both soft and hard cover options with spiral and wire-o binding. Spiral and wire-o binding can be used with all of our cover options: Soft covers Poly paper covers 2-ply board covers Hard covers If you want the best of both worlds – a spiral bound book that lays flat, but has a spine like a traditional book that looks good on a shelf – we offer a unique wrap-around cover that provides everything you want. Spiral binding videos Be sure to watch the videos in our website Video Vault to see multiple highlights of products with spiral binding, wire-o binding, and all of the customizations we mentioned here. We offer samples for spiral bound products to help you see and feel how it might function with your own products. You can see our sample offerings page here.  We are also happy to provide free quotes for spiral-bound products, or answer questions at [email protected].

Vervante • March 24, 2021

If you love the idea of creating a daily planner, hopefully our articles earlier this year outlining the steps and strategies for a smooth process helped inspire and motivate you. We shared a step-by-step guide for creating a planner from A to Z, stressing the importance of understanding the timelines and planning ahead. We followed up with a detailed look at deciding how your planner will look and function with design and formatting tutorials you’ll want to bookmark. Once you’ve set your plan and started designing your planner, the next steps are really fun – deciding on the details, all those little extras that can really make your product shine. Creating a Daily Planner: Details, Extras & Add-Ons It’s all the little extras that can make a planner extra special. We offer a lot of great options that you can pick and choose from to make your planner uniquely your own, and make sure it fits the audience you’re building it for. The best place to go to learn more about what we offer is the Video Vault page on our website. We’ve recently adding a handful of new videos in addition to what is already there, and they are all filled with real-life, full-color demos of our products and all the extras showing how the look and function to help you make your decisions. Here’s what you can check out now on the site: Planner & Journal Add-On Options: Extras that make your product shine such as foil stamping, metal corners, tabs, kiss-cut stickers, paper pockets, bookmarks, and elastic straps. Hardcover Journals: Multiple options for journals and books: Faux leather, linen or printed covers, foil stamping, soft or hard covers, ribbon markers, elastic straps. Concealed Hardcover Wire-o: Yes, you can have it all! A hardcover, wire-o planner, journal or book WITH a spine! And extra touches including printed end sheets and a lux soft-touch laminated cover.   Our Annual Customizable Planner: This is a great detailed dive into how we create our popular annual planners that many of our customers use as a starting point for creating their own. See features and budget-friendly alternatives including wire binding in multiple colors, printed tab dividers, paper pockets, and more. Faux Leather and Linen Covers: In addition to cover alternatives, this video highlights extras including metal corners, ribbon markers and elastic straps. Poly Paper Cover: A lightweight and durable option for planners, and other types of journals or workbooks, poly paper covers are durable, waterproof, tear-proof, washable, fade-resistant, and recyclable. Plastic Snap-in Sheets: Add these to wire-o bound planners, they add functionality and can be written on with a dry-erase marker. Did one of these journals or planners catch your eye? In addition to seeing our products in our videos, you can also order samples of various products here.

Vervante • March 12, 2021

Looking for a lightweight and durable option for daily planners, journals, notebooks, workbooks, menus, etc? A Poly Paper Cover might be just what you need. Be sure to check out one of our newest videos on the Vervante Video Vault page highlighting the versatility of Poly Paper covers. This synthetic paper is durable, waterproof, tear-proof, washable, fade-resistant, and recyclable. These can be printed on both sides, can be used with spiral binding or wire-o, and are a great budget-friendly choice if you need something more durable than plain paper but not quite as thick as hard covers.  Poly Paper covers are very popular for daily planner covers, journals, reference documents, menus, and much more - Click HERE to see more details and order one of our 2021 Daily Planners with a bright and fun Poly Paper Cover. To learn more about this new cover option, check out the video on our website, or reach out to us at [email protected]. 

