Guy Kawasaki Goes APE on How to Publish a Book

Why would a celebrity author, at a major publisher, choose to jump ship and self publish his next book?

If you didn't hear of Guy Kawasaki, you heard of Apple. And if you heard of Apple, it is probably because of Guy Kawasaki.

Guy (disclosure: I'm not buddies with Mr. Kawasaki. But there are some people who it's more natural to call by their first name. It's also easier to spell. So please allow me the familiarity).... As I was saying before I interrupted myself, Guy might be called the High Priest of Evangelical marketing. That's somewhere between word of mouth marketing and word of soul marketing. It tends to happen to Apple employees and customers. You don't just buy a Mac or an iPad. You "convert" to it.

Guy was the guy who made it happen. He is the poster child for this new kind of marketing. His previous books Art of the Start and Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions tell the story and tell how you can become an evangelist.

Always tuned in to his followers (they're not just "readers"), Guy was horrified when his megapublisher could not perform the seemingly simple task of providing 500 free ebooks for a high-tech company. In response, Guy decided to self publish his next book. Veteran writer and computer geek that he is, he thought it would be snap. It wasn't.

The adventure--and more important--the secret handshake--is given over in the new book Guy co-authored with Shawn Welch: APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur | How to Publish a Book

If you've ever thought about writing a book--especially an ebook--do yourself a favor and get a copy. You will be enlightened.

Book Review: Marketing Maven Magnanimously Mixes Morals and Money

I first discovered Shel Horowitz with his classic Marketing Without Megabucks: How to Sell Anything on a Shoestring.

That book is no longer in print. But not to worry. He completely updated and expanded it into his newer book: Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World. It is a comprehensive from-the-trenches field manual on marketing. If you sell anything you should get this book.

Shel understands marketing and he understands writing. So it should be no surprise that he has also produced a manual for every writer who kvetches "You mean I have to market the book too, not just write it?!" For those of us blessed (or cursed) with the need to put words on paper Shel has now published a guide specifically for writers: Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers. It covers basic marketing truths and new innovations for those who understand (or need to understand) the reality that printed books don't sell themselves.

I good-naturedly sparred with Shel on IAOCblog about blogging ethics. And if there is anything that characterizes his work--in books and for clients--it is a dedicated commitment to ethics. Not all of us are blessed with this commitment. And even many of us who are could benefit from a reminder. Shel provided a gentle reminder in what he seems to consider his magnum opus. Not in size, but in significance. In Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First Shel forcefully and convincingly makes the point that you don't have to be a hustler to be a successful marketer. And he backs up his message with a guide to moral marketing.

You don't have to be religious to love Principled Profit. Give it a try. You may never go back to three-card Monte.