Marketing Books

Ruth Stevens' Trade Show and Event Marketing has proven to be a very useful book with many good ideas. As a Marketing representative who has worked in both the Tech Industry and for Consumer Products companies I have had the opportunity to attend a wide variety of trade shows, ranging from annual Comdex and CES shows in Las Vegas, to ECRM, NACS, and GMDC shows around the country. When you are dealing with such high costs and logistical problems at these shows you can tend to feel overwhelmed. But authors like Ruth Stevens have helped to pave the way, making our paths to trade show success a little more pleasant, by way of communicating a thoughtful approach to difficult problems. Good work!
Review by: Adam Platts, Northridge

Completely comprehensive on every aspect of trade shows and event marketing. Whether you are part of show management or an exhibitor this book is a solid reference. Even if you are seasoned at trade show and event marketing - you will learn something from this book.

Not until I dug into the case histories did I realize how truly valuable this book is. These punchy examples drive home point after point with clarity that makes all other how-to books I've read on this subject pale by comparison. "Put Ruth in Your Booth" could be its subtitle.

Ruth has hit all the right buttons in this book. As a trade show consultant, too many of my clients focus on the display and event on the show floor, neglecting the pre-show and post-show part of the medium. When you take Ruth's well-documented book literally and plan, promote, you will indeed profit. Especially with proper post-show lead development. I am sending copies of this one to my best clients and prospects.

If you are in marketing and you exhibit at trade shows, this book may change your behavior forever. Not only does it provide in-depth information about what trade shows can do and how they operate, but it also explains the financial structure you should put in place to determine whether participating in a trade show is worth your while financially. That may be bad news for corporate marketers who prefer to unpack their booth, buy the coffee and flowers, and hand out literature.
But if you want to turn a trade show appearance into a truly special corporate event, author Ruth Stevens has a game plan for you. Her book includes sample budgets, case studies, expense spread sheets, lead generation forms, checklists, survey ideas and a great appendix listing sources of additional information. It explains everything you need to know about the opportunities that trade shows offer and how you can use them to advance your marketing goals. We highly recommend this book to marketing managers of business-to-business companies who want to start getting solid returns from special events.

Loved the humor, enjoyed the direct points of view, appreciated the lift it gave me to move forward. Valued the advise it gives in how to approach the cold markets. Would reccomend it to anyone in Direct selling.
Thanks

As the others have pointed out, this book is an EXCELLENT training manual and a great starter guide.

I also found that the comic book style made this book extremely accessable. People who might be intimidated by a 200-300 page book (and there are more than you'd think) will be willing to read this book because its essentially a large comic book.

But don't let the format fool you. The information density is very high and this is a book that belongs in everyone's library as a reference.

I also liked the emphasis on doing this business TOGETHER as a team. That's missing in a lot of books.

This is one of the best training books in the Network Marketing industry. It is done in a somewhat lame cartoon format and with lame humor. Yet the actual techniques are head and sholders above all the rest. No other book comes close to this one. This is one of the few books where they will tell you that you don't have to go to your dreaded friends and family (the list of 200 people they tell you to make) if you don't want to, and it gives you lots of techniques to build a business without them. On top of that it also teaches you how to build with a strong posture. You'll learn techniques so that you won't have to take abuse from those people who dump on the idea of MLM/Network Marketing even though they know nothing about it.

Kim tells you what it really takes to make money in NWM. And she tells you what works! If you are a beginner, or if you have been around for a bit, you will enjoy reading this.

If there was ever a book on network marketing that made me want to go back into it, this is THE book. I started with A----in 1977, and sure enough, was told to tell my family and friends.(The Pukeys)
Kim Klaver has changed all that with her wonderful sense of humor and all too uncommon good sense.
With Ms. Studs ROM (Reach Out Methods), I am all fired up and rarin' to go again.
I will require my first line people to read and re-read this book. It will make a good gift for anyone who is "leader"
material.

This book provides a clear rationale and perspective regarding the key issue confronting all organizations today, and that is the effective use of their marketing and sales resources. The authors make effective use of providing an effective context and examples. It is a straight forward and understandable approach to leveraging resources that account for some 30 to 50 percent of corporate costs. A must read for C level executives and all marketing and sales executives.

