When Michelle Jaminet couldn't find the perfect memory book to document her beloved dog's life, she took the biggest calculated risk of her business life –– she wrote and self-published Its My Dogs Life – Your Personalized Puppy Memory Book.
Thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours later, Its My Dog's Life, a colorful baby book" for dogs is now in more than 45 stores, including local Barnes & Noble bookstores.
(PRWEB) May 5, 2004 -- Have you ever visited your local bookstore and been unable to find the book for which you were searching? But did you ever react by writing one? Michelle Jaminet did. When she couldn't find the perfect memory book to document her beloved dog's life, she took the biggest calculated risk of her business life –– she wrote and self-published Its My Dogs Life – Your Personalized Puppy Memory Book.
Thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours later, Its My Dog's Life, a colorful baby book" for dogs is now in more than 45 stores, including local Barnes & Noble bookstores. "I created Its My Dogs Life when I couldn't find a suitable book in the market place for documenting my dog's special moments and milestones" Jaminet said.
The delightful fill-in-the-blank style book is fun, easy to use, and practical as well. It includes a growth chart, pages to maintain a permanent record of your dogs medical history and a quick reference area for emergency contacts. The die-cut window on the book cover allows the pets photo to be placed on the title page, showing through to create a very personalized cover. The 48-page book has 18 ruled pages specifically for posting photos, memorabilia or journal entries. Other pages include Special Firsts" where you can choose from multiple choice answers identified with check-boxes in the shape of doghouses to document the first shoe your dog chewed, your dogs first reactions to thunder, fireworks, the vacuum cleaner and seeing his reflection. More fun-filled pages like First Birthday," First Christmas," Vacation Trips," and even a page for the dogs Paw Prints" ensure a lifetime journal of memories.
"When I was packing to move to a new home, I found a lot of mementos from my dog Clicquot's first few months with me. Such things as adoption papers, photos and even a lock of hair from his first hair cut. I wanted to organize all of this memorabilia in an album, as well as have a place to record other significant occasions in his life," Jaminet said.
Jaminet spent six months researching everything from the pet industry to color trends. She enlisted the help of friends and colleagues, including veterinarians, English professors, graphic artists, and retail store owners who could help her create and market the ideal puppy memory book. She visited marketing executives at Nestle-Purina. She met with the former President/CEO of Blockbuster Video for business advice. She interviewed numerous publishers and, in the end, determined she had the academic background, business experience and fortitude not only to create the book, but to print, publish, market and sell the book herself.
Even the consummate businessman, Donald Trump, recognized Jaminet's efforts. In a letter to her he wrote "Congratulations. I admire your ingenuity ... and applaud your entrepreneurial spirit."
During her research, Jaminet found similar products on the Internet, but realized they had various design flaws. Most books she found lacked imagination and color. One book was very nice," she said, but it was printed on coated paper stock and you couldnt write on the pages! Imagine that! A journal that you cant write in!" Another book was only 6" x 8" and couldnt accommodate photos larger than 4" x 6" or 8 ½" x 11" documents. And while another book was very cute, its perfect binding wouldnt allow it to expand with the addition of photos and memorabilia. After addressing these and other issues, Michelle wrote, designed and then self-published Its My Dog's Life - an oversized (9" x 12"), 48-page, spiral bound, fill-in-the-blank style scrapbook printed on heavy weight paper that will accept any writing utensil, including lead pencil, ballpoint pen, rollerball, or felt-tip pen inks.
When there wasnt enough money in the bank to pay for the printing costs, Jaminet sold her car! "I truly believed in the project and knew it was worth the risk. Dog owners have a special bond with their pet and would love an all-inclusive album-like book to document their best friend's" life," she said. Research indicates that pets offer numerous health benefits to humans. Its My Dogs Life reinforces bonding with your pet while preserving pet memories.
Once the book was off the press, Michelle and Clicquot began going door-to-door to selling it out of the trunk of her car. I completely canvassed Palm Beach County and in less than 30 days had sold the book to 30 stores generating more than $5000 in sales" Jaminet said.
Its My Dogs Life - Your personalized puppy memory book retails for $24.95 and can be purchased on the web at www.itsmydogslife.com or in pet shops, bookstores and gift shops.
For more information, please contact
Michelle Jaminet at 561.659.7273
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