Well, Tomima Edmark knows the answers to all these questions by heart. As the inventor of the sensational TopsyTail hair tool, and Founder and President of the multi-million dollar TopsyTail Company, HerRoom (Women's Bras, Panties and Shapwear) and HisRoom (Men's Underwear), she deals with these questions daily in her own work and in the calls she receives from aspiring entrepreneurs hungry for answers. Now in response to this demand for information, Edmark is shipping her American Dream Fact Pack (ADFP) -- everything you need to turn your idea into a money-making American Dream.

From patents and trademarks to business plans and distribution, the ADFP provides anyone -- budding entrepreneurs, seasoned inventors, small businesses -- with a complete hands-on guide to realizing their dreams. The ADFP consists of eight books, each documenting the specific steps necessary in bringing your idea to fruition: developing and protecting your idea, determining its value, making a prototype, spotting scams and legal thieves, manufacturing a product, taking it to market, and finding financing. The pack also includes a complementary resource guide, complete with phone numbers, statistics, sample legal documents, registration forms and dozens of public and private applications. Edmark even included a copy of her first written description of the TopsyTail.

Edmark is particularly attuned to the needs of people developing new ideas for the market. On her own, she has moved her ideas for the TopsyTail line, the Bowrette Collection, the Kissing Machine, the Halo hat and seven best-selling published books through prototyping, financing, distribution and licensing. Edmark developed the ADFP based on these business experiences and on questions from aspiring entrepreneurs. "I was inundated with calls from people who wanted to pick my brain on how and what I did to launch my products," Edmark recalls. "I wanted to help by sharing my information with them, but unfortunately I wasn't getting my work done. So I asked the callers to fax and mail their questions to me. Their input and my experiences formed the framework of the ADFP." In creating the ADFP, Edmark also made sure she addressed the fears, concerns, and challenges entrepreneurs encounter with first forming a business. Thus, the ADFP not only confronts the pressures and pitfalls facing entrepreneurs and small businesses, but also evaluates the idea for its worth, and forces one to do a personal inventory to determine if they have the confidence and skills to get the job done.

But Edmark is quick to note that while ADFP guides and nurtures people through the stages of idea development, she is not offering platitudes or quick-fix solutions. "There's a tremendous amount of work involved, and there are scam artists, counterfeiters, and thieves waiting to take advantage of you. The ADFP helps you navigate each step thoroughly."

The ADFP is designed for practicality and consumer value. If an ADFP book tells you to go the library, it says exactly what to look for and where you'll find it. If one of the books says to consult an attorney, it tells you where to locate one and provides a list of questions to ask. The resource guide fits in any loose leaf binder and includes sample contracts and legal documents as well as the forms, applications, and directories the competition just mentions. The individual ADFP books are also color-coded and can be removed for consultation during each stage of idea development and implementation. "Who wants to lug around an encyclopedia of information all day?" Edmark notes. "If you're at the prototype stage, carry the prototype book."

1. I've Got an Idea...Now What? : Idea Development
2. How Do I Protect My Idea? : Patents and Trademarks
3. How Much Is My Idea Worth? : Idea Valuation
4. How Do I Make A Model Of My Idea? : Prototyping
5. Who Can I Trust? : Spotting Scams and Legal Thieves
6. How Do I Make My Idea Into A PRoduct? : Manufacturing
7. How Do I Get My Product To Market? : Distribution Channels
8. How Do I Secure Money For My Idea? : Finding Financing

Although the books use examples from her experience in bringing her products to market, the ADFP is not a biography of Edmark or the TopsyTail Company. "These comprehensive reference books use my experiences along with that of other entrepreneurs to explain the challenges everyone must face when marketing an idea," says Edmark, whose previous books included one on cigars and several on kissing. "I wrote the ADFP as a business person, for business people who need a straightforward approach to getting their ideas to market. Each book is immensely readable, but I wouldn't make them night table reading -- they might make you too excited to sleep.