–> Seven Mindsets to Get Publicity for Your Book: Shel Horowitz’s Book Publicity Tip, Sept. ‘09
Have you been cited in places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Woman’s Day, Entrepreneur, and the top trade publications in your industry?  I’ve been in all the above–several times each. I’ve also been in hundreds of lesser known publications. If you’d like that kind of ink… (Click here to continue reading.)

–> Travel advisory: Traveling to the American Southwest (or live there?) Be sure to read the article we’ve just posted about Valley Fever.  Valley Fever: The Southwest’s Local Secret

–> Saving the World at Work: an exclusive excerpt from Tim Sanders new book. Sanders, a former Yahoo exec, is author of Love Is The Killer App–the very first book I reviewed in this newsletter–as well as The Likeability Factor, which I also reviewed. Good Stuff.

–> My Quandary = Your Opportunity
You might have heard that the rights to my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, got picked up by John Wiley & Sons, and it forms the basis for my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson). The new book will include all but, I think, two chapters of Principled Profit, plus some 20-25,000 words of new material. Wiley will publish it in 2010. I’m especially proud of this because, following an e-mail introduction by one of Wiley’s business authors, I landed the deal and negotiated the contract myself. But my problem is…my contract with Wiley forces me to stop selling Principled Profit by the end of this year. And I still have quite a few left. This was a groundbreaking book when it came out–one of the only voices showing that ethical business not only made good moral sense, but good business sense as well. While there are more resources in this area than there used to be, it’s still really hard to find this sort of solid, practical advice on both the theory and the implementation, in a nice, easy-to-read format that anyone can put into practice. So I’ve got a deal for you! Want a copy for yourself? Take $5 off the original $17.50 price. Visit http://snipurl.com/kdq1j to order this remarkable book. Just visit and enter the right code:
GET5OFF – $5 off one copy
GET10OFF2 – $10 off two copies
GET15OFF3 – $15 off three copies
With any of these three coupon codes, you’ll also receive my two newest e-books free with your purchase.

–> Hear & Meet Shel

• Guest on Kim Smith’s Blog Talk Radio show, “Introducing Writers,” Wednesday, October 14, 8:30 pm ET/5:30 PT (book marketing). http://www.blogtalkradio.com/KimS
• A book marketing teleseminar aimed especially for speakers: as part of her monthly membership program, Susan Levin from SpeakerServices.com interviews me on “Marketing Your Book Beyond the [speaking] Platform,” Thursday, October 29, 7 pm ET/4 p.m. PT. I exhibited at one of Susan’s life events a few years ago and I thought it was one of the best organized conferences I’ve ever been at, with top-name faculty and the most vendor-friendly attitude I’ve ever experienced (we vendors even got to attend all the sessions as part of our sign-up fee).

–> Friends Who Want to Help

• The brilliant George Kao, the best social media trainer I’ve ever encountered (and I’ve tried quite a few), is actually letting me share his slides from his fantastic presentation on September 22. If, now or in the future, you expect to be marketing on social media, and especially Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, you absolutely want to spend some good focused time with these slides.
• Booklets are Much Easier to Write than Books-Learn the Secrets Paulette Ensign, the Booklet Queen, is running a new teleseminar series: interviewing nine people who’ve been successful as authors of booklets.
• Tipping the Point is a quick-start guide to viral marketing, using integrity and ethics-and incorporating many examples.  
• Author 101 University Rick Frishman is doing another Author101 University, Oct 30 & 31 in Las Vegas.
• If you’ve seen Mark Joyner’s wonderful Cashmap series, you know that he and his business partner Brad Semp, and some subject-matter experts, have created a wonderful tool for thinking differently and holistically about a whole range of stuff, from managing e-mail to healthy eating to happy marriage.
• Jim Donovan, author of several bestselling books on having a happier life (and a long-time friend and occasional co-panelist), wants you to have a happy middle-aged and elder life. He writes, “If you didn’t know when you were born, how old would you be?”  Are you ageless – full of energy and ready to go – no matter what your birth certificate says? Or does the prospect of aging leave you deeply concerned about what lies ahead?  The rest of your life can be the best of your life.
• Two new no-cost offerings from The Blog Squad, known for their high-content programs:
  Get the Best Out of Your Blog – Free 5-Part Video Course: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=3217930
  Quality Blog Traffic – Free Audio Program: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=3217931
• A Search Tool That’s Better than Google? How about one that delivers your choice of results from Google, Yahoo, MSN, Yelp, Wikipedia and various other places-and displays results before you even click? Try it yourself at http://frugalmarketing.com/search.shtml#web – click where it says “Say Hello to Search 2.0? and start typing your query.
• Judith and Jim’s “Bridging Heart and Marketing III (BH&M III) – the Soft Sell Virtual Conference,” October 8-18, online from anywhere in the world. The conference motto is “Marketing with Consciousness and Conscience.” 

