Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor

Pardon the horn tooting, but I'm pretty thrilled to see that the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook has climbed to #3 on Amazon's Music Business Book Bestsellers list. That puts it right behind Richard Branson's Losing My Virginity and Donald Passman's All You Need to Know About the Music Business.

(At least it was #3 as of this writing. The bestseller standings change often. Click here to see a screen shot.)

I can't tell you how excited I am that this book has helped so many people and been recommended so often. Just when I think the buzz may be running its course with this title, I have another record sales month. And keep in mind that all of this momentum was created using the same indie marketing principles I cover in the book. I ignored the traditional advice on how to publish and sell a book (as I encourage you to reconsider everything you've been told about how the music business works).

Until just a few months ago (when Mel Bay Publications started distributing the book to the retail market), I never pursued retail sales or distribution at all. I've rarely spent money on advertising. Instead, I decided years ago to use the Internet to reach out and go directly to the end users -- the songwriters, musicians and band members who would benefit most from my self-promotion ideas and guerrilla philosophy. It wasn't a quick-fix strategy, because it's taken years for the buzz to slowly build -- but build it has, beyond my expectations.

I hope this serves as an example for you -- that passion, positive expectations, consistent effort and a stubborn determination to avoid a regular day job can pay off ... if you have a quality product that your target market expresses an interest in.

Another thing: Amazon recently started selling the Guerrilla Music book at a 15% discount, and I sometimes sell new, autographed copies at a discount as an Amazon Marketplace title. See the book's main Amazon sales page for details. Of course, you can always order an autographed copy from the Buzz Factor site at any time.

Thanks for your support and for allowing me to keep this train rolling!