It's not often when a book comes along and hits the often disparate marketing and sales models right in the face. Value Acceleration does just that. It gives you an actionable plan to truly ensure long-term advantages over your competition. The authors cite Peter Drucker and his quote, "Marketing is the company and all else are costs" and reveals how a company can have a firm and competitive marketing/sales process model in place. I particularly liked the authors' focus and understanding that indeed "marketing is the one thing that can't be outsourced."

If you're ready to have a real breakthrough in sales and marketing - this is the only book you'll need to read this year.

Rebecca Morgan, CSP, CMC
Author of "Calming Upset Customers," and "Professional Selling: Practical Secrets for Successful Sales"

This fairly short book (164 pages) give us something we haven't seen in quite a while: A brand new, groundbreaking idea. Until now, almost every book or article on marketing was really about advertising or some form of promotion. We've wasted a lot of energy during the last 20 years trying to get genuine marketing improvements in our businesses from this very shallow well. This book points out that marketing is 1) really the only non-outsourceable thing that our firms do, and 2) the only thing we don't currently understand very well. It next corrects that lack of understanding with a clear, complete model of marketing--one that connects with most of the other functions of our companies. This book then introduces us to the ways that we can manage this critical function with already well-understood tools. It is a whole new way to look at not just marketing but our entire business. I predict that the ideas presented in this book will be the next big thing in management.

The reason that the book is fairly short is that it does not follow the same mindless formula that every business book published in the last 25 years seems to have. That is, it does not take 300 pages to explain what can be explained in half that, and it does not endlessly repeat the same things over and over, in slightly different but completely transparent ways. In other words, it respects our intelligence and our time. I wish there were more like it.

If you're interested in lean process, how to successfully link marketing and sales activity for an amazing outcome then this is the book for you. The chapter on "Eliminating Your Wasted Effort" is worth the whole price of the book. For every corporate CMO, CEO, VP of Sales - this book is a must read.

This book opens your eyes to what companies need to do to be competitive in the highly competitive economy in which we exist. It provides breakthrough thinking in how to leverage marketing and sales activities. I highly recommend it to anyone responsible for managing marketing or sales within a company, or anyone who aspires to do so.
Steve Waterhouse
Consultant & Author of "The Team Selling Solution"

I will admit to being prejudiced. I've known Del Coates for about four years now through Western Automotive Journalists.
He is a true gentleman who has always been willing to chat with me and help me to understand why I really liked a cetain car I was reviewing.

Del's book not only provides brief and clear analysis of why objects around us are made the way they are, but gave me a far more complete tool set with which to judge. What I learned will allow me to be a better writer who can now "make sense" out of what I am feeling.

I have not only told my friends about the book, I went out and purchased about a dozen and sent them to fellow writers and editors. And being the cheapskate that I am, this even surprised me.

This is simply a superb book and will be cherished by anyone who really wants to understand how Industrial Design developed
and grew into something that touches us every second of every day
whether we recognize it or not.

I will admit to being prejudiced. I've known Del Coates for about four years now through Western Automotive Journalists.
He is a true gentleman who has always been willing to chat with me and help me to understand why I really liked a cetain car I was reviewing.

Del's book not only provides brief and clear analysis of why objects around us are made the way they are, but gave me a far more complete tool set with which to judge. What I learned will allow me to be a better writer who can now "make sense" out of what I am feeling.

I have not only told my friends about the book, I went out and purchased about a dozen and sent them to fellow writers and editors. And being the cheapskate that I am, this even surprised me.

This is simply a superb book and will be cherished by anyone who really wants to understand how Industrial Design developed
and grew into something that touches us every second of every day whether we recognize it or not.

A book that addresses what many know but fail to acknowledge. This book brings the importance of design, which is a result of the power of the human senses, to the mainstream without dumbing down the material. The decisions people make in regards to buying products are largely based on unarticulated(Subconscious) reasons. Studies report that 80% of human communication is non-verbal and that visual communication is one of the oldest and most important forms of communication. In todays marketplace where most products are commodities, possesing similar features and functions, design is one of the most powerful forms of differentiation. This book details the importance of design and the key attributes that make one design stand out from another. Take notice of the "irregular" or different size of this books binding. Do you think some thought went into that?

