Volume 5, #9

–> Positive Power Spotlight: AISO.Net
A really Green webhost–fully solar-powered, and more.

–> Another Recommended Book: Truth: The New Rules for Marketing in a Skeptical World by Lynn Upshaw

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost and boosting your return.

–> How to Make a Major Impact
JV maven Ken McArthur’s long-awaited book, Impact: How to Get Noticed, Motivate Millions and Make a Difference in a Noisy World is being launched today starting at 1 pm US Eastern Daylight time, with a ton of bonuses including one from me–and 100 hours of no-cost top-level audio training on the Impact Factor site. I haven’t seen the book yet, but I’ve followed Ken’s process of writing, and the amazing way he turned this launch into a months-long internship on Internet marketing, imparting skills to others while building the launch in the best win-win People first fashion. The quality of information he provides is superior, plus he’s a really nice guy; I fully expect the book to be worthy of him. When the time comes for me to update Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, I expect to include his story, as I just love the way he embraced the idea that he can profit by making everyone he knows into a better marketer.

–> A Rare and Special Treat: Your Chance to Learn in a Small Group with the Inventor of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson–On the French Riviera

–> A Book and A Seminar from Rick Frishman
Rick Frishman is a busy guy; he’s got two things going on that you want to know about.

First, his newest book, “Where’s Your Wow! 16 Ways to Make Your Competitors Wish They Were You” (co-authored with Robyn Spizman). I’ve read the whole thing and I think it’s an excellent introduction to branding. http://www.wheresyourwow.com/.

And second, Rick is organizing a big one-day conference just before Book Expo America. He writes,
“Hold the date Thursday May 29. Author 101 University is coming! It will be at the Westin at LAX for one day. This is the day before BEA starts in Los Angeles. This will be an amazing event that will be very exclusive. Only 200 people. I will bring a Publishing Panel of editors, agents and editors. Mark Victor Hansen, David Hancock, Brendon Burchard, Alex Carroll, and the amazing Barbara De Angeles.”

I’ll be attending this event (as well as the Advanced Track at PMA-U the day before). If you’d like to go, please visit http://snipurl.com/25r7o

–> Myanmar Cyclone Relief: Make a Donation to Doctors Without Borders
Sharon Tucci put together a site to funnel donations directly to groups on the ground doing cyclone relief in Burma/Myanmar. Her preferred charity is Doctors Without Borders, but she offers several other choices as well. Note: Donations through this site are administered by an organization that takes a small administrative fee, but makes the process very smooth. If you’d rather give directly, that’s fine too.

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer–but don’t abuse it. Only answer if you’re approrpiate for the query, or else you’ll spoil it for yourself and everyone else . If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Finally–An E-Book Site Puts Authors’ Needs First
Writers: Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup fame) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at http://www.youpublish.com/referredby/shelhorowitz. No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Want a Free E-Copy of Mark Joyner’s Classic Book, The Irresistible Offer?
This amazing book has a prominent place on my bookshelf–but I had to pay for my copy. You can get the e-book at no cost by following the above link.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one-but I’ve heard about it for years.

–> Facebook Teleseminar with Mari Smith
If you’re not on Facebook yet, you may be missing valuable business opportunities. If you are on Facebook, are you getting the most out of it for your business? Recently, The Blog Squad grilled Mari Smith about why you need to be on Facebook and how to use the social networking site to be smart about building your business. Now you can get access to the audio program from the live teleseminar for an investment of only $20.

–> You’re invited to join Foundercontact
Christophe Poizat, founder and chairman of the International Network of Social Entrepreneurs (INSE) has invited you to receive a free membership with Foundercontact. Foundercontact International Ltd is a web 2.0 online marketplace designed to bring entrepreneurs into contact with 3500 investors for seed, early stage, or growth capital. With members from 5 continents and 93 different countries, it opens up international business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Sign up at http://www.foundercontact.com/user/register

–> Wednesday, May 21, I’ll be doing a brand new talk on “de-cluttering your mind.”

