Just a thought. I certainly appreciate the great work you do and the integrity that surrounds all you do. -Gail

Have been privately criticizing the “Amazon bestseller scam” for a year. Wrote one very influential, long-time coach about his “watch me do it” program last year. He was unfazed.

My arguments are a bit different than yours, but as Dylan said,

“We always did see things the same, we just saw them from a different point of vi-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ew.”

Hope I’ve sent you some new readers.

Best,
kwc

Thank you for writing an article on Amazon days that suggests that the emperor is possibly not fully dressed–at least for some of us. I just want to give you a hug for what you wrote. I especially liked that you would rather be deep than broad. Me too, I say, resoundingly. I LIKE having relationships with my clients. I want a meaningful relationship with every single one of them. I want quality not quantity and interestingly enough, so do my ideal clients. Thank you for letting me know it is possible to create a ‘deep’ business.

Conscious Capitalism is based on the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. Seth Godin reminds me today that it’s also about integrity. It’s not enough for integrity to be part of the personality of your business. Integrity must be a pa…

Well, I’m glad I read your blog…Truly!

I’d not even considered some of your very relevent views…

…even though I’m one of those people who have recently written to you asking you…

…”Will you support me in my Amazon campaign?”

Aaaaaargh!!

So what’s my excuse?

Naivity, I suppose.

This Amazon thing is very new to me, so I’m not coming to the exercise with much baggage, nor scores of requests which succeeded in hacking me off.

And yes, my heart tells me that it is pretty hype, and even consciously artificial.

However, when I started preparing for the campaign, I immediately began connecting with many, many wonderful people, praising me for my courage in ‘Going For It’… as part of my Life Mission of Touching One Million Souls with my philosopy of ‘The Soul Millionaire’.

So, this encouragement, and connection with lots of new, Meaning-motivated people, has kept me going.

Secondly, I see it as a small part of a long term marketing process for each of the books within me.

For example – here’s a question – I really like Seth Godin’s strategy of encouraging the viral spread of his book’s PDF. That seems much more generous. 6 of the speaker’s at the recent World Internet Summit have asked for a copy so that they can consider gifting it to their substantial databases – no strings attached. What do you think?

Add my name to the growing list of committed authors who will never do an Amazon Campaign for many of the same reasons you’ve written so eloquently on.

For me, these campaigns are not only ‘manipulative marketing,’ but they devalue the very commodity that they’re trying to sell. Buy my book so you can receive $20,000 in bonuses. Well, can’t the book stand on its own merits?

So while I think I’m like every other book author in that I want my book to sell well, I also want it to be read well and to contribute on its own account.

So, I’m pledging here for all to read, the new, expanded edition of Traveling the Purposeful Path – The 6 Passages to an Inspired Life On Purpose will NOT — repeat NOT be offered as an Amazon Special Campaign. It’ll have to hit number 1 some other way.

Now, I’m looking forward to your next post sharing some ideas on what those other ways may be.
BRAD

In the same vein as the “artificial hype” of an Amazon campaign are the “this class starts tomorrow” or “please send this to your list asap” emails. Nothing is more disruptive than something that comes in my mail today and HAS to be done tomorrow. They seem designed to heighten not only my level of urgency, but also that of the prospective student/buyer, in hopes of leading to “impulse-buying”. At best, they are procrastinators; at worst, manipulators.

In fact I’d like to throw a party for those few who actually plan, and share the schedule, WELL in advance of the actual launch date. Perhaps while we lounge on the deck, we’ll burn those emails demanding instant attention on the grill…

I’ve been one of the unsubscribers — and I’m unsubscribing more and more from more and more lists — they used to provide me more value than *pitch*. Now I’m getting half a dozen *pitches* for every useful piece of information. And who has time for that? But that’s another topic altogther!

Just a quick wink of a question though – What the heck is Ceiling Wax? I’ve been building and rehabbing houses with Habitat for Humanity locally and afar for several years and have never come across such a thing. My guess is that it’s maybe “sealing wax”? Again, not terribly exciting or warm-fuzzy stuff…. but at least I’ve heard of it.

Best to you and your celebration of summer with your summer hours!

Peggie Arvidson-Dailey
http://www.peggiespets.com
http://www.petcareuniversity.com

There is something disenheartening about using a tactic that it supposed to be “fresh” “unique” and “personal” when every other Joe/Jane/Juanito is doing it too. The only people who can get away with it in my book are those that have a really fun and unique voice like Andy Wibbels. He just cracks me up with whatever he writes and makes an old idea fresh.

My blog readers can be very, shall we say, *direct* when it comes to voicing their opinion about hyped-up marketing tactics. I got slammed by someone just for promoting a contest for a good colleague. So I walk tenderly when marketing.

I adore your list of questions under number 5. I got goosebumps just thinking about it. My ultimate dream is to write a book so useful that people feel about it as I do about Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star. I have read it and re-read it at least 20 times, and have referred it to hundreds of friends and clients.

You always make me feel good, peaceful, non-threatened and uplifted with your marketing messages. I have a new role model for my own work! But don’t worry, I won’t copy your good ideas and turn them into hype-fests.

Keep up the good work Andrea, you are a joy to watch.

Cheers from Beautiful BC,

Sheila