Marketing Books

I fully endorse this book as I love it. It has completely steered me in the right directions every step of the way self publishing my first children's picture book. I love it and if you are pondering self publishing you NEED this book. So buy it for sure no matter what type of book you are thinking of publishing...fiction, novel, art or childrens. I am still picking this book a lot even after my book came out. Great tips on writing, printing, promoting & etc! Mommy's High Heel Shoes

This book is very helpful to anyone wishing to self-publish their own book. It is filled with useful information and leads the reader to other useful resources outside of the book including Poynter's own website. Unfortunately, many of these outside references carry a price tag greater than the cost of this book. All in all, I would recommend this book to any self-publisher as a standard reference guide.

This manual is amazing. But be carefuk: the author is so optimistic that you might end up spending more money than your book can fetch in sales. Also, it doesn't cover legal issues. I'm planning to buy this soon: Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self Publishers

I'm not sure why I haven't reviewed any of Dan's books before. I've heard him speak, I've met him and I have been receiving his newsletter for many years.

I'm not a publisher, but I work with publishers and I employed two of Dan's free promotional techniques and have to say, they worked! I've gotten many new clients from doing something that took me only a few minutes and that people thanked me for doing.

In fact, one of my all-time favorite clients informed me just last week that it was because of one of those little nuggets of wisdom, she found me.

Dan Poynter's advice was by far the best promotional advice I've ever received.

I plan to read all of his books a second time in case I missed something.

This book is absolutely amazing! It gives so much information about getting started, I couldn't believe it! I would recommend this to anyone serious about self-publishing. There is even a list of places to send your book for reviewing. Buy this book!


www.fayeknight.blogspot.com

I rate it 2 because it is not my cup of tea. I do find the idea of positive thinking can be applied to what I am doing although really that is the only idea in the book. There are many examples of miraculous things that happenned, but I dont know whether it is described as it happens or whether it is described as the author wants the reader to see to prove his point. Things just happen too easily without describing there are hard work involve to achieve what you want to achieve. I wonder if I can have the most positive thought about being famous yet stay at home and do nothing about it and still can fulfilled my dream?

This book does more for you because it requires some input on your part. Involving your personal information which enables you to acknowledge some blocks and helps you make the changes you need in order for your dreams and desires to be manifested. I highly recommend this for anyone who feels like they are in a rut and need to get out or anyone who needs some help in reaching for the stars with a definite purpose.

I love this book. Joe Vitale is a wonderful author and has a way of speaking in his writing that is direct and gives you some ideas of different approaches to this topic. I recommend this book highly.

This is a very slim volume. If you are looking for a complex program to change your life, with many exercises and ideas, this is not for you.

Strangely, however, the short text did have a powerful effect on how I viewed my world after I read it. Joe's list of things to do is pretty short (list what you don't want, list what you do want, and then a few more steps, equally as simple.) What did happen is that I decided to restructure my thinking, considering every thought as to whether it was positive or negative. I also decided to fill up an envelope on my desk with "thank-you notes" to God, thanking him for all the positive things happening every day. (Not particularly something in this book, but based on Joe's ideas.) Each day, I jotted down an thank-you whenever something good happened. Then I popped it into an envelope I'm keeping on my desk. A week later, the envelope was full to bursting. Some seemingly negative things happened but I decided to treat them like opportunities, keeping a cheerful frame of mind while dealing with the issues. If nothing else, I felt good during the process.

Maybe this is all about how you view the glass; a half-glass full of refreshing water, or a half-empty glass heading to a full-fledged drought. For whatever reason, despite the fact this is a very short book, it can get you to thinking. Maybe that's it's power.

The only reason I give this book one star is because everything in it is also in Vitale's other book The Attractor Factor. Attractor is an expanded and much better version that I rated 5 stars and which I highly recommend.

There is so much good information in this book that I hardly know where to begin. I particularly like the way each tip is graded from one to five stars (the tactic ranking system) and Sampson's writing style is easy to read.

One of his tips is that you should use Amazon's review facility in combination with a well thought-out personal profile to direct traffic to your own books.

Before reading this book I had barely scratched the surface of Amazon.com.

