Bradford businesswoman Judith Donovan is giving small firms a helping hand with her D-I-Y guide to direct marketing.

Mrs Donovan, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, who has spent the last 12 years writing D-I-Y Direct Marketing - An Essential Guide for Beginners, has been described as the "Queen of Direct Marketing".

The book reveals the secrets of her craft and guides the reader through each step of creating a direct marketing campaign.

Direct marketing gives firms a chance to make their products known through mailshots, catalogues and advertising. It also helps firms promote their products to other companies through similar means.

Mrs Donovan, who started JDA in 1982 as a consultancy, is now chairman of the agency which employs 60 people at its headquarters in Thornbury, Bradford.

The firm handles blue chip clients from all over the UK in the fields of mail order, financial services, retail, charity, business-to-business services and manufacturing.

She said: "When I was chairman of Bradford TEC and now I am president of the Chamber, I come across people who cannot afford to pay the direct mail campaign prices firms like mine charge. So I decided to write this book to help them.

"It may have taken 12 years, but I don't rush good things. I am sharing with the readers 20 years of knowledge."

The book started as a series of articles for a direct marketing magazine and was developed in stages over the past few years. It is on national sale and published by Kogan Page at £16.99.

Judith Donovan is the first female president of the Chamber in its 150-year history. She has had the desire to succeed all her life. She was born in London in 1951 and adopted at seven weeks by the family of Bradford bakery firm Asa Nicholson.

She became Judith Donovan after marrying John Donovan in London who also paid a key role in JDA until he retired a few months ago.

When they moved back north Judith became advertising manager at Bradford mail order giant Grattan before she formed JDA as a one-woman firm.

She became chairman of Bradford & District Training & Enterprise Council in 1990 and was named Yorkshire Businesswoman of the Year in 1997 when she also became a CBE. Last year she became a Member of the Guild of Freemen.

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