Here’s the description:

Overcome Your Mental Clutter
If anyone knows about mental clutter, it would be Shel Horowitz, copywriter, marketing/publishing consultant, environmental/political activist, ethics and frugality expert, and award-winning author of seven books (most recently, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers). Shel will address the challenges of
* Having too many interests
* Dealing with an average of 300 incoming emails each day
* Managing numerous simultaneous client projects and many more for his own business development
* Maintaining nine different websites, one of which orchestrates an international campaign
* Staying current on the multiple industries that comprise his diverse business
* Juggling schedules for a family of four who are all very busy

More information from Judy Stitt, 617-547-7453, jstitt (at) tekedit (dot) com

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

How Green is my web host? If you host with Affordable Internet
Services Online, of California, a/k/a AISO.net, the answer appears to be very green indeed. For starters, the company claims to be 100% solar powered–including the servers, the office, and tools like its shopping cart, mailing list manager, and calendar, all provided to hosting clients. The company has also switched to mercury-free (and very low-consumption) LED lighting, which is far more ecological than compact fluorescents (to say nothing of regular lighting)..

From AISO’s home page:

We have made a strong commitment to help fight
pollution and preserving our natural resources. Solar panels
run our data center and office, not energy credits.
Solar tubes bring in natural light from the outside providing
light during the day. AMD Opteron powered servers use sixty
percent less energy and generate fifty percent less heat.

And here’s the information their solar vendor gave them:

Our 120 solar panel system will eliminate the production of
- 19,890 lbs of Carbon Dioxide (CO2/GHG) per year
- 5.9 lbs of Nitrous Oxide (NOX/smog) per year
- 0.45 lbs of Sulfur Dioxide (SO4/acid rain) per year
This is the equivalent of planting 3.5 acres of trees per year

Proof that Green is good business: Client list includes the Indianapolis Zoo, the Oceanic Society, the Himalayan Institute, and Live Earth, among others. They’ve also earned a listing as a Webhost Magazine Editors Choice and membership on the Inc Green 50 and in Co-op America. Pretty cool!

Thanks to Kristen Lems of the Peoples Music Network for telling me about these folks.

Truth: The New Rules for Marketing in a Skeptical World by Lynn Upshaw (Amacom, 2007) is one of the few books I’ve seen that really addresses ethics from a marketing point of view.

Upshaw argues convincingly that companies should be ethical, transparent, and engage in what he calls “practical integrity” (which in his view has more to do with product quality and service than with the “traditional” integrity issues). He repeatedly cites the same examples (among them Timberland, Trader Joe’s, John Deere, Herman Miller and Patagonia)–and shows how these companies reap handsome rewards in the marketplace because of, not in spite of, this commitment. Unfortunately, with a pub date of 2007, the book was probably written in 2005–and a couple of his examples (Whole Foods, with its CEO sock puppeting, and Southwest, with its recent inspection issues) have been somewhat tarnished in the meantime. This is always a danger when writing about ethics; I’ve been burned a couple of times, as well, and I don’t hold a grudge that the facts changed since Upshaw turned inhis manuscript.

Upshaw makes many excellent points. Among my favorites:

• 6 characteristics of “integrity heavy-users”
• Quantification in dollars and other metrics of the consequences to Ford and Firestone of their stupidity in the Explorer rollover scandal
• The idea that great employees actively seek out great companies to work for (Upshaw doesn’t elaborate, but to me, that means these companies have much lower recruiting expenses)
• A tarnished brand can, with effort, rehabilitate itself (example: a few years ago, Gap was widely condemned for its use of sweatshops and child labor; now, the company actually pits vendors against each other to show who has improved working conditions the most)
• In one of several appendices, a sample “integritomter” showing how a company can rank itself for promises kept, guarantees honored, and other factors.

A couple of minor negatives: I found some of the visuals and sidebars (particularly the invented conversations) distracting and irrelevant–and I found it deeply ironic that the cover flap (which I’m sure the author didn’t write)–engages in exactly the same sort of unfounded claim that he chastises other companies for: “The first book of its kind, Truth takes a practical business-building approach to marketing with integrity.

