SOWPub Small Business Forums - Wow, financial gloom 'N' doom book #1...

SOWPub Small Business Forums (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/index.php)

- Original SOWPub Forum Archive (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3)

- - Wow, financial gloom 'N' doom book #1... (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2668)

Wow, financial gloom 'N' doom book #1...

Hi,

A new financial gloom 'N' doom book is #1 at Amazon. I remember Bill Myers talking about deflationary depressions. What do you think the back stage reasons for the #1 status of this book are?

Link is below....

Best,

- Boyd

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...077678-6832902

Didn't we have a glut of these in the 70's?

I think our easier access to news is sort of twisting our outlook in rather glum directions. Take yesterday, for instance... no major bad financial news, yet almost everything on the stock market bolted downwards for no reason (except Palm, which, contrary to expectations, rose. Go figger.) But I recall some books from years ago on HOW TO SURVIVE THE COMING GREAT DEPRESSION that sold a bazillion copies and must have worked because we didn't have a great depression. :)

I'd blame the current pessimism on the fact that the economy just didn't bounce back quickly from the dot-bombs. And now with Arthur Andersen and Enron and other once-greats on the skids, it's easy to stand up and shout WE'RE IN TROUBLE!!! and get people to pay to listen to that.

There's no doubt that the stock market is a difficult beastie these days. Give it eight years, Boyd, and we'll be back in the clover again. :)

(actually, I was reading somewhere that the tech sector would take about 8 years to recover from the crash of the 1990's... so we've got six years or so to go before that booms. Hmm. Maybe some bargain-basement chipmaker stocks?)

The Five Minute Mentor

DOOMSDAY: A perspective

Hi,

Link is below, and is rather interesting...

Best,

- Boyd

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/694013/posts

Speaking of market niches . . .

The purveyors of doom and gloom have a very specific, identifiable, and enthusiastic audience for their books and predictions.

By projecting today's worrisome development into the future, they tell people exactly what they want to hear: that the world as we know it is going to end sometime soon.

Whether you believe their predictions or not, some of these writers make a very, very nice living exploiting this market niche.

Robert M. Campbell
www.RealEstateTiming.com

The Campbell Method: A Proven System for Buying and Selling Real Estate for Maximum Profits.

Where is the economy going and why . . .

If we look at the past, we can pretty well tell what the future will be.
Most things in life . . . are some how tied to cycles.

Check out these links and get the big picture.

http://kondratyev.com/reference/theory_explained.htm

Kondratieff Wave -- DJIA (Dow Jones Industrial Averge) -- Sunspot -- Cycles
http://www.angelfire.com/or/truthfinder/index22.html

Sunspots CYCLES
http://www.carolmoore.net/sunspot-article.html

Now you know!

Ciao,
Monkey2
Monkey Business Forum
If you have an interesting story about mind control,
subconscious mind, autosuggestion, subliminal messages,
self-hypnosis, impulse buying, intimidation selling. Please
visit my new forum and share your stories with the rest of us.
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/198461

Monkey Business Forum

How To Manipulate Amazon and Get Higher Rankings

> What do you think
> the back stage reasons for the #1 status of
> this book are?

In the last 24 hours or so, I've received two, maybe three, *URGENT* messages from Joe Vitale and something similar from Yanik Silver.

After reading the first message, the others were deleted unopened.

His message was simple: Go to amazon, buy his latest book, forward the amazon receipt to him as proof you bought the book at amazon, and he'll give you a whole bunch of digital products.

Obviously trying to get the book high on amazon's list.

If Gary North did something similar - buy this book at amazon and get such and such from me - the book would sell well also.

You want 'back stage' reasons... there ya go. Amazon manipulation. (Somehow I think it's against their TOS.)

Michael Ross

Have you got your copy of The Success Report yet? If not, click here.

Turn that title into a product and I'll pay $39.95 [DNO]

dno

> In the last 24 hours or so, I've received
> two, maybe three, *URGENT* messages from Joe
> Vitale and something similar from Yanik
> Silver.

> After reading the first message, the others
> were deleted unopened.

> His message was simple: Go to amazon, buy
> his latest book, forward the amazon receipt
> to him as proof you bought the book at
> amazon, and he'll give you a whole bunch of
> digital products.

> Obviously trying to get the book high on
> amazon's list.

> If Gary North did something similar - buy
> this book at amazon and get such and such
> from me - the book would sell well also.

> You want 'back stage' reasons... there ya
> go. Amazon manipulation. (Somehow I think
> it's against their TOS.)

> Michael Ross

Check out what's the current #1 at Amazon [DNO]

From my email box...

Received this from the manipulator himself:

----------------------
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: #1 thank you---and extended offer

You did it!

You made my "Spiritual Marketing" book
a #1 best-seller at amazon yesterday.

