Advertising Books

This book contains so much useful information. It is definitely an outline for success. Every writer who wants to publish their book should read this book for better selling power. A must have!

Great value for self published authors looking for hands on resources for marketing their book. Alot of good information.

This is a well-organized text that clearly was written by someone who speaks with the authority of experience.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson has delivered a resource that I would recommend reading on an as-needed basis by consulting the specific chapters relating to particular marketing challenges as they arise.

The way the book is laid out, with chapters ranging from using the Web to using postcards, you'll certainly find the step-by-step details for whatever task you're trying to accomplish. Scan the book initially, to get a good feel for its organization and scope. But save the careful page views for those times when you find yourself tackling specific promotional tasks.


J.D. Mosley-Matchett, Ph.D.
Author of A month of Marketing Technology tips

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book, The Frugal Book Promoter, is best described as a compendium of book promotion ideas culled from her personal experience as a successful and award wining author as well as what must have been considerable time surfing the internet.
A wide range of topics are covered and in some cases just briefly touched upon. However, internet resources are listed throughout for those who want to dive deeper into a specific area. The links I was most interested in were still active and I found the sites I was directed to to be helpful.
While I would likely have been able to find these resources on my own had I the time to surf the net, this guide is very good at pulling all of this information together in a well categorized fashion which saves considerable time for those wishing to promote their book.
What does stand alone in this book are the chapters dedicated to building a media kit and the credentials for such a kit. For those that have done this before, it is not new, but for newly published authors it can be very valuable.
Finally, the advice on branding yourself as an author is very true. Readers buy books because of their authors not because of the publisher or the book title. Find a way to brand yourself - Carolyn has certainly done this effectively.

Todd A Fonseca, author of The Time Cavern (www.thetimecavern.com)

Authors are increasingly coming to appreciate the fact that by the time their book is written, only half of the job is done. Promoting the book may take as much or more time than writing it. Unless authors are internationally famous or very lucky the proceeds from book sales may not allow for expensive promotion. The solution is to do it frugally. Carolyn Howard-Johnson's [[ASIN: 193299310X The Frugal Book Promoter]] helps authors to do just that. While the ways to promote a book are increasingly becoming known through books and online resources, everything cannot be in one book. I found many tips in The Frugal Book Promoter that I had not seen elsewhere. I recommend it to all authors.

Great ideas abound in this book for start up publishers. Takes the guess work out of the equation. Cuts right to the chase.

I think that this book can be very helpful to any writer that wants to sell his/her book. I am using several of the ideas that I recieved in the book to sell my book 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques and collectibles. it has increased my sales. Daryle

I've never read a more informative book. It not only points out what you should do to promote, it actually gives you the tools to do it. Both phone numbers and websites that will really help you. It is the first self help book that doesn't tell you what it is going to tell you, IT JUST TELLS YOU. How novel. It will take me weeks to implement all the information, but each step is clearly presented. If you write to sell you need this book as flowers need rain.

through the self publishing process of my new book. More than a notion, self publishing is very rewarding but extremely time consuming, and SUPER hard work. I thought writing the book was hard. Ha! That was the easy part!!! Thank goodness I bought this book, as its given me many great ideas for marketing and promotion. It's wonderful to have written the best book in the world, but it doesn't mean anything if no one knows about it! Thanks Marilyn!!!!

Do you know when you should start marketing your book? Marilyn Ross does, and in "Jump Start Your Book Sales" she reveals the answer. (Hint: It's before you start writing it!)

Before, during, and after -- in fact. Regardless of where you are in the writing and publishing process, book marketing should be at the forefront of your thinking. Is your book even marketable? What is the market? What length of book are those people used to buying? Why would they buy yours instead of (or in addition to) all the other similar books on the market? What will differentiate yours? These are the kind of questions you should be asking yourself even before you put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, as the case may be.

