Recently, the ‘internet marketing’ community was buzz with a huge hoax masterminded by Frank Kern – I won’t go into it in this post, but you can read about it over at – Don Fleece, Traffic Mysteries, Confessions and Reality or on the Frank Kern Shenanigans Facebook Group.

Anyway… it got me thinking about a huge hoax that began as a practical joke by late-night radio raconteur Jean Shepherd in the mid-1950s. Shepherd was highly annoyed at the way that the bestseller lists were being compiled at the time.

Unlike today, these lists at the time were not determined only on sales figures, but also on requests for new books at bookstores.

Shepherd urged his listeners to enter bookstores across the USA, and ask for a book that did not exist. He fabricated an author, Frederick R. Ewing, concocted a title, ‘I, Libertine’, and outlined a basic plot for his listeners to use on skeptical or confused bookstore clerks.

Shepherd eventually proved his point, as the ‘fictional book’ became a bestseller. (See the play on words I used there – not only was it a ‘fiction book’, but the book itself was fictional by nature – I really should be a comedian.)

“It all started when I got into a discussion one day about people who pretend to know everything,” Shepherd wrote later in the Voice. “We thought it would be a good gag to undermine their faith by creating a demand for something that didn’t even exist. We dreamed up the name and the author on the spot.”

I recently came across an interview where the crazy tale is recounted in Jean Shepherd’s own words on Long John Nebel’s radio show from 1968 – it’s well worth a listen; as it has nothing to do with marketing, yet everything to do with marketing.

Download the interview here (MP3)

The ‘Fictional Book’ That Became a Bestseller… is a post from: Preneur Marketing - The Blog of Entrepreneur Pete Williams
Don't miss out on the comments people like you have left, view this post online here: The ‘Fictional Book’ That Became a Bestseller…

Not all sites in the posts will be focused on business building, internet marketing or nike shoes – but the majority will… And if I do throw in an out-of-place URL, it will only be ’cause it was really super awesome.

Now I know I am going to be “pissing in my own pot” with my next statement… but it’s important for your success.

Before you go off and visit any of these sites ask yourself this question: “Is visiting this site going to get me closer to my goal? “

Because if you are anything like me the answer may very well be a big fat NO, and your time is better spent taking action on an outstanding project.

This thinking really came back to me whilst reading (actually listening to the audiobook) ‘Getting Things Done’ where the underlying premise is ‘What’s the next physical ACTION you can take to help you reach the goal of any project”

Stay tunned because I will be posting a full grade-school style book review on GTD in a few days…

Anyway, I am guessing that if you are still reading you want to see what links I have in store for you today… Well here goes:

The Gruen Transferhttp://www.abc.net.au/tv/gruentransfer/video/xml/gruen_mp4.xml

The Evolution of Websites: How 10 Popular Websites Have (And Have Not) Changed

If you are a web designer this is a cool site to get an idea of how some of the biggest sites on the web have changed over time.

The State Of The Web in Summer 2008
Not sure what to say here – Just check it out… It’s good for a 4 second giggle.

Bubbleply
Add Bubbles to any video and post it anywhere you wish! It’s kinda like YouTube Annotation but way way better… You can easily add bubble (and links I belive) to any video and then post that video on your blog or sales letter – It’s the ability to post the annotated video on your own site that’s killer.

SlideShare Contest
SlideShare is a web 2.0 slide presentation sharing platfrom – and they are running their annual Contest.

Enter your presentation into the contest, as there are some cool prizes up for grabs… Your entry could be about anything – to teach 5th graders history, tell em why your city is great or convince us to buy hybrid cars. Evangelize Linux or share a recipe for that perfect apple pie!

CopyDoodlesâ„¢ Testimonial Generator
If you have a salesletter online, this is a great tool that allows you to generate images of handwritten testimonials on a note paper. You know the type you see on virtually every online sales letter.. Well you can now have them too.

Inserting Video into Ebay Listings
Vzaar looks like a cool site/tool/platform for inserting videos in eBay listings – Now I haven’t tested this myself but will be playing with it on my MCG Carpet listings in the coming weeks.

…

The Websites That Distracted Me This Week [July 19] is a post from: Preneur Marketing - The Blog of Entrepreneur Pete Williams
Don't miss out on the comments people like you have left, view this post online here: The Websites That Distracted Me This Week [July 19]