Nightmares of a Publisher from Hell

Saturday, November 8, 2014

From Suspect To Prospect (Pilot Episode)

Monday, November 3, 2014

How to Self Publish a Magazine

Coming 2015
ISBN #: 978-0-9892343-5-1

Best of the Best Publishing Presents: The US-50 State Challenge with Hasani Pettiford. Coming 2015 Whether printed on glossy paper or lovingly laid out on-line, magazines continue to offer the best examples of in-depth reporting, stylish writing and meticulously edited stories. US-50’s magazine self-publishing program is premised on the belief that mastering the traditional skills required to produce great journalism will remain essential in a constantly evolving media culture. For over a decade, award-winning speaker, TV personality, and published author, Hasani Pettiford, has been a recognized authority on human sexuality, interpersonal relationships, as well as, personal growth and development.

We partnered up with Hasani to offer a wealth of classes dealing with 14 subjects ranging from marketing and branding, self-publishing, drama, franchising, popular culture, and the arts to politics, investigative reporting plus much more. The program enthusiastically embraces new technologies, with an emphasis on visual story-telling through video and photography, Radio, Film, Live Events, TV and Multimedia Channels.

How to Self Publish a Magazine

Are you passionate about a topic and want to share it with the world? Need to put that English degree to work? Willing to spend huge amounts of time editing, printing, mailing and marketing? Self-publishing a magazine is a difficult undertaking, but is also one of the most rewarding jobs out there! If you believe in it, you should definitely give it a shot!

Step

Research. Don't kid yourself. Creating and self-publishing a magazine can end up being an expensive task, both mentally and financially. Research is required!

Is there a magazine currently in circulation that is already providing similar content?
What makes it a winner?
What makes it a loser?
How will your magazine be better?
Or, will your magazine be absolutely the only one of its kind reaching your target demographic?
What is your target demographic looking for in a magazine?
What other magazines are targeting the same demographic?
From which can you learn the successes?
From which can you learn the failures?

Consider your options and costs, together. Realistically. We know your circulation will be one million copies by the end of the first year, and your profit margin will be 85%. But, let's pretend, just for fun, that you might have a few hiccups along the way.

What are your printing options versus your budget?
How many pages need to be color, and how many can be black and white?
What is your circulation target?
What are your circulation and distribution options?
Is sponsorship an option?
Is it possible to secure advertisers for your first run before going to press?

3 Find your exact audience - not just the general audience. You need to know exactly who your target demographic is. Without knowing this, it will be difficult to properly layout your magazine content, market your magazine, or secure serious advertisers. Assuming you know quite a lot about your magazine's subject, this shouldn't be too difficult. Sign up for discussion groups (such as Yahoo), subscribe to other magazines, join local groups, etc.

Create a website. Before you get the word out about your new endeavor, you MUST publish a website. Work to make the site as professional as possible. Don't advertise the fact that this is a one-person gig.

On your site, you should have a page for contributors. This allows you to mark deadlines, point out what sorts of articles you'd like to receive, and let writers know how you'll be using their work. List your pay rates and what rights you intend to purchase.
You should also have a way for people to subscribe online, if at all possible.Paypal is a good way to do this, at least when you're just starting out. If you don't want to take subscription orders online, make sure your address is easy to find and note what forms of payment you DO take. If you accept checks or money orders, you'll need to get a DBA (doing business as) so that your bank will accept checks made out to your magazine name.

Solicit articles. Post a "call for submissions" to your newfound groups. Try to get your notice on a few high traffic blogs. If you're looking for more general articles, try posting your notice at the local library. Consider placing a classified ad in magazines with a cross-over audience. A call for submissions will not only net you articles; it will drum up anticipation for your new publication. Don't forget to point people to your website!

Search out advertisers. Since your magazine isn't established, you might consider charging a nominal amount for ads ($20-$50). Consider who might want to advertise in your publication, and don't be squeamish about contacting them. You might look for members of your online discussion groups who place business links in their signatures.

7 Edit. Once you're armed with a binder full of possible articles, choose the most interesting, best-written pieces of the bunch, and grab your red pen. Try not to be too heavy-handed. Writers will submit more often to an editor who doesn't mangle their work.

8 Send the edited articles back to the writers for them to look over. You don't necessarily have to wait for them to approve all changes, but allow them to question or challenge any editorial decisions you've made.