These strategic concepts are the bread and butter of the pages comprising "Jump Start." Don't be surprised if you find meat in the middle that you can really sink your teeth into. This isn't another rehash of duplicative information available for free from countless websites. This is the real deal, written by the co-founder of the Small Publishers Association of North America. Highly recommended reading before you start writing, before you start publishing, and after you think you've marketed it all. - Brent Sampson, author of Self-Publishing Simplified

With today's marketing ideas changing considerably I found this book a refreshing new approach to a difficult situation of getting referrals. I have already put their ideas into play and find they work very well. Well worth the read.

This is not your typical business networking book. I found that although I call what I am doing "Networking" I wasn't getting results. After applying the items I learned in just the first 6 chapters, I have gone from 2-3 referrals to 8-10 in only the past 4 weeks. I am more than doubling my business and packed with ways to continue this momentum. I would recommend this for anyone who sells a product or offers a service. For an $11 investment, you learn more than a $300 Networking Seminar.

If you read one book on networking, this is the one to read. Burg's system focuses on how to network correctly, thus enabling you to build a pipeline of qualified, A-list prospects for your business. This book is a must-buy for anyone striving to build business referrals that will continue the gift of giving in the long haul. The questions Burg outlines in Chapter two are a key component of how one should begin to network from this day forward. In addition, he shares the one question that will change your networking process forever. It's a question so few know to ask. And if you use this question at your next networking event, you will immediately establish yourself as an expert who knows how to deliver value to your prospects and your customers -- and to the networking process itself. This book is extremely thorough in outlining a proven system for networking anywhere any time. Most important, Burg shows you how to enjoy the process. This book is a seminal part of my professional library. I use it daily as a reference to build my business.

Cannot imagine how I have made it this far in business without this book. Bob Burg's advise is priceless.

If you're looking to sharpen up your sales skills or expanding your contact base, this is a great resource and offers a ton of tips that can be easily implemented. It's more than just a networking book, although that's one of the main components, it's about getting to know people, forming relationships by genuinely caring about people. Everything in life is based on forming and building relationships and the people that have figured out how to get along with people, are usually more successful and just plain happier people. It doesn't matter what you sell or what company you represent, ultimately, you are the product. If you're wondering how to meet more people, get more leads, earn more business ... you'll learn these and more in this book.

...that will help you make better desisions (or keep you from making all the wrong, costly ones :-).

Pricey but helpful book. A lot of the same information can also be found online by searching "how to create a yellow pages ad".

This covers all print media and strategies for developing your marketing (complete with examples of what a strong ad looks like vs the "not so good"). If you need or want more assistance Barry and company offer their service (paid of course, but their fee structure is comprehensive and reasonable) includes analysis of your ad, suggestions for improvement in addition to (re)designing your ad to reach your target audience.

The two most important bits of information we came away with are these:
1. Unless you are in the ad design field you should _seriously_ consider hiring someone who knows their trade WELL. We needed to make some minor changes to our YP ad from the previous year, and although we started the process "early" (at least what our rep led us to believe was early - 2 months out from their `deadline') we still have NOTHING from the phone companies "design team".

The following sage advice rings true "...yellow page graphic artists are required to output a lot of work in a short period of time. Even the best artist cannot do a great ad in 30 minutes. You honestly want an artist to spend the entire day working on your advertisement, and you want to pay them for it... Graphic artists study art. They do not extensively study business, or copywriting, or marketing, or business law. They do not know about your company, your customers, your capabilities, or how you make money. If you really want effective yellow page advertising, hire the best graphic artist and the best advertising professional you can find [and afford - my emphasis]. Do not leave it for a kid with a computer".

At this point we would be glad to have paid for a quality job done because it would have saved us time lost in having to constantly call our YP rep to find out when the "design team" would have our ad back to be proofed (and our rep's boss wasn't any more helpful either -- this from the "leading" directory in our area, tsk, tsk, tsk), not to mention frustration in having to go through all of that nonsense. We are a small independent music teaching studio and we would have been better served and saved money in the long run by hiring a professional than leaving the design process to some over-worked, under-qualified and probably under-paid novice from the phone companies "design team".