Paul Blakey
Owner of Twin Eagles Publishing
http://twineaglespublishing.webs.com

Brent Sampson's Sell Your Book on Amazon offers a well-structured, informative introduction to the key merchandising tools available from the world's largest bookstore. For self-published authors new to Amazon's intricate and personalized architecture, gaining an understanding of all that Amazon offers can be a daunting challenge. The neophyte is tempted to take the easy road: get your book listed with a brief couple of descriptive paragraphs, then hope for the best. Sampson's careful explanation of each part--from the Author's Profile, blogs, Listmania, Search Inside modules to the multipart Editorial Reviews page--helps the reader better understand each feature's marketing advantage and gain an improved confidence in how to harness Amazon as a key online partner in building book sales and author reputation. As useful as this guide is, it would have been helpful to see more examples of how authors from different fields successfully put Amazon to work to build online sales. In every respect, however, Sampson's book is an invaluable resource for anyone selling their books on Amazon.

Numenon (Bloodsong) (Bloodsong)Unfortunately for me, I struggled with Amazon for years before finding Brent's book. Here the information is, all in one well organized place: what all those tabs and "click here's" and strange terms mean. (Is Amazon as counter-intuitive to you as it is to me?) When I read this book, I realized I'd been doing nothing to help the sales of my books. Now I have a chance. I get to put together a winning strategy and carry it out with a clear plan.

Brent's advocacy of the POD concept came as a revelation. I've heard others say the same thing, but doubted it. Now I'm going over the financial side of our publishing business with new eyes. Since the meltdown of our financial world, getting books to market for the lowest cost IS the only viable alternative. POD may be the only way to go.

I have a question, though, Brent. This book's been out a year or so. How does POD work on the late 2008 Amazon? I understand they only accept POD books through their own company. When I did a cursory investigation of that company, it didn't seem to offer all the features and flexibility yours did. Now what?

I've read a lot of books on self publishing. I decided on self publishing for myself because I didn't want to take 18 months to get a book published, and I didn't want to share the profits if I had to do the marketing anyway.

The problem with these types of self publishing books is that they contain a lot of information on self publishing, but in the marketing chapters the marketing information is skimpy at best.

Another problem I had was that when I looked for information specifically on book marketing, I really couldn't find a whole lot that allowed me to take full advantage of the internet (i.e. getting the word out quickly and automating some of the work.)

What information that was available involved having to travel, or doing tasks that are really time consuming. Because of my schedule and lifestyle, I needed marketing techniques that were fairly easy to do, effective, and could be done at home.

Finding this book is like an answer to a prayer. It does everything I mentioned about and includes plenty of techniques on how to market your book online specifically using Amazon. Since Amazon is the number one bookstore online anyway, it's where you want to go because that's where your customers are.

Sampson includes all of the techniques and even rates them for you so you know which ones are the most effective. It is a fast read (will only take you a couple of hours), and you can begin marketing on Amazon immediately.

What separates the best sellers from those books that are never read is marketing. Although many writers may avoid marketing like the plague, for those of you who don't mind marketing (I don't), this book offers you a viable opportunity to connect with your readers, make more money, and spend less time doing it. Even if you hate marketing, this is a good book for you because it's a great marketing plan for introverts.

Once you've written that book, and you're ready to start promoting, start with this book. It will save you the days and weeks I spent researching to find the right marketing information.

This book will save you time, it will save you money, and it will end any stress you may have over trying to figure out how to market your books and make money from them. Highly recommended.

Jinger Jarrett, Author, Internet Marketing for Free: The GUIDE: Internet Marketing to GO!

Having gone through this book several times, I have gotten several great ideas about selling on Amazon. It was not necessarily something specific the book said, more like 'Oh, and I could do that!, or thats a great idea.'

You may have wondered, what benefit could I possibly get from doing a list or listmania. As a reviewer, I think 'what's the point?' tons of people look at these lists, but hardly anyone says they are helpful?

From an author's perspective though these lists are read by thousand of people, and if you tweak your presentation as the author suggests, that is thousands of potential customers for your book. In addition, if you do not already write reviews, this can also give you much exposure, and if you develop some skill as the author suggests, you can raise your profile.

The multiple book strategy, I found very useful, and the ebook strategy he mentioned is also valuable. If you don't already know about ISBN numbers, hello, then you need to get the book.

How can a new writer have a similar presence to a seasoned writer on an Amazon search?

What are the economics of an ebook versus a regular paperback? Very useful to know.

My personal recommendation to you is study how other authors market themselves, how you notice them as you peruse, and what they do to stand out. Some top reviewers on Amazon are also authors. Look at what they do on their profiles.

If you're like me, you,ll get some inspired ideas of how to use information and strategies in the book. I hope this is helpful to you.

If you were to find this helpful, please click yes.

