Calendar Time

Buy, Buy, Buy!

Lost In the Toadstool Calendar Rack

It seems like everyone is publishing a calendar these days. There are some beautiful ones out there including a few from my friends in the New England Photography Guild. A visit to any bookstore will reveal hundreds of choices with themes ranging from local and global natural wonders to the artistically posed, but profoundly disturbing naked forms of members of the local Rotary Club. Please don't expect to see the "Men of the Chesterfield Conservation Commission" any time soon.

Of course this article is an unapologetic attempt to get you to support my "New England Reflections Calendar." With all the competition it can be a struggle to command the attention of the calendar buying public. I have no magic formula, but I can relate what has seemed to work for me over the last ten years.

Find a Cause
First and foremost, I feel that it has been the cause, to which all of the profits have been dedicated, that accounts for the popularity of my calendar.  For a number of years I struggled with the thought of producing a calendar. I felt uncomfortable with the idea of profiting by trying to market my work to all my unfortunate friends and family. Then a patient who is also a friend suggested that I sell the calendar to benefit a local charity. I knew exactly where I wanted the money to go, and over the last 10 years I've managed to send over $40k to support the work of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at the Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire. The money has been used to help patients who would not have been able to afford the program and has made possible special events that have added to the experience for many needy participants. Getting no financial benefit from the sales has also made me much more comfortable when I shamelessly and obnoxiously hawk the calendar throughout the community. Of course, with the money going to such a worthy local cause, it has been easier to get a long list of wonderful stores to sell the calendar.

Quality Counts
All tricks aside, the quality of the images is most important for the long term popularity of the calendar. I've talked about the struggle

November

of selecting each year's images. Throughout the year I am looking for the perfect scenes, but in the end it is impossible to predict what will capture the eye of my audience. I really like this year's November image, but I was afraid that many would not enjoy a picture of frozen ground liter.  Happily the image has been one of the most popular in the 2015 calendar.  The large monthly pictures are important, but I think it is often the little additions, the thumbnail images, the banners, the choices of holidays, and the descriptions of the images, that make the calendar more attractive and complete. And of course the cover image is always a critical marketing choice.


 


2015 Gallery

 
Image Information and Links

 














Keep it Local
Of course the content of the calendar is very important. I know my customers and, as the "New England Reflections" title implies, I

Westmoreland, NH

have images that focus on my home region, trying to reflect a mix of landscapes from the Monadnock Region and Southern Vermont. I always like to add one Seacoast image and at least one of local wildlife. It is remarkable how many calendars get sent out of the region to those who have moved away or to explain to distant friends why we choose to live in this uniquely special corner of the world. I am told that there are folks in Germany, China and throughout the world for whom my calendar has become a holiday tradition, so it is important to select images that reflect the special character and feel of our region.

Get it Out
I have mentioned before the importance of getting the calendar out early. This has always been a problem for me, but in the last couple of years I have been able to start distribution in the late summer. The key is to get to people before they make their yearly calendar purchases and before the flood of free calendars start flowing in.

The real purpose of this blog is to remind everyone that it is calendar time. I, and the patients with chronic lung diseases in our community, would appreciate you considering buying one ( or ten ) New England Reflections Calendars. You can find the calendar at the Cheshire a Medical Center Gift Shop off of the main lobby or on-line at the hospital web site, and we will pay for the shipping.

Calendars are also available in many fine stores including:

Toadstool Bookstore in Keene and Peterborough, NH
Hanna Grimes, Keene, NH
Sharon Arts Center, Peterborough, NH
Harrisville General Store, Harrisville, NH
Monadnock Imaging, Keene, NH
Ingenuity Country Store, Keene, NH
Monadnock Food Co-op, Keene, NH
Heidis/Tildens Hallmark Store, Keene, NH
Nicole & Bonnie's Salon, Keene, NH
Leon's Auto Center, Keene, NH
Alyson's Orchard, Walpole, NH
J & J Discount Store, Chesterfield, NH
Westmoreland General Store, Westmoreland, NH
Gilsum General Store, Gilsum, NH
Walpole Grocery, Walpole, NH
Jingles Christmas Store, Westmoreland, NH
Harlow's Sugar House, Putney, Vt
Newfane Market, Newfane, Vt
Vermont Artisans Design, Brattleboro, Vt
South Woodstock Country Store, South Woodstock, Vt


 
This week's snow is a potent reminder that January is right around the corner, so get out there and buy calendars!

 

We thank you all for your wonderful support.


Jeffrey Newcomer
Partridgebrookreflections.com