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What Should You Look for in a Good Marketing Book?For those who have not studied marketing formally but are interested in learning more about the art (and science) or wish to apply relevant concepts to their business, the plethora of marketing books and texts available makes the choice of where to start a tough one. Should you get the 600 plus pages text book that will take an eternity to get through or should you buy one of those ¡¥learn marketing in 30 minutes' types of self help books? There is, of course, no definitive answer but a few suggestions may help on the way. Firstly, consider the following about yourself: Consider your current level of knowledge and what you want to get out of the book. If you just want to brush up on some specific areas a solid text book maybe appropriate. However, if you wish to get a practitioner perspective then a 200 page or so quick read maybe just the ticket. Also be realistic to the time you will be able to allocate to reading and understanding the concepts. Most marketing books (especially texts) are not designed to be read in a few sittings by glancing over the key points. Additionally, these more specific tips may help: Who wrote the book? Be wary of practitioner based books that are thinly veiled attempts to promote a company and its methods (in particular consultancies). Does it combine theory and practice by citing empirical evidence and examples that properly illustrate the concepts? Does it take a cross cultural perspective or is it overly US oriented? Does it provide ample reference to additional works and articles of interest or is it mainly conjecture and opinion? Is the book logically organized with summaries and main points that allow you to read in the order you wish or must you read each and every chapter in order to keep track of the arguments? Below is a list of authors whose books are at least likely to set you off in the right direction:
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