How to Write a Folio
Today, there are hundreds of enterprising men and women who write simple research papers (known in the mail order trade as FOLIOS) and sell them by mail. In the pages that follow, I will show you how you can do the same. I will show you how to select a subject, how to research it, how to write it, how to get it printed, and how to sell it.
I'll show you the four ways to sell it. If you are new to folio selling, I will show you which of the four ways would be the best for you. I hope you will read what follows very carefully and very thoughtfully. THERE ARE NO CATCHES. I have nothing more to sell to you (unless you want to read some of the other folios which I have written.) I hope the information which follows can be of real benefit to you. That is why I have written it!
Exactly What is a Folio?
A folio can be called a booklet, a pamphlet, a report, a newsletter, a guide, an instruction manual, a plan, a manuscript, etc., etc.. A folio is simply an easy-to-understand manual which shows the reader "How To" do something that he does not already know how to do. Most folios show the reader...
How to start or expand a hobby
How to develop new abilities or qualities
How to start a new business or expand an old one
How to prepare for a new career
How to make or save money
How to solve personal problems
How to spend leisure time
A well written folio is authoritative, factual, and helpful. It should be written in simple, easily understood language. It can be anything from a brief two-page mimeographed report to a professionally printed book bound in a hardback cover. People who purchase folios by mail are interested in the information they contain. Seldom do they care what brand of paper the information is printed on.
What Kinds of Folios are Now Being Sold by Mail?
Pick up almost any magazine at a newsstand that carries classified advertising and you will find ads written by people who are selling their folios by mail. Here are sample ads from magazines lying here on my desk.
"Be secure, confident, successful! Learn the secret of personal power $2.00"
"Secrets of the Spirit World! Only $.60 postpaid!"
"Traffic Tickets? Beat them, step by step method. $1.95 postpaid."
"Fluorescent Tubes rejuvenated at no cost. Instructions $1.00."
"Ten Wonder Working Prayers. Enrich, strengthen your life! $1.00 guaranteed."
"Why grow old and die? Li Chung Yun lived 256 years. You could, too! Learn how - $2.00"
"Guide to Witches covens - $2.00"
"Learning Bridge? Send $2.95 for small 20 page guide."
"Learn the secret of making every pair of slacks you sew fit perfectly. Only $1.00."
"Enjoy camping inside your Volkswagen. Do it yourself Plans - $2.00"
"Homemade Cheese! Hard, soft, and cottage! Make it yourself! Easy. Delicious. Complete Instructions, recipes $1.00"
"Toronto Area Job Opportunities - $1.00"
"Ship in Bottle. Instructions, Drawing. $1.00"
If you can produce a "How to Do it" manual that is NOVEL, INTERESTING and genuinely HELPFUL, you can do what the advertisers above have done. You can print it yourself and sell it by mail!
What Should You Write About?
You should write:
only on subjects that really interest you, and
on subjects that you already know something about.
For example, if you just love to cook, write a folio on cooking. If people like the first folio they buy from you, they will buy other folios in the future, as long as they are on the same basic subject. If you write on a subject that really does not interest you very much, you will be bored to death by the time you get to your third folio!
Ask yourself "what do I do with my spare time?" Write a folio about THAT!
How Do You Research the Folio?
Make yourself an expert on the subject! Talk to friends and neighbors. Ask questions. Read books, newspapers, and magazines on the subject. Ask you librarian for suggestions. As you read, keep notes on everything. When you have read everything you could lay your hands on, sit down and study your notes. Read them very slowly and carefully. Then lay the notes aside and think about the whole subject for a day or two. You will be amazed at what your mind will do with the subject if you have researched it thoroughly!
How Do You Write It?
Here is a tip form a professional writer. Sit down and pretend that you are a person who knows absolutely nothing about the subject. Write down FIFTEEN QUESTIONS that such a person might ask you. Then write out, in your own words, the answers to the fifteen questions. Do not try to be literary! When you are finished, lay it aside for a day or two.
