Customer Rating: 
Summary: VERY Good Book! A1 Rating
Comment: I have read ALOT of business books over the years and I have to say that of them all, this is on my list of referred books. I got it from the library and here on Amazon to buy a copy for myself. The author actually covers topics that other "how to" books miss out on especially the legal side of business. The author has researched the mail order industry quite well and writes in plain English. I see copies on sale for $3 or so. Grab one!!! If you can't make a go in your own business, surely you can get your $3 back (or more) from someone who is willing to set goals, write goals, and achieve goals. That's what business (and success) is all about.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: very underwhelming
Comment: I bought this book since it had the perfect-sounding title. When I got it home and started thumbing through it, i realized it has some glaring omissions. For example, in the list of options for business structure, it omits LLC. Also it barely glosses over the arduous process for getting a merchant account to be able to accept credit cards. These are both very important issues that should be addressed!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good tips and insight, but not applicable to all
Comment: Read this book from the library as ongoing market research. The book hit on many good points for where to begin, following effectiveness, etc., but felt somewhat outdated in other parts - the author places a lot of emphasis on using the fax versus email/online. Also would have liked to see more about sending mail for different types of services & products.We are implementing some of the author's ideas at Anchor Digital - we'll be using the same messages found at anchordigital.com and putting them into direct mail pieces. Hopefully they will have the same effectiveness as the ones on the website.
I recommend this book as part of research for mail-order businesses, but be sure to include other, more varied books as well.
Barry Rosenstock
Anchor Digital Inc.
anchordigital.com
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lots of Great Ideas
Comment: How to Start a Home-Based Mail-Order Business is, at its core, a how-to. But, it is not satisfied with providing the basic bones and goes on to provide excellent elaboration and detail that helps answer questions. Well-written and researched. It covers all the basics--marketing, sales, promotion, etc, without getting bogged down into details that could lead Fiumara away from her basic thrust of the book. Given how much today's world relies on the Internet, her chapter on Success in Cyberspace is especially helpful. While it has its own chapter, using the Internet to promote your business is so critical that I would recommend Guerilla PR: Wired, which covers that same subject far more in-depth.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Step-By-Step Insider Information
Comment: Most books on starting a mail order business are written by men who claim you can make $100,000 or more at home. This book is different. How To Start a Home-Based Mail Order Business is written by a woman who gives you all the information you need to succeed in a mail order business -- but without all the bull. Georganne Fiumara takes you by the hand in the very first chapter and leads you to success, step-by-step. Thanks to the author, my home business dream has come true.
I especially appreciated the chapter called Success In Cyberspace because most successful mail order businesses now include web promotion. The author's web site, HomeWorkingMom.com, shows that she knows what she is talking about.
I took her advice and put my business online at MoneyandShopping.com and have not looked back since.
If you are looking for a straight-forward, insider's guide to mail order, this is the book to buy.
Angela Smith
