"I believe that it is the missing article manual..."

I was shocked when receiving the draft version of the e-book from Allen that it ran to 76 pages of single spaced text (that's over 25,000 words for those of you keeping count). The version I'm reviewing is certainly a draft; although the writing is of a high quality the book is waiting for screen shots to be added and to be 'nicely formatted' for sale. I'd imagine that means looking at a 100 page document when everything's neatly spaced out and ready for release.

Allen has compiled his experience in article marketing into a chatty tome, which advocates a slightly different process to the standard approach of just submitting an article to a load of sites, or by submitting automatically spun versions to those sites. The book details where articles should be best sent to maximise results. The key change to the approach is to add what I would call a further stage to the article submission process not carried out by many - obviously you'll have to buy the e-book to find out what this is. I must admit to initial scepticism as to whether this further stage is the most effective way of using the extra time, but this is what Allen's expertise has shown in the past, so it is surely a valid technique worth pursuing.

I can't admit to have read all 25,000 words in detail, but Allen's passion for the article marketing niche comes through throughout 'The Article Marketing Handbook'. The first chapters are perhaps a little basic, but if you're a beginner at using articles as promotional tools you'll be taken by the hand as to why articles are important and how they can benefit your online business. Allen then suggests a number of useful (and free) tools to deploy and a simple methodical process to follow to create articles of value. This isn't strictly a writing manual - so if you want to find out how to write an article in detail you will need to use some additional sources - but I found myself reading with great interest the sections on what to do with the finished article and how to best submit it. There are many little finishing touches presented that I wouldn't have thought of.

As with most e-books, there is a little bit of sell towards Allen's wider business, which, perhaps unsurprisingly is one of his own article directories. This is very mild compared to many e-books and the author doesn't pad out the book with affiliate links or other distracting information. The final chapter of the e-book is devoted to how Allen's directory is providing a much higher quality of articles in its overall corpus, which will increase the site's value as a potential marketing channel. This certainly suggests that it is a site that any would-be-marketer should explore.

I enjoyed the text from start to finish. It adds great value to the loose collection of article marketing techniques scattered around the Internet. One final comment I must make is to praise Allen for offering to continue to update the handbook and provide the updates for free to purchasers. The most successful marketing techniques will continue to develop as Google's algorithms change and the Internet as a whole develops and this means that you could be getting valuable expertise for years to come.

Overall I highly recommend 'The Article Marketing Handbook' as it fills a clear gap in the market and adds useful techniques to the arsenal of both beginners and the more experienced alike. I believe that it is the missing article manual. I will look forward to seeing a version of the e-book in its finished tidied form and would be glad to promote it - something which shows my level of faith in the handbook and its teachings.

Impact-Productions
Digital Point Forums

From the Beefy Marketing Blog:

O.k…to make a long story short he sends me a copy. All I can say is WOW! I mean thats from the heart and the gut. He tells everything he can fit into 90+ pages. It’s more like an article marketing Bible than an ebook.

He covers Myths, Spinners, Knowing your Niche, What do your customers really want to know?, scouting the competition, correct ways to target keywords, writing tips galore, where to submit your articles for the best results…and more and more and more…. It is really insane the amount of non fluf real content is in this ebook. He could have split this thing into 3 ebooks and made a killing in my opinion.

Not often does one of the elite writers / article marketers come and just lay it all out for everyone to see. I can not even begin to tell you how impressed I am with this ebook. Words can not describe it.

If you are an article marketer or looking to become an article marketer this is the ONE AND ONLY ebook you will need. PERIOD! So go check this thing out before he wakes up one day and just pulls it off the shelf!!

Don V.
Beefy Marketing Tools

Allen,

Talk about over producing! This is the magnum opus of article marketing books. I'm not one given to hyperbole but your book is the Rosetta Stone for article marketers. You've stripped away all the mystery and brought the truth of exactly how to make money marketing with articles into the light of day.

Five stars, my friend.

Cheers,
Buddy Tripp
How to Make Money from Home on the Internet

Hi Allen,

Just finished your book - the knowledge you reveal is destined to rocket my article marketing to the next level! Not only is it obvious you know what you are talking about, you're definitely not afraid to share it!.

Excellent book!

Andy Havens
SalesPageMakeovers.com

Allen,

I've read about article marketing before, plenty of times in fact, but never have I seen it spelled out so clearly before. You have truly defined the puzzle well and explained step-by-step how to put the puzzle together, but the real "gift" is the motivation I had to get started by the time I finished the ebook. It's one thing to write authoritatively, but another matter entirely to really connect with a reader and inspire them to action. Very well done!

Dennis Gaskill
http://www.boogiejack.com

Allen,

I honestly think that this is the most comprehensive book I have ever seen written with regards to Article Marketing. I mean, I knew that you knew exactly what you were talking about just by reading posts that you made in forums and through conversations that we have had, but this really just validates my thoughts and leaves no room for doubt.

I am a firm believer that following proven systems is what makes people money. What you have done here is put a "system" in place that if followed will allow anyone who wants to earn money with just a keyboard and article directories to do just that. This ebook really was a killer read.