Then re-read it with a read pencil, crossing out all unnecessary words and sentences, inserting a new point here and there. REWRITE the whole thing, and you will be amazed to discover that you folio is ready to be published!
How Do You Get It Printed?
Type it as neatly as possible on 8 1/2 x 11 WHITE typing paper. Single space it, leaving two lines between each paragraph. Take it to a local PHOTO-OFFSET printer who will make a few hundred copies for you, very reasonably, usually within 24 hours. If you have more than four pages, have it printed on both sides of the paper. It will lower your printing costs slightly, and it will save you extra postage in the future. To give your folio a professional touch, have it printed on canary yellow, pink, or light green paper.
How Do You Sell It?
There are 4 ways:
Direct from Ads in Magazines and Tabloid Papers. If economically possible, sell it for $1.00 or $2.00 per copy. (Occasionally $3.00). Write a brief, eye-catching classified ad asking those interested to send their orders directly to you. If your ad is novel, believable, and of genuine interest, you will be surprised at how many people will do this. If your folio is about stamp collecting, advertise it in the stamp collecting papers. If it is about Astrology, advertise it in the Astrology magazines - to do otherwise is fatal. Be sure to run your ad in at least three issues. If you have never sold folios by mail, I sincerely suggest you use this method.
Advertise for Inquiries. If your folio is quite elaborate and must be sold for $3.00 or more, use this method. Write a brief, tempting ad describing your folio, and offer free details. Then mail literature describing the folio to those who answer the ads. Don't expect more than one inquiry in ten to buy it from you.
Here are ads placed by folio writers in a recent issue of the National Enquirer, who use this method:
"Never Won anything? Anyone can win sweepstakes contests! Free details."
"Troubled? God can help! Free information."
"Overweight? I lost 53 pounds. Easily. (Permanently!) New Method. Information Free."
"Make money clipping newspapers at home spare time. Details Free."
Direct Mail. If you have written a folio showing how to get inventions patented, you could purchase a list of amateur inventors, and mail your sales literature to each individual on the list. If you are lucky, you'll sell your folio to about one person in every twenty-five. Direct mail can be very effective for experienced mail order operators, but it is usually far too costly for the beginner. It can easily cost you several hundred dollars for each one thousand letters you mail.
Selling through Agents. If you are willing to sell your folio in small wholesale quantities, or if you are willing to drop-ship folios for mail dealers, then you might find this the most effective way to market your folios. Below are so me ads placed by folio writers in a recent issue of Specialty Salesman.
"Sell Health Books Mail Order! Write"
"Sell Books by mail. Complete dealer set-up, $.25"
"Sell Books by mail! 400% Profit!"
"Free Newsletter! Sell Books by mail. We wholesale, drop-ship."
Some of the above ads have been running ten and twenty years, indicating that this could be a very successful way to market your folios.
500 New Folio Ideas!
Over the past two or three years, I have been jotting down ideas for folios that could be developed and sold by mail. I'm now printing the whole list for your use. I honestly feel that any idea on this list could be marketed by mail, if a person had the ambition and ingenuity to develop it.
You are free to use any idea on this list. I have not checked to see if any of the titles have been copywrited. If they have, create a new one. Also, you are free to change the titles around to suit your own situation. For example, "Summer Jobs in Nevada" could become, "Summer Jobs in New York City." I'm sure you get the point.
Good luck to you!
Marriage
- Plan your Wedding Now!
- Plan your Honeymoon
- What to Wear at your wedding
- Cooking Tips for Newlyweds
- Do you need a Marriage Counselor?
- Living on a Budget
- How to Survive Divorce
- How to Get a Divorce
- Teach your Husband to cook!
- Organize your housework
- Alimony Laws Made Simple
- How to be a successful Father
- How to Win a Fight with your Spouse
- Marry a Man with Money
- Poor Men make Better Husbands
Family and Children
- So, You're Expecting a Baby!
- Does you Child take Drugs?
- Don't Spank your Child!
- Select the Right Name for your baby!
- Inspire you Child to Learn
- Can you Boy Defend himself?
