Which books inspire you?

November 27, 2008 | By James Tuckerman

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Wherever I travel, whatever networking event I attend, there’s always one bloke or sheila who simply must tell me about the latest business bestseller or awe-inspiring autobiography that he/she has just finished reading.

AND I LOVE IT!

Working in magazines, you’d expect that I like to read. What you wouldn’t expect is that I sometimes find myself quite lonely, without anyone to talk with after reading the latest paradigm-shifting page-turner.

Part of the problem is that I often hear about about great books before they are launched in Australia (a perk of the job).

I promptly order them from Amazon, after which, I am forced to keep the many percolating thoughts running through my head to myself, until the said thought-jigger finally gets a release down-under.

So, here’s my idea…

Would you like to help me launch an Anthill bookclub?

We’ll try our best to get the best new books – for free, at cost or for a discount. We’ll send them to our bookclub members – monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly (you decide). Then, we’ll open an online forum whereby we can share our thoughts.

I’m hoping that I can convince the Australian book publishers to back it. What Australian publisher wouldn’t want a select group of local ‘influencers’ to get their hands on a pre-release item for discussion and potential idea dissemination in advance?

So, if this sounds like something that you’d like to be involved in, click here. I’m not promising anything. I’m just keen to get expressions of interest.

And while we’re at it, why not share your thoughts on that awesome business book or autobiography that recently inspired you? I’m sure the rest of Anthill’s blogging community would be interested (call them your ‘stocking stuffer tips’).

I know I would be. Or am I just a big book nerd?

http://www.omnificdesign.com.au Wes Towers

Sounds like an awsome plan. I love reading books also but never seem to find the time to get through them. I found a solution. http://www.audible.com
If you can put up with some of the voices the content is awesome and you can churn through them in the car.

[Reply]
Elliot Epstein

Hi…Robyn Haydon has written an excellent Australian oriented book on winning proposals. As a pitch consutant working on high stakes strategy, negotiations and the winning presentation, I have yet to see a better example of how companies can improve the persuasive quality of the actual written proposal

I highy recommend ‘The Shedder Test’ by Robyn Haydon – a must for any bid team

Cheers
Elliot Epstein
Salient Communication

[Reply]
http://oodles.com Steve Sherlock

its not a new book, but one of the best impactfull i have ever read.

The Origin of Brands: Al Ries, Laura Ries

[Reply]
Roger

Yep you’re a geek…but if you ever want to be inspired to get off your arse and do something read Mandella’s autobiography, what he achieved by 35 is truly inspiring if your cup is half full (probably quite depressing if not). Then get the DVD “man on a wire”…truly inspirational. There’s others like Positioning by Reis & Trout, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Reis & Trout etc…but for my money business is about “can do” at the end of the day.

[Reply]
http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au Clayton Wehner

Hello James – We would be happy to help you launch an Anthill Book Club – but I’m hopeful that you will advocate the purchase of books from Australian suppliers, rather than sending the money offshore to Amazon.

The power of Amazon (50% of all online book purchases in Australia are made via Amazon) and parallel importation are very hot issues in the Australian book industry at the moment.

Clayton Wehner
Boomerang Books
http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au

[Reply]
http://www.e-diary.com.au Patrick Barrett

James, it’s a great idea….I’ve been meaning to read a book for years!!
I find though that my marketing ‘fix’ is best satisfied through magazines, blogs, group discussions, reports and the like.

Last two books I read were ‘Seabiscuit’ (what a cracker) and ‘Marching Powder’. To me, the likes of the Mandela autobiography appeal far greater than the ’968 P’s of Marketing Vol 9′ – I tend to find a lot more inspiration from real-life, “knock me out, did that really happen” stories that refresh, escape and revitalise the mind.

[Reply]
http://www.thespeedthinkingzone.com ken hudson

James,
A quick reply. As an Australian book author i think this is a great idea. My observation of the publishing industry is that it lacks new ideas and innovation so anything that could get people reading good books has to be a wonderful idea!

I also believe that Australian business managers, owners and leaders suffer from an insecurity in that they believe that anything coming from the US is automatically better that what an Australian author could write. Not so.

Ken Hudson
The Idea Generator (Allen & Unwin) and The Idea Accelerator (Allen & Unwin).

[Reply]

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