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> New on the Sites, September, 2009

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

Published monthly since July, 2009 by Shel Horowitz

Have you been cited in places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Woman’s Day, Entrepreneur, and the top trade publications in your industry?

I’ve been in all the above–several times each. I’ve also been in hundreds of lesser known publications.

If you’d like that kind of ink, your pitches and press releases have to reflect the reality of the newsroom: overworked journalists sort through a mountain of information, mining for the nuggets to share with their readers, often under severe deadline pressure.

Here are a few approaches that tend to work:

• Solve a problem/ease a pain point/make people’s life better
• Expose some hidden truth that can change people’s thinking or behavior
• Tie in to a current and immediate news story or trend
• Provide a deeper “back story” on a news topic—or on a celebrity’s life
• Dip into your personal journey to show how you overcame adversity, did something really unusual, or separated yourself from the crowd in some other way
• Win an award, achieve a big milestone, etc.
• Create a catchphrase or buzzword that so perfectly captures an idea that it enters the common language

Next month: specific tools you can use to make your pitch. Note: my seventh book, Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers, offers six entire chapters on effective publicity. Click on the book title to order your copy.

–> Can You Pounce On A Breaking News Event?
Can you pounce on a breaking news event? Not everybody can, but if your subject has breaking news potential then you’d better be ready to take advantage of it.  Click here to continue reading.

–> My Quandary = Your Opportunity
You might have heard that the rights to my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, got picked up by John Wiley & Sons, and it forms the basis for my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson). The new book will include all but, I think, two chapters of Principled Profit, plus some 20-25,000 words of new material. Wiley will publish it in 2010. I’m especially proud of this because, following an e-mail introduction by one of Wiley’s business authors, I landed the deal and negotiated the contract myself. But my problem is…my contract with Wiley forces me to stop selling Principled Profit by the end of this year. And I still have quite a few left. This was a groundbreaking book when it came out–one of the only voices showing that ethical business not only made good moral sense, but good business sense as well. While there are more resources in this area than there used to be, it’s still really hard to find this sort of solid, practical advice on both the theory and the implementation, in a nice, easy-to-read format that anyone can put into practice. So I’ve got a deal for you! Want a copy for yourself? Take $5 off the original $17.50 price. Visit http://snipurl.com/kdq1j to order this remarkable book. Just visit and enter the right code:
GET5OFF – $5 off one copy
GET10OFF2 – $10 off two copies
GET15OFF3 – $15 off three copies
With any of these three coupon codes, you’ll also receive my two newest e-books free with your purchase. Get all the details here: http://www.tinyurl.com/ShelsQuandary