While Upshaw is writing more for a corporate audience and less for the small entrepreneur, I covered much of the same ground in my own award-winning sixth book, Principled Profit: Marketing that Puts People First, published a full four years earlier. And in the nearly four years I’ve been writing this column, I’ve reviewed several others that also cover this territory.

Despite these minor flaws, this book is a rich collection of values/profit-oriented advice, and I definitey recommend it.

–> This Month’s Frugal Fun Tip: Fresh Herbs–Even for Apartment Dwellers
No matter where you live…you can perk up any meal with herbs you’ve grown yourself.

–> Parents…Are You Set Up Properly if Something Happens to You?
I’ve had a look at Wear Clean Underwear by Alexis Martin Neely, and I’m very impressed by her clear writing and her words of warning to parents: If you want a good outcome for your not-yet-adult kids in the event of your death, you need to prepare…NOW!

–>Finally–An E-Book Site Puts Authors’ Needs First
Writers: Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup fame) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at http://www.youpublish.com/referredby/shelhorowitz. No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–>The Impact Factor
I’ve blogged a couple of times about  Ken McArthur’s launch strategy for his new book “The Impact Factor.” Launch day is May 13, and I don’t have the URL yet. Look for a short announcement from me that day with the details.

–> Meet me this month in L.A.–or in Boston: Two publishing conferences in Los Angeles at the end of the month, in conjunction with Book Expo America. I’ve described them in detail here (scroll down to “Pre-BEA Seminars”).

Earlier in the month, on Wednesday, May 21, I’ll be doing a brand new talk on “de-cluttering your mind.” Here’s the description:

Overcome Your Mental Clutter
If anyone knows about mental clutter, it would be Shel Horowitz, copywriter, marketing/publishing consultant, environmental/political activist, ethics and frugality expert, and award-winning author of seven books (most recently, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers). Shel will address the challenges of
* Having too many interests
* Dealing with an average of 300 incoming emails each day
* Managing numerous simultaneous client projects and many more for his own business development
* Maintaining nine different websites, one of which orchestrates an international campaign
* Staying current on the multiple industries that comprise his diverse business
* Juggling schedules for a family of four who are all very busy

More information from Judy Stitt, 617-547-7453, jstitt (at) tekedit (dot) com

–> A New Way To Have More Frugal Fun–No-Cost Games on FrugalFun.com
Want to win cool stuff? Tired of surfing through content and want a break? Here’s something you’ll want to look at. To play, go to any inner page of FrugalFun.com (not the home page) and click on the game banner at the very top.

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–>Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

Published monthly since May, 1997 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388

More than 30 years ago, I went to visit a friend in her dark basement apartment in Providence, RI–and was astonished to see that she grew herbs and even dwarf tomatoes on the one or two sunny windowsills she had.

If she can do it, so can you. Nothing beats the taste of fresh herbs, and most of the common ones are ridiculously easy to grow, either in a flower pot or outside. For Northern Hemisphere readers, this is the time to either buy starter plants or grow your own from seed.

I recommend starter plants, especially if you’ve never grown anything other than hair and fingernails. Look for healthy, well-rooted specimens with no yellow, withered leaves–and when possible, from organic stock.

Basil, rosemary, and dill are extremely easy to grow (and in a garden, basil will get quite large). Parsley, oregano, and sage are not difficult. Cilantro’s a bit fussy but worth the effort. For most of them, the main thing is not letting it go to seed too early–which means you snip off the stems that are shooting up to create flowers. Do let some of the dill go, though; the seeds are delicious. A flat of six starter plants per herb gives you some margin of error in case some of them don’t make it.

And nothing perks up a meal like fresh herbs! When you sprinkle them over pasta or into a salad, your taste buds might just start to sing.