Vervante • March 10, 2021

One of the most important steps for any project is the first step. Decades of experience in the publishing industry has taught us that just the act of getting started and gathering your thoughts and ideas can be one of the hardest things you do. So for anyone who has a vision for a new product, and needs a little guidance for what steps to start with, we’re gathered these tips for you. Define your product Gathering your ideas is the first step toward turning an idea into the real deal. A good place to start is to look at other similar products like the one you are about to create. Determine what you like about them such as size, number of pages, fonts, colors, type of binding, and any other special treatments. Then take those ideas and incorporate them as you plan out the details for your product. Watch product videos A great place to get ideas and see how things look in real life is by watching the videos on the Vervante Video Vault web page. The videos spotlight a variety of products close-up and in action, narrated by our CEO, and showing ways to create and elevate your products. Currently there are videos for binders, planners, journals, card decks, calendars, custom printed boxes, greeting cards, stickers, book cover treatments, and more. We’re always adding something new, so be sure to check back often for lots of ideas and inspiration. Find useful guides on our blog Our blog is absolutely packed full of information, updates and how-to’s for all of the products and services we offer. Here are just a few examples that can prove very valuable for illuminating and guiding you through your project: How to Sell on Amazon, Etsy & your own website all at once Step-by-step guide for creating custom card decks How to use ISBN, LCCN, and Copyright How to create a 2022 daily planner How to prepare your files for printing How to create customized journals Steps for setting up pre-sale offers How to set up shipping & postage Order samples If you’re unsure how some thing will look in person, we offer samples that can be ordered to try out. We have a Samples Page on our website filled with products you can order to help you make your final decision. Our newest and most popular sample is the Paper Sample Notepad that includes eight of our most popular paper options. We also offer samples for books, book binding, calendars, card decks and greeting cards, posters, binders, printed boxes, pocket planners, newsletters, notepads, certificates and more.  Get a free quote Finally, did you know that you can get a free quote estimating your printing costs before you are ready to print? This will help you plan for budgeting and costs as you design your product. All you need to know to get a quote are general specifications. Here are a few examples: Books: Size of book, number of pages, hardcover or soft, binding type, color or b&w Card decks or greeting cards: Size of cards, number of cards, color or b&w, packaging Planners or journals: Size of planner, number of pages, page size, tabs, covers, binding, etc. To request a quote, go to the Vervante website home page and click on “Get a Quote” at the top, right of the page. Fill out the required information and we will send you an email response with the quote information.    We hope this helps you to avoid that “I’m not sure where to start” feeling. And we’re excited to help you create and share books, planners and products that you’ve always dreamed of. For questions or ideas, you can always reach us at [email protected].