–> Hear & Meet Shel
* If you’re in Western Massachusetts and want to see some amazing art, my stepfather, Michihiro Yoshida, is having another one-man show at the Burnett Gallery, Jones Library, Amherst.  I’ll be at the reception the evening of September 3. He’s painting up a storm!
* September 9, I’ll be Janice Campbell’s podcast guest at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT, discussing ethical success strategies you can implement in your business. Janice has also named me to her Board of Experts for the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, http://www.NAIWE.com (she’s the organization’s Director). More info: jcwords@gmail.com
* Paulette Ensign’s Publishing Prosperity Mastermind is another high-value, low-cost teleseminar series that’s already started, and again, you get all the recordings. I’m speaking on September 17 on “Frugal, Ethical, and Creative Book Marketing-By the Book, Or By the Boxcar”
* “How and Why to Green Your Work Life,” GreenWorks: Green Career and Job Development Symposium, Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven (and there’s a Green Expo/Folk Festival the next day at Edgerton Park). I’m on a two-person panel, and I’ll be focusing on the “Why” part–the Principled Profit rationale.  I’ll also have a table at both events. Stop by and say hi.
* Friday, September 18, interviewed on Business Ethics and Marketing by Ike Engelbaum on his Entrepreneurship American Style radio show.
* Also on Friday, September 18, I plan to attend the Western Mass Tweetup at Amherst Brewing Co., downtown Amherst, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
* Tuesday Sept 22, 5 pm ET/2 pm PT, Allison Nazarian and I will host a call with the amazing George Kao, a social network trainer who has forgotten more than most of us know. I’ve been marketing seriously via social media since 1995, and it’s been my primary source of clients all the way back to 1996. And yet, I learn so much from listening to George that I not only sat in on three of his calls in the last two months, but also made a point of seeking him out for a dinner meeting when I was in San Francisco. This call is so important, and you will learn so much, that I’m going to send a special note about it. If you only pick one teleclass to attend in the next few months, make it this one. Sign up at http://georgekao.com/922s
* Wednesday, September 23, I’m doing a class for Hilton Johnson’s Global TeleClass organization, “The Magic Triangle: Turn Ethics Into Powerful Success.” This is an experiment, and as part of my contract, I have promised to send out a series of three solo mailings: two about their HealthCoach training and one about my program (which I think also mentions the other programs for the month). So even though you don’t usually get solo mailings from me, be aware of these.
* Guest on Kim Smith’s Blog Talk Radio show, “Introducing Writers,” Wednesday, October 14, 8:30 pm ET/5:30 PT (book marketing).
* A book marketing teleseminar aimed especially for speakers: as part of her monthly membership program, Susan Levin from SpeakerServices.com interviews me on “Marketing Your Book Beyond the [speaking] Platform,” Thursday, October 29, 7 pm ET/4 p.m. PT. I exhibited at one of Susan’s life events a few years ago and I thought it was one of the best organized conferences I’ve ever been at, with top-name faculty and the most vendor-friendly attitude I’ve ever experienced (we vendors even got to attend all the sessions as part of our sign-up fee).

–> Friends Who Want to Help
* Dr. Mani’s New Book Benefits Child Heart Patients: Remember my friend Dr. Mani Sivasubramanian, India-based pediatric cardiac surgeon, e-book author, and Internet entrepreneur? He’s about to release his first physical book: Think, Write & Retire!–and all profits will go to funding heart surgery for needy children.
* Stop by my blog September 18, when Jacqueline Wales, author of  The Fearless Factor, has a guest post as part of her blog tour.
* Author 101 University: Rick Frishman is doing another Author101 University, Oct 30 & 31 in Las Vegas.
* Want to be interviewed in a book? Jim O’Connor, whose book “Cuss Control: The Complete Book on How to Curb Your Cursing” was published by Random House, is writing a book on beauty and our culture. He is looking for people to interview who were teased or bullied as children because they were unlucky in the looks department, yet became successful: found love, self -esteem and happiness. Call Lynda O’Connor at 847-615-5462.
* Two new no-cost offerings from The Blog Squad, known for their high-content programs:
Get the Best Out of Your Blog – Free 5-Part Video Course: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=3217930
Quality Blog Traffic – Free Audio Program: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=3217931
* A Search Tool That’s Better than Google? How about one that delivers your choice of results from Google, Yahoo, MSN, Yelp, Wikipedia and various other places–and displays results before you even click? Try it yourself at http://frugalmarketing.com/search.shtml#web — click where it says “Say Hello to Search 2.0″ and start typing your query. You might want to bookmark this page, which also allows you to search all of my dozen-plus sites at once and even provides tips to help you find exactly what you want in any search (people have thanked me quite a few times for this little tipsheet).

* Judith and Jim’s “Bridging Heart and Marketing III (BH&M III) – the Soft Sell Virtual Conference,” October 8-18, online from anywhere in the world. The conference motto is “Marketing with Consciousness and Conscience.” Judith and Jim are the authors of The Heart of Marketing: Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back, which I reviewed a few months ago at http://frugalmarketing.com/newsletters/2009/04/15/another-recommended-book-the-heart-of-marketing/ Learn more at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3221681
* Mark Joyner writes, Everyone is talking about this “mystery” on the Internet and I’d love your help solving it: http://www.simpleology.com/p/onlineaffiliateincome/prinprofit/ One thing is certain: whoever solves this is going to make a BUNDLE.
Some of the opportunities mentioned may pay me commissions. If you’d like to know if a particular program is commissionable, you’re welcome to ask us.

