While we would all like to imagine the office as sunny as a trip to Montego Bay, the truth is, the typical work environment just isn’t so. In fact, sometimes the office can be downright stormy with torrential misunderstandings, high pressure competition, and raging rivals.

New books on our shelves this month focus on weakening those nasty office climates and alerting of any bad weather on the horizon. Whether you’re a leader, follower, or someone in between, the titles found below hold tremendous value as resources for creating and maintaining a company and office culture that’ll stretch those blue skies from your vacation right into your work.

The 11 Laws of Likability: Relationship Networking…Because People Do Busines with People They Like by Michelle Tillis Lederman

We all know that networking is important for success, but the networking tactics we read about take a lot of work — and can feel so phony! Wouldn’t it be great if you could network in a more relaxed, authentic way?

The 11 Laws of Likability reveals a painless new way to network that’s based on one simple truth: People do business with people they like. In this empowering book, you’ll learn how to identify and accentuate your most likable characteristics, and also how to:

• Start conversations and keep them going with ease
• Avoid coming across as manipulative or self-serving
• Convert acquaintances into friends
• Tweak your own personal style to enable engaging interactions with different kinds of people
• Stay in others’ minds long after your initial meeting
• And more.

Featuring real-life scenarios and packed with activities and self-assessment quizzes, this powerful yet down-to-earth book will help bring to light all of your natural likability — and give you easy, comfortable methods for creating honest, enjoyable interactions that become “wins” for you and for all parties involved.

Forming relationships is the foundation of success. And once you discover “The 11 Laws of Likability,” your road to success in any field will be faster and more enjoyable than you ever imagined.

The 11 Laws of Likability: Relationship Networking…Because People Do Busines with People They Like from Amacom is available in print and digital format from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts by Dr. Peter T. Coleman

ONE IN EVERY TWENTY DIFFICULT CONFLICTS ends up not in a calm reconciliation or tolerable standoff but as an acute lasting antagonism. Such conflicts — the five percent — can be found among the diplomatic and political clashes we read about every day in the newspaper but also, and in a no less damaging and dangerous form, in our private and personal lives, within families, in work-places, and among neighbors. These self-perpetuating conflicts resist mediation, defy conventional wisdom, and drag on and on, worsening over time. Once we get pulled in, it is nearly impossible to escape. The five percent rules us.

So what can we do when we find ourselves ensnared? According to Dr. Peter T. Coleman, to contend with this destructive species of conflict we must understand the invisible dynamics at work. Coleman has extensively researched the essence of conflict in his “Intractable Conflict Lab,” the first research facility devoted to the study of polarizing conversations and seemingly unresolveable disagreements. Informed by lessons drawn from practical experience, advances in complexity theory, and the psychological and social currents that drive conflicts both international and domestic, Coleman offers innovative new strategies for dealing with disputes of all types, ranging from abortion debates to the enmity between Israelis and Palestinians.

A timely, paradigm-shifting look at conflict, The Five Percent is an invaluable guide to preventing even the most fractious negotiations from foundering.

The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts from Public Affairs – Perseus is available in print and digital format from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Big Enough Company: Creating a Business That Works for You by Adelaide Lancaster and Amy Abrams

A guide to building a business you enjoy running without caving under the pressure to grow.

After initially launching their company, small-business owners are bombarded with a flurry of “advice” on how to grow fast, be more profitable, and imitate other successful start-ups. While these tips may work for some people, they fail to consider the astounding variety of needs, motivations, and goals that each entrepreneur has for starting her business.

Entrepreneurs Abrams and Lancaster explore how to grow an enterprise that is not only successful but also sustains the owner’s personal goals and needs-in terms of size, culture, and level of involvement. Drawing on their experience as well as on interviews with more than one hundred successful women business owners, Abrams and Lancaster guide readers through the principles that matter most when you work for yourself.

More a supportive guide than a list of dos and don’ts, this book empowers entrepreneurs to ignore popular “wisdom” and peer pressure and take charge of their businesses in a way that will help them succeed on their own terms.

