Woodwind Forum Calendar Fundraiser ...

[SteveSklar]

I knew I should have guilded those Cousenon logos .....

[pete]

Woulda, coulda, shoulda ....

It still looks nice!

[pete]

The small (8.5" x 11") calendar is now available for sale -- or will be, once Lulu's cataloged it. LINKY. When it's up, all you have to do is click the calendar's picture for a Flash-based preview.

Final Lineup:
* Cover: 1952 Selmer SBA bari sax
* Jan: A variety of Asian reeds (bawu, chanters, sheng -- lots of stuff)
* Feb: Leblanc paperclip contra clarinets
* Mar: Conn F Mezzo sax
* April: Dolnet M70 Eb alto saxes
* May: Weltklang bari, and Kohlert, Keilwerth and Dorfler & Jurka Bb tenor saxes
* Jun: ca. 1960 Couesnon Monopole low A Eb alto sax
* Jul: Saxette, Yanagisawa training Eb alto sax, QRS Play-A-Sax, Mason Clarisax, Hohner Sax (toy)
* Aug: c. 1950 Couesnon Bb clarinet & c. 1940 Selmer Centered Tone Bb clarinet
* Sept: 1920's Conn New Wonder "Artist's Special" finished Bb tenor sax
* Oct: Transverse bawus
* Nov: 2009 Yani S992 and 2010 E&R C soprano
* Dec: 1920's Conn New Wonder C melody tenor

As before, if you've got a pic in the calendar, please check to make sure that your attribution is correct.

[pete]

*Whew!* Lotta work!

I mention this on Lulu, but I will here, too:

* I'm waiting for the proof back for the LARGE calendar. After I (possibly) make corrections, it will be up for sale.
* The large calendar will be available on your choice of GLOSSY or LINEN paper. (If you ask me for my preference, it's glossy.)

I plan on writing a bit of commentary on my website regarding these pics. Just as a little extra. Hey, it's the last calendar.

* Yes, there are more "holidays."
* The price has remained the same from last year.
* I will still post coupon codes.
* If you are a calendar artist, contact me to buy calendar copies, so I can get you the coupon code + the "calendar creator" price, which is $4 or $5 off.

FWIW, and this may be because I've done these for a long time, I had to only correct a couple of minor problems with the calendar. Even when building the calendar and playing with brightness/contrast settings, it wasn't that difficult.

Oh. As a final comment, we've seen an awful lot of AhCheung's backyard, haven't we?

[pete]

The large calendars (linen paper and glossy paper) are now done. They should be available on Lulu in a couple hours.

Again, please check the calendars. If you spot a problem, contact me and I'll get it corrected. More later!

[pete]

I've found that a lot of Lulu coupon codes are at http://www.retailmenot.com/view/lulu.com. Current goodies:

* 25% off calendars & photo books - Save up to $100! Code NOVPHOTOS25 (Exp. 11/30/2011).
* 15% Off on order. Code NINCECAL.
* 30% Off on photo books and calendars. Code: FALLEQUINOX325.
* Save 30% Off photo books and calendars. Code: FALLEQUINOX330.

FWIW, it's generally the newest code(s) that work the best.

If I get any codes sent to me, I'll post 'em, too!

[Gandalfe]

You thinking about self-publishing a photo book Pete? It's got to be easier than doing a calendar, right?

[pete]

> It's got to be easier than doing a calendar, right?
Ha! Ha Ha! Ha! Ha! *Snort* Good one, Jim!

I've had an idea to do a photo book for a couple of years, either with using pictures from the calendars or from other sources. Logistically, it's a small problem: if all I want to do is take a picture and write something about the picture, it's just formatting the page for the appropriate sizes. Takes time, but it's not incredibly difficult. The big problem is the selling.

I used Lulu.com for the calendar projects because it's an on-demand press: they don't make it until you order it (kinda like Burger King). However, that also means that there's a base price for everything. For a 9"x7" photobook that's 20 pages long, it's $24.95. Then you have to ask yourself, "How many people want a 20 page book for $25?"

(Oh. Lulu.com really is the cheapest on-demand press for calendars and photo books. I've checked. Additionally, if I wanted them to promote my stuff more, I could give 'em some cash and they'd sell the calendars on amazon.com and in a real bookstore. That costs about $1000, IIRC.)

I could use a traditional (sometimes called "vanity") press and buy, say, 100 books to sell. While that would make the cost of the books lower, I have no assurance that I could sell all 100. Hey, the best selling calendar I had was about 150 units sold. That could leave me out of a lot of cash, easily $5000 or more. That's a bit too much of a load for me. Additionally, I'd have to handle the shipping, etc., unless I paid the publisher to do that.