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> New on the Sites, August, 2009

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

Published monthly since July, 2009 by Shel Horowitz

Guest Post By Scott Lorenz

[Editor's Note: This article has three important lessons I wanted to highlight: 1) follow news events and tie your book and/or your author in--legitimately, don't force it--to breaking news; 2) if there's a news event you know will happen eventually that has such a tie-in, do the advance prep; 3) old books can get good play under the right circumstances. This article was published previously in Fran Silverman's Book Marketing Newsletter and is used with the gracious permission of the author.

--Shel Horowitz, author of Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers]

Can you pounce on a breaking news event? Not everybody can, but if your subject has breaking news potential then you’d better be ready to take advantage of it.

One such opportunity presented itself to Westwind Communications on February 19, 2008 when Fidel Castro announced his resignation. One of my author clients has a gorgeous coffee table photo book on Cuba and has made 40 plus quasi illegal trips to the island nation. He’s an American citizen and expert on Cuba. http://www.corazonpress.com.

Having pitched this book and his story to all major media from Good Morning America and Nightline to Syndicated Radio, all of the big media outlets said–I’m not exaggerating–”Sure we’ll cover it–when Fidel dies.”

So, like vultures circling above, we’ve been waiting for every slip, fall, missed parade, bad medical report about Fidel so that we could jump on the opportunity. It finally came at 5:30am on the morning of February 19, 2008 with the announcement of Fidel’s resignation. That was almost as good as the dictator passing on! Less drama but still worth covering since it announced a change in power of the United States’ long time nemesis of 50 years.

So, I dusted off the release about Fidel’s death that had been sitting in wait for two years, changed the headline to reflect his resignation, and a few other items and out it went to my carefully maintained and targeted list of media contacts and put it on the wire by 6AM while everyone else was still sleeping.

The result was outstanding. CBS Radio immediately saw the release, set up an interview that ran in Detroit all day and night. Then National Public Radio set up an in-studio interview as did WJR and WCSX radio. Print media got into the act with interviews in The Ann Arbor News http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-26/120352203518630.xml&coll=2, Detroit News, Observer & Eccentric http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C5&Dato=20080225&Kategori=NEWS&Lopenr=225001&Ref=PH and Oakland Press http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/022008/loc_20080220268.shtml. We even got interest, but unfortunately no story since the book was not newly released, from the Wall Street Journal.

Then, one of Amazon’s Top Ten reviewers asked for a review copy, which, by itself could create a ground swell of book sales. (thousands have already read his review http://www.amazon.com/Cuba-Photographs-Jack-Kenny/dp/0976834901). A travel writer from MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23278430 wanted to get Kenny’s expert advice on traveling to CUBA and the media inquires are still coming in. Interestingly enough, three producers and reporters called me after they got to their office and found out that Fidel had resigned, needed a Cuba expert, did a Google search and found my press release on top of the Google News section.  I love technology!

This whole operation was a success because I constantly monitor the news and set Google Alerts http://www.google.com/alerts?hl=en to watch for key news items. And, of course, I had the release ready to go. Everything was thought out, my client was ready–for 2 years. The gun was loaded, cocked, and ready to fire.

And you know another upside of this? I can still use a version of my original “Fidel’s Death” release later! Don’t think bad things about me, somebody somewhere might have your obituary already written too!

When should you send out a press release? My acid test is that if it’s newsworthy and if it’s timely and useful to the reader, send it. It’s that simple.

There are many factors to weigh when considering the need to send out a press release. As a publicist I have sent thousands of releases over the years and while there are no hard and fast rules, the most important factor is that you’ve got to make sure it’s newsworthy and useful to the reader. Anything else and it’s just a waste of time for the members of the media.

So what press release do you have in your hip pocket? Are you ready when breaking news hits?