The Big Enough Company: Creating a Business That Works for You from Portfolio Hardcover is available in print and digital format from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Our new Amplify e-book marketing program is off to a running start. Publishers are realizing that e-book publicity is going to have to play by different rules than those traditionally found in paper book campaigns. Why? Walk into a bookstore and you’re practically tripping over new releases placed strategically on tables and shelves for all to see.  E-books on the other hand aren’t availed the same service online where millions of titles vie for attention.  The hit-and-run campaigns publishers are used to are short-term events for paper books that won’t cut it with e-books and now with brick-and-mortar booksellers against the ropes, book publicity faces a whole new challenge and importance.

FSB’s Amplify marketing program focuses on turning a short-term event into an extended engagement that increases a book and author’s online visibility. By grouping similar e-books together and promoting them over a six month period, campaigns are amped by boosting their volume, duration, and networking communities. Early adopters of the Amplify program are spearheading the online book publicity movement and among them are publishers such as F&W Media, TOR Books, Vanguard Press (Perseus), and Reader’s Digest Trade Publishing.

F&W Media is currently featuring a line of crime novels under the brand, F&W Crime, whose titles seen below are a good example of what makes up a typical Amplify program lineup. By promoting individual books as part of a whole, each title benefits from the support of other titles, the publisher, and FSB’s 16 years of experience, personal relationships with online media outlets, and a far-reaching social media network that includes a team of Twitter support.

Screams & Whispers by Randall Peffer

Young Cape Cod public defender and commercial fisherman Michael Decastro ventures to Saigon with his father to come to the aid of his long-lost client and love-interest Tuki Aparecio, who is in a fight of her life with a mysterious dragon lady from Indochina’s underworld. Screams & Whispers from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Untouchable by Scott O’Connor

A year has passed since Lucy Darby’s unexpected death, leaving her husband David and son Whitley to mend the gaping hole in their lives. The Kid hasn’t spoken since his mother’s death, and only communicates through a collection of notebooks. Untouchable from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

County Line by Bill Cameron

When the steadfast Ruby Jane Whittaker drops out of sight, dogged ex-cop Skin Kadash sets out to discover what drove the woman he loves to leave her life behind. Skin and Peter cross the country on a desperate journey deep into Ruby Jane’s haunted past — and toward an explosive confrontation. County Line from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Liquid Smoke by Jeff Shelby

Private eye Noah Braddock has found peace in his relationship with Detective Liz Santangelo and has called a tentative truce with his alcoholic mother, Carolina. So when lawyer Darcy Gill demands that he look into a death row case, he’s more interested in catching some waves. Darcy then plays her trump card: the man scheduled to die is the father Noah never knew. Liquid Smoke from FW Crime is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

So focused in our day to day work we often overlook the big picture that surrounds our lives. When it hits though, the realization of our existence conjures difficult questions. Who am I? Where am I going? What am I doing all of this for? This week we’re shining a light on four books that awaken sleeping souls to worlds both within and around the self in their own unique ways.

Transitions: How Women Embrace Change and Celebrate Life by Abigail Brenner

Abigail Brenner, M.D., author of Transitions: How Women Embrace Change and Celebrate Life, is a board certified psychiatrist currently in private practices as well as an ordained interfaith minister who helps people design, create, and perform personally meaningful rituals. She is also author of  SHIFT: How to Deal When Life Changes, and the co-author of The Essential Guide To Baby’s First Year, to be released April 2011. Transitions: How Women Embrace Change and Celebrate Life from CreateSpace is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

From Brunonia Barry, the New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader, comes an emotionally compelling novel about finding your true place in the world.

A respected Boston psychotherapist, Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood spent stealing boats. But the actions of a patient throw Zee into emotional chaos and take her back to places she thought she’d left behind.

The Map of True Places from HarperCollins is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Blessed: Living A Grateful Life by Ellen Michaud

Sometimes we just need to stop for a moment and absorb the quiet moments in the world around us–to take a deep breath and appreciate the things in life that make us thankful and bring us joy. Blessed: Living a Grateful Life is a call to do just that. In this heartfelt collection of her online columns from Diane, the flagship magazine of the Curves women’s fitness center organization, author Ellen Michaud reminds us of the everyday blessings that surround us, but we all tend to overlook.

