Is the Marquis Who's Who of American Women really legitimate?

Question

I received an application. I want to know if this is really an honor or if it is a ruse to sell books. The book is very expensive.

Answer 1

Just to sell books.

Answer 2

Wikipedia says that:

"Marquis Who's Who is a U.S. publication listing biographical information. Founded in 1899 by Albert Nelson Marquis (pronounced "Marqwis"), the first edition of the publication contained concise biographies of over 8500 distinguished Americans. Today, the company publishes over a dozen different series with information on more than a million individuals; the flagship book "Who's Who in America" contains over one hundred thousand entries.

The title "Who's Who" is in the public domain, and thousands of "Who's Who" compilations of varying scope and quality have been published by various authors and publishers. Some of these are vanity publications, where the inclusion criteria is the biographee's willingness to buy the book, and the business model consists in selling books directly to the biographees.

Marquis does offer some vanity features and merchandise to biographees. Tucker Carlson in an article entitle Hall of Lame that appeared in Forbes Magazine, writes that the selection process is neither rigorous nor meaningful, and self nominators and thousands of people not particularly notable are included, such as bowling coaches, teachers, and landscape architects. Carlson also writes that Marquis makes money selling addresses to direct mail marketers. [1].

According to its publishers, the Marquis publications are intended and sold primarily as works of reference, and they insist that the sole selection criteria is "reference value". As proof of this reference value, they assert the company's success is demonstrated in celebrities and otherwise notable individuals contributing and updating their biographical data."

I don't think you have to pay to be included and you don't have to buy anything, although they will try to get you to order the certificates, books, etc. There is a discussion here about this...
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9725&page=2

Hope that helps!

Answer 3

Just a way to sell books. Just like "Who's Who among High School Seniors". If they agree to put you in the book (and really - who gets turned down) then they hope you and all your family and friends and neighbors, etc. will buy thier book. I don't know of anyone who has accually looked in one of those books and hired someone or upped their wages or anything because of them.

Answer 4

I am sorry to inform you that it is both an honor and a ruse. Knowing you will be honored to be acknowledged, it is easier to "convince you" to commemorate your achievements by of course purchasing an overpriced item.

Answer 5

Everytime I get an offer to buy books, I kiss my library card.