By Michael Phillips & Salli Rasberry, 1997, 2nd Edition, paperback, 191 pages $19.00, ISBN 0-87337-369-3. Publisher: Nolo Press, 800-992-6656

It is often observed that creative people, such as inventors and entrepreneurs, seem to have been cast in a mold different from the mold that produces successful business people. Therefore, when creative people decide to market their own product, it is wise to have at least one associate who is business wise.

If you do decide to go it alone you will find your local bookstore or library has shelves full of books that claim to guide you through the stormy seas of the business world. This book is somewhat unique in that it takes the view you can, and in many cases that you should, do your marketing without advertising.

The authors feel that many of the claims of the American advertising industry are, in fact, monstrous myths. They support their claim by citing that of the 11 million non-farm businesses in the United States, 36% do no advertising at all, but rely on "personally knowing their customers, on their reputation, and sometimes on salespeople or commissioned representatives". Another 70% are one-person firms that rely mainly on personal recommendations. It should be noted that the authors, for the purposes of this book, exclude yellow page listings, directories, and trade shows from their definition of "advertising."

They caution that with a retailer or wholesaler that "it is almost never worth signing an exclusive agreement of any sort". They assert: "Never let short-term greed get in the way of long-term good business practices".

On the subject of intellectual property, such as patents, copyrights, designs, and trade secrets, it is often better to license, share the ownership, than to attempt to maintain a monopoly. They cite how often even the largest and most powerful firms have lost out when firms, such as Phillips for example, gave reasonable licenses to almost anyone manufacturing audio tapes.

The chapter on marketing on the Internet cautions that we, as Americans, have a boundless faith in the future of technology and therefore seduce ourselves into believing the Internet will solve all our marketing problems. After all, is it not "free" and it makes your message available to the entire world?

They point out some products and some people may not fit the Web site method of marketing. For example, you may have a product that must be physically examined to make the sale or you may have a service that is so specialized that your clients seek you out. They urge you "to keep in mind that for many businesses having a Web site is like having vanity plates for your car".

If you do decide on going the Internet route, they suggest you consider two key facts. One, you may be one of 30 listed in your local yellow pages, but you may be one of 9,000 on the Internet. To stand out they suggest imagining trying to "make it into The Guiness Book of World Records", that is, make yourself unique and desirable above all others. Two, if the the nature of your business is necessarily local, point it out clearly by a map and with words.

While the cost of a net site can be low, they caution gimmicks can be costly in time and money. They quote one expert in the field as advising that it is better to have a "few thousand loyal customers" than "a million new people visit each month and never return".

The authors give suggestions on how to get covered by search engines. They especially note the importance of selecting good key words to avoid being lost in the oceans of words spewed out by hundreds of thousands of firms in similar fields.

The appendix of this book contains 21 worksheets that will help you analyze your business, your customers, and will aid you in planning your marketing efforts. This book is a down-to-earth, hands-on book, by two people with vast small business experience and they have the ability to convey their hard earned knowledge without pretentious theories, graphs, and other technobabble.

A real pleasure to read, a very low price, and a chance to view marketing and advertising from a different perspective than the conventional one.