–> This Might Be the Cheapest Way to Stock Your Closet/Bookshelf/CD Collection
The thing about fashion is that we’re all programmed to get tired of the stuff hanging in our closets. The manufacturers and retailers, of course, want you to just go out and buy more. But we’re talking frugal here. How’s this alternative…  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.

–> 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.  http://georgekao.com/socialslides
• 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. Booklet Author Success Series Paulette beleives in delivering a lot of value, and her interviews generally go well beyond the basics. This series is no exception. Among the topics: preselling thousands of copies before you write the first word, partnering effectively with charities, using the same content a gazillion different ways. The first of these calls starts today, September 15, 2 pm Eastern-but don’t fret if you missed it. She’s making recordings available.Reminder also that I’ll be speaking for Paulette Thursday evening on creative book marketing and bulk book sales; see the “Hear and Meet Shel” section
• Tipping the Point is a quick-start guide to viral marketing, using integrity and ethics-and incorporating many examples.  In fact, there’s so much good stuff that I took the very unusual step of becoming a dealer and putting it up for download on my own cart. And let me tell you, something has to be really good for me to do that. I still can’t believe he only wants $9.95 for this!  Please click here to get your own copy, and yes, I do benefit financially (a little, anyhow) from your purchase.  http://shelhorowitz.com/go/tippingthepoint/
• Author 101 University Rick Frishman is doing another Author101 University, Oct 30 & 31 in Las Vegas. http://snipurl.com/25r7o
• 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. Mark is offering quite a deal right now: 10 of his best Cashmaps for just a dollar, and a free month of the Cashmap program. Grab this one before his sanity returns.
• 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: http://www.BestLifeBook.com
• 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
• Sokule (pronounced so-cool) is a cool new Twitter-like social network offering some revenue possibilities. Check into it at http://su.pr/ADj6Fh
• AdWords guru Perry Marshall has a new version of his Definitive Guide. He’s one of only two people I trust for useful, actionable AdWords strategy. The 2010 edition actually has over a dozen brand new chapters covering things like the Content Network, Analytics, Quality Score, and the new interface. Prices start at $49 for the basic one-module version: http://bit.ly/5YdBJ
• This is by far the cheapest program on how to become a #1 bestseller that I’ve ever seen. 9 audios, plus support materials and bonuses. I have not personally reviewed the material but I did look at the scope of what it covers, seems like a lot of good info. Again, I haven’t listened–just sharing the information. http://shelhorowitz.com/go/yourbestseller/

–> Hear & Meet Shel, October 2009

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

–> New on the Sites, October 2009

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

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

The thing about fashion is that we’re all programmed to get tired of the stuff hanging in our closets. The manufacturers and retailers, of course, want you to just go out and buy more. But we’re talking frugal here.

How’s this alternative: gather with five or ten friends all about your size. Each of you brings five outfits or garments you’ve grown tired of, but that are still in great shape. One person’s trash becomes another’s treasure, and you take home some things you didn’t bring, that someone else was ready to swap. The women among you will probably enjoy modeling them for each other, too, and have an impromptu fashion show. Men may just want to swap and be done with it. If there’s stuff left over, it can go to charity or back to the original owner.

You keep stuff out of landfills, let it be used again, spruce up your stuff, and spend nothing. Pretty cool, hmmm?

Same principle works just as well for books, CDs, movies, foods you bought by mistake, even garden tools, sports and recreation equipment, whatever.

–> The Beach? When It’s Too Cold to Swim?
Think about going to the beach this month or next. The crowds are gone; you’ll have long deserted stretches of beautiful water and sand to explore. But probably at least some of the waterfront cafes are still open, so you can relax with your favorite beverage after you’re done.  What might you do along that empty and elegant shoreline? (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

–> 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.

–> Friends Who Want to Help

–> Hear & Meet Shel

• 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, http://ctfolk.com/ctff/greenworks.html (and there’s a Green Expo/Folk Festival the next day at Edgerton Park, http://ctfolk.com/ctff/index.html 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, http://www.seniorgazette.net/EntrepreneurshipAmericanStyleRadioProgram.html
• Wednesday, September 23, I’m doing a class for Hilton Johnson’s Global TeleClass organization, “The Magic Triangle: Turn Ethics Into Powerful Success.”
• 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).

The Beach? When It’s Too Cold to Swim? Shel Horowitz’s Monthly Frugal Fun Tip, September 2009

Think about going to the beach this month or next. The crowds are gone; you’ll have long deserted stretches of beautiful water and sand to explore. But probably at least some of the waterfront cafes are still open, so you can relax with your favorite beverage after you’re done.

What might you do along that empty and elegant shoreline?

• Fly a kite; September and October tend to be breezy times
• Collect seashells, driftwood, smoothed stones, and starfish (for art projects, or just because they’re beautiful and/or interesting)
• Make outrageous art in the sand (for a glimpse at what’s possible, visit http://www.sandscapes.com/archive/archiveNS.htm or http://www.mysticalartsoftibet.org/Mandala.htm)
• Go for a boat ride
• Walk along the water’s edge or bike on the boardwalk
• Photograph the seabirds, the amazingly deep blue of the sky, the closed-for-the-season humanscape, the seaweed
• Gather friends, gloves, and trash bags for a litter-pick-up party nd then have a potluck or barbecue

–> Coping With Zucchini Overload
This is the time of year when neighbors sneak around in the middle of the night, dropping bags of zucchini on your doorstep and running away. Of course, we don’t want that good wholesome squash to go to waste—but how much ratatouille and zucchini bread can you eat, after all?  So, as a public service, this month’s Frugal Fun Tip gives you some more ideas of what to do with that green thing that keeps poking its way into your kitchen.  (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 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/

–> Hear & Meet Shel

• Shel addresses the Holyoke, MA Rotary Club Tuesday, August 11, Noon ET, at the Delaney House, Route 5.
• 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! 
• 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.
• 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).

