Here's a quick, inexpensive way to provide brief, basic, essential information about your book, product or service.

Working within a tight budget? Here’s an effective, easy, low-cost, money-saving tip: promote with labels.

That’s what I did – and am still doing – with my most recent book. However, it’s something that can be used with any product, service, event or cause.

Here’s what you do. First, boil down your basic, most essential message to no more than nine lines. Here, for instance, is my message:

ABRAHAM, THE DREAMER
An Erotic and Sacred Love Story
A fast-paced, provocative, biblical novel
by ROLF GOMPERTZ
Publisher: iUniverse.com $14.95
ISBN 0-595-17697-6, paperback, 260 pages
Browse and buy at www.iUniverse.com
Or call toll-free number: 1-877-823-9235
Also www.amazon.com or ANY bookstore

I then bought a 25-sheet box of No. 8163 Avery ink jet, white shipping labels (2”x4”), with 10 labels to a page. I printed out this message, making as many copies as I needed, and some extras.

I played around with colors and typefaces, caps and lower case type, to make the information look attractive. I used blue for the Internet addresses, and red for the book’s title and subtitle. I used bold face for information which I wanted to highlight; I also used italics.

Since I could not find a 3” label, I trimmed one inch off the 4” label.

I created this label to fit on the back of my business card. I did not want to dump the perfectly fine business cards I had, nor did I want to print double-sided ones, since that would also increase the cost of the cards. Furthermore, I did not know if I might want to change any of the basic information at some time, in which case I would be stuck with a lot of printed cards and I would have to go to the cost of printing new ones.

Indeed, I did “redesign” the label several times, changing a word, or a line, here and there.

As you can see, there was very little waste involved.

I found other uses for this label, as well. I put the label on the inside page of every book I was selling, giving away, or submitting to the media. This way, the essential information remained easily visible and accessible with each book.

The labels can also be used on stationery, envelopes, shipping bags and shipping boxes, as part of your ongoing promotion.

In fact, long before the book was available, I used a sequence of labels to call attention to the book’s forthcoming publication. You can do the same thing during the various stages of whatever you are promoting. Here for instance, are some earlier labels I used:

Soon available
ABRAHAM, THE DREAMER
An Erotic and Sacred Love Story
A biblical novel by
ROLF GOMPERTZ

Now Available
ABRAHAM, THE DREAMER
An Erotic and Sacred Love Story
A fast-paced, provocative, biblical novel
by ROLF GOMPERTZ
Publisher: iUniverse.com $14.95
ISBN 0-595-17697-6, paperback, 260 pages
Browse and buy at www.iUniverse.com
Or call toll-free number: 1-877-823-9235

ABRAHAM, THE DREAMER
An Erotic and Sacred Love Story
A provocative, biblical novel, 260 pp.
by ROLF GOMPERTZ
www.iUniverse.com , paperback $14.95

For the five-line labels, I used No. 5160 Avery labels, 1”x 2 5/8”, which come 30 to a sheet. In Windows ’98 /Microsoft Word ’97, for instance, you have an Envelopes and Labels program set up, for various Avery labels, under Tools.

So “label” away! You may even find additional uses for them. And don’t forget to use this same information for your standing e-mail signature, although there you may be limited to seven lines. My customized signature, for instance, reads as follows:

'ABRAHAM, THE DREAMER, An Erotic & Sacred Love Story'
A fast-paced, provocative, biblical paperback novel by Rolf Gompertz
Browse and order at http://www.iUniverse.com or http://www.amazon.com,
Order from any bookstore or iUniverse’s toll free number 1/877/823-9235.
Author contact: phone 1/818/980-3576; mailto: rolfgompertz.yahoo.com .