"Watches Tell More than Time" is about how industrial designers influence the emotional responses that their products create. (Note: it's primarily concerned with physical objects, as opposed to computer software, which gets a lot of design press these days).

It explains these responses in terms of evolutionary psychology. And, in what I consider to be the reason to read the book, it tells you how to measure and optimize them. That is, it lays out the theoretical underpinnings for a small set of attributes (contrast, novelty, objective concinnity, and subjective concinnity) that are fundamentally responsible for our emotional responses to objects, then describes a systematic process by which you can strengthen the responses that you consider important for a given product, and then measure your success (using a semantic differential scale) and find out you whether you have simultaneously weakened other desirable responses.

There is some jargon, but it's well defined and to the point, and anyone interested in design should have no problem understanding it.

It's at its best when the author delves into specific examples. Many are from his experience in the car design field; others are everyday items that everyone can relate to. The detailed deconstruction of a "simple" Corelle cup is outstanding -- I wish the book had a dozen more like it.

The book's major weakness is the amount of time devoted to relatively elementary concepts, such as contrast and novelty. (How many times and in how many ways do we need to be told, for example, that new things command more of our attention than familiar ones?) I finished several chapters in a row thinking "OK, now that's he's got that out of his system, he's about to get to the good stuff." Eventually he does, but the repetition beforehand is why my rating is four stars, not five.

Note: The book is _not_ about what I might call the "mechanics of aesthetics". How is it that Curve A feels dull while Curve B -- a subtle, almost unnoticeable variation -- seems taut and alive? Why does this union of materials and forms seem exactly right, even inspiring, but that one fails to catch the eye?

For example, the author calls SUVs outwardly "robust", "rugged", and "militaristic". That feels right, but what makes it so? What is it, exactly, about the shapes and lines of an SUV that evoke such a different reaction than is typical for a minivan ("bland", "boring", "utilitarian")? Each is, after all, more like the other than like a sedan. Yet no one would have trouble identifying the type from a picture -- even without telltale backgrounds of the Rockies vs a youth soccer field. Each time I think I've got it nailed down, I see a counter-example on the road. I think it's mostly a matter of the angle between the hood and windshield, and the height of the grille. But that just begs the question: why are the more acute angle and higher grille more aggressive in the first place? A lower grille and gentler angle are considered more aggressive in a sports car.

"Watches Tell More than Time" tantalizingly dances around such questions, but fundamentally doesn't attempt to answer them. But it leaves you better equipped to wrestle with the answers yourself. (A sports car has different emotional goals than an SUV.)

So the book won't make you an industrial designer any more than a trip to the art supply store will make you an artist. Instead, it introduces you to a fundamental chunk of an industrial designer's toolkit. If you've already internalized "talk to your users" and "keep it simple", and you want a deeper understanding of how some products are able to become beloved icons, you'll probably find very interesting material here.

You will learn how humans react to a product - particularly great ones. I appreciate that the author has given me a new way to look at products and the effect of their designs.

The author describes from a neurological and pyschological point of view how you react to a new product the instant you see it. I am talking micro-seconds here. Then, he discusses how you come to like it or reject it (a few microseconds later). This was truly interesting. He relates it back to Information Theory -- yet the book was not about bits and bytes. He describes how various shapes communicate differing amounts of information. Too much results in an over load.

The author presents a simple model to analyze products. To help with this he discusses how he uses semantic difference surveys. I found this material very interesting although I wish that he had included samples of the survey documents. I didn't understand how the prospects visualized and then specified the ideal product to compare your product to.

This is truly a great book but it does requires you to slow down when you read. The author carefully defines his terms - which unfortunately have to deal with cultural abstractions (like 'zeitgeists', 'daimons'). To keep up with the author, you need to understand these terms, as the author defines them.

I will now go back a second time and try to make his framework more permanent in my brain.

