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But Wait ... There's More!
Remy Stern
Tighten Your Abs, Make Millions, and Learn How the $100 Billion Infomercial Industry Sold Us Everything But the Kitchen Sink
Collins Business
April 2009
On Sale: March 24, 2009
272 pages ISBN: 006126055X EAN: 9780061260551 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Whether it was a Ginsu knife, George Foreman Grill, Tony
Robbins' motivational book, kitchen device by Ron Popeil,
or any of the countless other famous products that have
been marketed on infomercials over the years, admit it: you
or someone you know has bought one—and you're not alone.
Last year, one out of every three Americans picked up the
phone and ordered a product from a television infomercial
or home shopping network, and in But Wait . . . There's
More! journalist (and infomercial addict) Remy Stern offers
a lively, behind-the-scenes exploration of this enormous
business—one that markets the world's most outrageous
products using the most outrageous tactics. Don't let the kitschy exterior fool you: behind the
laughable demonstrations, goofy grins, and cheesy dialogue
lies an industry larger than the film and music industries
combined. The first book of its kind, But Wait . . .
There's More! exposes the never-before-told story of the
infomercial and home shopping phenomenon in all its
excessive glory and its meteoric rise to become one of the
most profitable businesses in America. Along the way, Stern details the history behind the classic
products and introduces readers to some of the most famous
(and infamous) pitchmen and personalities in the business,
including Tony Robbins, Billy Mays, Ron Popeil, Tony
Little, Suzanne Somers, Kevin Trudeau, and Joe Francis. He
also presents an in-depth look at the business behind the
camera—the canny sales strategies, clever psychological
tools, and occasionally questionable tactics marketers have
used to get us to open up our wallets and spend, spend,
spend. Stern's eye-opening account also offers a penetrating look
at how late-night television conquered the American
consumer and provides insight into modern American culture:
our rampant consumerism, our desire for instant riches, and
our collective dream of perfect abs, unblemished skin, and
gleaming white teeth. Both a compelling business story and
a thoroughly entertaining piece of investigative journalism
(with a touch of muckraking and social satire), But
Wait . . . There's More! will ensure that you never look at
those too-good-to-be-true deals the same way again.
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