Blog

Vervante • September 1, 2023

To ensure that we meet your expectations before the year draws to a close, please make a note of these production deadlines:   Printed, Faux Leather, or Linen Hardcover Planners: Must be in production by Monday, 10/2/23 Board Covers, 10 mm Laminated Covers, Soft Cover Faux Leather Planner: In production by Monday, 10/16/23         Please don't wait – if you want your 2024 planner in the hands of your customers before the end of the year, let’s get yours into the production queue now.  

Vervante • October 25, 2022

Whoa, if you haven't noticed yet, Black Friday is practically here! Our inboxes are already flooding with early coupons and special deals, even though it's a full month until the actual day. If you're planning on offering any holiday specials, it's not too late. We've here to help you with plenty of products and tips that will carry you through the whole holiday season, starting with Black Friday. Here are 5 of our bestsellers that can be sold just as they are, or customized to fit your needs:  PLANNERS & JOURNALS: Our 2023 Butterfly softcover planner can be customized to fit your brand and ready to go. Read this article for more details: "2023 Softcover Planners Are Here." Also, be sure to check out the video ideas about planners and journals on our Video Vault page. NOTEPADS: Custom designed notepads, like we offer here at Vervante, have endless potential to become the next “must-have” product to add to your business or life. We can create notepads in all shapes and sizes, and in black-and-white or full color. Notepads can be glued for tear-off sheets with a cardboard back or spiral bound along the top or side. Check out this article, "Create Ideas for Custom Notepads," or watch this video about creating notepads. CALENDARS: We offer a variety of types and sizes, including tear-off, desktop, wall, pocket and more. We have a whole section on our video page about calendars, (click here), or read more details here: "How to create a calendar." GREETING CARDS: Packaged individually or in sets, in custom boxes or bags, cards are always popular. Check out this article for ideas for holiday gift cards, How to create holiday cards, or watch any of the videos on our Video Vault page for inspiration.   Holiday Timelines Worried about time? No need to stress! Here are a few tips to help you get ready in plenty of time: TIP #1: If you have the general specs of the product you want to create, we can give you a free quote right away so you can set your retail price and start working on your sales and marketing strategy. TIP #2: Your product does not have to be complete to offer it for sale.  All you need is the cover design image for display on your site and – voila – you can make your offer and collect pre-orders. Just be clear in the description when your customer can expect to receive their purchase.   TIP #3: Once we have print files, we can ship within 3-4 days, so you're able to let customers know when pre-ordered products will arrive and can be confident in quick deliveries. If this is your first holiday season working with Vervante, be sure to read all about how order processing and shipping works here: “How order processing and shipping works.” Orders are shipped according to the method you or your customer select. If you have a new product or dated product such as a planner, we recommend using Priority Mail the last six weeks of the year.

Vervante • September 15, 2022

If the holiday décor we see showing up on retail shelves is any kind of clue, it’s time to start getting ready for holiday sales. If you have any plans for creating or promoting books, journals, daily planners or other products for the holidays, it’s time to take action. We’ve been doing this for decades, so trust us, it’s never too early to get started. Here is our best advice for getting ahead of the curve and planning for a successful holiday sales season. SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER Decide on products to sell. Make a list of customizations. Contact Vervante at [email protected] and request free quotes for printing, shipping timelines, etc. If you’re just adding your logo to one of our ready-made products, upload print-ready file to your Vervante account, then order a sample copy to see it in real life. For customized products, finalize graphic design files and upload to Vervante account. Order sample copies for quality and proofreading checks. If you are going to sell from your own website, start setting up your shopping cart and test it out thoroughly to make all systems are a go. If you don’t have a website or shopping cart, we can list for you on Amazon or through the Vervante Bookstore. NOVEMBER Put marketing plans into action. Announce special promotions, early bird sales and specials. Promote, promote, promote! Did time get away from you? For last-minute ideas in time for Black Friday, our ready-made planners, card decks, books, journals and calendars are easy and quick to set up and sell. DECEMBER Confirm Vervante holiday shipping deadlines (see below for details). Attend book signings. Continue promotions, especially for New Year / 2023 products. Announce surprise last-minute deals. JANUARY Continue to promote New Year products. If 2023 planners were a hit, think about removing dates from planner so it can be sold all year long. Look back at your holiday sales experience, making notes about what worked (and what didn’t) to help with next year’s plans. Holiday Shipping Guide If this is your first holiday season working with Vervante, click here to read all about how order processing and shipping works with our services: “How order processing and shipping works.” If you’re planning on a holiday launch, or would like your product to arrive by the end of December, it’s important to include shipping as a big part of your planning. Delivery speed, cost, and customer satisfaction are all affected by the way your products are shipped to your customers. Orders are shipped according to the method you or your customer select. If you have a new product or dated product such as a planner, we recommend using Priority Mail the last six weeks of the year.