The author sleeps and dreams about great design. He has been a great designer (cars) for some time and now teaches out in San Jose.

If you develop new products, or are a CEO of a company, or if you just like design... this is a required book.

I looked at the book at the book store several times and put it back because the abstract terminology turned me off. Later I went and sat down in the book store and read it more slowly. It was then that I realized what a jewell this book is. I'd love to sit in on one of his classes.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

As a teacher of promotional classes for authors, I cannot recommend this book enough. As an author, I have used it personally, and it has been an excellent resource. I've learned so much about RSS feeds and how to pep up your blog.

Again, I can't recommend it enough.

I read Patrice's blog and am a fellow author of multiple books (one of which is self-published). Patrice has hit upon a maximum-impact minimum-risk strategy of publicizing and marketing your books/articles online. The efforts she outlines seem much more effective and focused than what traditional publishers are able to do for their authors, which is becoming smaller all the time.

Whether you are published by a traditional publisher or self-publish, you can use the strategies in this book to sell more of yours! Those who would benefit most are non-fiction authors with a niche audience. But Patrice does address fiction and novel authors as well.

The only thing I wanted more of was more information about doing Virtual Book Tours. Patrice does say they're a good idea, but gives no specific information on setting one up. I'd love to see that in the future or in a special report!

This is exactly the book I needed. It's essential for savvy writers. This book impacteded writing promotion plan in such a massive way. I can't praise it enough. If you want to be successful as a writer today, you need this book.

What a lovely book. I'm really glad I purchased a copy for myself. I'm a SCORE volunteer counselor and quite often my clients ask about Web sites and Web site design, and how to incorporate them into their small business' marketing plan. This book is the one that comes to my mind when I recommend a tome for them to read so I don't have to go into a long-winded sermon on the ins-and-outs of building a Web site. The other book I like a lot is Susan Daffron's book entitled Web Business Success (ISBN: 0974924504).

The book has 12 chapters, but I haven't listed them below. The list below includes the topics covered in the book that I have prioritized and grouped the way I would have liked the book to read.

1. How to Design a Web site
2. Add a Blog
3. Add a Podcast
4. Add an Ezine
5. Create eBooks
6. Create audio CDs and DVDs
7. Learn about Shopping Cart technology
8. Learn about RSS technology
9. Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
10. Learn about Online Advertising
11. Learn about Online Marketing
12. Learn about Using Amazon to Promote and Sell Your Book

My favorite topics were 1, 2, 5, 9 and 11. In my humble opinion they are the meat to putting together a Net presence using a Web site. It is these topics that I recommend my SCORE clients focus on when reading the book. I've tried the ezine thing, and I have found it to be a waste of time and effort. CDs and DVDs are beyond me at this time. But maybe in the future I might consider them as a great marketing vehicle. I think shopping cart technology is good for a retail shop. But an author with only one or two titles may want to skip it. I don't find much use for RSS technology since I don't go heavy on reading blogs. Maybe when there get to be a number of good blogs to read, then I might recommend RSS.

I have recently read a few books on using Amazon to promote and sell POD books. I think they were written after this book, and they seem to do a better job covering topic #12 above. Maybe the material on Amazon in this book is a little dated? But I saw a lot of good stuff on Amazon in this book. Consider also checking out Shepard's book entitled Aiming at Amazon (ISBN: 093849743X) and Weber's book entitled Plug Your Book! (ISBN: 0977240614).

Don't think that this book is only good for authors who want to use the Net to market their book. The principles and techniques beautifully explained in this book are equally applicable to promoting any business. So any wanta-be entrepreneur that doesn't know much about the Net or Web sites will do themselves a favor by getting this book, reading it, and then studying it. 5 stars!

The title to THE WEB-SAVVY WRITER, by Patrice-Anne Rutledge, holds a very important key. The reader should be web-savvy. At least more so than I am, because much of this book went over my head. I would have liked more detail on some of the technical stuff, but still, it emphasized my weaknesses and showed me the areas I need to study.

I would consider this a reference manual. This is not a book you should read once and try to retain. This is a book to keep on your shelf and refer to often. This is also not a one stop shop for marketing and promoting your book, but it does cover, quite thoroughly, the aspects of electronic marketing and promotion.