————-

Scott is President of Westwind Communications, a public relations and marketing firm. He has handled public relations and marketing for numerous authors, doctors, lawyers, inventors and entrepreneurs. As a book marketing expert Scott is called upon by top execs and bestselling authors to promote their books. Learn more about Westwind Communications’ book marketing approach at http://www.book-marketing-expert.com or contact Scott at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090

–> Can an Org Use Your Book, Part 6: Corporate Partners
This special bonus article concludes our series on partnering with nonprofits to sell more books. Take what you’ve learned in the previous five installments in this series and apply it to for-profit corporations.  You can approach corporations with two very different strategies… (click here to continue reading)

–> My Quandary = Your Opportunity
You might have heard that the rights to my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, got picked up by John Wiley & Sons, and it forms the basis for my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson). Wiley will publish it in 2010. But my problem is…my contract with Wiley forces me to stop selling Principled Profit by the end of this year. And I still have quite a few left. This was a groundbreaking book when it came out–one of the only voices showing that ethical business not only made good moral sense, but good business sense as well. To put it another way, Principled Profit shows you how to find the *value* in your *values.*  So I’ve got a deal for you! Click here to find out more and learn how you can get a discount on Principled Profit plus two bonuses!

–> Friends Who Want to Help, July 2009

• Most books about sales don’t talk much about *the emotions of the salesperson* and how they affect the sales process. I took a look at, 30 year top producer Paula Pagano’s new book Secrets of a Top Salesperson – How Emotions Make or Break the Sale, and was instantly taken her with raw honesty and heartfelt humor about the emotional journey of succeeding in sales. Buy a copy of Paula’s book during the launch promotion, and you will instantly receive several hundred dollars of bonus gifts from experts-workbooks, audio materials, and coaching-including free sales coaching by Paula a well as a special gift from me.  Discover all the bonus gifts here: http://topsecretsofasalesperson.com/?id=0024
• ProfitMart, created by brothers Rick and Ron Davies, allows anyone to get started with affiliate marketing.  It’s a system that helps you generate traffic and turn it into affiliate commissions.  They’ll install the system for you and help you get up and running in 24 hours or less without worrying about the technical side of creating a website or setting up affiliate links.  I haven’t personally used this system or reviewed it yet, but Ron is a friend and so I’m sharing this with you.  Find out more at http://www.profitmart.com/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=6749
• Note: George Kao social media workshop is postponed to the fall. Details to follow next month.

Some of the opportunities mentioned may pay commissions. If you’d like to know if a particular program is commissionable, you’re welcome to ask us.

–> New Web Portal Puts All of Shel’s Stuff in One Place

–> Can an Org Use Your Book? Part 5: How to Approach the Organization
When you craft your pitch to the organization you want to partner with, keep these things in mind… (Click here to continue reading)

–> Are You the “Magic Connector” for Shel’s Next Book?
Want to get an acknowledgement in my eighth book,  Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green: Winning Strategies to Improve Your Profits and Your Planet (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson), which will be published in 2010 by Wiley & Sons? Not to mention a few copies you can show around?
I am looking for a personal introduction to someone with enormous credentials in social entrepreneurship/green business who might like to do the Foreword for my forthcoming book.
Because this book can have an enormously positive impact on business owners and on society at large, we want it to have as large a reach as possible. I am hoping for a foreword from someone on the order of

• Al Gore
• Jimmy Carter
• Bill Gates Jr
• Wally Amos
• Muhammad Yunus (founder, Grameen Bank, Nobel Prize winner)
• Wangari Maathai (she won a Nobel for tree-planing campaign in Africa)
• Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook)Biz Stone (co-founder of Twitter)
• Malcolm Gladwell

If you know any of these folks, or someone of comparable stature, I would be very grateful for an introduction. If you make the connection with someone who writes the foreword, I will not only acknowledge you in the book and on the website (with your URL, if you’d like) but also give you a few copies of the published book and also give you some very good publicity in my newsletters, etc.
Please contact me as soon as possible if you can help. http://www.frugalmarketing.com/contactform.shtml

–> My Quandary = Your Opportunity
You might have heard that the rights to my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, got picked up by John Wiley & Sons, and it forms the basis for my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson). The new book will include all but, I think, two chapters of Principled Profit, plus some 20-25,000 words of new material. Wiley will publish it in 2010. I’m especially proud of this because, following an e-mail introduction by one of Wiley’s business authors, I landed the deal and negotiated the contract myself.
But my problem is…my contract with Wiley forces me to stop selling Principled Profit by the end of this year. And I still have quite a few left. This was a groundbreaking book when it came out–one of the only voices showing that ethical business not only made good moral sense, but good business sense as well. While there are more resources in this area than there used to be, it’s still really hard to find this sort of solid, practical advice on both the theory and the implementation, in a nice, easy-to-read format that anyone can put into practice.
So I’ve got a deal for you! Want a copy for yourself? Take $5 off the original $17.50 price. Visit http://snipurl.com/kdq1j to order this remarkable book. Just visit and enter the code, GET5OFF. You’ll also receive my two newest e-books free with your purchase.
Get all the details here: http://frugalmarketing.com/newsletters/2009/06/26/my-quandary-your-opportunity/

