Publisher Fights "Silent Epidemic" with Million-Dollar Book Giveaway

77,000 Books Available at Print Cost to Corporations

May 1994, Berkeley, California--As anyone who works with computers knows,
computer injuries in the workplace, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, are on
the rise. They're now topping automobile accidents in number each year,
causing corporations to lose billions of dollars in sick days and medical
expenses. According to a recently published book on computer health and
safety, most of these losses are completely avoidable, the result of
ignorance about safe computing practices.

In promoting its new computer safety book (Zap! How your computer can hurt
you and what you can do about it, list price $12.95) a small
California-based publishing company is taking the radical approach of
giving away $1 million worth of books--77,000 copies--to interested
corporations at the cost of printing the books (90 cents each).

"Nobody's making anything on this giveaway," said publisher Ted Nace. "The
authors are skipping their royalties. We're not hiding any of our overhead
in the deal. It's books at print cost--period. We see Zap as a
word-of-mouth book, and we're convinced that the average person who gets
the book for free will recommend it to two or three friends."

The rules of the promotion are simple. The organization must:

-- be a corporation, agency, or nonprofit.
-- order a minimum of 30 copies by September 5, 1994.
-- distribute the book to its employees, and not resell or give
   the books to anyone other than their own employees.

Peachpit Press will do a special print run for this promotion and all books
will ship in early September.
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Getting Past "Managed Ignorance"

"Many people in corporate management know that this is a hot and costly
issue, but they feel they're in a difficult spot," explained Zap! author
Don Sellers. "They've got a tough decision to make: proactive education or
managed ignorance. But many managers are reluctant to tell their workers
too much for fear of opening a floodgate of complaints. With this
giveaway, we're trying to make it easy for them to 'do the right thing'."

"The smartest strategy for a company," recommends Sellers, "is to tackle
the problem head-on with plain, old-fashioned education. Keeping people in
the dark about the proper way to use a computer is about as intelligent as
not wearing a hard hat on a construction site."

Packed with useful background information, safety tips, and lists of
helpful resources, Zap! offers a balanced view of potential hazards and
preventative measures. The book shows how to avoid wrist injury, minimize
eye strain, limit radiation, and reduce stress. It includes special
sections on proper adjustment of furniture and body position, optimum
lighting conditions, exercises to relieve tension, and more.

Already, Zap! has earned wide praise for its careful, deliberate tone and
well researched wealth of information. Legal Times called it a "handy
reference" and added "anyone responsible for managing a large group of
computer users...will find the book useful." Contra Costa Times columnist
and associate editor of PC/Computing Magazine Yael Li-Ron called it "good,
solid advice." Writing in his on-line column on the Prodigy computer
network, book reviewer Digby Diehl recommended that readers purchase the
book and keep it "right up there on your bookshelf, next to your DOS
manual." Jay Bartlett, M.P.H., M.D., who specializes in occupational
medicine, environmental toxicology, and health, wrote "it is written in a
superb style, is easy to read, with precise, clear explanations...has
thoughtful judgments and intelligent recommendations" and predicted: "it
will become as widely read as Silent Spring."

Peachpit Press
2414 Sixth St, Berkeley, CA 94710
800-283-9444,  510-548-4393,  fax 510-548-5991

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