Someone more tech-savvy than me (and that includes most readers) would probably find this book more useful than I did, but I must add I did gain a lot of insight and once I do bone up on some of the technical areas, will read this one again. Even with my limited technical knowledge, I will reference this book often.

Of course Rutledge covers what you would expect here for book promotions - websites, search engine optimization, blogging - but goes much further. There are chapters on such promotional methods as RSS feeds, podcasts, ezines, and even how to sell and promote your book here, on Amazon.

Perhaps the best part of the book, for me at least, was at the end where Rutledge includes several author profiles. Here the reader learns first hand what has worked best for other authors in a variety of genres. Overall, a good book, even is some of it was over my head.

Tom Elliott your the best! Website 411: Business Survival in a Internet Economy is the best resorce book I've read to date. This is a user-friendly book both for the potential website client and for the website consultant. I highly recommend Tom's book to anyone who is thinking about purchasing a website or about selling websites. You would pay hundreds of dollars to get the training and information this quick read book will teach you!

Roxann & Eric Stevens
MA Website Consultants
Harrisburg, PA

Before I opened this book I knew virtually nothing about website development and design. A couple hours later I knew the basics and the questions to ask about website development. This book is designed to de-mystify the website process and help you choose an ethical, honest developer that you can work with to achieve the website you want. It also guides you on developing your own website. It breaks down the actual costs, teaches you how not to get ripped off and allows you to make informed decisions. The $25.00 cost may very well save you thousands. Not only is Website 411 a must read, it should be your first read.

Mr. Elliott has written a concise and helpful book for any business owner looking to establish an Internet presence. His writing style leaves out the tech jargon and uses plain language so that a newcomer to the web will understand his points with ease.

Given the amount of sales hype and inflated promises that exist in the world of web development, Mr. Elliott's book is a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended as I found it very helpful!

A plain english tool to use when learning about websites. Tom Elliott has done an outstanding job of communicating on the subject of websites.This A to Z informative book is a must read for everyone associcated with a website whether your a marketing person or a business owner. This book has critical information you must know before you spend a dime or even think about buying a website. Throughly enjoyed reading this "Bible of websites" book. Thanks again - Tom.

Before I share my opinion, I will first qualify it. I am a web site professional. I work mostly with traditional design, but I sometimes recommend various turnkey packages. I have been in the Internet industry for about 11 years. My business (which I founded in 1997) has consulted a portfolio of over 4200 clients and provided service to over 2300 web projects ranging from site development to search engine marketing. Needless to say, I lend a critical eye to any new book on the topic of web sites.

That said, I found Website 411 to be an INCREDIBLY VALUABLE resource. It is a book written to help business leaders make informed decisions, yet I have also found it to be an EXCEPTIONALLY USEFUL tool in my role as a web site service provider and consultant. It provides CREDIBLE, SUBSTANTIATED, and OBJECTIVE information to consumers (web site clients) in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. It is evident that the author has INSIGHTFUL and RELEVANT professional experience with the subjects of web design, search engines, web usability, and marketing. Probably the most significant detail, however, is the simplicity with which these topics are conveyed in plain language (no computer jargon) so that non-technical business people can understand what they need to know. This USER-FRIENDLY book is a worthwhile resource for both the web site customer AND the web site professional.

As such, I have been successful in fulfilling two clients' needs by simply bookmarking a section of the book and asking them to read it. In short order, their questions were satisfied, saving everyone time and money in the consulting process. I will be keeping my copy of this book close at hand in my future consultations. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that every web site shopper reads it, and that every web site professional references it to their clients.

Jeff Pitzer

Reference: Website 411: Business Survival in the Internet Economy

There is a lot that you can learn from this book. The chapters are stuffed with fresh insights and wisdom. Although some of the case histories are old like Souper Combo and Arch Deluxe, they are presented with fresh insights not previously covered. Even New Coke has a fresh coat of paint. Other cases like Crest Rejuvenating Effects are new and interesting. I personally would have liked more high tech case histories. Overall it's a good read with applicable knowledge for today's business world.