9 Begin laying out the magazine. Professionals use desktop publishing (DTP) software such as QuarkXPress (the industry standard), Adobe InDesign (or the older version, PageMaker) but Scribus and even word processors (which can handle layout) such as OpenOffice.org Writer are free. Get to know your layout program inside and out. Look at other magazines for design tips. You might also check out books devoted to the subject. Have the authors sent you photos to run with their work? Do you have photos of your own? If not, consider purchasing stock photos (easily found on the Internet). Buying a bundle of cheap stock photos may be the best purchase you ever make.

10 Once you've got the layout set - inside cover, outside cover and pages - find yourself a reliable, well-priced print shop. Printers' prices vary greatly, so plan on spending some time asking around and getting samples. Look for one that will do laser, rather than off-set, printing. This will save you TONS of money.

11 If you're starting cheap, buy yourself a decent black and white laser printer with duplexing. Duplexing will prove to be the most important feature of the printer. If you put some time into your search, you should be able to find a good printer for a few hundred dollars. This should be sufficient for the inside pages. The cover should still be done at a print shop, if at all possible.

12 While you're busy printing, market the heck out of your publication. Online groups, other magazines, blogs (consider starting your own), MySpace, Google's AdWords, etc.

13 Send out the magazines! Keeping a database of subscribers might only need a spreadsheet program such as Excel or the free OpenOffice.org Calc but a dedicated database program is better. Make sure to talk with your post office about the best way to send out your new publication. They'll have great, time-tested ideas and may be able to save you quite a bit in postage costs.

COMING 2015
ISBN #: 978-0-9892343-6-8

Tip

Don't be afraid to contact experts in your magazine's field and ask them to contribute.
CorelDraw is a very effective tool for laying out pages at a much lower cost then the Adobe family of products.
Set yourself up as an expert. You'll automatically get points for publishing a magazine on your subject, but consider blogging (daily, if at all possible), speaking at gatherings or conferences, putting out a book, etc. Writing occasionally (not too often) for your own magazine is also a good idea.
Remember to keep all receipts and records for tax time.
Keep your subscribers happy. Read marketing books for tips on how to do this, but the bottom line is, make sure they get all they expect - and more. Surprise them, from time to time, with extras.
Consider getting an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) so that your publication can be listed in the US Library of Congress. Visit the LOC's website for more info.
Try to set up your website as a resource, rather than just a subscription porthole. If you can build your site up enough with sought-after material, you'll have a much easier time finding subscribers.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

6 Steps to Franchising Your Business

Franchising your small business may be a good way to grow fast. Figuring out whether or not franchising will work for you is a matter of knowing your business and yourself.

Getty

The idea of growth is appealing, but a small business owner wants his or her company to scale at a reasonable rate.

From drawing up a Financial Disclosure Document to figuring out what potted plants will line the storefront, when turning a business into a franchise the devil is in the details. The pay off, however, can be lucrative, as franchising is one of the best ways to spread a brand and grow a business quickly.

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010, the first report drawn up by the Bureau that gathered information on franchises, says that franchises made up 10.5 percent of business across 295 industries in 2007. Franchises accounted for $1.3 trillion in revenue and $153.7 billion in payroll disbursed to 7.9 million workers.

For businesses that are looking to become franchises, there are franchise consultants. Dennis Mulgannon walked the beat as a police officer until 1983, when he decided that he wanted to start his own business. He opened a sandwich shop in the San Jose area. He named it SUBS2U. His chief competition was another upstart shop down the block called Subway.

"That crashed and burned," Mulgannon says of his first try at his own business. "But I kind of cut my teeth and fell in love with the franchise process." Now Mulgannon is a franchise development consultant and director of franchising for Junk King, a junk hauling service that was founded in 2005 and now has 31 franchisees managing 58 units in the United States. Mulgannon said that potential clients come to him with some sense of why they want to become a franchise, but where they are in their planning tends to vary.

"Usually they are at the level where they want to scale, and they want to grow. They’re looking at themselves, they’re looking at their business, and they have some level of success," Mulgannon said. "They want to utilize other people’s skills and other people’s capital to grow their brand."

Here are six tips for any small business owner thinking about turning their company into a franchise:

1. Know your business inside and out.

The directions provided to each franchisee will likely have to be precise. Business owners, however, are frequently accustomed to running their companies on intuition, and it may be difficult for them to itemize all the infinitesimal but important obligations they fulfill every day. Franchisees will not have the freedom to improvise, and will need to be told how to do everything from keeping the books to ordering supplies. Every step of the process must be carefully outlined. The business owner may have to rediscover what it is like to run a company for the first time.