- Listen to Your Child
- How to Raise an Only Child
- Teach your Child to Read
- Choosing a Baby-sitter
- Loving an Adopted Child
- Keep your Child Busy!
- Tell you Child about Sex
- How to Select a Baby Doctor
- Understanding you Teenager
- Which Summer Camp for you child
- Teach your Son a Trade
- Facts about Childbirth for Husbands
Family Problems
- A parents guide to Dangerous Drugs
- Save Money on your Clothing Bill
- Mother's Guide to Thrift Shop Buying
- Where & How to Apply for a Loan
- Better health through better eating
- How to Trace your Family Tree
- Families without Fathers
- Does your child Eat Right?
- What Unwed Mothers Should Know
Salesmanship
- Ten Ways to Close the Sale
- Sell it at the Flea Market!
- Is selling for You?
- Ten Successful Selling Tips
- How to Improve your Sales Technique
- Why People Buy
- How to Sell Sporting Goods
- Positive Thinking Makes the Difference
- Directory of Direct Selling Firms
- How to Get Leads by Telephone
- How to Recruit Salesmen
Entertaining at Home
- How to Throw a Cocktail Party
- 24 Ideas for a birthday party
- Make your Shower a Real Success
- How to be a Gracious Hostess
- The Office Party Guide
- Turn an Ordinary Meal into a FEAST
- How to Make Better Cocktails
Beauty
- Glamour Tips for Teenagers
- Beauty Tips for an Expectant Mother
- Every Woman Can be Beautiful
- Apply Make-Up like a Professional
- Your Personality makes a Difference
- What Color is Best for You?
- How to Achieve the Natural Look
- Choosing the right hair style for you
Astrology
- How to Chart your Horoscope
- Selecting a Career through Astrology
- Astrology and your Marriage Mate
- Apply Astrology for your Daily Life
- Astrology Made Simple
- Your Future is in the Stars!
- How to Read the Zodiac
Gardening
- Build your own Greenhouse
- Grow what you eat!
- How to Grow Gorgeous Roses
- Beginners Guide to Landscaping
- How to Grow Food in an Apartment
Antiques
- Introduction to Antique Collecting
- Facts about Antique Auctions
- How to Sell Antiques
- Let's Go to an Antique Show
- How to Become an Antique Dealer
- Directory of Antique Publications
- How to Detect Fake Antiques
- How to Restore Antiques
Writing
- Writing Mystery Stories
- How to Write Poetry
- Writing Gags for Television
- How to Write for Newspapers
- Start a Writers Club
- Opportunities in Ghost Writing
- Can you Write Science Fiction?
- How to Write for Trade Papers
- Writing for Children
- Today's Market for Short Stories
- How to write for religious magazines
- How to Plot a Novel
- Selecting a Literary Agent
- How to write Book Reviews
- How to Review Plays and Movies
- Become a Music Critic
- What they NEVER Tell you in Writing School
Home Decorating
- Decorating Tips for Your Bedroom
- Thirteen ways to beautify your kitchen
- How to Decorate your Windows
- Decorate Like a Professional!
- Patios can be Beautiful
- Beginner's guide to drapery making
- Wallpaper makes the difference
- Selecting Plants for your Home
Photography
- Repair Your Own Camera
- Photo Retouching for Beginners
- Become a Professional Photographer
- How to Make Better Home Movies
- Selecting the Right Camera for You
- Build Your Own Dark Room
- Become a Wedding Photographer
- Where to Sell Your Photography
Church
- Sermon outlines for busy pastors
- Fund Raising Ideas for your church
- 12 ways to increase your church attendance
- Projects for vacation bible school
- How to use chalk talks effectively
- How to prepare a sermon
- Put some ZIP into your church bulletin
- Every parishioner - an Evangelist!
- Choir practice can be fun
- Keep the older members happy
- Teaching tips for Sunday School teachers
- Have you been called to the priesthood
- Religious vocations for women
- Plan a prayer breakfast
Automobiles
- How to tune your own car
- Save money on auto parts
- Revitalize your transmission
- How to test a car before you buy!