• Principled Profit: The Good Business Radio Show, alternate Mondays, 4 p.m. Eastern, over http://www.valleyfreeradio.org (in the Northampton, MA area, 103.3 FM).
• Tom O’Brien of JointWinWin interviews Shel at 9 pm Thursday, July 2, part of the very ambitious (and no-cost) Make A Difference and Make a Profit: Socially Responsible Business Building Experts Teach You What They Know So You Can Make A Difference series with a whole bunch of marketing superstars.
• The Africa speaking tour is not happening in July, but may be possible for January. If you have any contacts who could come aboard as sponsors, please let me know: http://www.frugalmarketing.com/contactform.shtml or Twitter: @shelhorowitz
• Shel addresses the Holyoke, MA Rotary Club Tuesday, August 11, Noon ET
• If you’re in Western Massachusetts and want to see some amazing art, my stepfather, Michihiro Yoshida, is having another one-man show at the Burnett Gallery, Jones Library, Amherst.
• Paulette Ensign’s Publishing Prosperity Mastermind

–> In these tough times, I want to do my part. I’ve just released some things to save you money: A brand new e-book called Painless Green: 111 Tips to Help the Environment, Lower Your Carbon Footprint, Cut Your Budget, and Improve Your Quality of Life—With No Negative Impact on Your Lifestyle,  http://www.painlessgreenbook.com – and a website where you can get that e-book and all my books at a discount: http://www.RecessionBusterBooks.com

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> New on the Sites, June 2009

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since May, 1997 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

When you craft your pitch to the organization you want to partner with, keep these things in mind:

• Focus your inquiry/pitch not on why you want to do this for yourself, but on how it will benefit the organization (please see Part 3 of this series if you need to remind yourself of those reasons)–and on what you can bring to the table to help them, over and above the donation (for example, how you can get them media exposure, how you can open up a new volunteer pool and/or fundraising channel among your workers, how you can get other businesses to donate time, money, or goods and services)
• Come across as thoroughly professional, as some one whose association with the organization adds value to that organization–this should be reflected not only in the quality of your book, but also the quality of your presentation
• Even if you will be donating money to the organization, remember that dealing with your needs could add stress and hassles to the lives of the busy staff and volunteers–so do everything you can to smooth out any rough places for them, and to be as pleasant as possible to deal with. After all, you want them to sing your praises, to want to work with you again, and to recommend you to their colleagues
• Be flexible if you get requests for custom covers or other things you might not expect. Accommodate when possible, but if there are costs to you, it’s not unreasonable to ask the organization to pick up the extra cost

You might have heard that the rights to my award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, got picked up by John Wiley & Sons, and it forms the basis for my eighth book, Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green (co-authored with Jay Conrad Levinson). The new book will include all but, I think, two chapters of Principled Profit, plus some 20-25,000 words of new material. Wiley will publish it in 2010. I’m especially proud of this  because, following an e-mail introduction by one of Wiley’s business authors,  I landed the deal and negotiated the contract myself.

This is the latest honor for a self-published book that also was republished in India and Mexico, won an Apex Award for best book in the PR/Marketing world, has been endorsed by 80 entrepreneurs and marketers, and sold 1000 copies to Southwest Airlines. It’s certainly not unheard of for a self-published book to be resold to a major publisher, but it doesn’t happen every day, either.

I know I’m the author so I shouldn’t brag. But the amount of wisdom and great advice packed into 160 clear and readable pages is astounding.

What sort of ideas are we talking about?

