The National Association of Real Estate Editors is accepting entries for its first Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards. Authors of books published in 2007 and 2006 on such real estate topics as home buying, selling, renting, mortgage finance, green building, urban design, architecture, government housing policy, and construction are eligible to apply. Get more information on how to apply at www.NAREE.org. Four winners will be announced, including for a first-time author award. Winners will receive cash prizes from $1,000-$250. Deadline: Sept. 2.
 Favorite Pick: Sell with Soul: Creating an Extraordinary Career in Real Estate Without Losing Your Friends, Your Principles or Your Self-Respect, by Jennifer Allan
"Jennifer is such a nice change from the regular 'numbers game' authors. Her message is simple: be good at what you do and spend time and keep in contact with your SOI. No need for begging for referrals, they’ll come naturally."
—Heather Oberhau, e-PRO, Prudential Fox & Roach REALTORS®, www.SoldbyHeather.Blogspot.com
Favorite pick: I've Heard it All and so Should You: Confessions of a Real Estate Columnist, by Edith Lank
"There are not many real estate books that tickle the funny bone as much … while consistently revealing human nature at its best (and worst), as well as a confirming the general lack of knowledge about most things related to residential real estate as does I've Heard It All And So Should You: Confessions of a Real Estate Columnist by Edith Lank," Jim Zirbes, a Phoenix real estate associate broker, writes on his blog, The Realty Blogger – Jim's R.E. Journal.
 Favorite pick: The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, by Gary Keller
"This book gives you step by step tips to help enhance your career. If you are new to the business or have been in the business many years, this book can help you maintain your focus and become goal driven."
—Ann Grant, SRES, Keller Williams Realty, White Plains, N.Y.,
www.AnnGrantRealty.com
Tell us what you’re reading. Send an e-mail to bookblog@realtors.org that includes the title of the real estate book and its author, along with your name, contact information, and what you like or dislike about the book.
 Quick Skim
These days, you may be more inclined to run from the media than aim to be on their speed dial. But by having your face on the nightly news or your name in an article, you could present yourself as an expert in the field, build your reputation, and make yourself a go-to person for listings. Before you start drawing attention to yourself, though, you’d be smart to read Edward Segal's how-to book, Profit by Publicity (iUniverse, 2007). It has 226 pages of ideas on how to form a publicity plan, get publicity on a shoestring budget, draw from strategies of other real estate pros, and talk to the media to get the results you want.
Buy the Book
From the Book: 5 Ways to Get More Publicity
So what do you want to publicize – yourself, your company, an aspect of your real estate expertise? Also, who’s your target audience? Knowing the answers to such questions will help you to pinpoint appropriate newspapers, magazines, or other media outlets to pitch stories or offer up your expertise. A list of such considerations appears in Segal's book to help you start to form your publicity plan.
Once you have a well-mapped out plan of your goals, you're ready to head on the publicity trail.
1. Have a news hook. When approaching the media with a story idea, make sure it's newsworthy for more than just yourself. In his book, Segal identifies some of the most common story angles where real estate professionals are often successful in landing in news stories.
For example, stories where you can talk about real estate trends and developments, advocate for affordable housing, raise money for a good cause, market listings in a unique way, showcase unusual properties, or comment on a recent real estate transactions. Also, realize that you may face skepticism from the media so arm yourself with a solid real estate background, credentials, and facts to back up your key points when talking to the press. (WATCH: an online video of media tips to put you at ease when talking to reporters.)
2. Give speeches. Speaking in public offers golden opportunities to make people aware of your real estate expertise, accomplishments, and activities, Segal writes. Talk at a conference or seminar and, beforehand, make the most of your presentation by issuing news releases, e-mail and newsletter announcements, and conduct press interviews to highlight your talk ahead of time. (LISTEN: REALTOR® magazine's podcast on how to become a better speaker.)
3. Get publicity in cyberspace. You can increase your exposure using the Web, too. Comment on others’ blogs, create podcasts, and have a Web site that you promote everywhere — these all can be ways to showcase your expertise and ramp up your exposure. On your Web site homepage, set up a “press room” or “news” section. In that section, have news releases,
Continue reading "Book Review: Profit by Publicity" »
Profit by Publicity author Edward Segal is ready to answer your questions about how to generate more publicity for your business and best approaches when talking to the media. Tap into Segal's expertise and submit your question. Simply click on the "submit" button below to e-mail your question, or post a question below in the comments section.
Segal is CEO and communications director of the Marin Association of REALTORS® and a media trainer and PR consultant to companies nationwide. Segal is also a marketing strategies columnist for The Wall Street Journal's StartupJournal.com.
Please keep your questions general so that others can benefit from the responses too.
Read Rumsey's responses on Aug. 4. Also, be sure to check back to The Weekly Book Scan on Wednesday for a review of Profit by Publicity and 5 tips from the book on generating more publicity.
 Books on how to make big money from house-flipping aren’t exactly flying off the bookshelves these days, according to a recent article in The New York Times (A Shift in Real Estate Books, by Joanne Kaufman, June 9, 2008) about how the slowdown in the real estate market is affecting book sales.
