NOBODY'S FOOL; `DOS FOR DUMMIES' PUBLISHER PARLAYS AN EMPIRE.

Byline: Mark Schwanhausser Knight Ridder Newspapers

John Kilcullen sensed he was onto something when he overheard a frustrated computer user tell a salesman he wanted a simple, understandable software primer, ``Something like DOS for dummies.''

What he didn't foresee is how that offhand comment would one day lead to a line of self-deprecating books ``for Dummies'' that would gain a worldwide identity that has reshaped how books are sold and published.

Though disparaged by some as ``moron manuals'' or ``learning lite,'' the self-help reference manuals published by IDG Books Worldwide Inc. of Foster City, Calif., have moved beyond DOS and software and into nontech topics such as finance, gardening and sex. In the process, the brand name has become so recognizable and powerful that it has gained acceptance in a publishing industry that generally depends on hot authors and an eclectic variety. And with time, IDG Books aims to become an Internet force, too.

`` `Dummies' is part of Americana now; it's part of the '90s now,'' said Kilcullen, the chief executive who took IDG Books public last July. ``We're probably the only crossover brand in the history of publishing that can go into golf, cooking, relationships, lifestyle and sell well - if not be the category killer.''

Indeed, 9-year-old IDG Books rang up almost $142 million in sales in 1998 - up 17 percent from the previous year. Meanwhile, profits jumped 45 percent.

The secret of IDG Books' success could provide fodder for ``Branding for Dummies.'' The ``Dummies'' line is the powerhouse, with more than 700 titles, 60 million copies sold and translations in 31 languages. And armed with cash from its IPO, IDG Books in December acquired another well-known name: Cliffs Notes, the publisher of study guides that have helped busy or lazy students cram for literature tests and book reports. In addition, IDG Books is diversifying by marketing 16 other lines, including a series of ``3D Visual'' primers and detailed software reference ``bibles.''

``We're more than a `Dummies' company and more than a Cliffs Notes company,'' said president Steven Berkowitz, noting that ``Dummies'' books account for 60 percent of the company's revenues. That's still a heavy dependence on ``Dummies,'' but the line provided about 90 percent of revenues just a half-decade ago.

The brand names help IDG Books in two ways. First, the sales success opens up retail shelf space. ``Dummies'' books are mainstays at big-name bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, discount chains such as Wal-Mart and Internet retailers such as Amazon.com. But specialty retailers that typically don't sell books are willing to peddle ``Dummies'' manuals, with computer stores selling software titles, wine stores selling ``Wine for Dummies,'' and sporting goods shops selling ``Golf for Dummies.''

Second, the brand's success squeezes knucklehead knock-offs such as the ``Idiot's Guides,'' ``Smart Guides,'' ``Unofficial Guides'' and ``Lazy Man's Guides.''

``The formula is easy to duplicate; there's nothing proprietary like Intel with a chip,'' said Jonathan L. Steinmetz, an analyst with JWGenesis Securities. ``But in a physical bookstore, there is a limit on bookshelves. If the `Dummies' brand is working, no one wants the idiots, the morons and the stupid jerks.''

Added Michael Beebe, a publishing industry analyst with Goldman, Sachs & Co.: ``Ask Simon & Schuster, which publishes the `Idiot's Guides.' They no longer publish in earnest on the high-tech side. That (Dummies) brand creates barriers to entry for competitors.''

Although 98 percent of the company's revenues stem from print products, the Internet is on everyone's mind. The company already is pleased that procrastinating students are willing to pay $1 extra to download Cliffs Notes. And executives plan to target information-hungry Web surfers by stretching Cliffs Notes beyond literature and leveraging their ``Dummies'' knowledge into topical areas such as hunting for a mortgage. Beyond that, the company is developing 19 electronic newsletters and trying to position itself as the source of information for harried, confused consumers.

``Unlocking this vault we have in the physical print world and extending it to online Internet is the future for us,'' Kilcullen said.

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PHOTO (1--7--Color) no caption (Covers of assorted ``Dummies'' reference books)

David Sprague/Daily News