A "recognized authority" tells you how to become one. (Marketing).

Many newsletter publishers are already recognized authorities in the field their newsletters cover. Louis Rukeyser and Richard Simmons come to mind, as well as universities and other institutions trading on their names such as Harvard, Tufts, Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic.

Still others through the years become authorities through their influential newsletters. Jack O'Dwyer, three generations of Kiplingers, and Ralph and Terry Kovel are good examples.

That leaves hundreds, if not thousands, of newsletter editors and publishers who are authorities in their fields, but not the recognized authorities that help make their newsletters a household name and a take-it-to-the-bank product.

Direct marketing consultant Robert W. Bly has produced a book designed to help you gain the publicity and notice to make you a recognized authority. The techniques he outlines, he says, have helped him become a self-made millionaire by positioning himself "as a recognized authority in a small niche field of direct-mail copywriting."

Replaces thousands of DM dollars

In Become a Recognized Authority in Your Field--in 60 Days or Less, Bly writes that "there is one marketing strategy that, if you master it, eliminates the need to do any other type of selling or marketing ever: becoming a guru.

"Why can becoming a guru in your field virtually ensure you a long-term sustainable marketing advantage over your competitors?

"We live in the Information Age, an era in which we are bombarded by data and drowning in information yet starved for knowledge. Although information is more plentiful and available than at any time in history (thanks largely to the internet), people are overwhelmed by information overload and unable to process it all. Increasingly, we look to experts who seem to have a handle on this information (or at least on a segment of it in a narrow field) and can make sense of the data and guide us in our actions."

Bly's book is targeted to people in all walks of life--and includes a chapter on starting a self-promotional newsletter to help position oneself as an expert--but it is so thorough in its exposition that newsletter editors and publishers can well profit from its innumerable tips and examples and techniques.

"See yourself as a brand"

At one point, Bly states: "See yourself as a brand and learn the techniques to distinguish yourself from others,' writes Roz Usherhoff in Speakers Gold (April 2000, p. 1). 'Developing brand distinction builds your reputation and opens the door to future promotions, opportunities, and options."'

Bly presents eleven detailed chapters each designed to help you reach the goal of turning yourself into a recognizable brand:

1. What Is a Guru? (including Benefits of Becoming a Guru)

2. How to Join the Guru Elite (including Attitude, Ethics, Methodology, and Market Niche)

3. Articles (including The Type of Article You Should Write, Exclusivity, Writing Articles for the Web)

4. Books (including Why Every Guru or Would-Be Guru Should Write a Book)

5. Information products (including Tips for Producing Specific Types of Information Products, How to Sell Your Products Profitably to Clients and Prospects, and How to Use Direct Marketing to Boost Your Product Sales)

6. Newsletters and E-Zines (including Building Your Subscriber List, Promoting the Newsletter, and Paid Subscription Newsletters)

7. Speaking (including Finding Speaking Opportunities, Planning an Effective Presentation, and The PowerPoint Question)

8. Seminars (including Why Every Guru or Would-Be Guru Should Consider Giving Seminars)

9. Public Relations (including How PR Works and Develop a Hook)

10. The Internet (including Do You Need a Web Site? and Building a Community of Interest on Your Site)

11. Profiting From Your Guru Status (including Referrals, How to Calculate Your Earning Potential, and Time vs. Money).

In short, the book is a short course on self-promotion in practically every medium now available.

Become a Recognized Authority in Your Field in 60 Days or Less, Robert W Bly 292 pp., softcover. $18.95, Alpha Books, available at www.Amazon.com or directly from the author at his web site, www.bly.com.