CompuServe Messages

Dear Mike: I didn't read about the other two books and haven't seen anything on them so I wasn't sure they were in production. I'm never sure about rumours I hear about what someone has seen on compuserve. If you've seen descriptions of the books, by all means post them again. I saw the New Riders, Michelle's and I knew about mine from . . . well various sources. Like you I think I own half the AutoCAD books published. I'm sort of a believer in spending $40 every week or so on a technical book – can't really call yourself a technical person unless your shelves bend under the weight of a thousand books on esoteric technical topics. As for targetting – I can't speak to that. You might well be interested in anything with 3D Studio in the name, like I am. Other peole may be looking for a replacement for the reference manuals – still others for something else. I know that different authors target different readers, and different market disciplines. And then, of course, everyone has to find a way to talk to their market. Advertising, reviews, etc. This too is part of targeting… Actually, I think having other books on the shelves that say 3D Studio on the cover may well help me sell copies of my book. Its hard to explain, but I have discovered that competition is a good marketing tool. For example, it is hard to sell photo-copiers if people have never heard of such a thing. But if Xerox, Canon and company all start selling them, all those marketing dollars hit the target audience Then the discussion changes from "What is it" to which is better and which meets the customer's needs better.