I read 'Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things' for some type of understanding of how products are marketed. Through humor, the author did a great job presenting the different strategies that don't work that companies use to sell there products. The author writes in a language and humor anyone can understand. He shares examples of products relevant to the everyday consumer. It was an easy reading book that gave a better understanding of the some 'dumb mistakes' company's use to market their products.

WHY SMART COMPANIES DO DUMB THINGS: AVOIDING EIGHT COMMON MISTAKES IN NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: LESSONS LEARNED FROM INNOVATION BLUNDERS uses a case history approach to consider eight typical innovation blunders that doom new product development. From misinterpreting market needs and timing to overbearing marketing strategies, these snafus are analyzed for their business lessons and provide essential tips on what makes for successful development and marketing. Essential for all business libraries and many a general-interest public library collection.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

The sub-title of this surprisingly readable book is: "Avoiding Eight Common Mistakes in New Product Development - Lessons Learned from Innovation Blunders." It's the sort of title and sub-title one expects from trendy or failed businessmen. In this case, it is the title selected by a genuine expert. Former chairman of the board of the American Marketing Association, Hodock teaches business and marketing at a rather long string of colleges and universities throughout the country.
In other words, he knows what he's talking about.
The premise of the book is simple, really: Innovation is absolutely key to the survival and well-being of American business. So failed innovation has far-reaching effects. This book is, quite literally, a guide to how not to fail.
It accomplishes this goal through eight extensive case histories. After each problem is illuminated...and its causes thoroughly examined...Hodock emphasizes the lesson to be learned and offers practical advice on how to put that lesson into practice.
There is, obviously, a highly selective audience for this book. But any businessman would do well to take a look at "Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things." The most innovative thing is not to make mistakes in the first place. This book can help you achieve that goal.

New products are risky. More fail than succeed. What this book points out is American business continues to make the same eight mistakes over and over. This is truly failing stupid. This is nothing wrong with failure if we learn from it. This book reinforces the eight common innovation mistakes with case histories and the lessons learned from each innovation debacle. The lessons are a sure way to fail smart. I really enjoyed reading this book and will recommed it to everyone I know.

I own a large pile of how-to-write books. Many of the books do not get you from here to there in terms of acquiring writing skills. Most give you a destination, but only a vague sense of how to get to that destination. It's like trying to go from your house to Oz, on a clear & sunny day.

Meredith's book is simple and excellent because it provides very clear directions & instructions for how to get to your writing destination.

When I first read this book, I was expecting it to be about writing stuff that publishers would buy. Well, it had that all right, but not until it went through what they ARE buying, what other genres there are, how others broke in to the business, etc. In other words, stuff you could find pretty much any other place you look. On the other hand, when it does get into the actual "writing" of the book, it gives good information and good techniques that I believe any good writer could use. Whether or not you actually want to get published is beyond the point - you can skip that part if you want to.

First appearing in 1950, and a hilarious 1974 introduction by the redoubtable Arthur C. Clarke, pioneering literary agent Scott Meredith's (I923-1993) Writing to Sell is an excellent tool for the aspiring writer. Meredith has a deep understanding of the marketplace (although some of his observations have become dated), as well as of what makes plots work (his original aspiration was to be a science fiction writer).He generalizes the successful plot as one in which an initial conflict is complicated to a climax, makes useful distinctions (e.g., between "incident" and "story") and gives many practical suggestions on novel writing and revising. (There is one chapter devoted to nonfiction.) Perhaps reflecting Meredith's financial success, there is a tendency to equate literary success entirely with sales reminiscent of Mickey Spillane's comment that what intellectuals don't understand is more people eat peanuts than caviar-or Tom Clancy's comment not to "commit art." Meredith's clients have included Norman Mailer, Ellery Queen, Robert Silverberg, and Philip K. Dick; and he was mentor to many agents and editors. With the qualification that his "just-sell-it" tonic may quash artistic originality, there is a lot to learn from his distillation of the American writing experience-which is no doubt why this book remains in print with Writer's Digest Books half a century after its initial publication. From the need to start off in a recognizable genre, to the importance of not skimping on the first draft and presenting likable characters with seemingly impossible problems, Meredith's work is a highly readable primer on the basic attributes of a salable novel. In short, although somewhat mercantile and dated,Writing to Sell is an excellent craft of writing work.