I recently finished writing my first book in nearly 20 years and was looking for information about selling it online. I bought Plug Your Book! by Steve Weber and I'm glad I did. I really had no idea just how drastically the book publishing industry has changed since the 1980's.

One strategy that I started using as a result of reading this book is writing book reviews on Amazon.com (hence this one). I had never written a book review in my life until I read Weber's book. Now I write them all the time.

This is has been one of those rare buying experiences for me - the product I bought actually exceeded my expectations - by a long shot. This book is packed with useful information for authors and publishers. I really don't think you can get this kind of information anywhere else.

I highly recommend Plug Your Book!

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

I found that the book had some very important and valuable information, giving both pros and cons of different aspects of online marketing...in the rapidly changing field of book publishing, this book is a must read. If you don't use all of the book's suggestions, (I ended up using a totally different web host than those originally suggested in the book because it seemed much more user-friendly to my neophyte sensibilities), it will certainly get you pointed in the right direction. Thanks a bunch to author Steve Weber for laying it all out!!!

I didn't think any book could come with new stuff on this topic but it does. There is some old stuff but plenty of new tricks to get my teeth around in plugging my stuff online. I have been told by publishers that online sales account for 10% of sales - now I am beginning to wonder.

Plug Your Book was recommended to me at a writers' workshop. It is a step by step guide to marketing on line. This is useful information to me, even during the process of writing a book. I use each chapter like a cookbook, opening up a page, opening up a website, and exploring that website according to the principles Weber is explaining. I already knew how to purchase books on Amazon.com. But, through Weber's book, I have learned the process of peer review, how to participate in that process, and how to approach reviewers. All the chapters provide a foundation for me as I write a book. The chapter on author websites explains how an author website is not just an advertisement. There are specific recommendations for designing an author website, or design a website with a newsletter as preparation for publishing a book. I have given myself permission to take as many years as I need to publish my first book. Weber's book provides me, as well as other new authors, with multiple resources for the whole process of writing, publishing, and marketing our work.

I have read at least a dozen titles on book marketing and I believe this to be the most valuable book available for today's world of internet marketing. The great part about online marketing is that you can actually target specific markets and it's usually free.

This book will help you focus your online marketing strategies in several ways:
* Influencing and Understanding the Amazon sales Rank
* Setting up and Effective Website
* Creating an Online Press Kit
* How to Get More Amazon Reviews
* Effective Use of Blogs
* A Page for your Book on Sites like MySpace.com
* Leveraging Social Networking
* Leveraging Amazon.com

This is the only book I've read that doesn't just tell you what to do in terms of book marketing, but it tells you specifically how to do it. It's really the only resource you need for marketing your book.

Stacie Vander Pol, author of Top Self Publishing Firms

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)

Although this is slightly out of date, the information is still largely current and useful. There's a lot of great advice in this and it's strongly recommended for anyone with a book out but not tons of cash for advertising.

A good buy.

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.

Overall, I would say it is a good book for non-sales people to buy. Joe points out many things to think about and makes many good suggestions.

Two things bother me about the book:

- It has numerous typos and grammatical errors. Sometimes I've had to re-read sections to understand what he meant to say.

- There are several contradictions. One example is on page 25. He says: "If they don't return your call, wait two days before calling back." But then 2 sentences later says that you should leave a voice mail stating: "If I don't hear back from you by the end of the day, I'll try back before I leave the office."

Personally, I don't want to buy from a sales person that doesn't do what they say they are going to do, so this is a really poor suggestion and really poor customer service (especially if the person you are calling really does want to talk to you)!

This is a no B.S. book on what it takes to sell by phone.
Whether you're setting appointments or closing the deal by phone it really doesn't matter. This is a hard hitting book.
I like the authors no nonsense approach to selling. They're either a high probability prospect or not.
The book teaches you how to get in and out of calls quickly and find the buyers today. The best on phone sales I've ever read.

Joe Catal has done a great job at debunking some of the myths entailing telemarketing. In his book, aptly named, "Telesales Tips From The Trenches: Secrets Of a Street-Smart Salesman." he provides a no holds barred approach to picking up that infamous phone!

Here's a little secret you may not know. Telemarketing doesn't suck; it's the pending feeling of rejection that sucks! As a new insurance agent you should expect to be rejected a minimum of 100 times a week, and that's if you're doing real well.

I'm a naturally motivated type of guy. You tell me something negative and I'm immediately thinking how I can turn it into a positive. Joe takes a similar approach to how he handles himself on the phone by:

"Averaging 100+ calls per day since 1985 and hearing over 350,000 No's."

