Rick Chapman sent me a complementary copy of his latest jewel about software marketing, "The Product Marketing Handbook for Software, 4^th ed.".

I won't comment any further and let my 9-horseshoes review speak for itself (also available at Javaranch.com):

There is a tremendous amount of books that aim at teaching us how to write good software. However, very few books deal with how to effectively turn a bunch of raw bytes into a full-blown marketable product. Given the nature of software, it is sometimes legitimate to think that software can be easily distributed to a potentially large customer base. In light of this, one might often be tempted to imply that it is easier to sell software than other more conventional products.

Well, don't you believe it!! Software sure is as hard to sell as any other product. But don't worry! Rick Chapman's latest masterpiece will help you figure out the optimal way through the maze of software marketing. This fourth edition of the Handbook has been fully updated with the latest marketing trends. It will show you how to efficiently bring your software to the market while devising the smartest techniques to help you magnetize your customers. This book will provide your marketing staff with the best foundations available by delving into subjects, such as positioning, naming and pricing; sales strategies and promotions; collaterals; advertising; direct and Internet marketing; etc. Aside from the truly exciting case studies, each chapter ends with a comprehensive check list enumerating the main goals of the chapter. Finally, the accompanying CD-ROM contains a complete marketing costs matrix, a sample marketing budget and much more. This marketing bible is a must read if you are in the software business.