Vervante • February 23, 2021

A few weeks ago we shared a step-by-step guide for creating a daily planner. Dates and deadlines for creating one for the year 2022 were provided, but our tips will work for any date, and even undated planners. Feedback was great, so we wanted to dig in a little deeper to discuss the steps in detail. Step 1 was understanding your timeline. For instance, if you are planning to launch a planner for 2022, the final date to submit your files for printing is Oct 15, 2021. Moving on, today we wanted to talk about the next important steps – deciding how your planner will look and function. A really great planner should provide the perfect mix of attractiveness and functionality. Your customers want it to look good and help them achieve their goals, so this step is very important. Find that sweet spot and you’ll create fans who keep coming back for more. Choose Your Topic There is an unlimited potential pool of ideas for daily planners. The sky is the limit when it comes to topics and types. Ask yourself: Who is your audience and what type of planner would best serve their needs? Next, you’ll want to decide on the size and specs for your planner, starting with cover and binding. We’ll outline some options below, but please also check out the Vervante Video Vault where we highlight many different options for planners, including size, binding, and types and treatments for covers.    Binding options Metal wire-o Metal spiral Plastic spiral Custom printed 3-ring binders (any page size) Case binding Punched for Disc Binding Concealed wire-o Cover options Hardcovers (for wire-o, spiral or case binding): For a 12-month planner we recommend a sturdy cover that will hold up to daily use.  Our most popular cover is a hardcover with either a printed design, faux/vegan leather, or linen treatment. We have color charts on our site for faux/vegan leather, linen, and customer favorite LaCreme vegan leather that feels like suede.  Laminated Covers: Another durable cover, and a great option for a 12-month planner, is our laminated covers.  These can be wire-o, spiral bound or punched for disc binding. Board Covers: These are a 2-ply softcover that creates a board-like cover option.  These are sturdy and will hold up to daily use for 12 months. Softcovers: If you have a short term planner such as a 30-60-90 day planner, a softcover would be fine.  We also offer a poly plastic overlay to help protect the covers. Foil Stamping: We offer a wide variety of foil stamp colors that you can see here.  We can foil stamp hardcovers (printed, faux leather and linen), board covers, laminated covers, and softcovers. Metal Corners: These are a popular add-on for hardcovers. They are available in gold metal. Elastic Strap: These are a very nice addition to a hardcover planner or journal. Ribbon Marker: We can add a ribbon marker (or two, or three, or more) to your casebound planner or journal. Helpful website links You can see all of the color choices and other options on our website, here: Metallic Foil Color Choices Faux Vegan Leather Cover Choices LaCreme Faux/Vegan Leather Options Pearl Linen Cover Choices Print specs for covers (downloads) Samples Design & Functionality Design matters. If you want to do it yourself, you can use programs like Canva or InDesign to create your planner pages. Or you can hire a professional graphic designer. Just make sure your planner design is both beautiful and functional for a high-quality look and feel. Be sure to watch our videos about creating planners and add-on options on the Vervante Video Vault page.   Are you ready to create and sell your own daily planner? We can help you make that dream come true! Here at Vervante, we believe in living an intentional, productive, and beautiful life – and we’re proud to help people like you make the world a better place. Email us at [email protected] or schedule a call using the link on our Contact page for questions, quotes, and any help you need.

Vervante • January 26, 2021

If you’ve been thinking about creating a daily planner, the right time to start is right now. Over the last few years here at Vervante, we’ve helped hundreds of clients create and sell the daily planners of their dreams. We want you to have a successful experience, too, so this year we are committed to providing step-by-step guidance for planning, creating and launching daily planners for any year - or even undated planners too! Planning ahead is the key. Understanding the steps it takes to create a planner will help avoid last-minute stress if you’re launching for the new year. So for today, we wanted to share with you a simple 7-step overview of the process with suggested timelines for creating a daily planner.   Step 1 | Know Your Timeline If you are creating a planner for a specific year and would like your planner to ship and arrive by a specific time, be sure to find out what the deadline is with your printer. Planning ahead for steps in the process such as design turnaround, ordering samples, beta testing, and print times is also essential to know.   Step 2 | Select Your Topic, Size & Specs The sky is the limit when it comes to topics and types. Start by asking yourself: Who is your audience and what type of planner would best serve their needs? The size and specs for your planner are the foundation of what you’re building. For ideas and inspirations, check out the Vervante Video Vault.     Step 3 | Time to Design Design matters. If you want to do it yourself, you can use programs like Canva or InDesign to create your planner pages. Or you can hire a professional graphic designer. Just make sure your planner design is both beautiful and functional for a high-quality look and feel. Step 4 | Decide on the Details: Extras & Add-Ons It’s all the little extras that can make a planner extra special. Check out the Vervante Video Vault showcasing features that can add both fun and functionality, such as colors of wire-o and spiral binding, metal corners, elastic straps, stickers, and more.    If your planner is intended to be used for more than 90 days, we encourage you to use a board cover or hardcover.  A printed softcover is great, however, with daily use it probably won’t hold up. Cover options Board covers Hardcovers can be printed, faux/vegan leather or linen.  The faux/vegan and linen options are generally also foil stamped.  We have color options on our site HERE. Laminated softcovers Softcovers or softcovers with poly overlays Binding options Metal wire-o binding Metal spiral binding Plastic spiral binding Casebound hardcover Punched for disc binding Step 5 | Pricing & Production Use the free quote tool on our website home page for free printing quotes and information. We provide a wide range of cost-effective, customized options for printing daily planners so you can get what you need, when you need it, and exactly how you want. Step 6 | Presentation A beautiful planner deserves beautiful packaging. If you want to make a great impression right from the start, we can help by providing custom boxes, shipping labels, message cards, stickers or bookmarks that can be included with your planners to give it a personal touch that will really impress customers. Step 7 | Orders, Shipping and Fulfillment Successful launches and happy customers depend on having a streamlined sales and shipping process. We can list your planners on Amazon, help you sell from your own website, or list your planner in our online Bookstore where we can handle credit card payments for you. Fulfillment and shipping are also done for you as we print, package and ship your planners anywhere in the world. We hope this helps you to avoid that “I’m not sure where to start” feeling that many people often have. We’re excited to help you create new planners and are here to help every step of the way.