Tariq Farid had owned four flower shops by the time he was 19. He remembers sitting with his mother, who helped him around the shop, when he was making sixty dollars a day, and he’d tell her of his dream to someday make seventy. When he reached his goal, he turned it in for another dream. Soon he was telling his mother that he wanted to make eight, nine thousand dollars a day. "It never ends," he says.

It still hasn’t for Farid, CEO and founder of Edible Arrangements. That early experience was better than any business school for Farid, but it still didn’t prepare him for the challenges of building his next idea, a shop that sold bouquets made of carved fresh fruit, into an international franchise. When he started out, he says, the franchising wasn’t part of his business plan. "We mostly focused on building the business," says Farid. Which means no job was too small for Farid to take on himself. When the company website needed photos of the product, Farid became an amateur food photographer. When his shop needed a more robust back end to allow them to fill more orders online, Farid built it.

With his head buried in how to increase revenues that were already steadily growing, Farid says he didn’t think much about franchising until a man walked into his shop one day and said he wanted to open an Edible Arrangements in Boston. To see what might be involved in opening a franchise, Farid decided to do a test run himself, in the form of a second store. He found a building, filed the documents, and went through all the minutiae himself, from interior decoration to training the staff. He forced himself to work through each step of the process exactly as a new franchisee would.

2. Learn about the legal issues.

Mulgannon advises all business owners looking to get into the franchise business to pay close attention to Item 19 on their FDD filing. This is where a franchisor outlines financial performance information. Mulgannon says that if everything's not in order in a company's Item 19, he'll decline to work with them. These legal complications are an area in which the hopeful franchisor may want to seek out professional help.

Farid wouldn’t exactly advise anyone to go about franchising their business without expert advice. "I was mostly doing it myself," Farid says of his early efforts to raise money, cut through the legal thicket, and build his trial franchise. “We had no money, and it was tough to go to a bank with a basket of fruit. "The one consultant Farid did go to unintentionally set the ambitious business owner on the right course. "I went to this consultant and he gave me a bill, he said it would cost $100,000," Farid says. Farid told the consultant he couldn’t afford that. "I think he jokingly said, ‘Why don’t you try it yourself,’ and I took him seriously. I didn’t think he was kidding." Farid says that he made a lot of mistakes, and he did end up hiring franchising consultants ultimately, but by that time he had learned plenty himself.

The International Franchise Association is also a great resource when it comes to the legal issues surrounding franchising. The IFA compiles information on franchises, lobbies for legislation favorable to franchises, and provides resources and aid to businesses looking to become franchises. The association also publishes reports on the legalities involved in franchising, including one titled An Introduction to the Law of Franchising. Whether or not an interested small business owner manages to plow through the 450-page revised second edition may itself be a litmus test of an entrepreneur’s conviction.

3. Know how you want to grow.

The idea of growth is appealing, but a small business owner wants his or her company to scale at a reasonable rate. For some companies looking to become franchises, the new business model may mean expanding coast to coast, even internationally. For others, it may mean adding a handful of new outlets. The experts recommend growing at the rate natural to your business.

When a business comes to Mulgannon to explore the potential of franchising, the first thing he does is sit down with them and carefully examine their proof of concept. "Before I start with anybody or take them on as a client I have to do my own due diligence to ensure my eyes are wide open."

When a franchise wants to grow, Mulgannon said, they have to consider where theirbusiness model will work and how far they can expand their brand into unfamiliar territory. He worked with a company called Erik’s DeliCafe, a popular sandwich shop and caterer in northern California. The company has reliable brand recognition in California and some surrounding states, and they decided, with Mulgannon’s help, to expand in California and into northern Nevada. They grew, but within the scope of their brand recognition.

At the other extreme is international franchising, something Mulgannon says he has explored with Junk King. "I put together a deal with a Panamanian investment group to develop Junk King throughout Central America," Mulgannon says. "They sought us out, and I spent twelve days there negotiating an international master license." Mulgannon is confident that this deal will allow Junk King to spread its brand beyond the United States with minimal risk.

4. Screen your franchisees.

That someone wants to open a franchise with your company's name on it does not mean you should let them. They're going to be representing your brand, so be sure to have a system in place to make sure they'll take your company in the right direction in a new market.

Farid says he has a way of knowing whether or not someone will make a good franchisee. "I used to call it the googledy-eyes test. If someone would come up to me and say, ‘I want to build a franchise, I think it’s going to be great!’ and they didn’t realize the hard work involved," Farid says, he would pass.