2. Publishers carefully monitor phonebook circulation and usage data. They know exactly how much their book is being used and by whom. If they are not volunteering that information, be extra careful. Alternatively, publishers should also be able to give you information about their competitors. Ask how their book compares to their competition's book. Be persistent and insist on getting this information from them - you're paying for it (by way of placing an ad in their phone book).

This is the reason we are still trying to work out our yp advertising with the "leading" phone co/publisher. They're the one most used in our area. If that was not the case we would have dropped them like a hot sweaty sock!

Barry's book covers so many salient points about YP advertising and the industry that you could read, and re-read it and still find ways to improve your YP ad. A very good investment for any business owner (and the online source above compliments it well - MOO).

Good luck and fortune in all your business endeavors everyone!

If you want to create professional looking Yellow Page ad designs that will dominate your Yellow Page advertising competition, you should read this book. While it was written in the eighties, the concepts are still very important today.

--A.Strange, Founder, Ad Revamp * Yellow Page ad design
Personal service. Proven methods. Toll-free advice. www.adrevamp.com

Just so no one misunderstands, since the publisher's description of "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" has disappeared from this page, we (the author's office) posted both the media quotes below and the book description that follows. Neither of these is meant to be an impartial review but rather a description of what's in the book and what various media outlets have said about it.

These media quotes about "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" are being posted by the author's assistant, Steve Wilson, to show what the media thinks of the book. And we've got far more of these than we could ever post. The book truly is "the bible on how to advertise in the Yellow Pages."

"The definitive word on the subject."
-Home Office Computing magazine


"Barry Maher is the nation's leading independent authority on Yellow Pages advertising"
-Simba Information, Inc.
(Publishers, Yellow Pages & Directory Report)


"Discover effective design, layout and copy writing techniques . . . Learn how to design an ad that will get YOUR business the call, even when surrounded by others ads selling the same product or service."
-The Small Business Administration's Success Symposium


"Businesses may be spending 25% of their gross [in the Yellow Pages] and be spread too thin, or they may be overspending at 1%. To make key decisions to best business advantage, an independent and authoritative perspective is crucial. Barry Maher, offers [just that]."
-Retailer News


"This is the best information there is and should answer your questions as well as save you lots of time and money."
-Terry Johnson, President, Dial One


"Maher takes the mystery out of Yellow Pages Advertising. He tells you how to make it work and what to do when it doesn't. A great new resource for small businessmen."
-Ray Schultz, Editor, Direct Marketing News


"The nation's foremost authority on Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dealer Communicator


"The inside scoop on how to make your Yellow Pages advertising dollars pay off . . . Find out what the sales rep won't tell you. Design an ad that really pulls."
-Business Opportunities Digest


"You'll learn how to design an effective ad, keep score on your ad and deal with the sales people when they goof."
-Rudolf Solomon, San Francisco Examiner


"Takes on the topic of Yellow Pages with zeal and humor-while offering practical help in getting the directories to work for you."
-Instant & Small Commercial Printer


"Invaluable insights."
-Restaurant Management Today


"[Maher] has helped thousand of businesses turn their Yellow Pages into gold . . . a complete, step by step program for developing Yellow Pages ads that get the call."
-SBC


"A comprehensive approach to planning and implementing a successful Yellow Pages advertising program."
-Dentist


"Guides [business] on how to get the best return from their Yellow Pages advertising . . . improve response, enhance profits."
-SNIPS


"Provides the stimulus to get your advertising in gear."
-The Competitive Advantage


"Last year, American businesses spent $8 billion dollars on Yellow Pages advertising. For many small businesses, it was their only form of advertising. Yet many small business owners are unsure about how to get the most out of their Yellow Pages advertising. To help them, Barry Maher . . . [offers] a practical guide to Yellow Pages advertising . . . [providing] insights and advice for small business owners."
-Los Angeles Times


