THESE BOOKS SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE
MONEY ON THE INTERNET 
 
by Dr. Kevin Nunley

Are you planning to put your business on the Internet, but want to speed up the learning curve avoiding costly mistakes? Have you been on-line for a while and need some fresh ideas to jump-start your Internet profits? Here's my list of "must read" books on how to make money on the Internet, a flood of on-target information.

Before you get entangled in all the latest Netizen gizmos and tricks, keep in mind that sound business starts with good, basic marketing. That's a rule that many on the Internet have lost sight of this year. One big business after another has hired expensive web  design firms to build pages filled  with state-of-the-art  programming that can only run on the latest specially modified browsers. For the average consumer, many of those $20,000 web sites crash browsers, make little sense, and don't entice anyone to buy.

Start your on-line efforts with a good,  basic lesson in smart marketing.  Jay Conrad Levinson and Charles Rubin's now classic little book "Guerrilla Marketing OnLine Weapons" makes sure you understand the fundamental money-making rules of marketing. Levinson quickly shows you how to find a niche for your product or service, define your attack, build an identity, get a theme, and advertise wisely and consistently. "But the book is out of date," one reader told me. The essential concepts of good marketing are timeless and there's never been a better time to review them. Getting back to marketing basics is your best bet for making a splash on the Net.

Give your web site a lift with William R. Stanek's "Increase Your Web Traffic In a Weekend." From using free ads, newsgroups, and buying banners to how to impress search engines, Stanek is quick to read, easy to understand, and full of sharp ideas. He's also developed several web sites where you can go to register your work with dozens of top search engines and link libraries.

Got a week of vacation coming up? Take some time to read Dr.  Jeffrey Lant's new "E-Mail El Dorado."  Lant always packs his books with how-to detail, so don't expect to skim through this book during a lunch hour. Email is currently the most effective, direct way to reach lots and lots of prospective customers. Lant shares his aggressive email marketing technique: get the email addresses of your customers and prospects (with their permission) and consistently hit them with good information and commercial offers. Lant covers how to develop sales letter templates for working with lots of email fast, how to use listservs, how to write email copy, how to start your own email newsletter, and how to utilize email in building a network marketing opportunity. Order the book direct from the author (617)547-6372.

For a good all-round guide to Internet business and marketing, get a copy of Jim Daniels' "Insider Internet Marketing" ( http://www.BizWeb2000.com ). This has become the Boy Scout Handbook of Internet marketing information. Daniels lists place after place where you can get low-cost and free marketing tools on the Net. You'll find yourself keeping this book right next to your computer.

Computer equipment is likely to take the biggest bite out of your Internet business budget. There's no reason to spend thousands on the latest-greatest showroom hardware and software. "Cheapskate's Guide to Bargain Computing" by Bill Camarda is a real eye-opener to hundreds of ways of saving money on hardware and software. (Don't read this book if you just bought a new system.) The rush to compete has encouraged software firms to offer their latest programs for big discounts or free. Your just have to know where to look.

Finally, the last book is really a whole class of good books. The Internet changes so fast that traditional publishers can't keep up with the pace of new developments. By the time a book is on the shelves, its contents are a bit out of date. Some writers have solved this problem by self-publishing. Because they do all the writing and binding themselves, they can update pages at any time. This is often the most up-to-date information for experienced Internet marketers.

Gary Christensen binds his over 100 excellent reports and articles into books. Corey Rudl has been making waves with his massive two binder plus CD-ROM "Home Study Course" ( http://www.MarketingTips.com ). It combines targeting, copywriting, and email techniques with classic promotional methods that are just making it to the Internet.

I have written a handy Internet Marketing Workbook that steps you through the process of planning your own profitable Internet business. Get it from http://www.SmallBusinessU.com 

Remember that you  don't have to read an entire book to get loads of useful insights and resources.   Take a few minutes to "read into" a book. Scan the table of contents for the chapters that apply to your situation. Usually a writer will put their most important ideas in the first 40 pages and the last 10 pages of the book.

Kevin Nunley provides marketing advice and copy writing for businesses and organizations. Read all his money-saving marketing tips at http://DrNunley.com/.  Reach him at kevin@drnunley.com  or (801)253-4536.