MY SEARCH FOR CHESS PERFECTION

should go to the printer tomorrow, if everything goes well.

It will be about 420 pages or almost 30 more than the last edition. There will be an additional chapter (On Castle Walls) and a huge index of about 20 pages so that you can find almost anything in that voluminous book. There have been many times when I was looking for a particular quote or object and it would take waaaay too long to find it... way too long. Now I can probably find it under the various subject headings (which go as much as 3 deep) and pick it out quickly. The Index is detailed.

For example, if you want to check something out in ATTACKS, but you want to know more, such as involving pawns, then you can go even further with respect to "chain base" or "from flank or rear."

There are also game references which are easier to look up. Players, their books, etc. There are "weirdicisms" too.

Under the subject heading of "chess" you will find about 50 items and that one is comfortable low compared to combinations, or position play, pawns, and strategy. It took me about a week to prepare the index and while I don't admit it is perfect, it's pretty darn useful, already! (I used it the other day to find something.)

Lasker the Ultimate Streetfighter should be going to the printer soon too as well as the "Secrets" book.

And there are some new titles coming in next week from Quality Chess.

More on other subjects such as Referrals, Renewals, and other "R" words such as Rewards, but then my good customers already know about that one.

I need you guys to keep me busy handling orders so that I won't have time to put together another catalogs (catalogs are probably the least used of all my services and yet everyone wants one!) I have Informants now also.

See ya tomorrow.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

TWO PRODUCT LAUNCHES

Last night I sent the cover and textblock files to one of my printers, for The Critical Secret for Success. Hoorah. I will order a stack of books for the formerly titled Chess Secrets on Friday. I think it is a terrific book but with ONE problem. After submitting it for printing, I had some more ideas! They will have to wait until a followup book--not the same one, but more (though the book size is the same size); I had this problem with The Chess Assassin's Business Manual too, but I made a predetermined cutoff of 300 pages, which I stuck with. You might consider my new book as a Volume 2, but it is really on a wholly NEW subject and no repeat of material. It will be 198 pages, so together, almost 500 pages. The book will be available, it looks like, at the Last Chess Clinic for $39.95. A number of people, 16-18 I think, have pre-ordered. I am only doing a print run of 50 copies at this time! I've also listed the price to be on Amazon, at $99.00 as I am not really after their selling it, they cheapen everything, including GREAT stuff. But my real reason for that high price point is that the material is worth it. I recently paid $100 for a spiral bound book that, to me, was totally worth what I paid! I read 200+ pages in a day and a half and couldn't get enough. I hope you feel the same way. If not, read it again. I had to read some things I wrote, three times, to get the FULL impact of what I was writing!

If you aren't coming to the clinic there are other prices from $49.95 to $79.95. And yes, I have already sold at the higher prices. The whole concept introduced a new line of books, in my mind, called "Secrets and Successes." Better than the "Dummies" or "Complete Idiots" books but only for subjects I know something about. I may contract other authors for other subjects but they have to give real value and be comprehensible.

I have no idea how many of my books will eventually sell but the content has varied and interesting "bits", and can be used in presentations, speeches, and other venues if you can convert the metaphoric word "chess" into something else. I'll be getting some additional graphics via Fedex tomorrow.

While there are "marginalia," it is not overwhelming like in some books--which end up being nothing more than a giant distraction. Contact me if you want to know more and I will put you on a Special List. bob@thinkerspressinc.com

Also, tonight I will be finishing The Chess Reports which is due for tomorrow. I've been out of town for 9 hours today visiting my folks, so I am wired for production after a 2 hour nap.

I'm getting notes from a lot of people who are really looking for ward to the Chess Clinic.

See you tomorrow I expect.

ONE VERY GOOD REASON FOR SUBSCRIBING TO...

The Chess Reports... Timing of reviews and prices of new items.

Some newcomers to my business, and possibly some older ones, may look for a certain item or a certain price and may not find it, or it may not have been posted yet.

This Friday issue #114 of The Chess Reports will be out and it will have commentary on, and pricing of, very recent things I have in stock.

One reason everything can't be done all at once: it's only me here. This week I am finishing TCR, and three books by Saturday--interior and covers. Extremely time consuming. 3-4 days a week I am at the post office because in MY neighborhood there are no regular scheduled pickups of my outgoing mail. Openings boxes of new stuff, writing these "Quirky" newsletters as one guy called them. I work about 12 hours a day. More orders to me would make it more fun wouldn't it? Usually orders go out within 24 hours, questions get answered as I have time.

I've been working a lot on the Chess Clinic. So far I have opted not to have surgery to add two more arms. In the "old" days when I had 2-3 extra employees you would find that a very few worriers would send me an email order in the morning and then call to see if I got it. That only slows things down doesn't it?