"If you now make use of yellow page advertising in telephone directories, you will be especially interested in what [Maher] . . . has to say about choosing the right ad size, creating the ad that will generate the most response, and how to select the right categories to advertise [under]."
-In Business


"[Packed] with cost cutting tips . . . a super resource. [From the author of] the bible of Yellow Pages advertising"
-Save Your Business a Bundle: 202 Ways to Cut Costs and Boost Profits Now by Daniel Kehrer, Simon & Schuster


"An informative overview of the entire process, including evaluating and selecting the right Yellow Pages book, choosing the right ad size, determining how many ads to run, creating the ad likely to generate the most calls,, and dealing effectively with the phone company and sales reps. He also offers guidance on tracking ads."
-Professional Electronics


"Practical advice on the complete process, from deciding whether to advertise at all to turning callers into customers . . . The advice is detailed and . . . should help improve the reader's directory-buying decisions."
-Fitness Management


"Anyone who has dealt with the Yellow Pages people would welcome the [information]. Wise ad people have said placing a substantial schedule in several phone books is only slightly more complicated than dealing with the U.S. Army."
-Des Moines Register

"The best yellow pages investment I've ever made, making every cent I'm spending on phone directory advertising the most effective it can possibly be. Eliminating every bit of waste. I fully intend to recommend it to all my associates. And none of my competition."
-Dr. S.R. Pampalone, Chatsworth Dental Center


"Many useful tips . . . I am looking forward to getting more clients from yellow pages advertising and, at the same time, saving a great deal of money."
-Vincent A. Lloyd, Lloyd, Hoskins & Pierce


"Tremendous insight into Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dr. Gregory S. Keller, Cosmetic Surgery Center


"An invaluable resource on getting the most bang per buck in advertising . . . [Maher] clears the way through the jungle of options and clearly delineates what is as well as what isn't effective. I recommend it wholeheartedly."
-Michael Parker, President Parker Plumbing


"PIP Printing's retail centers rely on yellow pages advertising to reach business printing consumers every day, but without following a carefully planned strategy, our yellow pages messages could be easily overlooked. Maher offers . . . straightforward guidelines for insuring maximum effectiveness for yellow pages advertising."
-Susan Falk, PIP


"A complete guide to creating a results-oriented program for advertising in the Yellow Pages. It's got everything from how to write an effective ad to where, when, and even when not to advertise."
-B. Dalton Bookseller


"A very valuable resource as I communicate with members of the American Rental Association on ways they can use the yellow pages most effectively."
-Frederick Anderson, American Rental Association


"Cash in on Yellow Pages advertising with [Barry Maher]."
-Pharmacy Newswire, NARD Journal

I would have never thought a book titled GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR YELLOW PAGE ADVERTISING would make for compelling reading, but I was wrong. Author and former yellow page rep Barry Maher grabbed my interest on the first page and held it firmly to the end. I would consider this book essential for small business owners or anyone who is interesting in producing yellow page copy.

Though certainly geared toward business owners, writing professionals will also find a tremendous amount of applicable information. Maher gives a brief history and evolution of yellow pages, then moves through a logical progression of determining need and on through the process of the finished product. For writing professionals, read through this and then thumb through the yellow pages and see the enormity of a market just screaming for professional assistance. I believe this a market largely untapped by commercial writers.

An outstanding feature of this book, and one found far too seldom, is an abundance of margin space for making notes and good, thick paper that highlighting doesn't bleed through. Business owners will pay for the price of this book a hundred times over and copywriters will find a resource for a niche market rich with possibilities.

This book is a must for anyone in advertising or sales. The simplest of changes to what you are doing may make all the difference. Get the book and find out what it takes to make the sale or bring someone over to your thinking.