Throughout the book Joe provides real life stories (my favorite) and examples about how to write an effective opening; answer objections without sounding superfluous or ignorant; techniques to find hot leads and steal accounts (another one of my favorites), while laying a strong foundation by asking the right question and ASKING for the order when the time is right.

His thoughts about time management and techniques to increase the effectiveness of listening were entertaining and insightful.

"The customer should be talking 75% of the time...NEVER interrupt a person while they're talking."

Raise your hand if you've ever interrupted another person when they were in the middle of talking. Did you feel that awkward moment where you both wait about 2 seconds and speak at the same time? Next time, keep the mouth shut and if you do happen to interrupt, count to 5 in your head.

The material in his book does come off very strong, but I've noticed an increased level of confidence and control after implementing some of this strategies.

In conclusion, some of the material is not worth reading if you cannot control the pricing of your products, nor negotiate said product. However, I do give this book 5 stars and highly recommend you pick up a copy, grab a highlighter and implement some of the material IMMEDIATELY!

I was skeptical about this book, even after I read the reveiws... I went ahead and bought it and I was very pleased with the results. It should be a handbook for anyone doing telesales (Inbound and Outbound). Good for Business owners, who call clients and potential clients (He focuses on that as well). Also great for sales reps who want to increase sales. My sales increased dramatically and my calls were more productive. I think it could even prove effective for sales reps who are not on the phone.

He even goes over how to answer the phone, what to say when someone is out to lunch, and how to get past gatekeepers when making outgoing calls.
It's an easy read, almost a page-turner and interesting too. I want to memorize it and anyone in sales/marketing should... Even a seasoned salesperson.

Don't buy another book about telesales until you have read this one. Trust, it is the only one you will need.

A few things struck me about this book.

1. It teaches you when to say "No" to suspects. I learned from it to be more discerning with whom I am talking. This book tells you how to determine, in minimum of time, if you are talking to someone who can buy from you (even if the other party won't admit that he's not interested or that he doesn't have the authority to buy). Like they say on Wall Street: "fill or kill".

2. It gives you tips to help you establish your authority early in the call. How to deal with various brushoffs (more or less graciously).... When it's better to be direct, or even blunt... It's not just one style of selling, but rather a mix of hard- and soft-sell techniques that can be adapted to the situation.

3. It gives you specific expressions to use. Short sentences that sound natural and go past the initial indifference and suspicion of people... I'm studying it to learn how to keep the flow of conversation so that it doesn't seem contrived, and how to go from one idea to another in a natural way so that I don't sound like a telemarketer.

4. There's indeed no filler. Just lots of ideas about prospecting, presentation and closing. Some may not apply to your work, but you can extract the priciples. I've read this book two times and I open it almost every day. You must read it - now!

This little book could've saved me 15 years of educating myself through workshops, classes, conferences, and writers groups. If you are just getting started in the publishing process, this book is a must-have. Knowing the background life of an editor helps writers understand that we are not the "center of their universe." (You'd be surprised how many writers believe that!) Terry includes many resources, Web sites, and crucial appendices that are necessary in writing a SUCCESSFUL proposal. He provides great anecdotes that keep the flow going, so that it's not so "dry" as to be unentertaining. The checklists will save hours of time in crafting your proposal. I highly recommend this book, and I carry it with me in my laptop bag wherever I go.

This book gives an insider's view of the book publication process. It is written from several angles of publishing, which gives much needed info to newbie writers and helps them to understand the process a book goes through to reach the shelves of a bookstore. Very helpful.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how to write a book proposal. Whalin, who has written more than 60 nonfiction books, has also worked as an acquisitions editor, so he's got a true insider's perspective of the somewhat daunting publishing process. With his "21 Secrets to Speed your Success", you'll find straightforward tips and information that'll give you the edge on how to capture an editor's interest.

I especially enjoyed the stories derived from his career in the publishing world, and found the many website URLs and the sample book proposal that sold for a six-figure advance to be very helpful. I highly recommend this book, and will admit that I actually have two copies: one at home, and one in my desk drawer at work for lunchtime reading.

Although I was unaware of the Christian-themed advice perhaps because I was not familiar with the author, I found this book extremely helpful. It is a must-read before submitting a non-fiction book proposal. The book is short, easy to read, contains several examples, and provides a step-by-step guide to writing the non-fiction proposal. After doing a substantial amount of research on the topic, I can honestly say that this was the best information I found on the topic.