Blessed: Living A Grateful Life from Reader’s Digest is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Into My Father’s Wake by Eric Best

From Eric Best, a solo sailing odyssey and journey of personal discovery in which the author, a former journalist and Wall street strategist, comes to terms with his dead father and learns the meaning of forgiveness.

Into My Father’s Wake from CreateSpace is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Revealing the high-stakes drama behind the scenes of the hit television show American Idol comes a new book by veteran journalist Richard Rushfield, American Idol: The Untold Story.  On the heels of the book’s release, American Idol: The Untold Story has been creating quite a buzz in the media and we’re proud to have it featured on cnn.com, Can a reboot save ‘American Idol?’, villagevoice.com, American Idol Dish about Kara vs. Ellen, and collegecandy.com, The Top 10 American Idol Scandals.  American Idol: The Untold Story from Hyperion is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Simplicity isn’t about what you give up. It’s about what you gain.  That’s the focus behind Tsh Oxenreider’s book Organized Simplicity featuring simple outlines to organize your home and bring balance to your life.  Read her article, Learning value of stuff by moving overseas, on cnn.com for a lesson in cutting the clutter.  Organized Simplicity from Betterway Home is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Naked Fitness by Andrea Metcalf is not about working out in the nude.  It’s about stripping away all the clutter that stops you from getting your wonderful, beautiful body into the best shape possible.  And what better time to start building a new you than the new year?  We’re planning on seeing many start their plans after reading this article, Are You An Emotional Overeater? on mamapedia.com.  Naked Fitness from Vanguard Press is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

From the world’s leading authority on mind-body healing comes a revolutionary process for accessing the power of your true inner voice-the voice of wisdom, intuition, and the unconscious.  Dr. Brian Alman calls this voice TruSage in his book The Voice: Overcome Negative Self-Talk and Discover Your Inner Wisdom.  The author shares three steps on dealing with any physical or emotional challenge in an article, How to Find Your Inner Voice, on beliefnet.com.  The Voice: Overcome Negative Self-Talk and Discover Your Inner Wisdom from Vanguard Press is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Drowning in Oil by Loren Steffy is the first in-depth examination of how a lack of corporate responsibility and government oversight led to the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion; the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.  An in-depth review on seattlepi.com of the Houston Chronicle business reporter’s book will help readers discern the important issues this book presents from those in the general media that float on the surface.  Drowning in Oil: BP and the Reckless Pursuit of Profit from Vanguard Press is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

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What Will Happen to Me? by Howard Zehr

“Sometimes when I’m alone, I sit there and look up and close my eyes and think, ˜If he were here, what would happen? ˜ I would have had my full life. It’s just half now.” These sobering words from teenager Cassandra are typical of the devastating accounts included in Zehr and Amstutz’s portraits of American children who have at least one incarcerated parent. Zehr’s portraits are compassionate and ennobling and, though often cursory, the text from the children and caregivers is heartbreaking and thought-provoking. What Will Happen To Me? from Good Books is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Midnights with the Mystic by Cheryl Simone

A series of intimate conversations with a wise guru is a compelling idea. How many times have each of us wished for answers to life’s deep questions? In Midnights with the Mystic, Cheryl Simone relates her personal experience of learning at the feet of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, India’s most sought-after mystic. Midnights with the Mystic from Hampton Roads is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Breath of God by Jeffrey Small

In 1887, a Russian journalist made an explosive discovery in a remote Himalayan monastery only to be condemned and silenced for the heresy he proposed. His discovery vanished shortly thereafter.

Now, graduate student Grant Matthews journeys to the Himalayas in search of this ancient mystery. But Matthews couldn’t have anticipated the conspiracy of zealots who would go to any lengths to prevent him from bringing this secret public. Soon he is in a race to expose a truth that will change the world’s understanding of religion. A truth that his university colleagues believe is mere myth. A truth that will change his life forever—if he survives. Breath of God from West Hills Press is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I wonder if manufacturing hardcover books makes sense anymore? In talking with fellow publishing friends, we agree that the current publishing model is not ideal. For example, selling books essentially on consignment, taking huge returns, giving advances that don’t earn out, not having enough marketing dollars, all create huge challenges to the current model. The biggest threat to this model is not the e-book or the Internet, it is the hardcover book.

