Hurst, Mark. Bit Literacy:  Productivity in the Age of Information and E-mail Overload. 

I have been buying this book in large quantities and have now used it in several workshops and am giving it to many of my consulting clients.  Not only do I love the way this guy writes (he’s very smart, articulate, and clever), but I find his message, tips, and tools extremely helpful.  It doesn’t matter whether you agree with everything he says or not…you will think about your email differently and you might even empty your email in-box.  Woo-hoo!

If you love having books arrive FAST, be sure to sign up for Amazon Prime…free 2-day shipping for one flat rate each year (and you can have 4 family members all using it.  Such a bargain for those of us who want books NOW vs. later!)

I will be purchasing many books this coming year.  I have already bought a number of books from Amazon.com.  I have seen different offers from them where you pay a yearly fee and then get free shipping (for example). I’ve seen other promotions from them, but I’m not sure what they are.  Anyway, are you aware of any specials they offer which may be worth signing up for?  Also, do you know of any other sites similar to Amazon that may be better for purchasing books or other items we may need for our type of business? 

I’m pretty dedicated to amazon although sometimes I do order from Barnes & Noble.  Part of what has made me use Amazon almost exclusively is their Amazon Prime program.  You pay only $79 per year and then everything is shipped 2nd day.  Plus, if you want to upgrade to overnight, it’s only $3.99.  I figure I saved **way** more than $79 in shipping this past year…plus, it’s pretty much for anything I order shipped to anywhere (book-wise, that is).  So when I order the books for others in my workshops or mentoring programs, I have them shipped right from Amazon–you get them in 2 days and it’s much cheaper than what I used to do which was have them shipped here, then we packaged them up and sent them out.  So, it’s worth it, to me.

Lots of people like half.com…I just never have really used it, although others rave about it.

If you find other good offers, please post in the comment section.

Getting and keeping myself “up” as an entrepreneur can be a challenge.  Here’s another small game I play.  When I order a book from Amazon, there is the option of sending a free gift tag.  I recently sent myself this message with a book order: 

You are a great storyteller and everyone loves you! 

Yep, sent it to myself.  I know it’s goofy, but it tickles me and gives me a lift when I open the box.  Try it on your next order and share the charge it gives you too.

Posted by Linda Evans | 10/2/08

I love this, Linda!  Thanks!!

Meggin