Category Archives: General

Self-publishing = Self-marketing

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Once a product is created and put on the market, the work of a self-publisher is not quite done yet. Actually, marketing your calendar is vital to the success of your endeavour. And luckily, spreading the word has become so much easier in the age of Social Media and there’s a lot you can do to attract buyers that won’t cost you any money:

  • Spread the news on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest and use product gallery links to show sample images
  • If you’ve got your own website or blog, promote your calendar there, link to the product gallery and provide links to online retailers where your calendar can be ordered
  • Get involved in online communities that might have an in interest in your calendar topic, e.g., on Facebook
  • Speak to your local book shop and see if they want to sell your product. Retailers can order your products through our wholesaler (see Retail)
  • Send a press release to your local newspaper. In particular if you have produced a calendar of your town or region, this could be of interest for them! The same applies to special interest magazines or websites: If your calendar topic fits the bill, why not let them know? The more niche the topic, the more likely that your calendar is the only one out there which raises demand.
  • Tell your family, friends and colleagues about your products – don’t be afraid to send out an email to blow your own trumpet!

Marketing info also on our website here.

 

Lots to be inspired by: Calvendo’s creative calendar makers

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With calendar season on our doorsteps (yes, autumn is finally here!), we see new users on our platform as well as ‘old hands’ cracking on with their ideas and producing fresh calendar material. Here are a few projects that caught our eye over the past weeks. If you haven’t logged into the system yet this year to start a new project, take a look and be inspired by this snapshot of our talented Calvendo community (and there’s much more!):

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  • Whimsical and delightful: Japanese Kokeshi doll illustrations by Capucine with cleverly woven in seasonal references. (Don’t miss the December Kokeshi!)
  • The eyes have it: Great use of our new cover design templates by David Knowles in his ‘Just Nature’s Eyes’ calendar
  • Yearning for the countryside: Christian Mueringer is tapping into the zeitgeist with his ‘Charming Country Houses’ project and collection of rural gems around Europe.
  • Retro with a modern twist: Stephen Millerships’s travel poster style illustrations of Manchester and his hometown Ilkeston are fabulous. Take a look!
  • Delicious: Atlantismedia’s ‘Sweet Dreams’ selection is mouth-watering. Pretty perfect for everyone who has a sweet tooth.
  • Intriguing: Wildlife Art Print’s produced some amazing macro shots of beetles clear, crisp and rather stylish.
  • Reflective: David Chennell’s Wirral calendar features beautiful reflection photography, showing Merseyside’s hidden gem in a different light.
  • Niche interest: Airline tails – yes, that’s a thing! Craig Russell had enough material for not just one but two calendars featuring airline tails. If you’re not an aviation expert yourself, you’ll be surprised how varied and colourful they are
  • Twilight zone: Sue Burton has taken a closer look a the hours of twilight and found different  Degrees of Darkness
  • Flower artistry: Terry Hewlett’s Floral Attraction brightens up every wall,  a real mood booster!

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Things to remember when designing a calendar

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When designing your calendar, the most important thing to bear in mind is that great images only are not enough.

You need to make sure that the photos, illustrations or graphic designs you select work as a whole. Also, the overall layout of the calendar needs to be coherent so make sure that you’re not working with different images formats or edit them accordingly. Not to forget, establish beforehand that your image resolution is sufficient and check out required sizes.

One of the most common mistakes people make is not paying enough attention to their cover. This is, after all, the first visual impression potential customers get of your product. The image(s) you choose needs to be expressive and an eye-catcher, something that makes people curious. Images should also relate to the topic and title of your calendar, which might sound trivial but is often overlooked. Another thing: When it comes to the font size for the title, you can never think big enough since the product images on retail sites  are very small. In order to make it easier for you to design professional calendar covers, we have integrated design templates in our online editor for your use. You don’t need to work with them but they’re helpful! Here’s a step-by-step guide how to use them.
Take a look at our design section with lots more tips on how to get it right!
Plus: Always refer to our checklist. If you’ve never created a calendar before, it’ll give you some essential guidelines.