Friday, February 09, 2007

Tooting your own horn

I am a voracious reader of reference books - design, illustration, and - - marketing, yes, marketing books. I was bitten by the PR/marketing bug three years ago when I officially started my own business and now my well of fascination/interest with the subject is never full. Here are a few books (and authors) whose PR / marketing books have been indispensable reading for me. (I have read and reread them with highlighter in hand..)

Guerilla P.R. by Michael Levine
Really great book, though it's a little outdated, but still worth reading and having in the library

Off-the-wall Marketing Ideas by Nancy Michaels & Debbi J. Karpowicz
Great ideas and extremely easy to digest. You can pull this out anywhere and read a bit no matter how little time you have.

Full Frontal P.R. by Richard Laemer
A little chunkier to get through, but very worthwhile.

Just about everything I've read from Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin
including (these are from Godin)
Free Prize Inside
The Big Red Fez - This one is a little dated-looking since it is all about web site design and organization, but it is still very worthwhile to check out because much of the same rules still apply today, PLUS the overriding philosophy DEFINITELY applies (i.e. "get out of your own way" in connecting your customers with your offerings)
Permission Marketing
Unleashing the Ideavirus

...Another must-read which is not a "marketing book" per se but nonetheless is a user's manual of sorts on the philosophy of trends, and from a marketing standpoint is a must-read:

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

4 comments:

marcisenders said...

It's not a marketing book but for any designer/illustrator, I reccomend the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines (Graphic Artists Guild Handbook of Pricing and Ethical Guidelines). Here is the Amazon link for the most recent edition http://www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Guild-Handbook-Guidelines/dp/0932102123/sr=8-1/qid=1171080166/ref=sr_1_1/102-8173944-6145757?ie=UTF8&s=books

Unknown said...

Thanks Marci!! I have that one too! (I'm also a GAG member too.)

Dana S. Whitney said...

Great list. And where's the book that tells you HOW TO GET THE NERVE? Terrific illustrations at your other sites. The Ouija board is definitely a keeper!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all this information. I am considering starting a small business. (I think I'll start out with the Farmer's Market, though.)

But I've had no clue where to even start.