Over enthusiasm is as common in franchising as it is in any realm of business. Apart from the documents and financial information supplied by potential franchisees, Mulgannon says, he considers the personalities of the business owners. He, like Farid, doesn’t want someone who’s all passion but no substance. Better that they’re thoughtful and measured, as well as enthusiastic about their business."Most franchises go to market with a shotgun approach," Mulgannon says of his approach to choosing clients. "Often they’ll sell to anyone. That’s a big mistake."

"We get about 20 inquiries a day and we eliminate about 75 percent of those," Mulgannon says. "Most of the people are looking for a job where they can work on the truck." Mulgannon described Junk Kings as much more of a white-collar franchise. Contrary to what one might expect, Junk King is not interested in franchisees who are primarily interested in putting on a pair of work gloves and getting on the truck. Mulgannon says he and his staff will scour over data supplied by applicants in the search for certain qualities. "One of the big indicators for us is what are their previous income expectations," Mulgannon says. "If they’re looking to replace six figures, that’s good for us."

5. Set the right restrictions.

Even after giving franchisees very specific instructions on hiring, training, and other practices, there will be, and should be, certain freedoms they are allowed. They are small business owners, too, and as the franchisor begins to step back from daily operations, he or she will have to rely on the judgement of the franchisees as they explore new business opportunities. Give them freedoms, but keep those freedoms circumscribed.

Different franchises will have different ideas about the restrictions they want to place on their franchisees. They struggle with how to balance preserving brand identity with the touch and sensibilities of individual franchise owners. Mulgannon says he turned down one business that wanted help becoming a franchise because they were going to set very narrow limits on who could become a franchisee. "The requirements on the franchisee would have been much too stringent," Mulgannon said. "The pool of franchisees would have been much too small."

Growing the brand is always the end goal, Mulgannon says, and so one requirement Junk King does place on all franchisees is that they spend a minimum amount on advertisement, whether television, radio, print, or some other medium. "They have to reinvest back in their market ten percent of gross revenue," Mulgannon says. Junk King provides about 90 percent of the promotional materials required, he said, and companies can get other ideas approved through the corporate office.

6. Support your franchisees.

Even as the franchisor begins to remove him or herself from the daily business of the franchises, he or she should spend extra time getting to know the franchisees.

A franchisee is unlike other types of small business owners. He or she has opened a new store or service provider and is responsible for its performance within a designated area. He or she derives a livelihood from the business, and oversees all daily operations. Yet, there is always a larger corporate structure overhead, and how the franchisee works within that structure varies from franchise to franchise.

A franchise model presents some particular challenges because, if business is good and new stores are opening, the company is always working with new recruits. Farid says Edible Arrangements has a department that works with franchises on the sourcing of their materials. Another handles training, and other worry about problems that may be coming down the road, unexpected variables of any kind. Ensuring that all the cogs spin together requires constant communication. "We’ll spend a lot of time communicating with them [the franchisees] online in terms of what’s happening this week, what are some of the challenges, and where to look for them," Farid says.

Farid says sometimes his employees say he’s too paranoid, too attached. The boy who wanted to find a way to sell more long-stemmed roses still finds it hard to fold up his apron at the end of the day. It wasn’t until Edible Arrangements had reached 500 or 600 stores that he began to take a step back, Farid says. "I still visit the stores because that is what I enjoy most," he says. "Beyond that, when you get to the size we are now, the franchisees have bought into you to start the next grand thing." Farid wouldn’t reveal what that next horizon may be for Edible Arrangements. But he would say that the hunt for it never ends.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Project Kids School - SCICH

Books, Bookstores, Book Clubs, Coffee Internet Cafes, Consulting Firms and Learning Centers all have one thing in common, a very strong Demand. According to Business Wire, the private learning and tutoring market is experiencing rapid growth; it's on pace to become a $100 billion industry by 2017. “SCICH Bookstore” is the Self-Pub Coffee Internet Café Hub Bookstore and Learning Center for PJ Kids School. Project Kids Bookstore gives bookworms the opportunity to purchase their favorite titles, discover new books, learn a trade, Surf the Web, Network and enjoy a beverage and snack plus much more.