I no longer have employees because I can't afford the cost of vacations, health insurance, and raises... all things Americans like. I can't afford it because everyone in this country from Amazon on down, wants a discount of some kind on what they buy (there are a few who don't care, they know I will give them my best price). So instead of taking an item off the shelf and entering the retail price less some kind of a discount, it has to be looked up and priced. For example, today: I got a number of new items in and they will all need to be inventoried, priced, described, and such. In one case a customer has been waiting for several items for some time from a new vendor I began using. I just went ahead and shipped the items to him and will charge his card and take care of paperwork tonight. I thought it in his best interests to get those things right off to him. Remembering to send the paperwork to him is a priority because he has NO email address(!) Yep, I take care of everybody.

I could use a few more (15) registrants to the Chess Clinic. We have 35 paid. Then everyone can converge and get everything they need at the clinic. To handle all this stuff I will need to create an extensive listing in carbon paper form since I am not lugging all my computer equipment there! Will have credit card (electronic) operations, I am told.

Subscriptions: $59.95 for semester 9, thirteen fat issues via email only. $49.95 if you are a GOLD CARD holder. Having The Chess Reports makes everything easier.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

IT'S BEEN 10 DAYS SINCE I SOLD MY LAST...

Registration for the Last Chess Clinic. Funny thing, people who have NOT indicated they are coming are the ones who are asking me "How is it going?" Why the prurient interest? Naturally they are locals!

Several have indicated they may show up at the last minute for one reason or another. Yep, I'll believe it when I see it. I think it could still happen that I will be full. One guy wants to come and said he may not be able to make it until Saturday, and that is IF the weather is GOOD. (If the weather is BAD, he has to attend a business meeting!) Said he would still pay the $150.

We'll see... I've recently had to refund three registrations due to health reasons. So I have sold 35 tickets.

I was supposed to get a brochure out on Friday on the French Defense. Not yet, held over. Today I finished proofing The Critical Secret for Success and will send it to the printer tonight. Then, back to this Friday's Chess Reports. Then My Search for Chess Perfection and another book I am working on for David Rudel. Finish up and send off my Lasker the Ultimate Streetfighter to the printer too. I have never been this busy in my life (what life?).

The Special Gambit List I sent out last week is working. So a few items are gone. Maybe more this evening. I will send it out once again before the week is over. A few titles are gone and will stay gone. Do not wait until the sale is over to ask for them.

ChessBase 11 will be at my distributor's in 3 weeks. It has to come from Germany. I have several new books coming in too. Stay tuned to this channel and I will tell you what they are when they get here, but they look good. I have some new DVDs to tell you about too. The 3 from Simon Williams are simply AWESOME on the French and Dutch. I'll have the French reviewed for The Chess Reports (just picked up another subscriber to it and Chess EXTRAS.)

If you ever wonder why I do all of these publications it's simple: it's how I make my living because selling chess books doesn't help that much and there are lots of good books out there. I see a new one from Gambit by a guy named Kosikov which looks great--on Strategy. I find that is a very strained part of chess--what to do and HOW to do it? Will have copies for sale in a few weeks.

That's enough for now. Maybe I've sent you something recently that you can't live without.

Thanks.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

NO LONGER WANTED

Recently I got an amusing email from someone who wanted to be dropped from my chess mailing list. He said it was OK to reprint it and was surprised I wanted to. I explained that it is nice to get courteous replies sometimes too instead of reporting me to my bulk emailer for sending somebody perceived spam.

Here it is:

"I never explained to anyone before why I wanted to be removed from a mailing list, but your emails are so quirky and personal that I thought you deserved a brief explanation. Like what used to happen in the days when people did business face-to-face.

I happened upon a Purdy book a while back (when Strand Bookstore still had a downtown Manhattan branch, so a pretty good while back). It was remaindered, and I took a flyer on it. I was buying a handful of chess books because my son was slightly interested, and I became slightly interested.

I thought Purdy was a very good writer. I emailed you to see what else there was.

But I've put chess on a far back burner. At age 57, I'm having trouble with things like remembering openings. [That's why I was curious about Purdy's Colle-type system.]

I've been devoting my time to learning the Racing Rules of Sailing, which is about as complicated and tactical as chess. And you get a much louder crashing sound when you make a mistake.

So thank you for your quirky emails, but please take me off your list.

Thank you for your courtesy."

Former e-mail guy.

He followed up with:

"You may use my email if you like, although I don't imagine it will sell many chess books for you.

Maybe you should branch out into sailboat racing books. There is a surprising similarity in the tactical issues. A good opening, or a good start, is absolutely vital in both, and volumes have been written on this alone. But in sailing, it's more like 20 players moving the pieces all at the same time, without taking turns. Very interesting.