Great job!
Jeremy Kelsall
The Kelsall Method

If you're looking for a "get traffic quick" scheme to fool the search engines with article submissions, then you're in the wrong place! This handbook is a serious, in-depth study of article marketing, that concentrates on white-hat, solid techniques to build your on-line presence. This is easily the best resource I've read on the subject.

Juliette Gold
http://www.theultimatebabyguide.com/

Allen has managed to do something I rarely get to comment on... setting a standard and acting on it. He's always been outspoken about the direction of Article Marketing. Sometimes I thought a bit more so than necessary. But I've always admired his position. His enthusiasm is contagious. His approach is refreshing. I LIKE it!

While there are basics for every new internet marketer to grasp, there is a terrific balance of information for seasoned veterans as well; a mix hard to come by. The eBook is open, honest, and full of value.

The thing I liked best about it is the synergy promoted between author and article directory. Allen has managed to take both halfs of the Article Marketing 'pie' and show how they can compliment each other. This is something every internet marketer using article marketing in their advertising approach needs to read and act on. Any article directory owner aspiring to make the 'respected' and 'top' list would do well to take heed to the principles spelled out in "The Article Marketing Handbook".

Jodi Reichenberger
JDA Publishing
Sustainable Living Articles

Hi Allen,

Great work on your book!

I've read it cover-to-cover and I'm going back through it for a second read (at least!). It's definitely full of valuable information and it's changed my perspective, forever, on article writing and marketing.

Dan Walter
What's Selling On Ebay?

The Article Marketing Handbook – Will it Help Article Marketers?
Review by Patricia Jones - EProfits Centre

I’ve read a lot of articles, ebooks and forum posts about article marketing and have found that the information and advice offered can be conflicting and confusing to new article marketers. As an article marketer I have studied the results from my own campaigns and come to my own conclusions. As an article directory owner I can see from studying the site stats month after month which articles are working for the authors. I can also see from Google searches which articles have been found on my site and republished on blogs or websites.

With the double insight of article marketer and directory owner it can be frustrating to see articles being submitted that you know will not be effective for the authors. On the other hand you learn to recognise articles that are going to do well for the authors and your directory.

With this in mind I was curious to read ‘The Article Marketing Handbook’ written by Allen Graves – an experienced article directory owner and article marketer. I’ve come across Allen in forums and have to admit that we don’t always agree, but it is plain to see that Allen cares about article marketing. Because Allen has been involved with article marketing longer than I have I hoped that I would learn something from his handbook. I also felt that as he had the same opportunity of double insight as I have albeit for longer that ‘The Article Marketing Handbook’ should be as good as if not better than anything that I have previously read. My expectations were high so lets see if the handbook lived up to them.

The Content

At first I was impatient to get to the ‘meat’ of the ebook and wasn’t happy with the long introduction and theorising in the first couple of chapters, but then I saw that Allen was expressing why it is important to get your article marketing campaign right. It isn’t just information - it’s plain common sense that every article marketer should consider before embarking on a marketing campaign and worth reading.

Allen then guides you through selecting your niche, ways of discovering what information your readers are searching for and spending money on and how to find the best keywords. All useful information and if used correctly should help you to write more effective articles.

You learn why you should use pen names and how to select them. How to write titles that grab a reader’s attention while appealing to search engines. How to best summarise your articles and how to format the article body to capture the reader’s attention and keep them reading. Some tips are also included on how to write your author resource box to gain higher click throughs to your website.

Did I Learn Anything?

Yes I did. I was particularly interested in a chapter explaining how to find the best places to submit your articles to and why. Also how to get more click throughs by promoting your articles after your submissions have been accepted. Both ideas are so obvious that I wondered why I hadn’t thought of them.

There are several more article marketing tricks that I have noticed used by authors who submit to my directories and hadn’t really thought about. To find out if they work I checked my site stats and sure enough those articles were getting more than the average hits. That could be a coincidence or those tricks could be working for the authors and my directories.

What I Think

There is a whole lot more information but now I’m going to tell you what I think about ‘The Article Marketing Handbook’. The ebook is well written and in a no BS style that I personally like. For anybody familiar with article or Internet marketing it’s easy to understand, but those new to the field may struggle without more basic information about for instance the importance of keywords and phrases. But, that and other basic information can be readily found with an Internet search.

Is It Worth The $47 Asking Price?

For most ebooks I would say absolutely not. That is because there are thousands of ebooks available on the Internet free or at incredibly low prices and that muddies the water on perceived value. The Article Marketing Handbook is different in that it provides a lot of information and advice that I haven’t seen before in any article, forum or ebook. Information and advice that I know from experience is correct even if I hadn’t thought about some of it before reading the handbook.

The Article Marketing Handbook is by far the best guide I have read on the subject of article marketing, so I wasn’t disappointed. As Allen will be providing updates as the market changes I would consider the one off $47 payment to be a good investment for ongoing success in the article marketing field.