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 • August 24, 2021

If you’re planning on a holiday launch, or would just like your product to arrive by the end of December, one important aspect is shipping. Delivery speed, cost, and customer satisfaction are all affected by the way your products are shipped to your customers. Here at Vervante, we make sure that you have total control of this important part of your product sales process by offering the ability to choose the best shipping method for each of your products.   Our shipping system will automatically default to Media Mail for domestic shipments. If you want to set a specific shipping method for a product, you can do this from your Author Dashboard. If you want to make any changes, 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. 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 TIP: Don't forget to save your changes)***   You can also include the shipping method in your order notifications.  If you are using Zapier or another automated order processing format as outlined HERE, you can include the shipping method on the order.  This is only applicable for those order notifications in a format such as the text-only email, API or Shopify formats.  ABOUT MEDIA MAIL PLEASE NOTE: Media Mail is the default shipping method. If you do not want to use Media Mail, you must select another shipping method on that page. Media Mail is often the least expensive postage option for most products, but it is also slower than other methods such as First Class or Priority.  To learn more about media mail, please see "The Pros & Cons of Using Media Mail." We suggest that you use First Class (if your product weighs less than 13 ounces) or Priority Mail (over 13 ounces) for orders shipped after Thanksgiving if you’d like them to arrive by the end of December. We have found that orders shipped via Media Mail the last six weeks of the year may take a few weeks longer because of the holiday shipping. If you have a new product or dated product such as a planner, we recommend using Priority Mail the last six weeks of the year, and then if you’d like to switch back to Media Mail in January to save money on postage, just log back into your account and change the shipping method. HOW TO CHOOSE BEST SHIPPING METHOD Not sure which method is best? If an order weighs less than 6 pounds then USPS is generally the least expensive shipping option. We have created a USPS postage calculator so you can view your different USPS shipping options. From the author dashboard, scroll down to Support > Calculate Postage You will see a list of your products at the top of the page with the estimated shipping weight. In the USPS Postage Calculator enter Vervante's zip code (84042) and the zip code we will be shipping to. Most products ship as a package.  If you have any questions, we're here to help at [email protected].

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 • July 20, 2020

It’s that time of year again. No, we’re not talking about beaches and fun in the sun – we’re talking about the holidays! You read that right, if you’re planning on launching a new book or product for the holidays then NOW is the time to get started.   A lot of people joke about Christmas in July, but honestly, it’s the BEST time to start planning for holiday sales. You've got plenty of time to wrap up your book details, strategize marketing and sales, and give yourself a nice head-start for a stress-free experience.  First, let’s talk about understanding lead-time for products Different products take different amounts of time for printing and production. Here are some examples of standard lead times for a variety of products we product – and why it’s important to factor lead times into your holiday sales plans: Paperback books: 5 days Softcover spiral bound or saddle-stitched books: 5 days Card decks: 5-10 days Custom printed tuck boxes for card decks: 10-12 days Hardcover books, planners, journals:  4-6 weeks Custom printed corrugated boxes for VIP, membership and mailing: 10-15 days SCENARIO of a Hardcover Daily Planner Launch: If you're thinking of a Black Friday launch for a hardcover planner, for example, you would need to begin printing October 19 in order to ship orders on November 30. Let's get those products you want to launch and sell in the 4th quarter into the queue as soon as possible now, so we can minimize the stress of year-end and the holidays. Shipping During the Holidays Another element to factor into your holiday launch strategy is the possibility of extended shipping times – especially during this upcoming holiday season. Many shipping companies are struggling to maintain normal schedules during these uncertain times, so it’s a good idea to factor in the possibility of extended shipping times for holiday product launches. Holiday Book Sales Timeline AUGUST Finalize your book manuscript and send it to an editor to make sure it’s ready to go. Start gathering details such as print quotes, shipping timelines, etc. Assemble your self-publishing team. Some people you might need include:  Designer for the cover and interior formatting; Printer and publisher (like Vervante), Technical support for sales pages, shopping carts, etc,; a book launch expert or project manager; Launch “squad” made up of friends and colleagues who will provide early reviews and help spread the word. SEPTEMBER Upload print-ready files for the book and order sample copies for quality and proofreading checks. Coordinate with Vervante for your book retail listing: Amazon, Vervante Bookstore, or your own shopping cart. Vervante can list your book for sale on Amazon and add it to the Vervante Bookstore online (free for Vervante authors). If you sell from your own website, start working on your landing and sales pages, set up shopping cart, plan marketing strategies. OCTOBER / NOVEMBER Put marketing plans into action. Announce special promotions, early bird sales and specials. Attend book signings. Promote, promote, promote! Boost your book launch by creating complementary products that will get attention and ignite interest. Check out these ideas: Creative Ways to Launch a Book DECEMBER Confirm Vervante holiday shipping deadlines. Attend book signings. Continue promotions, especially for New Year / 2021 products. Announce surprise last-minute deals. JANUARY Continue to promote New Year products. Look back at your holiday sales experience, making notes about what worked (and what didn’t) to help with next year’s plans. Questions? Let us help you make the most of your holiday sales by emailing us at [email protected] or scheduling a phone call at https://vervante.youcanbook.me/.