I've been sidetracked in some of the above stuff, too: whenever I sit down to even do some thinking about writing a book, something seems to happen to take me away from doing it. Last year, it was my father's funeral and related stuff that really kinda killed the calendar project. Before that, I was working mega overtime because of a reorg where I work -- and because my wife wasn't working. This year, I have a grandson whose due date is ... today. (No news, yet.)

The best I could think of for a book project is either:
* I start some sort of paid-for electronic trial, like maybe a newsletter or magazine and see where that goes or
* I assist someone else with their book idea or
* I get some sort of grant or stipend from someone to do a book

In that first instance, I've had a free "mailing list" in the past for folks that wanted me to find interesting horns on eBay and such. I enjoyed that, but that was during the few years I was unmarried. In the second instance, I was published in a long forgotten magazine a long time ago. In the last instance, I did talk to a couple lawyers and accountants about 503(c) tax exempt status and getting "arts" grants. That went nowhere because ... I didn't have the cash for it. You either need the legal and accountant folks to take care of it or you have to have a lot of free time.

So. Holding pattern, I'd say, on the book project. I do have several ideas for books, though!

As far as the calendar is going, they've officially been promoted for about 8 days: SOTW's got my small banner up, as does the WF and my blog. I've sold 8 copies, total, including the two I bought as proofs. That's really not that bad, as sales are generally through January of the following year -- and sales pick up right before New Year's.

[pete]

Coupon codes:

* THANKS355: 15%
* NOVPHOTOS25: 25%

I THINK that volume discounts start at 5 calendars, so that's a few more percentage points off ....

[pete]

Free Shipping: RUSH

[Chris J]

For UK only, purchase in GBP

CYBERWEEKUK305

gives 25% off any order until 28th November

Chris

[pete]

STUDIOVIP305: 35% off
THANKS355: 15% off
HOLIDAYNOW: 25% off
CYBERWEEKUK: 25% off
CYBERWEEKNL305: 25% off (expires 11/28/2011)

Edit: CYBERMONDAY305 & MORECYBERMONDAY305. 35% off. Expires 11/28/2011.

Possibly still work:
CYBERWEEK: 25% off
RUSH305: Free shipping

The ones in the posts above may also still work.

[pete]

HOLIDAYSUPERSAVINGS355: 50% off. Expires 12/31.

(This is the largest % off coupon code I've ever seen from Lulu.)

If you choose one of the express shipping methods, you should be able to get it by Christmas.

[pete]

... and Lulu's got a new coupon every day at http://www.lulu.com/holiday_coupons/...n_email_12DAYS. Today it's free shipping.

[pete]

DECPHOTOS30: 30% off (expires 12/31)
21DECUK: 50% off (expires 12/31)
HOLIDAYSUPERSAVINGS355: 50% off (expires 12/31)

I used the "HOLIDAYSUPERSAVINGS355" code last week and it was still working. YMMV.

[pete]

I'd call this the last coupon code:

NEWCALENDAR355: 40% off. Ends 01/31.

[pete]

Well, it's February 1 and that means it's the unofficial end to the calendar season.

62 calendars sold, not counting the ones that the calendar artists and I bought.

Over the next few days I will e-mail all the calendar artists and I'll PayPal everyone their share. If you don't want it, please refuse payment and I'll split it 50-50 with Sax-on-the-Web and The Woodwind Forum. (It's easier on my filing system to do it this way.)

Thanks to everyone that participated and everyone that bought calendars over the past several years.

If anyone has any questions, please post or e-mail me at [email protected].

[pete]

What I did today was go through my 2012 calendar, page by page, and sent out PayPals for each month. Yes, I know I wrote down the wrong month for a couple folks. Note to self: be fully awake before sending people money.

I included a message in each PayPal:

If you prefer me to donate the funds, just refuse this PayPal and I'll split it 50/50 between woodwindforum.com and forum.saxontheweb.net -- or a different charity of your choice!

Please contact me if you were in this year's calendar and didn't get a PayPal or if you have any questions. My e-mail's [email protected].

My thanks go out to both Harri of http://saxontheweb.net and Ed or http://woodwindforum.com/forums for having my banners the past few years. Equally big thanks to everyone who contributed photos over the past 6 years.

[SteveSklar]

I couldn't "refuse" the payment, only refund it

[pete]

I've never actually done it . I was going off memory from someone that did that for me in the past.

Thanks for the info!

[Gandalfe]

If you refund it, doesn't PayPal take their cut both ways? Argh!

[SteveSklar]

If you refund it, doesn't PayPal take their cut both ways? Argh!

No. they refunded the entire amount, no charges (from what I can tell)

[pete]

There was only one person that had an extra charge, all of 4 cents, I think. I don't know why. In any event, I used the "pay friends and family" choice because PP said it was free. Hey, y'all are my friends, right?

[Gandalfe]

In any event, I used the "pay friends and family" choice because PP said it was free. Hey, y'all are my friends, right?

Ooh, that's good to know.

[pete]

Expect me to start asking for money .