If you have surplus at the end of the season, hang them upside down in a sunny spot until thoroughly dry, and then put in tight jars. It’ll make next winter a whole lot more palatable.

–> This Month’s Tip: Other Web 2.0 Sites, Part 1: Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to get visibility in the Web 2.0 world

–> How to Get Grassroots Marketing for Half-Price
Over 300 pages of solid information on lowering your marketing cost, boosting your return

–> A Rare and Special Treat: Your Chance to Learn in a Small Group with the Inventor of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson–On the French Riviera

–>Finally–An E-Book Site Puts Authors’ Needs First
Writers: Mark Victor Hansen (of Chicken Soup fame) has just launched a very author-friendly e-book/multimedia content distribution site at http://www.youpublish.com/referredby/shelhorowitz. No fee to set up, no fee to upload your files (wide range of types), 50% commission.

–>The Impact Factor
I’ve blogged a couple of times about  Ken McArthur’s launch strategy for his new book “The Impact Factor.” Launch day is May 13, and I don’t have the URL yet. Look for a short announcement from me that day with the details.

–> Meet me this month in L.A.–or in Boston: Two publishing conferences in Los Angeles at the end of the month, in conjunction with Book Expo America. I’ve described them in detail here (scroll down to “Pre-BEA Seminars”).

Earlier in the month, on Wednesday, May 21, I’ll be doing a brand new talk on “de-cluttering your mind.” Here’s the description:

Overcome Your Mental Clutter
If anyone knows about mental clutter, it would be Shel Horowitz, copywriter, marketing/publishing consultant, environmental/political activist, ethics and frugality expert, and award-winning author of seven books (most recently, Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and Grassroots Marketing for Authors and Publishers). Shel will address the challenges of
* Having too many interests
* Dealing with an average of 300 incoming emails each day
* Managing numerous simultaneous client projects and many more for his own business development
* Maintaining nine different websites, one of which orchestrates an international campaign
* Staying current on the multiple industries that comprise his diverse business
* Juggling schedules for a family of four who are all very busy

More information from Judy Stitt, 617-547-7453, jstitt (at) tekedit (dot) com

–> A No-Cost Way to Connect with Reporters Seeking Stories
My friend Peter Shankman, a very well-connected PR guy in NYC, has started a no-charge service called Help A Reporter Out. He sends queries from reporters a few times a day, and if there’s a good fit, you answer the journalist. And he gets some leads that never make it to Profnet/PR Leads. This should be a no-brainer. If you get one good lead in a year, it’s worth it. He has passed on leads from the NY Times and Washington Post, as well as lesser venues–but be respectful of the need to only pitch on-topic. Sign up at www.helpareporter.com

–> Just One Friend Who Wants to Give You Stuff
* Warren Whitlock’s How to Be a Bestselling Author Course (how to strategically leverage interest in your book)

–> For Parents…Are You Set Up Properly if Something Happens to You?
I’ve had a look at Wear Clean Underwear by Alexis Martin Neely, and I’m very impressed by her clear writing and her words of warning to parents: If you want a good outcome for your not-yet-adult kids in the event of your death, you need to prepare…NOW!

–> Which of Shel’s Books is Right for You?

–> Mark Joyner: Conversations with Bestsellers
This one you have to pay for. Internet marketing genius/bestselling author/philosopher of abundance and
social change Mark Joyner has released a set of audio conversations with other bestselling authors on how to
become one. Includes transcripts and various cool bonuses.

–> Also from Mark: the re-release of his infamous “Mind Control Marketing,” the book that built his reputation years ago as one of the most focused and creative marketers in the world. I confess, I haven’t read this one–but I’ve heard about it for years:

–> Latest Additions to the Websites

–> Administrative Information
Subscribe, unsubscribe, back issues, etc.

–> Don’t forget to play our games, at the top of any page on FrugalFun.com– no fees to play, prizes to win, and you help me continue to bring all this good information to you.

Published monthly since September, 2003 by Shel Horowitz
16 Barstow Lane, Hadley, MA 01035 USA
413/586-2388