As a Kindle user I am noticing more and more that I am no longer buying hardcover books. I recently realized that I may never need to buy a hardcover book again, and this is shocking to me! I love books! My husband and I are “book people” — we have worked with books all of our careers. Like all us book people, we have huge bookshelves creaking under the weight of their contents. We have books in our bedroom, under our sofa, in our bathroom. I buy books every week and yet I still find myself wondering if I need to buy a hardcover.

I will, of course, never stop reading or buying books, but I now prefer to download them on my Kindle. Not that the experience of Kindle reading is better than the physical book. (It’s certainly not for me.) I do miss the paper and the feel of a book in my hands, but these days the convenience of a Kindle often dictates my decision. I love the convenience of having multiple books at my disposal. I love the fact that I don’t have to worry about how big or heavy a book is before I decide where I will read it. I love the fact that I can download a book the moment I want to read it. I recently downloaded a book on the train for my ride home. I am just never giving up that convenience. Clearly I am not alone as Amazon enjoyed a “69% surge in third-quarter profit, led by strong sales of its Kindle e-reader [in 2009]” according to CNN Money.

So I wonder, if a person like me won’t buy a hardcover, how soon before no one does? Brian Murray, chief executive of HarperCollins Publishers said in a recent WSJ interview that “hardcover sales in the industry are down 15%.” I have a small office. There are eight of us working together, and three of us have Kindles. All three of us are buying more ebooks than hardcovers. Even here, in my office, the publishing model is changing. We do not require book publishers to provide us with expensive book jackets, paper, transportation, warehouse storage, or bookstore space. We do ask for their word that the book is good, and worth our time and money.

How much energy and money can we save if we stop publishing hardcovers? Book publishing is not dying, it’s evolving. We need good editors and publishers more than ever to show us the best ideas, polish them, and give us books to think about and talk about.

by Ken Ishii

It’s hard to believe that we’re coming to the end of 2010.  Where did all the time go?  For all of us at FSB, much of the time was spent adapting to the rapidly developing digital age of business.  It’s safe to assume that most of the other businesses out there were doing the same.  For many of us, this year felt a lot like freshman year of high school.  Greater responsibilities, large unexplored spaces, new relationships, awkward social procedures, unfamiliar jargon, and an intimidating tower of learning all weigh down on us.  But we’ve gotta get through it for the sake of our future and besides, everyone else is doing it too.  Well, like most things we fear, it’s not so bad once you’re over the hump and by now we’ve become pretty adept at circumnavigating the halls of social media high.  What’s left now is to examine what went right and, more importantly, what mistakes were made up to this point so that we can move into the sophomore age of business on the web with a digital marketing plan for 2011 minus the rookie flubs gone by.  Below you’ll find a few books authored by experts on cutting-edge business practices to help put you at the head of the digital class.

Fans of the reality TV show “The Apprentice” might recognize the co-author of this book, Randal Pinkett, as the first African American winner of the show.  This book points out that life too is a game and one that has played out unfavorably for many African Americans.  The 10 strategies for success outlined in Black Faces in White Places aims to break a vicious cycle by evening the corporate score.
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It’s been such a hectic year that we may not fully understand the repercussions of actions that were made hastily in an effort to keep up with developing marketing trends.  Now, before the new year, is an opportune time to think about those decisions before outlining your digital marketing strategy for 2011. In fact, author Daniel Forrester insists upon it in his book Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking In Your Organization.
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Now that you have a plan outlined, it’s time to tweak it.  That’s where The Network Is Your Customer by David L. Rogers fits in.  The author examines how digital technologies are transforming the types of relationships we keep in business.  With total global Internet connectivity on the horizon and smartphones in our pockets, the world we’re entering is one previously only imagined in the realm of science fiction.
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At this point you’ve established your target audience and snagged their attention through a clever network of channels and communities.  To keep them interested, you need to bring something fresh to the table.  Who better to take cue from than the head of one of today’s biggest and most revered companies, Apple?  Author Carmine Gallo has laid out a simple step-by-step program surrounding seven principles that set Apple’s CEO apart from the pack in the highly anticipated book, The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success.