Vervante • December 15, 2020

As we approach the end of 2020, there's a lot we could say, but here's what is most important ... we made it! We stuck it out together. And we're so grateful to be here with you as we look toward a New Year, new possibilities, and a future that we can make brighter together. Even though most of us are pretty happy to see 2020 in the rear view mirror, there were some good things. And since a lot of you might have been a bit distracted for a few months, we thought it would be fun to round up some of the best of what we put out this year - new products, enhanced services, ideas that can help you share your talents in a bigger way. So here's our Best of 2020, wrapped up with a sparkly bow! #1 Pandemic Pivots The world changed quickly this year, and we all did our best to roll with the punches and change with it. Working from home brought new challenges and new opportunities, and we did our best to support you throughout. Shipping During the Pandemic Best Products to Sell During the Quarantine Working from Home Tips from the Vervante Staff #2 Planners Galore Planning for the future is always fun, but there was just something about this year that make it feel absolutely essential. Daily planners exploded as one of the hottest products to make, and we make sure to give you everything you need to create planners (and journals!) that help your customers find the success they deserve. How to create customized journals How to turn a planner into a complete collection 2021 Planner Debut (planners you can still order and customize to sell as your own) #3 Author / Entrepreneur Empowerment Our bottom line is to help you succeed, so we are always looking for new ways to educate and empower our customers with guides, how-to's, and everything you need to take action, turn your ideas into products, and make the process and easy and lucrative for you as possible.  How to Set Up a Pre-Sale Offer Don't Want to Deal with Credit Cards? We can do it for you! How to Set Up Shipping & Postage How to Sell on Amazon, Etsy & Your Own Website All at Once Creative Ways to Launch a Book or Other Product #4 In the Know Knowledge is power and we did our best to share the latest and best to keep you in the know. From postal policies to new product to how-to guides, our team at Vervante headquarters makes sure you stayed informed. Paper Samples: We now have a notepad of paper samples available. It includes eight of our most popular paper options and is a great resources for helping to decide what type of paper you should choose for your books or products. The Vervante Video Vault: A page filled with videos highlighting products and inspired ideas Free Guide: How to Create a Coloring Book Our 3-Step Guide for Crushing NaNoWriMo Expert Tips for Creating Adult Coloring Books What to Put on Your Book Copyright Page Here’s to starting 2021 in a memorable and exciting way! We'd love to know what your thoughts and wishes are for the New Year, so please feel free to email us with your ideas for products or services we can add to continue to serve you best.

Vervante • December 9, 2020

If you’re launching a daily planner for 2021 and like the idea of adding something more to make it stand out, how about turning it into a collection? Customers who love your planners will be excited when they see you have additional products available that add to the value of your planner. And you’ll love how easy it is to support the success of your planner while also adding to your revenue. Established planner companies like Erin Condren, Inkwell Press, and Dayspring know that people who love daily planners love to get extras to make them even more fun and valuable. You can do the same by creating and offering products such as: Stickers Booklets Journals of all sizes Bookmarks Note cards / stationery Recipe cards Printed newsletters or magazines Seasonal extras Desktop or tear-off calendars Adult coloring book Jars filled with small printed notes/note cards card deck / tarot cards Planners are very popular these days, but collections are what can give them some serious pizzazz! We are here to help you turn your planner into a complete collection with products and services you need. For more ideas, be sure to check out the Vervante Video Vault for videos that show ideas for products that can easily be bundled with daily planners. And for questions or to get started, email [email protected] or schedule a call with our CEO, Cindy, by clicking on this link.

