Stelzner is among the most highly regarded authorities on the subject of white papers. More than 20,000 persons subscribe to his WhitePaperSource Newsletter. He is the author of more than 100 white papers and his clients include Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Monster, FedEx, and Motorola.
For those who are interested in understanding the potential value of white papers to business development and customer relationships, this book and Robert Bly’s The White Paper Marketing Handbook are the most valuable resources on the subject. Opinions vary as to the origin of the genre. Both Bly and Stelzner seem to agree that white papers can be traced back, at least, to early in the 20th century, to what was then referred to as a “white book” which consisted of information published by a national government. Interest in the commercial potentialities of white papers has increased rapidly and substantially in recent years and exploration and fulfillment of those potentialities have only begun. In this volume, Stelzner offers his detailed definition of a white paper: “a technical or business benefits document that introduces a challenge faced by its readers and makes a strong case why a particular approach to solving the problem is preferred. A white paper usually proposes a solution to a problem, but can also introduce a new concept or describe how to perform technical tasks.”
Many readers will especially appreciate Stelzner’s approach when providing a step-by-step framework for what can–and should–become a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effect “game plan” for the production, distribution, and promotion of white papers (regardless of type), documents which will have the greatest appeal to their carefully selected recipients. (The ten-step process which Stelzner recommends will require a segmented database.) Whereas Bly addresses more of the marketing aspects of white papers, Stelzner focuses heavily on the craft of writing them. Absorbing and digesting the material in both books will substantially assist the process by which important writing and marketing decisions are made.
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