You’ve examined your previous efforts, planned a strategy around future trends, and have a delivery that’ll knock their socks off.  Now, Build A Great Business, that is, the book by authors/entrepreneurs Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy will give your business steadier footing in this shaky economy.  The focus here is on the basics.  Successful businesses, at any gigahertz, rely on solid time-tested strategies that have lifted industrialists like Tony Hsieh, Richard Branson, Charles Schwab to great heights.

Don’t compound the stress of the holidays with uncertainties about business in the new year.  Prepare your digital marketing strategy now because if you thought this year was tough, wait until social media college.

By Ken Ishii

It’s the start of a new month and flipping the calendar comes with some excitement for me.  This is when I get to sneak a peek at new books coming around the bend here at FSB.  It’s like peeling away the corner of gift wrapping.  I’ll be sharing the joy each month with an update of new projects we have in store.  Below are just some of the titles we started to work on and they’re shaping up to be great campaigns.  I left ZooBorns out of the mix because we dedicated a whole post to it last week, but we’re definitely still ‘oohhs’ and ‘aahhs’ over our baby animal newborns.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier is the author’s latest novel that, like The Lady and the Unicorn and Girl With a Pearl Earring, transports readers back in time and into the role of a passionate tradesperson.  I’m especially happy to see Tracy actively supporting her books by communicating with her fans on Twitter.  With this combined effort, we may have another bestseller on our hands.
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Nighttime Novelist by Joseph Bates is not only a motivational book about making the most out of your spare time, it’s also an incredible resource of writing strategies and fundamentals for getting your novel out the door.  Despite the name, this book is valuable to screenwriters and playwrights as well with sections to help develop character arcs and three-act structures.  Joseph has a well-rounded web presence that includes a website, blog, Twitter profile, and Facebook page.

Black Faces in White Places by Randal Pinkett and Jeffrey Robinson outlines ten strategies for African Americans to achieve success particularly during the current recession.  Fans of The Apprentice will remember Pinkett as the first minority winner of the show in season four.  We like the ability to pull a ten point list from the book. It makes for effective copy that’s highly portable across various social media platforms.  Randal Pinkett is a widely recognized public figure thanks to the help of his website, Twitter profile, and Facebook page.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has returned to FSB with a new book called Rebel Buddha: On the Road to Freedom.  The author is often praised for his ability to take the teachings of Buddha and make them accessible to contemporary readers who may not be familiar with Zen spirituality.  We’re thrilled that the Buddhist community has a strong online presence and that it’s open to all walks of life.  The author’s Twitter profile streams words of wisdom and gains new followers on a daily basis.  It makes increasing the book’s popularity that much easier.  I have to add that it also helps to have one of the coolest covers I’ve ever seen.

It’s great to see authors using social media more and more these days.  Sure it helps in marketing their books, but it also solidifies a relationship with readers that goes beyond the pages.  It can help predict a demand for future book releases and gives authors an unprecedented opportunity to share their opinions worldwide.  Soon the day will come when you’ll learn about new releases from the authors themselves.  Until then, I’ll be inviting you to check out some fresh and interesting reads here and on FSB Media.

By Ken Ishii

The “miracle of life” stands as a timeless source of wonderment.  We get gushy over newborn babies with their clumsy limbs, miniature facial features, and wide-eyed curiosity ogling a newly inherited world.  Equally, only the coldest of hearts could deny an affection for the vast amount of adorable animals in the world.  Deep down, we’re all some sort of pet-lover.  Well, authors Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland have tag-teamed to smack our soft spots with two new books revealing the marvel of newborn baby animals.  The books, ZooBorns and ZooBorns! (for young children), feature dozens of dazzling high-resolution photographs of newborn climbers, divers, and crawlers from zoos and aquariums around the world.  Every slice-of-wildlife picture in ZooBorns is captioned with information about each animal including species endangerment status making this an ideal book for kids and grownups alike.  Ten percent of all ZooBorns book sale proceeds goes to support the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund, so you’re not just an observer when you purchase one or both books published by Simon & Schuster. Find out more on the ZooBorns website or on the new books section of FSB Media.

An FSB first, Fauzia captured a few of our first impressions of the book on video.  Thrilled to say the least.  Have your own DV, flash or webcam recorder?  We’d love to see your favorite ZooBorns baby!