Vervante • September 22, 2020

It's official! Our 2021 daily planner is here and we're so excited to share all the details with you! We've designed this planner to be used in several ways: Order and use it just like it is Make a simple change like adding your logo/branding Fully customize: We provide access to the InDesign files so you can change anything you want. New for 2021! > We are offering spiral wire binding on demand: Wire binding is like our plastic continuous spiral binding but with a metal wire. The standard is silver metal in a 1" loop size. It's also available in 5 colors: silver, black, white, gray and brown and can be special ordered. We think this is a nice alternative to plastic spiral binding, and unlike wire-o binding, you don't have to have a minimum quantity order of 25.   > Printed tab divider pages: Tabs are popular and requested often for planners. They are beautiful but can be expensive.  Another option is to have printed tabs that are easy to find when the planner is closed or when you thumb through the planner. Please notice the way we printed the tabs in this planner on the video we've uploaded on the website HERE.   You are welcome to modify or change whatever you'd like. We provide the InDesign files to make your 2021 planner designing easier. Here are a few ideas for customizing this daily planner: Available on demand Softcover wire or plastic coil Double paper pocket inserts Die-cut tabs Bookmarks Minimum order quantity 25 2-ply board covers or hardcovers Laminated and foil-stamped covers Faux leather or linen covers Elastic closure straps Stickers: (minimum order quantity 150 sheets) Here are links for ordering, accessing, and customizing our new 2021 Daily Planner: View planner cover-to-cover online Order a sample copy of the 2021 Planner (2 versions available: Board cover with inkjet color and rounded corners /  and /  Softcover with silver metal wire-o binding). Access the InDesign files to make changes / customizations Check out the Vervante Video Vault for demonstrations of many of our planner's features - and lots of other products and customizing options available.  We're pretty excited about this new planner - and we hope you are too. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]

Vervante • July 23, 2020

We’re excited to share with you several new videos we’ve posted to the Vervante Video Vault showcasing new features that add both fun and functionality to these popular products. "Casebound Hardcover" Video In this video we highlight three case bound hardcover products good for planners, journals and books with several options that make them stand out: Linen-finish cover with gold foil embossed images Colorful elastic straps and ribbon markers Off-white paper with grid patterns Faux leather cover with gold foil stamped title Printed hardbound cover with white printed title "Poly, Laminated and Disc-Punch" Video This video shows multiple versions of a sample planner and a new binding option we're very excited about - Metal Disc Binding. Poly or laminated covers are a great option for a high-quality feel without the extra cost of a hardcover. Metal Disc Binding: If you haven't seen this yet, be sure to check it out. Disc punch binding is the hottest new feature in daily planners, allowing greater ease for customizing each planner as interior pages can be easily added or removed. We're proud to be one of the first print-on-demand publishers to offer this unique option. Laminated covers are also great for planners or workbooks, adding durability without incurring extra costs like hardcovers would. "Hardcover Concealed Wire-O" Video We love the options showcased in this video because you can create a high-quality case bound hardcover book, planner or journal with a traditional-look spine, but with Wire-O binding, so the pages lay flat for ease of use. Check out the video to see our newest release of an undated planner with extras that really stand out such as endsheets and dividers in full color, lay-flat inner pages, and stickers that can be used on both tabs or monthly spread pages. Did one of these journals or planners catch your eye?  You can order samples of various products here.  Please check back often as we add new products to our samples collection. Please contact [email protected] if you need a quote or have questions about planners, journals or any of our other products. If you love these ideas and want to learn more about incorporating them into your next products, email our publishing specialists at [email protected] for questions, quotes and anything else you need.