Posted on: Thursday, June 5, 2003

Author's reliability, specialty help sell books on investment

By Andrea Coombes
CBS MarketWatch

SAN FRANCISCO — When it comes to popular books about investment these days, the messenger is the message.

More than ever, readers are looking for names they trust, said George Greller, business books buyer at Barnes & Noble. Publishers have recognized as much with the top titles being promoted for summer reading.

"Let's face it: Credibility is a factor," Greller said. That means authors who have established trust with their readers are prospering now. A case in point: the current hot seller by Martin Weiss, "Crash Profits" (John Wiley & Sons, Jan. 2003, $24.95, hardcover).

Weiss operates a newsletter and a rating service, similar to Moody's, and his loyal following has helped spark sales. "It's that access to an audience that knows your name," Greller said.

It may also be the book's subject matter. "Investors are trying to learn how to play the volatility swings between the ups and downs on Wall Street," said Michael Pinson, founder of InvestmentBooks.com and MarketMavens.com.

Here are some of the newest and best-selling books about investments in the stock market, according to booksellers.

"The Volatility Course" by George Fontanills and Tom Gentile (John Wiley & Sons, Oct. 2002, $49.95, hardcover). Like Weiss' book, this one is about trading in volatile markets, Pinson said.

Still, "Stocks for the Long Run" by Jeremy Siegel (McGraw-Hill, 3rd edition, Aug. 2002, $29.95, hardcover) continues to be a top seller, said Jeffrey A. Krames, vice president and publisher of McGraw-Hill's business book division. "Even though we are now in a bear market, entering the fourth year, his book is enjoying great success because he is someone who investors know and they trust and he's really one of the titans of investing," Krames said.

Also, "The Four Pillars of Investing" by William Bernstein (McGraw-Hill, April 2002, $27.95, hardcover) continues to sell well.

Two other sources engendering a loyal following are the mutual-fund tracking company Morningstar, and the mutual-fund company Vanguard, said Joan O'Neil, vice president and publisher of finance publishing at John Wiley & Sons. Hence, she said, the best-seller status of the following books: "The Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds" by Christine Benz et al. (Dec. 2002, $24.95, hardcover), and "Straight Talk on Investing" by Jack Brennan, chief executive of Vanguard (Oct. 2002, $22.95, hardcover).