I have long used Dr. Cialdini's principles in my university lectures on persuasion, so I anticipated the release of this book with enthusiasm. I am not at all disappointed. Each chapter contains a proven principle, a specific research anecdote, then suggestions for using the principle in an applied setting. (mostly business settings, but there were even some parenting suggestions here!) I highly recommend the book, and I'm already planning some creative lecture additions based on the material.
Suzanne Stromberg, Denver, Colorado

As a corporate director of human resources, the bulk of my day-to-day existence is convincing people - whether subordinate or superior - to do what I believe is best for the organization. I have just finished the new book, "Yes!" Three things in this great book stand out for me.

1. Real world case studies in the actual business arenas.
2. Contains a wealth of techniques that are easily implemented.
3. An easy and fun-filled read. Truly well-written.

I find the new book highly useful and a must-read for everyone that must persuade others in order to survive in the corporate jungle. I highly recommend it to all managers of all stripes.

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs

This is one of the most useful books I've read in a long time. Short, to the point, easy to digest.

Too often, many writers in order to fill the book with pages, ramble on and on with no purpose. Even worse, many of these books do not provide any realistic advice.

This book provides practical guidance on being persuassive. Not only that, it's very easy to learn and absorb. I've immediately put what I read into real life practice. Simply AMAZING!

If you haven't read "Influence" by Robert Cialdini then I would strongly recommend skipping this one for now and starting with that one. Cialdini's original book was one of the best psychology books I have ever read. This one is more like a sequel and like most sequels, it is not as good. In Cialdini's "Influence", he talks about 6 weapons of influence:

1) Reciprocity
2) Liking
3) Social Proof
4) Authority
5) Scarcity
6) Commitment and Consistency

This book consists of 50 short chapters where these weapons are at work. Very entertaining and insightful, but I felt that the authors violated some of their own advice by having so many chapters and not organizing them in any particular way. For example, the chapters each demonstrated one of the weapons of influence at work and perhaps the book should have been organized more formally into 6 parts with each part representing one of the weapons. I was very entertained but I am not sure if the book will have any long lasting educational value unlike "Influence".

This is a quick read and I highly recommend it AFTER you have read Cialdini's "Influence".

There are many well known techniques for developing new ideas; however, producing high-quality and effective ideas is not always so straightforward. Jack Foster provides effective methods for producing valuable ideas in a very enjoyable book packed with examples, applicable stories, real world applications and a good deal of humor.

The advertising/marketing field is among the most idea intensive industries requiring a steady supply of inspiration for mere survival in the profession. Foster details his numerous experiences in advertisement agencies as well as his management roles in marketing firms providing significant insight on how ideas are formed for profit in the business world. Foster and his associates have often had to dig deep to continuously develop high-quality ideas and he shares the tactics and devices that proved most effective.

This book is not long and can be read in short order, but do not let this fool you; the content is packed with many useful tidbits on generating ideas that if put into practice will have your mind actively producing effective ideas at once. There is no doubt if you are just searching for a better way, are stuck in a rut, or looking for that life changing idea, then this book will be an asset.

This book is a great book to read, the best thing it includes are quotes of famous people, which are mainly funny. Personally I do not believe that this book provided me with any new ways or measures of thinking to get more ideas, it's more of a different theories of people on how to think!!!!

If you are interested in having a good read buy this book, but don't put your hopes up high......

I tend to be skeptical of titles suggesting easy answers to broad problems, but darned if this one doesn't really deliver! Foster's guidelines often fall into the category of "That's pretty obvious, why didn't I think of it?". And therein lies its real beauty: his suggestions are practical, accessible, workable, and often downright ingenious. And not at all limited to his field of advertising.
Furthermore, the book is a delightfully entertaining read. That man can write!

"Albert Einstein said his best ideas came to him while he was shaving," Jack Foster writes in "How to Get Ideas" (2nd ed.). When I read that line, what could I do? I put the book down for a moment and went to shave.

That's about the only time I stopped reading though, and you won't be able to put it down either. For boosting creativity, this book is a lifesaver.

