Interview with The IDG Books and the People Behind the Dummies Series

Submitted by Patrick on Sun, 10/29/2006 - 10:21pm.

The Dummies Series of Books has taken the world by storm. You can now get Dummies Tips of the Day sent to you via e-mail.

We asked IDG Books, the creators of Dummies, to participate in an interview and here are the results:

DJ: The whole Dummies series has been very successful. Can you give a brief history on how it started?
IDG: In 1987, over dinner with a friend, IDG Books Worldwide CEO and co-founder John Kilcullen was kicking around some new ideas for computer books. He kept coming back to a remark made by a customer in a Software Etc. store who requested a book in the DOS operating system. He said that he needed a simple, basic book because he didn't know anything about computers. "Something," he suggested, "like DOS for dummies."

Kilcullen filed away the idea until he was in California four years later as the co-founder and Publisher of IDG Books Worldwide. When he heard writer Dan Gookin speak humorously about DOS at a meeting, Kilcullen knew that he had found his perfect author . DOS FOR DUMMIES(r), by Dan Gookin, was published by IDG Books Worldwide in November, 1991. The rest, as they say, is history with more than 35 million books in print and 350 ...For Dummies(r) titles on technology and general reference topics.

The latest addition to the growing ...For Dummies brand franchise is the new line of daily e-mail newsletters. Titled "Dummies Dailytm: The On-line Resource for the Rest of Us... Every Business Day", the new on-line product line provides a comprehensive "how-to" and productivity advice service for readers who want to learn more about almost any computing topic.

DJ: Moving the ...For Dummies series to e-mail seems to be a natural progression. How many subscribers are receiving the tips?
IDG: More than 150,000+ subscribers have signed up to receive Dummies Daily newsletters, and hundreds more sign up every day.

DJ: The Dummies Daily e-mails are very well written. Who produces them?
IDG: The award-winning editors and reporters of PC World magazine and PC World On-line produce the newsletters in cooperation with IDG Books Worldwide.

DJ: Where is the material for the Dummies Daily e-mail culled from?
IDG: The Dummies Daily newsletters are all original content developed by an expert in-house team based on an editorial plan created by PC World On-line and IDG Books Worldwide.

DJ: Describe the technical setup that allows you to send so many e-mails out on a timely basis.
IDG: PC World On-line has invested much time and effort in developing a broadcast e-mail system to deliver 1.7 million e-mails through the Dummies Daily and TipWorld product lines. A dedicated server running both commercial and proprietary software, and located on an Internet backbone allows PC World On-line to deliver up to 200,000 e-mails per hour!

DJ: Ok, the Dummies Man logo is a hoot! Who designed it and what look was the person going for?
IDG: The Dummies Man icon was the inspiration of John Kilcullen (with whom he shares an uncanny resemblance!). He wanted to create a character who symbolized the befuddled "everyman" (and everywoman) in us. The Dummies Man is emblematic of the kind of smart, busy people who read our books. They're looking for information and they don't want to be intimidated by geekspeak and technical gobbledygook. What makes the ...For Dummies concept so successful is that we've created an endearing character and expression that speaks to the frustration people feel when faced with impenetrable technical talk when all they want is simple answers presented in a fun and easy style.

DJ: What is your relationship with PC World?
IDG: PC World On-line Services Group launched Dummies Daily through a licensing agreement with IDG Books Worldwide.

DJ: Will there be new Dummies Daily e-mail tips added that aren't tied to computers? An example would be personal finances, etc.
IDG: We are already addressing a variety of non-computer topics via our "Dummies Daily: Web After Five" newsletter. Within the Dummies Daily charter as a computer/web-oriented newsletter service, we seek to appeal to the broadest range of on-line readers.

DJ: How computer literate are you? Do you use the Dummies Daily tips?
IDG: Everyone is a dummy at something; over 35 million Dummies readers have proven that. And we've found that even expert users can find something to use in the newsletters. In addition, people tend to pass along tips they receive through their daily newsletters to co-workers and friends.

DJ: Share a couple of funny stories related to Dummies . . .
IDG: What's really fun for us to see is how deeply embedded the ...For Dummies concept has become as a cultural icon. People like Jay Leno and David Letterman make up funny ...For Dummies titles to play into current events, like the cover "Cloning For Dummies" when the first animal clone hit the news. And the media loves to cover our expert authors like Dr. Ruth, who wrote Sex For Dummies(r). She even made Conan O'Brien blush.