Sales for my book were up over 45,000% ---
in one day!

I went to bed last night thinking I was a #2
best-selling author and pretty happy about that.

But I woke up at 2:30 AM, checked amazon, and
saw I am now a #1 best-selling author!
----------------------

Then he goes on to say, how grateful he is with his tears of joy and how everyone helped him and told their list to get the book without any promise of reward. (Never mind it was from all his buddies who always recommend to buy his stuff or who he recommends to buy their stuff.)

And then he 'extends the offer' for a bunch of reasons. The same old BS reasons others have always used - some people didn't get the email, some are in different time zones, etc.

And there ya have it Boyd. How to get higher ranking on Amazon. The mini-course. You can send your payment to me via paypal. The email address is [email protected]

Michael Ross.

Get your personal copy of The Success Report today. Click here.

Payment will be on the way soon

Hi,

I'll PayPal you the payment in a few minutes; since it was a mini-course I'd like to be able to ask you some questions by email if that's all right.

In fact, here's one: the $14 book ships within 8 to 14 days after order, which sounds like Print On Demand. The $14 price has to be pretty close to breakeven, which makes me speculate that this whole deal was a self-liquidating customer aquisition vehicle. Do you agree?

I'll have another couple of questions beamed to you via email.

Thanks for your message, it was quite interesting!

Best,

- Boyd

> I'll PayPal you the payment in a few
> minutes; since it was a mini-course I'd like
> to be able to ask you some questions by
> email if that's all right.

Feel free to ask me questions by email...

> In fact, here's one: the $14 book ships
> within 8 to 14 days after order, which
> sounds like Print On Demand. The $14 price
> has to be pretty close to breakeven, which
> makes me speculate that this whole deal was
> a self-liquidating customer aquisition
> vehicle. Do you agree?

No. I don't agree.

IF it was print on demand AND a customer aquisition vehicle, he didn't have to use amazon. Remember, to get the bonus items you had to forward your amazon receipt to him.

He could just as easily make the same offer to his list and the lists of others without the use of amazon.

By using amazon he gets higher up the sales ranking chart. That means on the top of the best seller list. And that means more exposure to amazon browsers as well as journalists who write about best sellers.

By being up on the amazon list he is also exposed to Oprah's book-lookers more. And whether she then recommends his book to her 'club' or invites him onto her program, he will get even more exposure.

And exposure means more sales.

Go to your local book store and have a look at the best seller shelf. Nearly everyone checks out that shelf. And with a title like "Spiritual Marketing : A Proven 5-Step Formula for Easily Creating Wealth from the Inside Out," many people will pick it and check it out a bit more.

As for the cost being about break even...

I don't think so. He could get a few thousand printed up for probably about $3 a piece. But he's not going to let amazon have a few boxes because the book wasn't selling many before his manipulation.

So amazon would probably make a sale and then order a book from him. And to allow for the time it takes for him to get the book to them and for them to then ship it, they put in "Usually ships within 8 to 14 days."

Also, if it was a print on demand and not vanity published, his printer might have one of those machines where the book is stored on file and as you want one he prints it off. Just as easy as printing any document on your computer. And a couple of minutes later (literally) the book is ready.

And if it's saddle stiched, then he's looking at 33 sheets of paper and a card cover. Even at ten cent per sheet to photocopy the paper and $1 for the card cover and 20 cents for the staples, his total costs would only be $4.50.

At a $14 selling price he still makes money and of more importance, he is exposed to many many many more people by being up on the bestseller list. And that means more sales.

Hope this helps

Michael Ross.

Get your own, personal copy of The Success Report today. It can change your life. Click here.

Very interesting! Must ponder this... [DNO]

Hah! The last shelf I would check out in a book store is the best seller shelf

If that many people like it, it must be cr*p. Yes, I know, I'm not normal.

Here's something else to ponder...

The book is no longer in the best seller list. Not anywhere in the top 100.

This clearly shows that while you may be able to manipulate amazon sales for a few hours, by asking your list to buy your book and by asking your buddies to ask their list to buy your book, for long term high sales rankings you need other promotional efforts.

I'll often search amazon for books I've heard about elsewhere instead of browsing amazon for something to buy. This would have a more powerful effect on sales rankings as the other promotional effort is longer lasting.

See, Joe Vitale's message said to buy before a certain deadline. So he wanted everyone to buy all at the same time, or at least on the same day.

He knew he wasn't likely to have enough sales over the long haul to get him up there. But because amazon updates their list hourly, he might be able to sneak up there for an hour or so.

If you search for the book now, the shipping time is now down to 5 to 6 days. Although I couldn't find its current amazon sales ranking.

Michael Ross.

Discover How To Demolish The Success Barriers That Hold You Back and Be Pulled Towards Your Goals