Foster's advice is simple -- have fun, think like a child again, open your mind to new possibilities -- but not necessarily obvious. Most of us do the same old things and think in the same old ways. Foster aims to help us spot these unhelpful patterns, then break out with easy-to-follow tips and stimulating exercises.

And anecdotes. Foster draws on decades of experience as a top creative hand in major advertising agencies, where he encountered guys and gals driven by curiosity -- people who found out how much a ten-gallon hat will hold (three-quarters of a gallon) and how many times per day an African elephant will defecate (16). Illustrating how to solve a problem by stepping around it, Foster tells the story of the woman who solved the slow-elevator problem in her building -- by mounting mirrors in the lobby. (How did she do it? See P. 134.)

You'll discover how to overcome the fears that keep you from thinking creatively ... easy ways to gather information ... combining unrelated facts for new ideas ... the five steps for getting great new ideas ... and how to put them to work for YOU.

You'll finish reading "How to Get Ideas" in an hour or two. But you'll benefit from its advice for the rest of your life.

This is a really good book. It was entertaining to read while also educational. The first edition came out in 1996 I think, and this edition just came out earlier this month. The new edition has two new chapters, 5 and 8, which were added because readers thought the information they contain was missing from the first edition.

The book is split into two parts. The first part covers 10 ways you can "search for ideas." And it is by the far the longer of the two parts. The second part explains the five steps of how to get ideas:

1. Define the problem
2. Gather the information
3. Search for the idea
4. Forget about it
5. Put the idea into action

Theoretically, I suppose, the book could have been set up so the second part was actually the first. And the first part could have been relegated to the end. I say this because the first part is really just an expansion of the "third step" of the five steps.

I enjoyed the humor, the quotes, and the stories included in the author's discussion regarding 10 ways to search for ideas. And thus it made perfect sense to me why he put that material at the front of the book. I read the book to see if it would have some practical use to my SCORE clients who are wanta-be entrepreneurs and small business owners. I think there is a practical use, and I recommend that my clients and similarly situated people read this book. It will help them create their business plans and revamp those plans as time passes. 5 stars!

If you have thought about it, Caples probably tested it. From writing headlines that sell to crafting fabulous body copy, this is a must read if you are in the advertising business. A valuable reference work and tutorial. Everyone working with advertising should read this once and most of them should read it again and again. The information is as dead-on today as the day Caples wrote it. Highly recommended.

Waste of money. Waste of time. Only advertising book i've been inspired by has been "Hey Whipple Squeeze This." Save your money and skip this one.

I own the 5th edition. I haven't read earlier editions
which may contain more of Caple's original writing.

The 5th edition has modern ads for examples. It still
has a lot of old-fashioned, classic headlines.

There is a great deal of useful information in this
book. It's a fine reference to have on hand. Any
copywriter should own a copy and read it. As a
cover-to-cover read though it's pretty dry stuff.

I can't put my finger on why... Maybe the personality
was bled from the original text by the new editor's
additions and subtractions.

I'd like to read an older copy someday.

This book is a must read for learning fundamentals of ANY type of marketing. I am an online marketer and this book made ALL the difference to my sales. Best book on marketing as a foundation for all other marketing books. Seth Godins books are also fantastic for teaching you where to start and the "formula" for success no matter what you are selling. Another good read is Mark Joyners books!

I have 47 books, at least as many audiobooks, and I read 23 newsletters and 12 bogs to learn about sales, marketing, and copywriting.

After my computer, this book is the most useful tool I own.

I refer to it daily, and it has saved me hours and hours of time and earned me gobs of money. It's dry, technical stuff but if you put it to use you'll get results. If you do any kind of marketing, selling, or persuading in your life, buy this book.

I ordered Advertising Secrets from our state library system because it is out of print and I didn't want to spend the high prices from the resellers. When I received it, I realized it is an exact copy of The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman which IS in print and is sold for about $39 here at Amazon. The "Adweek" version is word for word the same except for a slight mention of the internet to update the book and a change of title. So don't waste your money trying to get the out of print version. Just go to The Adweek Copywriting Handbook and you'll have a replica of "Advertising Secrets".