I am a new writer and am currently reading Book Proposals That Sell. I love it! I am only on page 47 but I already feel so enlightened! FINALLY, someone has sent the elevator down from the Ivory Towers of the publishing world to us common folk on the ground floor!! Just in the first few pages I feel educated, aware and tuned in. Thank you for writing this book just for me!

Excellent book for anybody who cares to actually learn. I have personally benefited a lot in my customer relations and making new customers after reading this book.

This book is one I am using everyday since I read it to develop my skills to approach a prospect, present a product in a way that adds value to the person purchasing it and close the sale tactfully. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to enjoy sales and improve their conversion rate.

Are you kidding me! This book changed my life! Follow the simple methods that Frank Bettger used and see your sales go through the roof. He doesn't know the phrase "Keep it simple stupid" this book was written way before that...but he is the original "simple" method king! Don't waste a minute, order now. Imagine all you have to do is listen to your customer and ask them why...who would have ever thought selling was this easy!
2 thumbs up Mr. Bettger...2 elated thumbs up!

You may never have heard of Frank Bettger (prounced Betch-er)but thousands of sales professionals attribute their success to reading his book, "How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling."

Bettger gives practical timeless advice on improving your salesmanship. Simple things like listen more than you speak, continue your education, act with integrity, think of your customers needs more than your own may sound old fashioned, but they still work wonders.

I read Bettger every year and I never fail to pick up something new and valuable.

Highest Recommendation!

Cheers!

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

I have read this book over 15 times in the past 10 years, because it is the BEST book on selling that I've ever read. It is common sense and real world in its approach. It has been in print since 1947, and that speaks volumes.

When I received this book, I sat down and read it cover to cover, running my highlighter over all the key points. Now, I use this book, frequently as a resource. Shepard does a great job of explaining the concepts without being too wordy. It's only about 165 pages, but absolutely filled with valuable information.

If you want to learn how to sell more books on Amazon, this is the best book I've read on the subject. Shepard teaches:
How to title your book for Amazon search engines
How to create a book cover that favors Amazon sales
How to use several free tools available on Amazon to boost the
visibility of your book.
How to set discounts that work to the author greatest advantage.
How to go about self-publishing a book with Lightning Source
The reasons not to publish an eBook version of your book.
A pricing strategy for selling your book on Amazon.

Thanks to books like this one, self-published authors have a chance to succeed against our traditionally published competitors.

This book clearly dispells many of the myths and exposes the secrets of the publishing and the self-publishing industry. He does not day how to write your book, rather how to get it into print and distribution. He has terrific ideas about promotion and boosting sales and ultimately profit. He has 95% of submitted manuscripts, pays low royalties (approx 10%), and take up to three years to get your book into print, all the while usurping all the control of the content and layout.

I am a self publishing author myself and always researching ways to market books, especially here on Amazon. I thought I really knew all the tips, tricks and tactics of Amazon marketing...boy was I wrong!

Aaron Shepard lines it all out in an easy to understand guide to marketing your book to the best of your ability on Amazon. But, please do not let the name of the book fool you; it goes way beyond Amazon marketing, including how to actually build and create a book from scratch, covering concepts such as researching before writing, naming the book, interior design and which printing company to use.

If you are a self-publisher or aspiring author, add this book to your shelf. Mr. Shepard has years of experience in the writing field and is generously passing it on to us. I actually have it by my computer as I write for quick reference. I was so impressed by his simplistic and informative writing style that I am now ordering his other books.

"Aiming at Amazon" by Aaron Shepard is my favorite book right now because I successfully used it to create my already written book, "The Magi of Futurity", and have it listed on Amazon. After checking with others and reading the reviews for Aaron's book, I was very impressed and couldn't wait to order it. Within two months after reading this book, along with Aaron's "Perfect Pages" book, I had accomplished my goal. Thank you, Aaron, for producing such wonderful guides for aspiring authors!

Aiming at Amazon is the most valuable book I've ever read. It will save you money during the production of your book, and make sure that you make more money after it is produced. Highly recommended for anyone thinking about self-publishing.

This is a great book by two no-nonsense experts in their fields.I just received the book this morning and am already well advanced in my first read :first immediate effect is a great boost to my morale because I feel my game-plan is good and when I use the book I will have an even better one.Not living in North America does not matter : I live in Japan and have already checked that most tips can be adapted to my circumstances by looking up the internet for local equivalents (a site for faxing e-mails for example).Maybe the most agressive techniques need to be localised but the strategy and the suggested execution are world-class.Highly recommended.
Vincent Dabosville, hunting for a CFO position.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R36AF0PQJCZ40B

I have been looking for a new job for roughly 1 year now. I have tons of expeirence in my field but have no luck in getting a interview let alone getting a job. I originally signed up to receive the first 3 chapters for no charge from signing up at his web site. I have put some of his techniques in use and have gotten a few interviews and 2 job offers so far.

