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Posted March 5, 2009 8:46 a.m. by dylan
In Business Imprints - 800 CEO Read Blog
Portfolio publisher Adrian Zackheim posted a year in review from that house's perspective on Monday that stands out as a beacon of hope amidst all the publishing gloom of late. (As you all probably know, Portfolio is the publisher of The 100 Best.) Adrian sums up 2008 as follows:
I'm going to simply list the books Mr. Zackheim referenced among the highlights of last year, just to give you a sampling of Portfolio's outstanding 2008 catalog.Despite reduced store traffic through the year, Portfolio reported topline sales growth of 22% and gross margin growth of more than 50%. Nearly half of our new titles achieved margin target in the year of publication. We placed two books on the printed New York Times bestseller list, and several more on the extended Times list, the Wall Street Journal list, the BusinessWeek list, and other bestseller compilations.
Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (And Stick You With the Bill) by David Cay Johnston The Go-Giver: A Little Story About A Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam The Ten Commandments for Business Failure by Donald Keough The World is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy by David M. Smick It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks by Howard Behar with Janet Goldstein Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition by Guy Kawasaki Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin Inside Steve's Brain by Leander Kahney Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin, Billion Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years by Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui
If you'd like to know more about Portfolio's 2008 and what makes these titles such highlights, head on over to Adrian Zackheim's original post.
We can only hope that The 100 Best helps make 2009 a repeat performance.
The 2008 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards - Biographies & Memoirs
Posted Dec. 5, 2008 7:30 a.m. by 800-ceo-read
In Book Awards - 800 CEO Read Blog
The books on our 2008 shortlist for the Biographies & Memoirs Category are:
Inside Drucker's Brain
by Jeffrey Krames (Portfolio, November 2008)Jeffrey Krames relates Drucker's stories like the talented writer he is, plopping the reader down in Drucker's life, practically sitting in his living room or the Italian restaurant where they went to lunch. This is the best way to learn, by hearing stories, which Peter Drucker told all his life.
The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber Power, and the Seeds of Empire
by Joe Jackson (Viking, March 2008)The fascinating story of Henry Wickham, who went to the jungle to find the seeds to the most valuable rubber--and pull off one of the greatest heists of all time--is told here with excitement, intrigue and homage to the wonders of science and industry. Through Wickham's story, Joe Jackson reveals the importance of rubber during the Industrial Revolution and explains how advancements like vulcanization, which makes rubber harder and more usable, sparked worldwide demand and a renewed entrepreneurial spirit.
Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work
edited by Joni B. Cole & B. K. Rakhra (Da Capo Lifelong Books, March 2008)March 27, 2007, hundreds of women across America created a diary entry of their workday. This book contains thirty-five of those full-day diary entries and many more highlights or excerpts. Bloggers, a school custodian, a rancher, and an orthopedic trauma surgeon are among the heartfelt and real people talking about their lives.
Inside Steve's Brain
by Leander Kahney (Portfolio, May 2008)Steve Jobs has done some amazing things in his life. He and his company have created brilliant products. He is also somewhat of an oddball. Blogger, author and Wired news editor Leander Kahney shows us all sides of this complicated man, including his famous temper, his obsessions, his anti-materialism and above all his exceptional leadership.
The Good Ol' Summertime
Posted June 11, 2008 5:00 a.m. by delicious
In General Business - 800 CEO Read Blog
This is just a little reminder for me to tell you to take some time for yourself this summer. Everyone gets caught up in everyday living and we worry about everything all the time. This summer, promise to do something 'cool' for you. One thing, of course, is treating yourself to a good book. Here are some ideas for you to have a 'mental margarita'.
You: The Owner's Manual - An Inside Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger - One of the best books on how to take care of yourself.
The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company and - The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service - These are great business books that are actually fun to read!
Keeping in tune with The Celebrity Experience (in time for the Tony Awards) you may want to check out Backstage Pass: Broadway Bares or even Always by My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other - just in time for Fathers' Day.
If you nothing above piqued your interest to aid in getting your mind off of day-to-day rituals, here's a spattering of titles I just finished reading:
You can even give your eyes a rest and get something on a Compact Disc !!
Of course these are just some suggestions.... if you want to pick one of these or comment on what you like or want to read, please do so! It will help for ideas to get everyone to take a little break this sunny season!
Jack Covert Selects - Inside Steve's Brain
Posted April 10, 2008 4:58 a.m. by 800-ceo-read
Inside Steve's Brain by Leander Kahney, Portfolio, 304 pages, $23.95, Hardcover, April 2008, ISBN 9781591841982
For four decades, the word Apple has conjured up more than just keeping the doctor away. Adding the iPod, iTunes and iPhone to that mix only strengthens the long-lasting brand that shares the fruit's name. But what makes it tick? What's at the heart of this company? Leander Kahney answers those questions in this book by focusing on its sometimes controversial CEO, Steve Jobs.
Kahney delves into Jobs' world from the very beginnings of the computer business he created with his childhood friend, Steve Wozniak. They made what would eventually be known as the first Apple computer in a garage, and then recruited other friends to help build them. Kahney illustrates Jobs' role in the progress of this new technology as more creative and intuitive than scientific. Jobs never graduated college, never took computer technology courses, and certainly never knew how to build one. What he did know is how it should perform, what it should look like and who would use it. He's basically Apple's own test market and built-in guru.
Life has not always been like this for Apple or for Jobs. One may remember the late '80s to mid '90s, when the computer company took hit after hit with slumping sales, sub-standard technology and too many products to control. It was no longer the company Jobs had helped build. At that time, Jobs was helming a company called NeXt and making movies with a little company he helped start called Pixar (Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Toy Story). Needless to say, however, Jobs returned to Apple when they needed him the most.
Jobs got rid of the "bozos" at Apple. He realized that too many creative people can be a death-sentence and that Apple had its shortcomings. The company had to get humble, and quick. Before the iPod was released, Apple was just about ready to toss in the towel. But then Jobs stepped in as advisor at the request of then CEO, Gilbert Amelio. What followed was one of the most ambitious comebacks in modern business history. Jobs got rid of departments, products and workers they didn't need, achieving a streamlined business with more focus, drive, determination and ingenuity.
Apple Computer is the big story in this book, but Kahney also takes us a journey into Jobs' brain--from his childhood to adulthood, through his ups and downs--and begins to solve the riddle of Steve Jobs and his business savvy.
April Titles
Posted March 31, 2008 12:10 p.m. by kate
In New Releases - 800 CEO Read Blog
As we start the next month, here are a few of the titles coming out in April that are sure to be covered in various media outlets.
- From the author of A Whole New Mind, comes the first ever manga business book. Dan Pink's The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need.
- Procter and Gamble's A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan worked together to publish The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation.
- Nudge:Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by two professors at the University of Chicago
- Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy? (Memo to the CEO) by Andrew J. Hoffman and John G. Woody on the subject everyone is talking about: how business will change as the climate changes.
- From the Cult of Mac author, Leander Kahney takes a look Inside Steve's Brain.
Enjoy your April.