For starters, People can learn in classrooms or on the Internet. SCICH Bookstore has created a culture, at a place of its own. SCICH Learning Center has Books, Computers, Desks, Chairs, Chalkboards, Educational Toys and Videos. SCICH Learning Center has two Dynamic 90 min. courses, designed to accompany Guidebooks and Workshops. SCICH Bookstore is a product of its neighborhood. SCICH’s Employees and the customers contribute to its day-to-day culture which cultivates a pleasant and interesting atmosphere. SCICH Bookstore embraces localism, celebrates individuality, which makes People want to spend time in there. It is located close to a school and a residential area. This is convenient for parents dropping off their children. Plus it’s convenient to grab a Book or Coffee.

In the second place, SCICH Bookstore Black Readers Book Club Selection offers hundreds of titles about or written by African-Americans. After joining the club, members can choose four books for only $2.00 and will receive a free gift. Reader's Club only asks that members agree to buy four books at regular club prices over a two year period. SCICH Bookstore Showcases it’s authors. Get Money 101 Spokesperson, Author Adrian Collins is proud to present the two Dynamic 60 min. courses and the team backing him. “Good Enough Degree" is GED Studies and Web Training. “Project Kids Fundraising" 60 min. course is designed to accompany Get Money 30 Day challenge with it's Readers & Writers Guide, and educational videos, audio and workbooks. This resource goes a step beyond other Literacy and Business how-to Workshops. Your step-by-step guide to a Successful Business Start-up is in the 30-Day Challenge.

Finally, one of the most attractive features at SCICH is the Coffee Internet Café. Internet access, snacks, and fresh Coffee. It’s very hard to come across a cup of good Coffee. SCICH Bookstore has a wide selection of the freshest brewed Java. 2 Cup Minimum during Rush Hour. Unlike most Stores, SCICH does Give-a-ways, Raffles and Tournaments twice a week. SCICH’s Team is very attentive and People friendly. They keep SCICH Spotless, answer all phone calls and Customers Care. In addition, SCICH is great for Social Networking Events. They specialize in Book Events, Speaking Engagements, Advertisement and Gorilla Marketing.

We are currently raising the startup funds for SCICH Bookstore in Plainfield, NJ. SCICH is the Get Money 101 In-House roundtable of consultants, authors, entrepreneurs, tutors and the legal team. With many Business hats, they specialize in coping with the rejection that can come with selling both, their self as a product, and their Knowledge at hand. Consultants are only as good as their last Job.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Get Money-Workshop (Essay)

The New York Times reported that “According to a recent survey, 81 percent of people feel that they have a book in them… and should write it http://selfpublishingresources.com.” If you do the math, that represents over 200 million people in the U.S. who want to write a book in their lifetime! The Best People Love Promotion website Program is the Solution to just about everybody’s Problems. This all-in-one web based Program is not just a Mobile App or a Service for Book writing, Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Training. You can clearly see it’s more like a Learning Center, Retail Stores, Music and Publishing Distribution, Radio/Internet Station, Video and Photo Blog, Consulting Firm, SCICH Bookstore, Cheap Book Printing, Readers Book Club, Legal Shield, How-to Website…Plus much more

First of all, the best Market right now is in the popularity of the internet presents. Almost everybody is on Mobile Phones or Computers now-a-days. The Internet is growing at a rapid pace. Who is not online? People can learn anything on the Internet, pay bills, even grocery Shop and have it delivered at Home. The Internet is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. Contrary to popular opinion, E-books Market Share at 22%, Amazon Has 27%. Mobile Apps, I-Pads, but even with E-Books, no matter whether you read them on an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes & Noble Nook, or your iPad are selling like crazy. They're easily readable, portable and much more environmentally friendly.

On a second note, Self-Publishing is a hot industry today and growing hotter all the time. Paperback Books are easily portable, cheap to print and less significant eye-strain. Unlike E-Books, Paperback books are obtainable in Bookstores everywhere. Best of the Best Publishing’s online 26 week Challenge is designed to accompany two Guidebooks, Self-Pub Matters 101 and R2SP Guide, Audio CDs, DVDs, and online magazines. E-Mags are ease to make, but very expensive to print. In the discussions of Print vs E-Mags, the latter platform seems to have the upper hand because of its convenience and cost-saving benefits that readers enjoy. Mags allow Publishers to give a better approach and impact on their would-be readers which may not be focused on one topic.

To “Rap” it up, this Program’s most attractive feature is R2SP Triple play. Digital Publishing World with Attitude. It offers one page R2SP E-Mag Interview, one Digital Video and Audio Interview (Downloadable). It includes 2 free copies of the CD and DVD. Storing the Triple play In-House is an Instant form of promotion for businesses. Advertise reel show casing hit features, benefits, promotions, entertainment and facilities. R2SP communicates the message with powerful impact on consumers. In addition, this Social Media Network targets dozens of different Outsource Platform Channels. Unlike other Services, Free E-Mags are E-blasted with 1 Million Emails guaranteeing 10% email responses. A web that shows you better than it can tell you.

