‘Books are made by humans, for humans, in conversation with other humans, and they are still the best vehicle we have for sustained thought.’ It’s episode 500 of The Extraordinary Business Book Club. (I KNOW!!!) To mark the milestone, I handed the mic over to YOU, the listeners, to reflect…
‘If you’re into it, read into it.’ Fresh (sic) from the London Book Fair, this week’s episode brings together perspectives from across the industry on the National Year of Reading campaign. Does reading even still matter? [Spoiler alert: it matters more than ever!] And how can we – as an…
‘The crux of our whole business is just really finding talented people to help others do what they can’t do themselves as well.’ Kevin Anderson never planned to become CEO of one of the biggest editorial agencies in the world, but that’s where his knack for seeing opportunities in a…
‘The research shows that it’s stories that are the most powerful mobilizers of change.’ What does ‘story’ mean to you? Zoë Arden asked that question of more than 100 people, beginning her research, as she encourages us all to begin our stories, by listening first. Leaders have at their disposal…
‘ This technology isn’t going to go away. We need to figure out what role it has.’ George Walkley is a legend in the publishing world. Over the last three decades, and particularly at Hachette, he has not only witnessed but helped shape the digital transformation of the industry, and these…
’That’s all we’ve got as well in this age of AI… we have to put heart and soul into what we create.’ When someone cheerfully tells you that when one door closes another door opens in the midst of the rawness of redundancy, you’d be forgiven for wanting to punch…
‘The absence of healthy conflict is a large part of why people will leave jobs, because it’s not where the growth happens.’ How do you feel about hard conversations at work? Our approaches to conflict are often less than smart. Whether your tendency is towards avoidance or aggression, unless…
Fresh (if you can call it that) from the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025, I’m here this week with a candid look at what we and other publishers were talking about over those three hectic days – global sales, routes to market, Amazon and its new algorithm, AI, digital library platforms, translation…
People who write business books – at least, business books worth reading – tend to think a little differently. This ‘Best Bits’ episode features a formidable line-up of disruptors, each of whom brings a very personal toolkit for unsettling the status quo, in work and in life. Challenging the system…
Leslie Grandy always wanted to be ‘creative’, but after discovering that she ‘sucked’ as a child at piano, painting, drama, dancing and so on she decided (to the relief of her teachers) that it simply wasn’t for her. Until she realized, in her corporate career working with visionary leaders like…
Love a good business book? You're in the right place. Get weekly recommendations, insights and tips for your own writing right here!
(No spam, ever.)
