Jay Conrad Levinson has developed a reputation as a "guerrilla marketer," doing non-traditional things-along with the proven-to grab and hold the attention of the prospective buyer. Guerrillas are defined as "business operators who substitute time, energy, and imagination for money . . . small businesses who have big dreams rather than big bankrolls."
Although his name as shown as the primary author, I don't think Levinson had much to do with writing this book. And that's OK. It's OK because the other co-authors are well-known and respected publicists who have achieved results for their clients for many years. They know what they're talking about. Personally, I don't think they had to hitch their wagon to Levinson's star; but the name and theme do add something to the book.
Frishman and Lublin have written a book that addresses fundamentals. You'll read things like "Publicity never sleeps. It's an ongoing, 24/7 process that never stops. Since you're the product, you're also your own best marketing tool." Beginners who use this book (note my word "use," not just "read") will find a wealth of advice and technique in these pages. People who have built some experience over the years, promoting themselves or their product or service, will find refreshing reminders and some things they haven't thought about before. This "new stuff" aspect applies particularly to some of the ideas about using e-mail and the internet. There's even more that Frishman and Lublin didn't cover in this area, but once you get started, you'll find those new approaches. Their writing will stimulate your creative juices to develop more strategies. Their resource guide at the end of the book will give you more places to go for learning.
Most of the book consists of over 30 short chapters, each addressing a particular aspect of publicity. Ideas and concepts are presented, developed, then summarized in a "Remember" paragraph at the end of the chapter. This pattern makes the book easy to follow and use as a tool to enhance your ongoing publicity campaign. The index will help you go back to find particular topics, so this book will remain on your shelf as a long-time reference tool. The easy-to-read title on the spine will make it easy to spot and retrieve.
Appendix A provides almost fifty pages of sample promotional materials for books. Understandably, Adams Media, the publisher, is dominant. In this section, the authors could have included samples of promotional materials for other products and/or recognized materials from other publishers or publicists. The book also includes the obligatory worksheet, quotations at the beginning of each chapter, and a few proofreading errors.
This is a book that you can read cover-to-cover, marking pages and highlighting. Take notes as you develop your publicity plan. It's a great tool for catapulting yourself to fame and fortune-if your product is worthy and you follow the publicity principles presented here.