Vervante • April 28, 2020

Launching a new book or product can be very exciting – and also very scary. One of the best things you can do to support a successful launch is find a way to capture attention and capture sales at the same time. That’s why we’ve gathered up three creative launch ideas you can you to help you stand out from the crowd. #1: Launch Date Landing Page As you prepare for your official launch date, create a dedicated landing page. You can add bonuses as incentives for your customers such as free downloads or extras if they buy on that specific date. You can then have the Buy Now button either go to your Amazon link or your personal shopping cart – and ask customers to provide proof of purchase to receive their free extras. In addition, connecting with customers this way allows you to collect their contact information to add to your list for future communication. For a fun and creative example of using a launch landing page and bonuses to promote a book launch check out Scott Stratten’s “The Jackass Whisperer.” #2: Exclusive Print Run People love a VIP experience. Another great idea to boost your book or product launch is to do a special print run that will be sent to special customers, connections and influencers to help spread the word. You can autograph your books, include handwritten cards, bookmarks or stickers, and give your readers an early, exclusive peek. #3: VIP Boxes Speaking of VIPs, you can take your exclusive print run to the next level by adding products to create VIP boxes. Add other products to the package that complement your book. Use special packaging that features your brand and design, so they know they are getting something unique and interesting. Top it all off by having it wrapped with colored tissue, stickers, and extras for a fun, hand-crafted “Etsy” type experience. You might even end up seeing your product as the star in a social media “unboxing” episode!

Vervante • November 7, 2019

Looking for ideas to give your income a boost this holiday season? Well, we've got good news and not-so-good news. This year you've got a little longer to plan for Black Friday with the later-than-usual Thanksgiving date. But that means that your holiday sales and shopping season will be a bit shorter in December. That's why we're sending this note - to give you a head start for successful product launches and sales. We’ve got what you need with plenty of products and tips that can be ready to go in time for Black Friday and remain bestsellers through the New Year. Here are 5 of our bestselling products that can be sold just as they are, or customized to create exactly what you - and your customers - need: PLANNERS: Use ours or design your own JOURNALS - soft cover and hard cover CALENDARS: Desktop or wall calendars GREETING CARDS: Packaged individually or in sets of 10 in a stationery box with a clear lid CARD DECKS: Any size, any number of cards Select the products you would like to sell, contact us if you would like to add your logo or customize the design, then add them to your sales pages and shopping carts. Reach out to our publishing experts at [email protected] and we'll help you get everything ready. Worried about time? No need to stress! Here are a few tips to help you prepare: TIP #1: If you have the general specs of the product you want to create, we can give you a free quote right away so you can set your retail price and start working on your sales and marketing strategy. TIP #2: Your product does not have to be complete to offer it for sale.  All you need is the cover design image for display on your site and – voila – you can make your offer and collect pre-orders. Just be clear in the description when your customer can expect to receive their purchase.    TIP #3: Once we have print files, we can ship most products within 3-4 days, so you're able to let customers know when pre-ordered products will arrive and can be confident in quick deliveries. The lead time for our hardcover products such as planners, journals and books is 4-6 weeks. If your products are in stock, we will ship within 24 hours. Questions? Let us help you make the most of your holiday sales by dropping us a line at [email protected] or scheduling a phone call with one of our publishing professionals at https://vervante.youcanbook.me/.   Here's to a stress-free and successful holiday season!

Vervante • November 1, 2019

Planning on extra product sales this holiday season? Whether you need to print more copies, research holiday shipping deadlines, calculate postage, or just get some help with fulfilling all those orders, we can help. Preparation is the key for success – so we’ve rounded up a few tips to help you get a head start: HOLIDAY SHIPPING Did you know that because Thanksgiving falls on Nov 28 this year, the holiday shopping and shipping season here in the U.S. is a week shorter than usual? 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 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 3-5 business days.  Due to increased volume in December, orders may take an additional 1-2 business days to print. 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