When I was given this book, I had never been paid for my fiction. Now I make a living at it; in fact, since I started applying these principles to my fiction, I've never FAILED to sell a novel. I've sold nine so far.

This book contains everything you need to know.

Now that I've read eight or nine how-to books on novel writing, I can say with certainty that this one, along with Sol Stein's, has had the greatest impact on me. Both of these men have significant experience as literary agents, so it behooves aspiring writers such as myself to pay greater heed to them than to writers who merely let us in on their personal secrets or academics who publish scholarly papers about fiction, but are unable to sell any themselves. Editors and literary agents are the ones who must be sold on the script in order for it to be published, after all.

I found this book by chance while browsing amazon.com; complete chance. What luck, what amazing luck! This is truly the most useful book in existence for any poet young or old, amateur or professional. Not only is the list of publishers ENORMOUS but the book provides you with inside contact information as well as what type of poetry each publisher wants, all organized so it's easily located in the book. There's also an excellent brief section on etiquette when submitting and other formal things that give you an inside track on the editor. No poet can live without this book. Buy it now, it's WELL worth the price!!

I use this book to send submissions of my poetry to various magazines. The biggest help has been in introducing me to magazines that are not available at your average bookstore. The other thing is that I had no idea of the format of a submission before I first picked this book up. I have at least gotten read a couple of times, even if I did get rejection slips. Don't let this book scare you. There's so much information here that it's a little overwhelming. I have the 2001, but I would recommend buying the latest edition. You might even want to wait and buy the 2003. Also, hang in there. Being a poet in 2002 is a little difficult I know.

This book is an indispensable resource for both the beginning and the established poet. It is simply packed with ways to make your voice heard. 100% updated every year, you cannot go wrong with this bbook.

Poets faithfully depend on Poet's Market for their #1 reference. Market guidelines by the thousands are readily available. As an editor of a literary magazine, I can tell you candidly, that its greatest advantages for the poet of 2000 are Poet's Market inclusion of: the subject index, poetry websites, publications that accept e-mail submissions, and chapbook publishers. Poet's Market 2000 gives the poet a bona fide chance at publication.

There's too much competition for a poet and not enough time to waste knocking at the wrong door with the improper product. You've got to click on the advantage...be at the right place at the right time. I always suggest studying Poet's Market to my contributors. Submission procedures and needs change...stay in tune with a fresh copy of Poet's Market.

This is a great book, to start your business. However, a major drawback is the entry in this book mostly of North America. Alright, that will be OK for starting as this is a very big market. But it is very competitive as well. I'd like to see the international entry grows more, much more in the future editions.

Second drawback --at least to my personal approach, it is hard to choose one company only by looking at the entry in this book. it's just not enough. I need to see their publication and their style, their choice of photos, etc in it. by knowing these, I can feel which one is suitable to my photography. A visit to their website is helpful but not suffice, let a lone by the description of what kind of subjects they accept. One term of "nature" for example has a very broad interpretation and varies from company to company. I found the interpretations are as many as your imagination and only a fraction fit my photography.

Simply sending submissions to the "fitted" company is a suicide in terms of cost, especially for int'l photographers.

Maybe it is only me who experience this, I don't know. but that is. Nothing can substitute of examining the company products first-hands and from time to time. Once again, this issue is important for int'l photographers reside outside of North America.

Despite these drawbacks, the book is very well written and must be very useful for many photographers

I gave this book to my daughter who is a photographer. She just loved all the information available on selling her photographs.

This is indispenable if you plan to sell your photos. Very comprehensive information. A must have for anyone really serious about photography.

I am a freelance writer/photographer and use the Writers Market for my articles. This book is as valuable to the photographer as the writers' book is to an author. A new channel for your work since everything you do is protected by copyright. Great to use during slow seasons.

This book is the most definitive and reliable guide on the subject. It has, if anything, become even more user-friendly and comprehensive over the years.