You’ll learn a great deal of very specific material that you can put into practice in your own business. A few of the highlights…

• Why your competitors’ success not only isn’t an obstacle, it can actually help you succeed (Chapter 8 )
• How “biological marketing” enables you to reap hundreds of times more than you sow (Chapter 4)
• Why smart, customer-centered marketing succeeds when ordinary sales techniques fail (Chapter 2)
• How to turn your marketing from an expense to an income stream—not just from its results, but for the very act of marketing (Chapter 14)
• How to convert your customers, complementary businesses, and even competitors into your Sales Ambassadors (Chapter 8 again)
• Why the customer experience is a more powerful testament to your brand (whether positive or negative) than all the slogans and logos and advertising and marketing materials in the world—and how you can harness this to benefit your business (Chapter 11)
• How to stay honest and true in your copywriting while boosting your response: 4 trigger points, 10 keys to include in your copy, and 12 “helper” elements to construct successful marketing materials (Chapter 13)
• Six specific ways to highlight your ethical commitment in your media publicity and other traditional marketing (Chapter 12)—and 12 specific marketing tools that work well for ethical marketers (Chapter 14)
• How to leverage your marketing skills to make a huge difference in the wider world—to help create the type of world you want to live in (Chapters 15, 16, and 18)
• 56 specific resources for further exploration, plus 20 copywriters who can make it happen for you (Chapter 19)

But my problem is…my contract with Wiley forces me to stop selling Principled Profit by the end of this year. And I still have quite a few left. This was a groundbreaking book when it came out—one of the only voices showing that ethical business not only made good moral sense, but good business sense as well. While there are more resources in this area than there used to be, it’s still really hard to find this sort of solid, practical advice on both the theory and the implementation, in a nice, easy-to-read format that anyone can put into practice.

To put it another way, Principled Profit shows you how to find the *value* in your *values.*

So I’ve got a deal for you!

Want a copy for yourself? Take $5 off the original $17.50 price. Visit http://snipurl.com/kdq1j to order this remarkable book. Just visit and enter the code, GET5OFF.

Copies for your list and network are an even better deal. Full cases of 68-72 books at just $6 a copy (rounded to 70 per box), plus shipping at cost. Note that only eleven cases are available, though–you’ll want to act fast. This is absolutely the lowest price I’ve ever offered on this book.

To make it even sweeter, I have bonuses for you.  Use that discount code (GET5OFF) to also get my two newest e-books:

Again: http://snipurl.com/kdq1j

Just to peek at the tip of the iceberg; many others are possible

• Local history (great for a bank, Chamber of Commerce, etc.)
• How-to (very helpful to manufacturers and distributors/dealers who need to train people in their product)
• Health and wellness (drug companies, hospitals, practitioners)
• Business theory (Southwest Airlines bought 1000 copies of my sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First–what I heard back was that the company president wanted to give them to people he wanted to impress)
• Travel/destination (Chambers of Commerce, attractions, airlines, travel agencies…)
• Coffee-table art book (whatever company, industry, or institution is being profiled)
• Cookbook/food book (food manufacturers, restaurants, gourmet or specialty grocery stores; Dian Pfeifer, author of “Gone With the Grits,” sold 15,000 to cereal maker Quaker, which manufactures grits)
• Fiction (tie-ins with locations, genres, equipment, cars…)
• Parenting and child-rearing (schools, play equipment and toy manufacturers, early-childhood education industry, counselors, even law enforcement–in my seventh book, Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers, I cite the author of a book on bullying that had been picked up by several police departments)

Keep in mind that you can not only sell entire books (especially if you can offer a custom cover so the sponsor’s name is on the front), but also pieces (as booklets, special reports, audios, etc.).

This series will continue with part 5, how to approach the organizations. And as a bonus, part 6 will apply what you’ve learned to bulk purchases in the corporate sector.

–> Can an Org Use Your Book? Part 4 What Kinds of Books Can Work for Organizations?
Just to peek at the tip of the iceberg; many others are possible.

–> Exciting News: Principled Profit Blog Wins Its Third Award in A Month!
I’ve been blogging on the intersections of media, marketing, ethics, politics, and sustainability since 2004, at http://www.principledprofit.com/good-business-blog/ And all of a sudden, people are starting to notice! Beginning March 14, I’ve been notified that my blog has won three different awards!  If you want to see what the fuss is about, go visit the blog. You can even sign up to hear about new posts through either RSS or e-mail.

–> In these tough times, I want to do my part. I’ve just released some things to save you money: A brand new e-book called Painless Green: 111 Tips to Help the Environment, Lower Your Carbon Footprint, Cut Your Budget, and Improve Your Quality of Life—With No Negative Impact on Your Lifestyle,  http://www.painlessgreenbook.com – and a website where you can get that e-book and all my books at a discount: http://www.RecessionBusterBooks.com