Anyway, I am flattered by your regard for my email, and I wish you well. If I get back to chess, you'll be among the first to hear about it."

A very nice man... but I have no intention of getting into sailing books as I know nothing about sailing, but always thought it might be fun. I have finished half the proofing for the "secrets" book. Should go to the printer in a few days. Hope you will consider coming to the Chess Clinic if only to save a pile of money on this first edition. $39.95 versus $99.95 at the end of the year! I think it is very good. It has taken me weeks and weeks to write and rewrite it. I make my living this way--is this a living? About 200 pages now.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

THE PROBLEM WITH PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE...

"is that it might not work out."

This headline comes this morning from marketing master Seth Godin in his daily blog (

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/)

On the other hand he follows up with its counterpart"

"The problem with not putting it all on the line is that it will never (ever) change things for the better… Not much of a choice, I think. No risk, no art. No art, no reward."

This describes my goal of 50 paid seats for the Chess Clinic. I believe it can be done, IF I get help from you. I can't state an unrealistic goal and HOPE that others will go along with my kind of performance.

Over the years and 9 other major events and a couple smaller ones --in the invites I have sent out -- I have received my share of "BE BACKS." Anyone who sells knows what those are: promises which won't be fulfilled. Every mall artist, dishware, or martial arts salesman has heard it. Bookstores hear it and I've heard it. After taking up one's time by asking questions (and usually, "just one more question"), showing interest, a decision is put on hold by walking away and saying, "I'll be back." But, as you know, they don't come back. The only guy I have ever seen come back was the Terminator and that was a movie!

Salespeople like me have heard of the city, or town, of Think-It-Over, Iowa (I wish Iowa wasn't picked for this, but it is true enough). According to Dan Kennedy, "There the only traffic light stays yellow, the only color is gray, there's only one item on the restaurant's menu, and nothing ever changes -- every family's TV stays on whatever channel it's set on when first delivered to the home, because changing it requires decisions, which they must think over and never stop thinking it over until they die."

I do know people who, after they got all the visual aid salespitches (brochures via email) they never say a thing to me about their decisions until I contact them personally. It's a different form of beback. The local chess club has 20 members, only one of them is coming to the upcoming chess clinic. Two other Davenporters who don't BELONG to the chess club now or anymore, ARE coming. From the times I have been there EVERY one of those players could use some kind of coaching or extra help, instead, they pay the monthly tournament fee, which over a year isn't any different than the clinic cost, and they continue to wander around like the Israelites after they fled Egypt. What's totally amazing is that this is in their own backyard.

I thank all of you who have signed up and welcome all those who want to come and WILL come.

October 22-23, Clarion Hotel, 7-9 Friday evening, 10-6 Saturday. Want more information? Contact me at:

bob@thinkerspressinc.com

THE CRITICAL SECRET TO SUCCESS

Originally titled "Chess Secrets," the text for this book is finished. More proofing is being done to eradicate those little snippets of irritation which DO NOT creep in at the last minute, instead, which are there and have not yet been discovered. The biggest problem is invariably caused by adding things at that very last minute and "assuming" (always incorrectly of course) they are "bug free." Not true kemo sabe.

Several things to do today, to finish up and have a great weekend... and I hope you do too.

YESTERDAY

I got a complaint from my bulk email provider. Someone bitched about getting something from me (didn't say what it was) that was SPAM. I don't do this, but I do have a few idiots on my lists who ask me for something and later on "forget" they contacted me first! Would I want to do business with someone like that? No way. Once in a while someone will object to my use of the word IDIOT--apparently they have never met one. I still get 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night and don't have time to argue with them.

I have, at various times, indicated in my email postings that if someone wants OUT, just let me know. Apparently it is easier to email someone else, explain their problem, blah blah blah, than it is to write me and have me delete their ass forever, right now. They want to flex their mental muscle, which admittedly will probably only take a nano second, but that's what is happening. Want to make sure I am "aware" of their upsetedness. These "people" are still walking the earth and I can only "assume" that any hair growing around their knuckles has been worn off from dragging them on the ground.

Every morning I get stuff from companies who want to do this or that. If I am not interested I do the unsubscribe thing (when it exists) or just delete it. If the anti-spammers want to go after egregious companies how about those that have "unsubscribe links" but when you get there the maze is so complicated that a lab rat couldn't find its way out, and you still remained "connected." Sometimes the questions they ask about leaving are so convoluted that you know it is designed to keep you, but why would they want to? Only thing I can think of is to sell your name on an email list to someone else. I've never sold email addresses.

Going to a "Doo Wop" show tomorrow night. Put some real rock 'n roll in my veins.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com