Once popular how-to books about reselling hot properties for quick cash are being replaced by how-to books on avoiding foreclosure and rebounding from real estate investing mistakes.
Publishers are adding new titles and updating backlist titles to reflect the changing times. So what else can
Continue reading "Latest Real Estate Books Take on Different Theme" »
Bestselling author and marketing guru Seth Godin stops by the Weekly Book Scan to answer questions about improving your marketing.
When business slows, there may not be as much money to sink into your marketing. How can real estate professionals figure out what can give them the best return for their marketing dollar? Can you still make your business “remarkable” even on a tight budget?
GODIN: Marketing is not about money, it's about insight and promises and stories and relationships and connections. Use the downtime you have now to put sweat equity into your marketing, by doing something worth talking about.
In real estate, you’re selling a service not a product, per se. So how can you differentiate yourself in real estate?
GODIN:The first step is in realizing it IS a service. Yet most REALTORS® do nothing at all to differentiate. It's about the picture of the house and the boring business card and the empty claims and promises. BE different, really different, and people will treat you that way.
Technology continues to evolve in offering new ways to reach potential customers. What do you see as some of the best ways to use technology for marketing and prospecting?
GODIN: I don't think technology (Zillow, etc.) is the enemy of the outstanding REALTOR®. Instead, I think smart REALTORS® will realize that they can build a long term relationship asset using technology, turning themselves into the one and only.
Check out more of Godin's marketing tips in this Q&A from REALTOR® magazine.
 Quick Skim
Using a traditional (a.k.a. boring) marketing strategy is one of the riskiest things you can do, as it threatens to make you invisible to the customers you need most to succeed. That’s the main thrust of Seth Godin’s classic Purple Cow: Transform Your Business By Being Remarkable (Portfolio, 2002), a quick read of case studies and commentary on how to make your brand something everyone will be talking about. Godin shares lessons from innovators such as Krispy Kreme, Apple, and Starbucks as he inspires you to stop following the herd and find your own way to be remarkable.
Buy the Book
From the Book: 5 Ways to Be Remarkable
Do you feel invisible and anonymous when prospecting? Then start searching for a “Purple Cow” you can bring to your business. Unlike boring brown cows, Purple Cows are products or services that have built-in remarkable elements that literally sell themselves. Here are some ideas from the book for making your company stand out from the crowd:
1. Sniff out the sneezers. Godin uses the term “sneezers” to describe people who are so excited about your services that they infect all those around them with information about you and what you have to offer. Spend all your energies pleasing this group and figure out ways that you can grow and reward this group. “Ignore the rest,” Godin writes. “Your ads (and your products!) shouldn’t cater to the masses.” Do you have the e-mail addresses of the 20 percent of your customer base who loves what you do? If not, get them. And then concentrate on making this 20 percent happy.
2. Don’t play it safe. Trying to play it safe is riskier than innovation, Godin writes. Playing follow-the-leader in your industry makes you disappear into the crowd. Innovative companies, by definition, try tactics that competitors don’t use. For example, Herman Miller took a risk when the company introduced the $750 (gasp!) Aeron chair into the office furniture industry in 1994. “They launched a chair that looked different, worked differently, and cost a bunch,” Godin writes. “It was a Purple Cow. Everyone who saw it wanted to sit in it, and everyone who sat in it wanted to talk about it.” What tactics does your company use that follow the leader? You’ll never catch up with your competitors by being the same, so make a list of ways you can succeed by being
Continue reading "Reader’s Choice: Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable" »
 Here are the latest top selling books in business and investing from Amazon.com:
1. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich, By Timothy Ferriss
2. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, By David Allen
3. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't, By Jim Collins
4. The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 11th Edition
5. StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths, By Tom Rath
6. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
7. The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life, By John Assaraf and Murray Smith
8. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, By Dan Ariely
9. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, By Malcolm Gladwell
10. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, By Nassim Nicholas Taleb
By Mary Martinez
NAR Manager, Library & Information Services
 No surprise, real estate sales books consistently rank among the top circulating titles in the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ Virtual Library eBooks Collection, a special library collection just for REALTORS® and association staff.
But, this digital collection offers something for every facet of life. NAR members have free access to 1,000 downloadable books, audio books, and videos on everything from managing a real estate career to learning Japanese ... from practicing time management to practicing yoga ... from using a digital camera to making real money in Second Life.
Among the most popular eBooks in May were those on foreclosed properties:
— Buying Real Estate Foreclosures
— How to Make Money on Foreclosures
— Make Money in Short-Sale Foreclosures
However, other eBooks making the top 10 list in May included audio books on learning Spanish — Instant Immersion Spanish and Dr. Blair's Spanish In No Time; eBooks on Internet
Continue reading "Take Your Reading Digital and Access Free Books" »
Tell us your favorite real estate book of all-time.
Send an e-mail to bookblog@realtors.org that includes the title of the real estate book and its author, along with your name, contact information, and why it's your favorite. Send us your photo, too, and we'll feature you on the blog!
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Welcome to an online book club created especially for you, a busy real estate professional. Each blog entry is designed to give you a weekly dish on book news in five minutes or less. Read more >
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