Recently someone asked me why he should buy Corey Rudl's "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet" when he could "get the same thing for 30 bucks."  I found the book he was talking about:  $29.99 for 500 pages that promise to "walk you through the details of online business, from conception to money-making reality."  Well that was the first I'd heard about it, and after I got over a seriously bad case of the shakes, I decided to buy it and face my fears head-on.  This is what I found out.

Without mentioning any names, here's what the critics are saying about this other "course":

1. ".... the most well-rounded, informative book on this subject that's shown up in the bookstores to date."
   
2. ".... steps logically through the process of starting an online business.... gets more specific.... if you're seeking upbeat guidance, you'll find it here."
   
3. ".... this book may be all you need to get your business going."
4. ".... a good read and a 21st century motivator. Released in late 1996, every word is still timely. Grade 'A' for sheer summer fun."

Well, it was definitely upbeat, and it was well-rounded enough.  I wasn't looking for "a good read" or a "motivator."  I was already motivated, and I have plenty of other things to keep me entertained.  I found it to be extremely general, almost to the point of being useless.  Now, to be fair, if this had been the first book I read on the subject and I had been a complete novice, I would have come away with some useful information.... but absolutely NOTHING that could be called "step-by-step instruction" or even close.  If I had relied on this book to launch my online business, I would have been left scratching my head saying, "Oh, that sounds like a good idea. Now tell me where to start."

It was also far more outdated than I think it should have been.  The net changes incredibly fast, and there really isn't any way to keep up without publishing a revision every month, which is obviously not practical.... but this was pretty extreme.  For example, the author talked about an AOL program called Greenhouse, and I was immediately interested.  But I went to hunt it down, and there was nothing, so I sent her an e-mail and asked if the program was ancient history or if it went by some other name these days.  Then I sent a second e-mail.  And a third.  I still don't have my answer, and I was not amused.  Ditto on the discussions of online services such as AOL and their hourly charges, "typically $3/hr."  Of course, that went the way of the dinosaurs long ago, with just about everyone offering unlimited access.

Before I get into specific topics, I want to be fair.  The "other" course was clean, without typos or obvious errors.  Corey Rudl's course was, at the time I bought it in early 1998, in desperate need of editing and cleaning up.  However.... I am a professional editor and a perfectionist, and I normally go berserk when I read something that's full of mistakes.  But for the first time in my life, I was able to overlook them.  The information was SO incredibly valuable, and I was SO excited as I read it, all I could think about was how I was going to put it all to use to achieve my dream of working full-time on the net.  I still would have paid five times the price, typos and all.  And I understand that the latest edition is all cleaned up and even more valuable (which is hard to imagine, since the one I have left me with enough ideas to take me through the next 10 years).

I already knew something about the online world (and I assume you do, too, or you wouldn't have gotten this far).  What I was looking for was very SPECIFIC, step-by-step instruction on how to successfully set up and market my online business.  I didn't find it here.

One nit-picky detail.... the book is 435 pages, not 500 (unless you count the table of contents and index).  And not so nit-picky.... it doesn't get into "selling products online" until page 99.  This isn't to say that general discussion about the online business world, what kind of equipment you need, and what motivates buyers isn't important.... even critical.... but it's not what I was looking for in an internet marketing course.  Corey Rudl covers all of this "overview" stuff very thoroughly, but he does it in 21 pages and then gets right down to brass tacks.

Corey's chapter about creating your web site fills 88 pages.  It is incredibly detailed and covers every aspect of designing a site, whether you're a complete novice or trying to salvage a failing site like I was.  And if you already have a decent site that just needs improvement, you'll find absolutely everything you need to know right here.  (It's important to mention that the course does NOT cover the technical aspects of writing HTML.)

As always, life is about a month ahead of me, and I don't have this page finished yet. Please email me and I'll send you the rest of the story.  I apologize for the inconvenience, but I want to be accurate, and that means not rushing through this.