A Shout-Out to Beth Campbell

It's administrative assistant week and I want to take a moment to send a shout-out to Beth Campbell. Not only is Beth the assistant for the entire BookEnds team, but she is also actively building her own list and has had some wonderful successes. In fact, just this month we celebrated three sales for Beth.

I'm not going overboard on Administrative Assistant Day for Beth. She can blame my old boss for this. I was "raised" in publishing to believe that I wasn't an assistant to be honored on this day. I was a fledgling editor who was learning my trade and growing in my profession. Instead of handing over flowers on Administrative Assistant Day, my boss celebrated my successes as an editor any time I had them.

So while I want Beth to know how much I appreciate all the work she does as an assistant, I want to use this day/week to let all of you know what a great new agent Beth is becoming. She's actively building a list in urban fantasy, science fiction, YA, suspense, romantic suspense and mystery and if you're writing in her areas of expertise I think you'd be a smart writer and query her. And fast, before she's too busy to add anyone else.

--jhf

Jamie Novak on Organization

Jamie Novak
Stop Throwing Money Away
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Pub date: March 2010
Agent: Jessica Faust


(Click to Buy)


Three Insider Secrets from a Professional Organizer

I want to thank Jessica for allowing me to be here today to clear up a long-standing myth about professional organizers. Our homes and offices are not picture-perfect 100% of the time.

In fact, to be perfectly honest, if unexpected company stopped by right now I’d have to leave them out on the porch for a few minutes while I (1) pulled the door to my office closed and (2) ran around to the other rooms scooping up clutter into a bag and stashing it in the closet.

What can I say, it’s been a busy few weeks, my new book Stop Throwing Money Away: Turn Clutter to Cash, Trash to Treasure and Save the Planet While You’re at It is out today and my desk is a sea of papers, clippings and sticky notes.


Secret #1: all my clutter has a home

Sure, I may have left it out planning to put it away later (then later never came), but when I do make the time I can put it away. That’s the difference, if I didn’t have a place to put it then I would not just be messy, I’d be disorganized.


Secret #2: organizing does not have to be expensive

Sure, you could invest in pricey drawer organizers and costly closet solutions or you could re-use common household items instead. I call it shopping from home or from a friend’s home, because what one of you doesn’t have the other one is bound to own.

I dedicated an entire section of my new book Stop Throwing Money Away (out today) to clever re-uses for stuff you already own. You can organize your entire home for under $100!

Here are some of my favorite re-uses:

Cardboard Paper Towel Insert
For cords. Bend the extension cord back and forth then insert into the tube. Don’t forget to label the tube so you know what’s inside.

An Egg Carton
As a drawer organizer. In a desk, makeup, or junk drawer, egg cartons make great organizers. They are shallow enough to fit in a slim drawer, you can leave the lid open to hold larger items or cut the lid off and just use the “cups.” You can even customize the size by trimming down the number of cups to suit your needs.

Clothespins
For socks. Do you have a pile of unmatched socks? Most of us do. Instead of trying to match socks after they’re laundered, keep them together through the laundering process by clipping matches together as soon as you take them off using a clothespin.

CD Cases
For necklaces. Keep your necklaces tangle-free by placing them in a CD case prior to traveling. Not only will they be protected, they’ll lie flat and will not be tangled into those disorganized knots.

Magnet
In the medicine cabinet. Adhere a magnet to the inside of the medicine cabinet door or under one of the shelves. Then you can stick tweezers or clippers to the magnet so they are within reach.


Secret #3: the average home has 25 items (clutter) of value you can sell

In my new book Stop Throwing Money Away (out today) I help you find the items and show you exactly how to sell them for the most money (and no, eBay is not the only option.)

When working with a recent client, Susan, we applied the steps in the "make money" section of the book and she made a whopping $3,500! Now, Susan had an above-average amount of clutter (oh, I mean treasures), which she was ready to let go. Susan was paying for two extra-large storage units; she also had stuff stashed at her parents' home, and her car had not seen the inside of her garage in more than a year. As you might imagine, Susan was thrilled with her payday!

I hope you’ve enjoyed an insider’s look at the secrets of professional organizers. If you’re looking for ideas, support, and free classes by phone, I invite you to join me over at JamieNovak.com, where you can also read the missing chapter from my new book Stop Throwing Money Away.

Wishing you a clutter-free day, Jamie