Guerilla Marketing for Job Hunter's stand's out in the thousands of books that you can get in help with a new job. This book gives you ideas to have the edge over every other job seeker out their. In today's tough economy this needs to be done.

i'm not usually one to review books, but this book definitely helped me in my job search... i had been searching for a job in ny for 2.5 months with minimal responses from companies... once i started revamping my cover letters and refocusing my search, i got 8 calls from companies, interviewed well thru 3 final rounds, and so far i'm at 2 offers, working on the 3rd. just try it! fyi - there are a few extreme tactics/suggestions in the book... i didn't follow them, but it gave me an idea on how i could get creative in my own way... totally worth it!

Catchy title ... I'm interested in most anything Jay Levinson authors or co-authors, and he and David Perry put together some very helpful tips.

Just to whet your appetite for the contents ... David points out the skills that won't be 'outsourced,' -- a word we're all familiar with as a cause for much job loss. They are:

- leadership skills,
- project management skills,
- people skills,
- communication skills, and
- sales skills.

And, he's identified jobs he believes won't (or cannot) be outsourced ... jobs in

- energy,
- preventative health care,
- security,
- the military,
- government,
- insurance,
- consumer financial services,
- agriculture, and
- biotech/pharma.

And, he talks about skills employers buy:

- leadership skills
- communication skills
- a bias toward action
- passion for the work
- and a cultural compatibility.

He goes into more detail with more examples of what employers value (e.g., the creation of intellectual wealth, high energy, enduring performance, etc.), and whether or not you agree with this, you'll find what he says to be thought-provoking.

The Value-Based Resume
Although you would expect a review of typical job-hunting venues and tactics -- networking, targeted marketing, newspaper classifieds, job boards, newsgroups, executive search firms, headhunters, temp agencies, friend, neighbors, associates, self-promotion techniques, the use of electronic job alerts, and the use of personal Web sites and/or Blogs, creating a Linked In account ... the use of company information sources and competitive intelligence sources ... and the push to get a clear sense of your goals and transferrable, marketable, relevant skills ... what stood out for me are the examples of 'value-based' resumes. You can do an Internet search with the keywords "value-based resume" and find some fair examples. Just taking the time, after seeing David's examples, to put one together for myself allowed me to rethink how I present myself and what contributions I am making.

In the value-based resume (business values), you focus on your accomplishments or contributions to:

1) increased revenues/profit, or
2) cost savings (direct or indirect), or
3) improved productivity (aka, increased efficiencies).

You might think a values-based focus is a stretch for you and your position, but I recommend you do your best to find something for one of those three. If you can't, you might rethink how you are contributing to the firm today, so you can strengthen your chances of keeping your job tomorrow. These are the three basic values business leaders consider in making changes to improve their companies, and you need to show your contribution or risk layoff. David provides some useful resume examples to help you along.

In addition, I found myself easily writing the more pointed cover letters (as David illustrates in the book), ones that mention my contributions in these value areas and as they relate to the targeted organization that I researched. I have felt more confident, more powerful, and more connected to the purpose of the job opportunity I've pursued, since I know more clearly what I can contribute to the firm, and I've given them what they need to make an objective decision. Obviously, there are other factors to hiring -- or not hiring, or delayed hiring, such as a change of mind due to business downturn, employee referral provided a needed replacement, etc. -- that affect the outcome, but I've felt confident that I've presented myself in the best light, in the meantime.

The other benefit of knowing in detail what you have contributed in any of those three business value areas comes in your face-to-face interviews; you have examples and stories to illustrate your contributions. That make for a more useful and convincing interview. David guides us in the creation of our own storybook(s) that illustrate how we rose to the challenge of a relevant job situation, that we can lead under pressure, can execute a strategy in response, and can be both a team leader and a team captain, as needed.

David also offers and explains in detail 13 (interesting) creative ways to find a job, which are worth considering, such as writing an email chain letter, calling your targeted firm's HR person to get the name of the screening firm they use, writing a case study of the targeted firm within its current industry situation, preparing a competitive analysis of the firm, etc.

If all that I've outlined doesn't stir your interest in getting a hold of this book, I don't know what will ... or perhaps you are independently wealthy and don't need a job.