- Repair the brakes yourself
Pets
- How to raise your kitten
- Tricks your dog can learn
- Build your own aquarium
- Fashion tips for your poodle
- How to operate a dog kennel
- How to start a pet shop
- Dog grooming opportunities
- How to win at the next dog show
- Do snakes make good pets?
- The successful way to raise rabbits
Travel
- Overcome your fear of flight
- How to obtain a passport
- Vacation planning tips
- Travel tips for honeymooners
- Let's go camping
- Ghost towns you should see
- How to survive in the wilderness
- Vacationing in the desert
- Plan a hiking trip
Gambling
- How to become a blackjack dealer
- Job opportunities in Las Vegas
- Gambling secrets revealed
- Win at the race track!
- How to play Keno
- Baccarat for beginners
- Roulette self taught
- Why gambling should be legalized
- Handbook for Poker players
- How to win at 21
- Better Bingo!
- Improve your Pinochle game
- How to cure a compulsive gambler
Art
- How to paint landscapes
- Make your own picture frames
- Oil painting for beginners
- Working with acrylics
- Introduction to water colors
- How to exhibit your paintings
- How to buy art supplies
- How to model for art classes
- How to sketch portraits
- Working with chalks
Stamp Collecting
- Start a stamp collection
- Stamp mixtures can be fun
- Organize a stamp collectors club
- How to find a stamp collectors club
- Stamps by country or topic
- How to sell your stamp collection
- Let's visit a stamp auction
- How to sell stamp packets by mail
- Start an approval business for stamp collectors!
- Recognizing rare stamps
- Investing in stamps
Handcrafts
- Working with leather
- Pottery making for beginners
- Make your own jewelry
- How to make beautiful dolls
- Introduction to metal enameling
- How to make puppets
- Making a potter's wheel
- Craft projects for pre-school children
- Profits in Indian jewelry
- How to make stained glass windows
- Like working with beads?
- Make your own Christmas cards
- Directory of wholesale handcraft supplies
- How to build doll houses
- Christmas decorations you can make
- Knitting & Crocheting ideas for the beginner
- Selling handmade crafts at art shows
- Candle making for beginners
- Weave your own rugs
- The art of shell craft
- Selling handcrafts on consignment
- Needlepoint for beginners
- Decorating glass
- The art of Papier-Mache
- An introduction to ceramics
- Conducting handcraft classes
- Create your own earrings
- 54 new quilt patterns
- Making gifts from throw-aways
- The basics of macramé
- Decoupage: an introduction
- What you can make from macramé
- Christmas crafts for children
- Bread dough art for beginners
New Careers
- What to ask for a raise
- Write your own resume
- Earn money tutoring
- Dance your way to stardom
- Your future in Physics
- Careers in Astronomy
- How to dress for job interviews
- Become a professional Astrologer
- Raising funds for profit
- Gun repairing as a career
- Opportunities unlimited for commercial artists!
- Have fun! Be a ski instructor!
- Job opportunities in law enforcement
- Can YOU manage apartments?
- Become a book finder
- Writing for small town newspapers
- Opportunities in advertising
- Become a professional librarian
- Are you a BORN mechanic?
- Is there a place in TV for you?
- Show business opportunity guide
- Your place in the electronics industry
- Environmental careers
- Your aptitude and your job
- A career in nursing for you
- How to break into public relations
- Air freight - transportation of the future
- Be a management consultant
- Your future as a travel agent
- Opportunities for part-time workers
- Wanted! Aviation Mechanics
- How to succeed in a job interview
- Summer jobs in Nevada
- Job opportunities for women in Alaska
- Can you counsel alcoholics?
- Guide to professional acting schools
- How to become a recording artist
- Finding satisfaction in your job
- Should you be a social worker?
Money Making Ideas
- How to run a garage sale
- Making money with old comic books
- Start a shopping service
- How to start a trade paper
- There's money in turquoise
- Cash in on today's hobby market!
- Investing in real estate
- 20 ways to get rich quick!
- How to be your own boss
- Turn your ideas into DOLLARS!