And that is what makes this book so good.

Sugarman never did much writing for other people.
He wrote to cover his payroll and build his own
business - risking Millions of dollars a year,
OF HIS OWN MONEY, to test his ideas.

He confesses he lost more often than he won but
when he wrote a winner he sometimes won big. Along
the way he learned harsh truths about business.

He's not only a gifted and original copywriter,
he's a shrewd business strategist - Sugarman
promoted electronic gimmicks and gadgets that
would get severely devalued as new technology came
along, sometimes in a matter of months - so he's
particularly relevant to writers and marketers
in the "internet marketing" niches today, where the
novel and hypey often carries the day.

I read Sugraman's ads when I was a kid and also
Drew Kaplan's (when will that Masked Man write
a book?) and was transfixed. Still later in I
discovered J. Peterman's catalogs.

I got started writing copy for my woodworking business
before I lost interest in the long hours and physical
grind of production. Writing copy later became the
keystone to my success online - and Sugarman was the
first copywriting "bible" I acquired.

I wouldn't actually recommend this book as the first one
you read - it's about marketing and the mail order business
as much as it is about psychology and copywriting... so
it doesn't cover salesletter structure in a way that will
be useful to everybody just starting out... unless you
sell gadgets like Sugarman did. I'm not saying he is not
a master because he clearly is - just that there are other
books you might want to read first like Victor Schwab's
excellent book.

Of the dozens of books I have read on the subject this one is the only one that I feel was well worth the purchase price.

Ideas backed by facts not opinions.

I think it was about the second chapter, maybe earlier where he mentioned the 'magic stat thermostat'. Well, back when I was a kid in the early 80's (read like 10 years old), my dad used to get tons of mail order catalogs (like Hemmachler, sharper image, etc...), and liking technology at a young age, I used to look through them. Well, JS&A must have been one of them as well, as I specifically remembered this ad! I recalled the ad tearing the product to shreds before recommending it (I even remebered what the thing looked like). It was that substantantial, that as a 10 year old (roughly), I recalled it today. At the same time, I recalled another ad that I thought was odd - some handheld game that was supposed to be some big conspiracy. Sure enough, that was one of his ad examples at the end of the book.

This alone should be a testament to exactly how powerful his ads are. Not too mention, his writing style as an educator in the field of written ads is astounding - I could not put the book down.

Although geared toward catalog sales, the techniques clearly can apply to the web as well. So, if you are interested in selling anything - order this book now!

I have never been so impressed by a copywriter
like I have been with Joe. I saw him speak a long
time ago at a Mark Joyner event and bought this
book. I have had it by my side ever since.

I couldn't recommend it enough!


Matt Bacak
Author of Secrets of the Internet Millionaire Mind
and The Ultimate Lead Generation Plan

I've read a lot of AdWords books and have provided a well-known AdWords keyword research software tool for almost four years now, so I know the good and the ugly when it comes to Google's advertising system. Take it from me, a lot of people struggle with AdWords, and many give up altogether, but with a fine book like this one, you can easily avoid becoming one of them.

This book takes a brand new user by the hand and walks them through setting up an account, doing keyword research, structuring an AdWords campaign according to Google's best practices, and much more. Along the way, great tidbits of information are provided like how to write effective AdWords ads, how to do local advertising, and where to find negative keyword ideas, to name just a few. Practical suggestions and helpful advice can be found on almost every page as you go through the book's process for building a well-crafted AdWords campaign and sales strategy.

What I especially like is how this book goes beyond doing just AdWords and focuses in on the entire sales funnel, e.g., how to craft well-written landing pages (important for slashing your AdWords bid costs), how to use Google's amazing analytics tool to increase your sales conversions, and how to follow up with prospects and get more sales using newsletters and email autoresponders effectively.

