Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First

International Virtual Booksigning Generates In-Store Excitement Levels...In Cyberspace

NORTHAMPTON, MA: International Virtual Booksigning? What's that?

Everyone loves it when an author comes to town. Bookstores sell plenty of books, authors meet their fans, and buyers get signed first editions. But what if you don't happen to live near the right bookstore?

For his sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, Shel Horowitz wanted to involve people around the world. "This book is creating such excitement that people are literally buying it right out of my hands. I wanted to generate the same kind of excitement internationally, online." The 46-year-old author and marketing consultant created a day-long "International Virtual Booksigning" at Amazon.com.

What's exciting people about the book? A few of the key ideas: * Businesses can succeed by combining honesty, integrity and quality--surpassing customers' expectations--and building real relationships with people * Consumers can influence companies to be ethical and support their values * Marketing doesn't have to be a cost center; business can actually get paid to do their own marketing * In the abundance paradigm, there's enough to share--and that means competitors--even such warriors as Apple and IBM or Fedex and the U.S. Postal Service--actually expand the entire market by working together

While some authors have signed bookmarks or bookplates, Horowitz wanted to add value to the book itself. Participants in the International Virtual Booksigning--who flocked in from France, Austria, India, Britain, Canada, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and the U.S.--received a complimentary e-book version directly from the author, with all 92 URLs hotlinked.

Horowitz built more excitement by asking readers to "make marketing history" and help him break the Top 100, just for one day--a probable first for a self-published business book competing on its own merits (as opposed to offering a bunch of bonuses). The book rocketed from an Amazon.com overall rank of 1,558,475--all the way to #83 (and #12 for business books). "I got fan letters and good wishes from around the world. It really felt like bringing the bookstore community into Cyberspace." (After the event, the book settled in the high four figures.)

By asking newsletter publishers such as David Frey of Marketing Best Practices and Eva Rosenberg of Tax Mama to spread the word, Horowitz estimates he reached at least 200,000 people.

The book has received other acclaim. A major airline made a significant purchase for distribution by the company president. And Horowitz collected 56 pre-publication endorsements, including Jack Canfield and other best-selling authors, successful entrepreneurs, consumer advocates, national speakers--even a former U.S. Cabinet member.

While the book's Top 100 ranking was fleeting, the event "created a buzz. I'm still seeing residual sales after the event is over--and I got 200,000 people talking about this important new book. It was better 'attended' than any flesh-and-blood bookstore appearance I've ever done," he said.

Business beat journalists: to get a business slant on the International Virtual Booksigning, please click here.

To order your copy, please click here. (This will take you to our order form, which is hosted on a different site.)

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