Poor Richard's Email Publishing [Paperback]

Doesn't matter if you're brand new to the Net or a seasoned veteran - this book is the only one you should reach for if you're looking to publish through the Internet! From Chapter 3 ("Why E-mail? Little Glamour, Plenty of Results") to Chapter 7 ("Subscription Management") to Chapter 13 ("Guerilla Promotions") to Chapter 14 ("Money from Your Mailing List") -- it's all here!

I've been writing my entire life, been on the Net for five years now, and been publishing my own e-zine (the "Cattle Prod Humor List" shameless plug) for the last several, even if I didn't know to call it an e-zine at the time. Being somewhat of a "Net Vet," it was somewhat tempting to skip the first couple of chapters ("Are You Ready?" and "E-mail Primer - How It All Works"), but I'm glad I didn't. Even those had information I'd never even considered (or knew), especially the questions to consider before publishing. And thank you, Chris, for the section on E-mail Etiquette! (Now, if we could just make those two pages mandatory reading for every person before they're allowed to play on the Net...haha.)

I've been reading Lockergnome for over a year now, and there's a reason. (Well, several reasons, actually...) Chris tells it like it is -- no flowery words or high-fallutin' language peppered with all the associated Buzzwords O' the Day! No, sir! Chris puts in all in every-day language -- and humorous every-day language to boot -- that doesn't alienate either the layman or the veteran. He follows one of the all-important rules, as far as I'm concerned, and that's "Write like you speak."

Anyone can slap together an e-mail and shove it "out the door," so to speak. (And trust me...many, many DO...) But to gain thousands and thousands of readers -- to make people come back, begging for more -- that requires a lot more than an e-mail program and an Internet connection.

With "Poor Richard's E-mail Publishing," Chris will give you years of publishing experience without having to make all the mistakes yourself. From questions to choosing your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to looking at domain names to formatting and layout to marketing...this book covers it all, and then some. In fact, he gives out so much good information, I'm having to read this book with a notebook and pen nearby so I can take notes!

So you wanna be a Write & Roll star? Forget all those marketing books you're thinking of buying (or maybe already bought). Run -- don't walk -- to your mouse and keyboard right there and BUY THIS BOOK! If you want to reach the masses, you need to understand something that Chris already knows -- in the E-zine publishing business, Content is King! Thank you...thank you very much.

Three outstanding features of this book make it unique in its field. The first: Enthusiasm. Chris Pirillo loves email. He absolutely loves it! Pirillo believes -- and after half a moment's thought he convinced me -- that people enjoy getting email much more than they enjoy clicking around various websites. Thus, in the right hands, a simple email newsletter which gets delivered every week can be a far more powerful communications tool than the slickest web site that somebody checks in to once a month.

The second great feature of the book: Integrity. There are hundreds of Internet marketing books, websites, and newsletter that don't care what they do -- or tell you to do -- to grab a customer, to snatch an email address, or to close a sale. Pirillo is different: he's an honest entrepreneur. As much as he loves email he hates spam. All the ideas in his book are shrewd yet at the same time always respectful, sincere, and considerate to subscribers on his list.

The third reason this book stands out from the pack: the quality and quantity of information is superb. You get all the gritty-nitty about email fundamentals, publishing newsletters (plain and HTML-flavored), finding the list service you need, and making money from the whole shebang. Yet underneath it all is a realistic vision. This isn't a book -- thank goodness -- that promises you'll get rich quick. Instead, it prepares you for the hard work of making a commitment to a new and exciting enterprise.

Pirillo's book is like having a friend in the business who leads you step-by-step through the treacherous minefield -- and the potential goldmine -- of the Internet. If you're running a email newsletter (large or small), or thinking about starting one, you'll save time, money, and headaches by investing in this book.

Michael Pastore, Reviewer

Four years later, no one else has "stolen" my brilliant idea AND I have a book on the subject, written by an old high school friend, collecting dust on my bookshelf. Had I known that Chris Pirillo, the afore mentioned high school friend, was stumbling through the very same process that I couldn't quite grasp as he developed his wonderfully informative Lockergnome newsletter at almost the same time I gave up on email publishing, I might already have a readership and I might even have been qualified to write my own book.

Anyway, I read this book in parts of two days and have been referring to it almost daily as I go through the process of setting up an email newsletter about...entertainment options in Des Moines, IA.(When I get an idea I just don't let go.)

Chris covers all the bases. From choosing between Text or HTML formatting to deciding on who to use for a list host. He advises the aspiring publisher to choose a name that is both memorable(for branding purposes) and an available domain name. He emphasizes again and again the importance of building your readers' trust by making it clear that you have no intention of spamming the readers or of selling out and providing your list to someone else who might be a spammer, just to make a quick buck. He lists an extensive list of resources in the back of the book as a guide that allows the reader to make informed business decisions. Chris is also more than willing to point out the mistakes he made in his four years of publishing Lockergnome.

PR's Guide to Email Publishing has one key point that shouts out louder than any other. YOU MUST HAVE GREAT CONTENT TO KEEP YOUR READERS COMING BACK FOR MORE. Chris emphasizes the importance of providing things that you the publisher as a reader would care about learning. He clearly points out that in order for your readers to keep wanting to read your publication, you must listen to their ideas and act on their suggestions.

If you have any interest in publishing an email newsletter buy this book. It breaks down all the complicated details you need to get started into easy to digest, bite sized pieces. Thanks to Chris, my email publication that has been 4 years in the making is finally going to be a reality on June 1, 2000.