I dare say that if most AdWords advertisers studied and properly implemented the techniques provided in this book, Google would lose quite a bit of money each day since there is a large number of advertisers who are naively spending more than they should in Google's system. Don't be one of them! Get educated. AdWords for Dummies is a great place to start.

I've recently begun an Adwords project and found that this was very helpful in getting me started. It also provides many ideas and resources for future improvements of my usage.

Howie Jacobson offers a very insightful and helpful guide to sifting through the often confusing aspects of Google AdWords. What is great about this book is that it isn't necessary to read the book from cover to cover in order to get the information you need. The book is divided into sections (which are accurately named) so you can jump right into the topic you need most help on.

The author also provides a website in his book that he runs for further information and responds promptly to emails with a helpful answer to your question. Great book! Must Buy!

Prior to reading Adwords for Dummies, I knew next to nothing about Adwords and had more or less avoided learning it like the plague. I didn't have an AdWords account and wouldn't have even recognized the Adwords interface. Then I decided to conduct some market research, and I needed to learn the Adwords basics. A friend recommended this book, so I ordered a copy of Adwords for Dummies from Amazon. (The book really could be used by a dummy, although they'd likely gain a few IQ points just by reading it.) In terms of teaching Adwords, I can't imagine a better source. Everything is spelled out (including many "secret tricks" gurus would charge you thousands for) in clear, easy to follow language. Even though I'm NOT a techie and was brand new to Adwords, I had my own campaigns up and running THE SAME DAY that the book arrived. Adwords for Dummies is just that great of a guide. There's even a chapter just on Google Analytics that lets you get started right away. But that's not all. Dr. Jacobson is hysterical, and on more than one occasion, I laughed out loud while reading. It was like being in a class with a master teacher- maybe like your middle school history or math or English or science teacher- who entertained you and taught you so that you really learned, both at the same time. My two cents is order the book without delay- it's really free, anyway, as Google gives you $25 (ie, more than the cost of the book) in Adwords credit! Highly recommended.

AdWords For Dummies is slightly more for beginners (as is typical for The Dummies Series), while the "Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords" is more advanced. Heck, let's not dice garlic here and cry; if you cut loose of 40 bucks and get them both you'll recoup your money in a few hours. But be forewarned, you'll be tempted to crank out much more money as you learn about many various and optional keyword research, competitive analysis, split-test and other pay per click efficiency tools highly recommended within these books.

I love Absolut ad's and have always wanted to get one. They are expensive new , so I got an used copy from an amazon seller. It came quickly and I flipped through the book for about 20 min when it arrived 2 days later. I love all the ads and they are all so clever. I might not get some of the modern art ones, but I love the city ones in particular. Anyway, I got this book for my new house and new coffee table book, I think it is one of the best hardcover coffee table book (marketing story book) ever.

Compulsory addition to the coffee table library. An excellent example of a clever, consistent, cutting edge branding campaign helping to position a generic product at the top of consumer mind. Absolut genius.

If you like the Absolut ads, this is a good book for you. It's what you'd expect - big pictures of the Absolut ads with explanations from the ad agency guys who made it happen. A fun coffeetable book.

Absolut is one of the best selling vodkas in the world and the advertsing for it is second to none. In this fabulous book were are told the inside story behind the marketing and selling of this tasty treat. The paper is first grade and the pictures are outstanding to say the least. Absolut original with a bottle looking like a Roman ruin is probably my favorite one but there are so many nice advertising ideas that have become stupendous posters. Absolute Enivironment is also a nice one. This is a good coffee table book and a nice gift for the person that likes vodka and to read.

This is a wonderful, informative, and beautiful book.
This book is about the Absolut Vodka advertising campaign. How it began, and what it is about. There are many beautiful, and breath taking images which makes you see the entire light of the campaign which looks so simple from the outside. Now, you get the inside looks and it isn't simple at all but an amazing experience.
WOW!!