T minus 11 days

Howdy outstanding people,

Steve Jasper here in beautiful downtown West Melbourne, getting excited (if a little apprehensive!) with the launch of my first book, Juicy Red Berries.

What started me writing a book to begin with? Well, at one point in my life I supported myself by writing copy -- letters, web pages, emails, brochures, advertorials -- you name it, I wrote it. And it was a lot of fun -- I got to see clients (who were also good friends of mine) get their businesses to the next level. They had fantastic products -- products and services that really added value to their clients' lives. It was great to be part of that process, and I was proud to be part of it.

But I also saw something that absolutely broke my heart. I saw a lot of very bad layout -- layout that actively worked against the product sales. Things like black and white photographs on pale yellow paper -- turning everything into a sickly hospital green. No, I don't want to buy anything that's a sickly hospital green either, thank you very much.

So I've written a book for business owners producing their own brochures (or outsourcing them) with a checklist that would be useful to maximise sales. And I'm releasing it on Monday, 19 February (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), which means I have a lot of things to organise in the next few days.

Wish me well. :-)