R2SP 2 Self-Publishing is a roundtable of Independent Best of the Best Associates based on Consultants, Authors, Musicians, Legal Team Associates, Public Speakers, Entrepreneurs and R2SP Workshop A and B. Workshop A is a Dynamic 90 min. GED Studies course providing assistance with establishing Higher Levels of Reading, Writing and Math. Workshop A is designed to create and manage a budget, reviewing and understanding Life, and helpful tips to clear debt and increase credit scores. Workshop B is a Dynamic 90 min. R2SP Public Speaker Training course. R2SP showcases its expertise from power players in the Writing and Rap industry to motivate students, writers, aspiring and published authors to get the best out of Life.

http://youtu.be/hwrwhN788iM http://youtu.be/3UXcei0WrUc

Guide to Writing a Basic Essay - Getting Started

Topic is Assigned | Topic is Not Assigned

Topic Has Been Assigned

You may have no choice as to your topic. If this is the case, you still may not be ready to jump to the next step.
Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.
For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to write an overview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific analysis, this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics in Kenya" or "Kenya's Culture."
Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.

Go on to the next step.

Return to the essay home page.

Topic Has Not Been Assigned

If you have not been assigned a topic, then the whole world lies before you. Sometimes that seems to make the task of starting even more intimidating. Actually, this means that you are free to choose a topic of interest to you, which will often make your essay a stronger one.

Define Your Purpose

The first thing you must do is think about the purpose of the essay you must write. Is your purpose to persuade people to believe as you do, to explain to people how to complete a particular task, to educate people about some person, place, thing or idea, or something else entirely? Whatever topic you choose must fit that purpose.

Brainstorm Subjects of Interest

Once you have determined the purpose of your essay, write down some subjects that interest you. No matter what the purpose of your essay is, an endless number of topics will be suitable.
If you have trouble thinking of subjects, start by looking around you. Is there anything in your surroundings that interests you? Think about your life. What occupies most of your time? That might make for a good topic. Don't evaluate the subjects yet; just write down anything that springs to mind.

Evaluate Each Potential Topic

If you can think of at least a few topics that would be appropriate, you must simply consider each one individually. Think about how you feel about that topic. If you must educate, be sure it is a subject about which you are particularly well-informed. If you must persuade, be sure it is a subject about which you are at least moderately passionate. Of course, the most important factor in choosing a topic is the number of ideas you have about that topic.
Even if none of the subjects you thought of seem particularly appealing, try just choosing one to work with. It may turn out to be a better topic than you at first thought.
Before you are ready to move on in the essay-writing process, look one more time at the topic you have selected. Think about the type of paper you are expected to produce. Should it be a general overview, or a specific analysis of the topic? If it should be an overview, then you are probably ready to move to the next step. If it should be a specific analysis, make sure your topic is fairly specific. If it is too general, you must choose a narrower subtopic to discuss.
For example, the topic "KENYA" is a general one. If your objective is to write an overview, this topic is suitable. If your objective is to write a specific analysis, this topic is too general. You must narrow it to something like "Politics in Kenya" or "Kenya's Culture."
Once you have determined that your topic will be suitable, you can move on.

Guide to Writing a Basic Essay - Sample

The essay below demonstrates the principles of writing a basic essay. The different parts of the essay have been labeled. The thesis statement is in bold, the topic sentences are in italics, and each main point is underlined. When you write your own essay, of course, you will not need to mark these parts of the essay unless your teacher has asked you to do so. They are marked here just so that you can more easily identify them.

The Best People Love Promotion Program

The New York Times reported that “According to a recent survey, 81 percent of people feel that they have a book in them…and should write ithttp://selfpublishingresources.com.” If you do the math, that represents over 200 million people in the U.S. who want to write a book in their lifetime! The Best People Love Promotion website Program is the Solution to just about everybody’s Problems. This all-in-one web based Program is not just a Mobile App or a Service for Book writing, Self-Publishing and Book Marketing Training. You can clearly see it’s more like a Learning Center, Retail Stores, Music and Publishing Distribution, Radio/Internet Station, Video and Photo Blog, Consulting Firm, SCICH Bookstore, Cheap Book Printing, Readers Book Club, Legal Shield, How-to Website…Plus much more