Rohit Bhargava's Exclusive Interview for "Personality Not Included"

How should a blogger promote a book? With Rohit Bhargava, one way is by turning to his community of fellow bloggers in both a self-serving and altruistic act (which is, at the heart of it, what blogging's all about): he's giving bloggers exclusive interviews and some link love and publicity on his own blog in return for the PR they're giving him. Given how much a fan I've been of Rohit's ever since I first heard him speak at the first Search Insider Summit two years ago, I'm just excited to have one more reason to catch up with him.

Below's the interview, which I had a good time with, and I think you'll appreciate it even if you don't plan on reading the book (I haven't read it yet but will post a review when I do).

One request: if you do enjoy the interview, head to his blog Monday and vote for this blog to win 'best interview'; I love autographed books, and the recognition's always a plus.

The Exclusive Q&A with Rohit Bhargava

DB: You populate your book with a slew of real-world examples [evident from the book's introduction available for download]. What's one that especially fascinated you and tends to be a real eye-opener for people when you share it?

RB: There are two. The first is a story of Manga and the death of Superman that I have in the book which I think is particularly interesting.  The second is Boeing because a lot of people find it unexpected to see a big brand like that used as an example.

DB: How much has writing your blog informed your book and has writing your book informed your blog?

RB: In terms of research and finding great stories to share it has helped a lot.  If you also think of writing as a skill that you need to keep up to date in order to do effectively, it has also helped me because I am used to writing my thoughts quickly.  The one thing it didn't help with that I thought it would have was content.  Aside from my one SMO [social media optimization] post near the end of the book, I really wasn't able to repurpose ANY of my blog content for the book. 

DB: Artists always need to 'kill their babies.' Is there anything you wish you could have included but didn't, whether it's because of the length, the flow, or some other reason why it just didn't work? Why did you wind up axing it?

RB: Of course, how did you know?  There is actually a list of brands that I wanted to get into the book but just couldn't because there wasn't a perfect fit in terms of flow.  A few of those brands include Sun, Threadless and Etsy.  Luckily I will be launching a blog around the book this week called Personality Matters and will likely have a "BIWIM" section (Brands I Wish I Mentioned).

DB: If someone absolutely loves your book, what are the next three books he or she should read to dive deeper, expand their horizons, find other viewpoints, or otherwise make themselves a little smarter?

RB: Great question.  Actually, rather than just provide a short answer, I'd rather point you and your readers to an online bookstore that I created several months ago to benefit DonorsChoose.org (a charity that helps teachers get funds for projects to help their classrooms).  The site is called the Ultimate Marketing Bookstore and is at www.ultimatemarketingbookstore.com. 

DB: What kind of person did you have in mind as the audience when you wrote this book? Who were you writing it for? And, who else would appreciate it even if you weren't initially writing it for them?

RB: My main audience as I was writing it was a combination of Entrepreneurs, marketers, people working in large corporations (but not the boss), executives, and agency people.  Other audiences that I think could get something great out of the book are people who are running their own businesses but don't consider themselves either marketers or businesspeople (eg - a dentist or a lawyer).

Thanks, Rohit.

Check his blog Monday to vote on your favorite interview (quite a few of my favorite bloggers are taking part, so it won't be an easy choice for me).