- Your town needs a typing service!
- Open an art gallery
- How to start a delivery service
- Collecting bills can be profitable
- How to start a mobile home park
- Start a bookkeeping service
- Pen pals are big business!
- Cash in on the nostalgia craze
- Form your own rock group!
- Start a resume bureau
- Teach children how to dance
- Profits in auctions
- Business enterprises for college students
Hobbies
- Collect coins for fun and profit
- Chess: self taught
- Boat building for beginners
- Let's go to a boat show!
- Bicycle your way to better health
- How to repair your bicycle
- Let's motor bike!
- How to join a motorcycle club
- How to repair your motorcycle
- How to enter a chess tournament
- Start your own chess club!
- How to collect military medals
- 200 things you can collect
- Collecting paper weights
- Gun collecting as a hobby
- Collecting Nazi relics
- Guide to antique car collecting
- How to collect gems and minerals
- Become a silent film buff
- Model railroading: an introduction
- Bow to collect old postcards
- How to build model airplanes
- Collecting postmarks
- Go fly a kite!
- How to perform magic tricks
- Gardening - America's #1 hobby
- Guide to seashell collecting
- Tips for radio hams
- collect bottles for fun and profit
- How to collect autographs
- Collecting old automobile manuals
- Do you collect old magazines?
- Book collecting for beginners
Personal Problems
- Protect yourself from muggers
- Protect your home from burglary
- How to handle obscene phone calls
- How to say "No" to a salesman
- Defend yourself from rape
- How to file for bankruptcy
- How to sublet your apartment
- How to sell your home
- Investing in jewelry
- What YOU should know about banking
- How to buy stocks and bonds
- Get the creditors off your back
- What credit bureaus know about you
- How to balance your checkbook
- How to save on your hospital bills
Sports
- How to enter professional football
- Improve your swimming strokes
- Can you handle racing cars?
- How to play better baseball
- Wrestling holds: An introduction
- Guide to ski reports
- Amateur boxing guides
- Know your hunting rifle
- Let's go trout fishing
- Tennis for beginners
- Keep in shape! Bowl!
- Treasure hunting can be fun
- Let's go deer hunting!
- The thrill of salt water fishing
- Jog your way to health
- How to lift weights
- Build your own gym!
- Ice hockey: an introduction
- Play basketball!
- Are you interested in wild game hunting?
- Body building tips
- What to wear in the jungle!
Occultism
- Witchcraft secrets revealed
- True mystical experiences
- Your handwriting reveals the real you!
- ESP for beginners
- You can change your destiny
- An introduction to hypnotism
- Relax! Learn to meditate
Miscellaneous
- The hitchhikers manual
- You can be a TV contestant!
- Facts every inventor should know
- How to enjoy the opera
- Living in a mobile home
- How to read blueprints
- How they make TV commercials
- Are your employees stealing from you?
- How to prepare a publicity release
- Understanding the stock market
- Effective lecturing for beginners
- All about mutual funds
- How to pass a lie detector test
- Get free publicity for your business
- How to pan for gold
- How to select the perfect gift
- How to remove tattoos
- How to learn tattooing
- Sewing tips (from a professional!)
- Make your own cheese
- Directory of UFO groups
- Build your own canoe
- How to be a ventriloquist
- The Florida flea market guide
- 101 ways to decorate a cake
- How to identify counterfeit money
- Guide to professional cooking schools
- Facts about franchises
- Twenty ways to get your name in the paper!
- How to meet celebrities
- Guide to radio talk shows
- How to adjust to a new neighborhood
- Recipes for homemade jelly
- How to conduct a political campaign
- How to hold a fashion show!
- How to move - easily, economically
- Handbook for street musicians
- How to mold public opinion
- How to spot a potential suicide
- How to train a hunting dog
Health
- Ten old fashioned cold remedies
- Facts about arthritis
- My life with Polio
- Ten ways to cure insomnia
- Recipes for diet candy
- Fasting is good for you
- Are you facing a nervous breakdown?
- How to care for your skin
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