All is Not Vanity

By John Gutekunst

You may have heard the term vanity press or vanity publishing. Say you wrote a book titled The Amazing Adventures of Warren Grimes, Assistant Accounts Payable Clerk! A vanity press will print your book providing you pay all costs, therefore making money from the author. This is not to be confused with self-publishing, which as in traditional publishing, profits from the sale of books to consumers.

Self-publishing means that your book is published by you, the author, instead of a by a large established publisher. You are generally responsible for publicity and marketing of the book, as well as selling the book. This process includes everything from designing the book cover and typesetting the book, to writing and distributing press releases and scheduling book signings.

Self-publishing has been made easier with the advent of digital printing. With traditional offset printing you have to print large quantities for it to be commercially viable. Digital printers can more easily do short runs so there is less danger of being stuck with a large quantity of unsold books.

So if you have written a book — maybe you're an Accounts Receivable clerk with a story to tell — self-publishing may be a good option for you. It just might be amazing.

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FitnessJourneyBooks.com

by John Gutekunst

I was surfing the internet the other day while enjoying a light snack: cheese puffs, potato chips, pork rinds, a chocolate bar, some gum drops (healthy fruit), jelly beans, some cheese and crackers, eight glazed doughnuts, jerky treats I stole from the dog, and popcorn for fiber. Eventually, I came across a web site named Fitness Journey Books, which features the book Journey to Fitness — Chronicles of a Working Woman written by Linda S. Jassmond Lanfear.

I started browsing through the sample chapter when all of a sudden I jumped up. The chips went flying, the donuts rolled away and my angry dog grabbed his jerky treats and ran. What had struck me? Journey to Fitness tells the story of how Personal Trainer Linda S. Jassmond Lanfear motivated a busy working mother to develop strategies to incorporate healthy eating and exercise into her day. The is not your standard diet plan or workout program, but the result is life changing!

Well, I thought, this is effective for a working woman, but what about me? I'm not (last time I checked) a woman, and I've never worked a day in my life. Luckily, I had the chance to talk to Linda, and she told me that she works with all kinds of people, and helps them to take charge of their minds and bodies to create lifestyle changes that result in healthy eating, weight loss, and positive energy. She has 24 years of experience in the fitness industry, and is dedicated to her client's success.

You can find out more about Personal Trainer Linda S. Jassmond at www.FitnessLinda.com, and check out her book, Journey to Fitness — Chronicles of a Working Woman at www.FitnessJourneyBooks.com. You could change your life — who knows, your dog might even start to like you.

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Turn that Downturn Upside Down

by John Gutekunst

Everyone is talking these days about the global credit crisis and economic downturn. It isn't hard to find advice on how businesses can weather this crisis, but the problem is that a lot of this advice is coming from the same "experts" that advised us into this mess in the first place.

You might be better off listening to someone that nobody would mistake for an expert. We asked some non-experts for their thoughts:

Ron Ruterunst, Economics Guy: The best thing you can do as a businessperson in this economic climate is NOT hunker down. Don't stop spending on marketing and advertising. It is important that you are seen as a strong and viable company in the marketplace. The benchmark I always use to determine when the economy is strong? When all the graphic designers are busy.

Don Dutedunst, Cyber-economics Guy: When times are tough, businesses rely on the internet more than ever. Do you have a web site? If not you should, and if you do have one it should be kept fresh and up to date. This is the time to call (or e-mail) your web designer and get them busy on your web site. I can't stress this point enough, CALL TODAY!

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Brocolli Confit

by John Gutekunst

Duck Confit is a method of preparing duck that is also a means of preserving the meat. Duck legs that have been prepared in this manner are a traditional ingredient in the classic French bean dish Cassoulet.

We have updated this old standby to be more in line with today's heathier eating habits. For this recipe you will need:

• 1 pound of broccoli, washed, dried, and cut into flowerets
• 2 pounds duck fat

Melt the duck fat in a heavy pot over low heat. Gently slip the broccoli flowerets into the fat and cook over extremely low heat for about two hours. The fat should not be at a boil, rather it should just barely bubble.

After two hours strain out the broccoli and drain on a rack. Broccoli Confit can be added to cassoulet, or if you prefer they also make a tasty snack when you are just sitting around reading a book (see JourneyFitnessBooks.com).

NEXT WEEK: We make a healthier version of the classic Creole dish étouffée by making the roux with margarine (Creoleoleo).

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