–> Friends Who Want to Help

My two favorite social media trainers both have offerings for you this month!

• George Kao Long-Term Training in Social Media: If you’ve ever been on a webinar with George Kao, you’ll know why he gets my vote for the person who adds the most value of any trainer I’ve experienced. He combines amazingly good information with a strong and solid commitment to ethics. His 11+ hour course plus bonuses is a bargain at the retail price of $500–the slides alone could probably be sold for $197. But I’ve negotiated a price of $330 (saving $170) if you act by August 8 (you have up to a year to actually enroll), and it comes with a money-back guarantee. To get this price, visit http://georgekao.com/socialmedia and enter the coupon code shelhorowitz
• Mari Smith One-Day  Social Media Training, August 14: Coming up very soon: The amazing Mari Smith is doing “Social Media in a Day,” in San Diego next week: August 14, to be exact. Mari personally convinced me to get on Facebook and has given me many pointers on social media. Fast Company called her “The Pied Piper of Facebook.”  http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=3182187
• 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.
• Author 101 University: Rick Frishman is doing another Author101 University, Oct 30 & 31 in Las Vegas.

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.

This is the time of year when neighbors sneak around in the middle of the night, dropping bags of zucchini on your doorstep and running away. Of course, we don’t want that good wholesome squash to go to waste—but how much ratatouille and zucchini bread can you eat, after all?

So, as a public service, this month’s Frugal Fun Tip gives you some more ideas of what to do with that green thing that keeps poking its way into your kitchen.

Zucchini Kebabs. Marinate chunks of zucchini in salted olive oil with a little vinegar. Skewer them along with pieces of onion, whole cherry tomatoes, and bell pepper slices, and grill.

Zucchini Fajitas. Cut into long strips and soak in a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce, garlic (a lot), cumin seed, and hot pepper. Grill.

Zucchini Latkes. Grate zucchini, onion, and carrot in a food processor. Add to a batter of eggs, milk and flour and fry up in thin patties. Serve with sour cream.

Zucchini Guacamole. Throw zucchini into a food processor with lots of garlic and cilantro, some lemon, and a dash of hot pepper. Serve with corn chips or even bread, since it’s a lot thinner than avocado guacamole.

Curried Zucchini Soup. Make a soup stock from your freezer bag of carrot and onion peels (boil the peels, then strain). Sautee onions in a fair amount of curry powder, add sliced zucchini and cook until zucchini turns olive-green and gets soft. Add some of the stock and puree in food processor. put it in a soup pot with the rest of the stock. Add unsweetened soymilk (or dairy milk, which requires more frequent stirring) and cook down over a very low flame for an hour, stirring frequently. Allow to age off the flame for a few hours. Optionally add croutons just before serving.

Hundreds more creative things you can do, but I’ll stop there.

–> A Few of My Favorite Travel Logistics Tips
As the summer travel season starts for us Northern Hemispherians, some random tidbits of good advice to make the trip itself go smoothly. (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/

As the summer travel season starts for us Northern Hemispherians, some random tidbits of good advice to make the trip itself go smoothly

• Pack as little as possible. Ask yourself three questions about every item you pack: Could I manage without it on this trip? Will it cause any hassles at security? Is there a lighter-weight and/or more versatile alternative? Remove any item that gets even one yes.
• Keep passports, tickets, and travel documents on your person (in a hidden money belt or at least a fanny pack). Keep prescription drugs, eyeglasses, hearing aids, computers, cameras, and cell phones–or anything else that would be very hard to replace–in your carry-on.
• Make a mental list of everything you’re putting through the X-ray machine, and make sure you have it all (including your laptop and your shoes) before you leave security.
• If crossing more than two timezones, begin adjusting your schedule a few days before you leave, an hour or half-hour at a time.
• Take a quick nap or two on the plane, but save your deep sleep for when it’s starting to be evening at your destination.
• Drink a lot of water during the flight, and don’t drink alcohol. Don’t bring in bottled drinks from outside the security checkpoint; you’ll have to dump them. You can, however, bring your own water bottle and fill it up from a water fountain or bathroom tap once you’re past security–or just do what I do and get the flight attendants to bring you some.
• Use the bathroom an hour before landing, before the last-minute rush.
• Bring your own high-energy, very portable snacks, but make sure they’ll pass the TSA inspection (trail mix is good, but leave off the chocolate chips; they can get pretty messy)
• Always at least pack a pair of clean underwear and socks in your carry-on, possibly a full change of clothes–we’ve had luggage delayed on several occasions.
• Know where you’re staying the first night, and the best way to get there by public transit (often the best and almost always the cheapest option), pre-reserved rental car, or taxi/car service
• Leave time in your schedule for the unexpected, including a very light first day back home–for recovery, or to take advantage of an opportunity to get bumped

–> Grow Your Own…Even in Apartments
You absolutely can’t beat the taste of just-picked produce or herbs. Plus you’re helping the earth, reducing carbon footprint, and more.  (Click here to continue reading.)

–> 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

As we went down to water our veggie plants in the garden today, I was flooded with memories of the wonderful organic fresh vegetables we harvest all summer and fall.

And I was reminded, too, that you don’t need land to grow a few plants. Herbs, cherry tomatoes, mini-hot peppers, and other small plants can be easily grown on a windowsill, in a patio container, even on a rooftop.

You absolutely can’t beat the taste of just-picked produce or herbs. Plus you’re helping the earth, reducing carbon footprint, and more.

Put in your plants now, Northern Hepisphere readers, and you’ll enjoy the harvest for months. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, move a few plants inside so you have them in the winter.