Printing of Books and the Cost to Run Business in America

I am at the moment analyzing the financial numbers for the printing of my book on Palmistry. Needless to say the numbers are strained at best.

It is amazing to me how close the margins for books are. Truly! I don’t know how the publishers can make any money at all. At the moment the cost for shipping books has gone up because of fuel prices and normal operating expenses. The shippers have also changed the way they analyze the shipment between weight and size. The effect is one of causing small publishing houses such as my self to almost be unable to compete in the bigger arena of the publishing industry.

My palmistry book is about 70 pages long. The cost problem is not about the printing of the books but always in the shipping of the books from my office to the distribution networks such as Amazon or Baker and Taylor. It is amazing that the shipping takes more of the cost than the printing of the books itself. It would seem that the most labor intensive part would be in the printing of the books. But it is not.

Maybe I should go into the shipping industry. Someone must be making money there. Ha!

The truth is that my life seems to be about following my passions and gifts rather than in making money. It seems to have always been so.

As a dancer with Ballet West from 1982-1988, the most I ever made as a soloist/principal dancer was only about $22,000.00 per year. In all of the artistic arenas, the directors and boards know that to dance must be a calling and passion. You do not do it for the money. You do it for the joy and fulfillment you receive from the expression of your soul.

The same is true for being a psychic and author. No one gets into being an author for the money. On average there really is no money to be made in it. Especially in the subjects that are interesting to me. Yet, you are driven to give back and share your skills and gifts with others.

I know that producing the books and CD’s has been an act of love and sharing with others. I would do it again. But the work and energy that it takes to create such a thing cannot be translated into money.

As a psychic, people think that I make so much money per hour but when you break down all the costs such as; advertising, teaching materials, rental of space for workshops, cost of running a corporation for the federal and state, sales taxes, insurance, accountants, etc. You are amazed that you can still function as a business.

Yet I love people and I love my work. There is nothing more profound than to see the emergence of an soul opening to the magic that is within them.

My husband received information from his company as to the actual cost that companies pay for each person. The easy to translate this information is to round out the numbers. They went something like this. If you make $100,00.00 per year (don’t we all wish!) the corporation will spend an additional $70,000.00 per person in fees, taxes, insurance, space, retirement (social security), etc. Amazing isn’t it!

So when you get concerned that you want to feel valued in your company remember the number breakdown and realize that you are making more money than you realize.

Talk to you again soon.