Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul : A Woman's Guide to Promoting Herself, Her Business, Her Product, or Her Cause with Integrity and Spirit (Harperresource Books)

Rating:
Summary: She knows what she's talking about
Review: i benefited from reading this book because she knows the ins and outs but she's not teaching the same old [stuff] about crushing the competition and getting in people's faces

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Summary: Best advice I ever got!!!
Review: Susan Harrow's advice was like a gift from above. Her easy to follow practical suggestions made all the difference in the world. With no budget and no PR experience I followed her advice and I had TV and radio interviews within a week. Her book showed me how I could sell myself and stay true to myself at the same time.

She is a PR Goddess!

~Lisa Earle McLeod, Motivational Speaker and author of
Forget Perfect, finding joy, meaning , and satisfaction in the life you've already got and the you YOU already are (Putnam Nov 2001)

Rating:
Summary: Enagaging, Informative and for More Than Women
Review: Susan Harrow's excellent expository style is engaging, informative and chock full of tidbits of wisdom that simply fly off the page and beg to be utilized.

More than the standard PR book, this title takes the concept one step deeper into a more whole or integrity based approach to PR which is especially relevant to those of us in fields where wholeness and integrity is crucial.... As I write that I realize how ALL professions are headed in this direction and could benefit greatly from Harrow's approach.

I am curious about the title: I almost wish it had something besides "Women" in the title. Maybe something feminine and yet the title itself seems to minimize what might be wanting to happen for men who would like to "try on" this brand of marketing

Rating:
Summary: Not for women only
Review: This is an extraordinarily detailed book written in an incisive and engaging style that will serve not only as a "how to" and an inspirational, but as a work of reference as well. Take it on the plane, underline it. Read it for pleasure. Get it out at night and study.

Susan Harrow knows the PR business backwards and forwards, and reading this book can help you to know it too. She knows the pitfalls to media success, and she knows scores of secrets to success. Let me just say that if you are about to embark (or have been embarking) on a public career of any kind, you will find this book invaluable. I haven't used the word "invaluable" in over five hundred reviews. It applies here, believe me. This is why HarperCollins published this book (they undoubtedly had dozens of similar manuscripts that they could have published), and this is why HarperCollins and Susan Harrow are working hard to promote this work. It's the best of its kind that I have seen. I only wish I had this book when I was one and twenty or even one and forty. And now that I am more like one and ... there's still a chance I might put this to good use!

Harrow uses anecdotes and remembrances from her own experience to get across her points. One that I especially liked comes under her heading, "Trust in your own authority" on page 176. She recalls being in that infamous psychology experiment in which you are to give an electrical shock to someone in another room for some error. The point was to see if you, sadistic innocent that you are, would actually do it! Harrow reports that she opted out rather than administer the shock. I believe her because it is obvious that she thinks for herself and doesn't blindly follow authority.

As in books for learning something from the ground up (a computer language for example) Harrow uses many sidebars with distinctive icons. She has Warnings! and Invitations (the latter in a script font), HOT TIPS! in a military stencil font, and a rather daring pursed lips icon for "Harrow's Kiss of Approval." Curiously, this icon which might seem too familiar actually works well. Very creative.

Here are some items to give you a feel for the book:

Harrow is not content with presenting celebrity secrets of publicity (in Chapter 15). She follows that up with Chapter 16: "...Publicity Secrets of Spiritual Masters." An old friend of mine who sold things for a living once told me that the secret to selling success is to realize that you are selling love. That's what people really want: love. And he meant it sincerely. Harrow makes a similar point when she advises: "See the face of God in everyone." Goose bumps will appear on your own skin if you can do that, AND people will flock to you. Harrow calls this way of looking at people as "choosing to see their true nature." (p. 175)

She warns of the "three times you should refuse to be on Oprah or any other talk show." (p. 223) I'll give you number three: "They want you to air your dirty laundry." (It happens a lot. Even Barbara Walters is not above such an approach.)

In the chapter on becoming "mediagenic" Harrow gives a quick course in public speaking and she begins with what not to drink (coffee and tea can dehydrate and dry out your mouth) and adds this "Do" (which I know from yoga) "Do use salt water to cleanse and clear your nasal passages." This will "aid breathing and speaking." Alternate breathing exercises (a kind of pranayama) will do the same, I hasten to add, should salt be unhandy.

When sending out press releases or articles, include your title! (p. 96) Don't leave it up to the editor to do it. He might not do it so well, and--I can tell you from personal experience--he will appreciate the title and will probably use it since it saves him time.

This is also a beautifully edited and presented book. It's easy to see that a lot of work went into its production. The text is clear and thorough, lively and instructive. There are Internet and other resources near the back of the book, and there's an Index.

It has been said that women are more practical than men, a kind of stable wisdom from my formative years that I got somewhere. I've usually found this to be true. Harrow's book exemplifies the contention: whether it's preparing for a TV interview (Chapter 13) or simply reminding you that persistence counts (Chapter 20), Harrow is a master of the practical.

Bottom line: You don't have to be a woman to appreciate the value of this extraordinary piece of work.

Rating:
Summary: Hands On Public Relations for Women and Even Men
Review: Though Susan Harrow's primer, Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul: A Woman's Guide to Promoting Herself, Her Business, Her Product, or Her Cause with Integrity and Spirit, claims to be the first and only marketing and publicity book for women, however, beyond doubt, it could have easily been addressed to men.

Although the book's subject matter is very extensive, Harrow has done an amazing job of providing her readers with varying perspectives.
One finds everything from how to plan and put into operation an effective publicity campaign, how to build powerful press materials, preparing yourself verbally and psychologically for media attention, creating clear messages for print, radio, TV and the Internet, to a chapter on sustaining media interest and integrating publicity into your life.

Relying on her own experiences and strategies of successful public relation specialists, the author emphasizes that honesty, business acumen, creativity and imagination the most essential components in your quest to reach the top.
In addition, Harrow counsels that you must always strive to maintain you integrity, know your message, perseverance, practice presenting your points, and becoming the message you want to spread.

The author is a very successful and respected media coach and marketing strategist who has been instrumental in helping her clients appear on such television shows as 60 Minutes, Oprah, CNN, CBS, Howard Stern, Good Morning America, Larry King Live.

Consequently, several chapters of the book are devoted to teaching you how to be invited as a guest speaker on little known as well as well known shows, and once you are invited, how to prepare and conduct yourself.

Numerous books have been written about the same subject matter, and the question arises can another book add anything significant?
The answer is certainly in the affirmative, when you consider the author's hands on approach, and the avoidance of hyped up subjects as, "crushing the competition," "attack your workload," and similar expressions that are prevalent in books dealing with the same subject matter.
Furthermore, Harrow's manages to navigate her way around the topics in a style that is devoid of unnecessary padding.
The introductory paragraphs to each chapter prudently summarizes the major points to be explored. There is also a continuous block building of suggestions designed to encourage flexibility and creativity.

Another interesting feature is the multitude of "hot tips" sprinkled throughout the book. These are the results of the author's many years of experience that she wishes to share with her readers. Harrow refers to them as bonuses and insider secrets that will help spark new ideas. The author also places warning signs throughout the book that alert the reader to dangers particular to women.

Of particular interest is the book's list of resources of people, products, books, organizations, and newsletters contained in the final chapter entitled "Resources."
Readers who wish to further their knowledge pertaining to the subject matter are provided with invaluable tools that will save them a great deal of time and money.