For those who are looking for the New York Times Business Best Seller List – There hasn’t been one lately

For a few years, I have listed the titles and linked to the New York Times list of Business Hardcover Best Sellers.  I prefer this list.  Amazon updates its list hourly; other sources (e.g., the Wall Street Journal) publish a weekly list.  But I know enough to know that an hourly, or even a weekly list, can be very misleading.  One radio or tv interview can spike the hourly list.  A speaker who buys a few thousand copies of his own book to distribute can spike the weekly list (and, even, a monthly list).  But I have always sensed that the once-a-month New York Times list was most representative of books that have some level of “staying power.”

Our blogging colleague, Bob Morris, reminds us that Best Sellers are not necessarily good and valuable books.  He is right about that.  And, conversely, some really good and valuable books never make the Best Sellers list.  For example, if you make me choose the first book I would recommend as we constantly wrestle with innovation, it would probably be Get There Early: Sensing the Future to Compete in the Present by Bob Johansen.  It is a really good book, and is the book that introduced me to the “VUCA” world we live in.    I don’t think it ever hit the New York Times list.  At this hour, it is # #350,322 on the hourly updated list for Amazon, far from being a best seller.

{But, Amazon, finds a way to create many “additional “ best seller lists.  At this hour, Get There Early in its Kindle version, after factoring in 4 categories and sub-categories is #42:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,952 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#42 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Planning & Forecasting}

On this thought, I recently read a terrific essay on this year’s Pulitzer controversy:  A Passion for Immortality: On the Missing Pulitzer and the Problem with Prizes by Benjamin Hale.  Here’s an insightful excerpt:

As the Pulitzer is awarded to a work of fiction published in the previous year, all it can take stock of is a book’s vertical life, which sometimes can be deceiving. I’m sure this helps explain some of the more embarrassing retrospective head-slaps in the Pulitzer’s history, such as when, in 1930, it awarded the prize to Oliver La Farge’s Laughing Boy — a second-rate and now utterly forgotten book by an utterly forgotten writer — for the year in which both Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury were published. It’s perfectly natural they would make that mistake; back then, Faulkner and Hemingway were not yet Faulkner and Hemingway, they were just a couple of young writers who happened to be named Faulkner and Hemingway. The Pulitzer Board would try to atone for their sin years later by awarding them both (Faulkner twice) prizes for far lesser works after their reputations were already secure. The hype of the moment does not necessarily translate into lasting luminance. Just scroll down the list of all the past winners of the prize, and count how many you’ve ever heard of. Start at the bottom and move upward chronologically, and you’ll find the occurrence of familiar names increases as we move closer to the present. This is not because the Pulitzer Board has gradually been growing wiser — it’s because we’re living now, not a hundred years in the future. Then we’ll see. We can’t help it — we’re blinded by our own times; all prizes are like that, and that is why, as a measure of what is good and what is not in art, they are not exactly the trustworthiest oracles.

But, back to the issue before me now. I think we need some place to go to ask something like this:  “What books in business are generating the most conversation right now?”  I prefer the New York Times monthly list for this purpose.  There have been a few months here and there when they apparently just “skipped” the business list entirely.  And right now, they have not had a Business Hardcover Best Seller list since March, 2012.  I don’t know why.

I have tweeted New York Times writers, I have called a finance writer at the New York Times, and he gave me the phone number for the books section to call.  But I have been unable, after a few phone calls, to reach a human being in the books section to ask the question.  The phone number that gets me to that section has no “voice mail” capability, so I cannot even leave a message.

Does anyone know what happened to the list?  I would love to know.  Does anyone have a better number for me to call?  I would love to try.  Help me if you can.  Just leave a comment below in the comments section.

In the meantime, I cannot post a current list.  Sorry about that.

Here’s the link to the last New York Times list I posted in March:  Here’s the New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers List for March, 2012.  Here’s the link to the current hourly Amazon “Best Sellers in Business and Investing.”  (As I write, Steve Jobs is back up at #1).  Does anyone know of a better list to suggest?  I’m open to your help.  Just let me know in the comments section below.

Here is the New York Times Hardcover Business Bestsellers list for September, 2011.

Here is the New York Times Hardcover Business Bestsellers list for September, 2011.

A couple of observations:  we clearly still want to know just what caused the financial meltdown, and we keep looking for explanations.  And, personal and finance books seem to be in need.  There are a lot of “still on the list” books:  Ferris, the Heath Brothers, Hsieh, Schultz.

At the First Friday Book Synopsis, my colleague Karl Krayer and I have presented synopses of, either at our event or for a “private client,” #’s  2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 14.  I’m not quite sure that any of the new titles quite fit for the First Friday Book Synopsis.

Here’s the list (read the full list, with brief info about each book, at the New York Times here):

1	NOTHING TO LOSE, EVERYTHING TO GAIN, by Ryan Blair.
2	AFTERSHOCK, by David Wiedemer, Robert A. Wiedemer and Cindy Spitzer.
3	4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss.
4	TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey.
5	SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
6	RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT, by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner.
7	MONEY CLASS, by Suze Orman.
8	DELIVERING HAPPINESS, by Tony Hsieh.
9	STRENGTHS-BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie.
10	ENCHANTMENT, by Guy Kawasaki.
11	CAR GUYS VS. BEAN COUNTERS, by Bob Lutz.
12	END GAME, by John Mauldin and Jonathan Tepper.
13	CHANGE ANYTHING, by Kerry Patterson and Others.
14	ONWARD, by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon.
15	GET RICH CLICK!, by Marc Ostrofsky. online. (†)

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You can purchase many of our synopses, with audio + handout, at our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.

And, if you are in the DFW area, come join us for the First Friday Book Synopsis, at the Park City Club in University Park, 7:00 am, the First Fiday of every month.  You can register from the home page of this blog’s web site.  Just follow the register now button (note;  it usually takes a few days into the month before the next month’s registration is available.)

Here’s the April, 2011 list of Hardcover Business Best Sellers from the New York Times

Here is the April list of Hardcover Business Best Sellers from the New York Times.  As I have written often, this is the list that I most watch – it is a monthly list, which I think better captures what is selling (the Amazon list is updated hourly, and any one hour may be misleading; and some other publications publish weekly lists, which again (in my opinion) do not indicate the “staying power” of the business best sellers).

At the First Friday Book Synopsis, we have presented synopses of #s 6, 8, 11, 14, 15.  We are presenting # 2, Tell to Win, and # 7, Enchantment at the May First Friday Book Synopsis.  I think I will probably present #3, Win, fairly soon.  There are a couple of others on the list we will consider…

And the other books are primarily finance books, which we typically do not present at our event.

Here’s the April list from the New York Times.

1	THE MONEY CLASS, by Suze Orman. (Spiegel & Grau, $26.) The noted personal financial adviser offers a reconsideration of the American dream. (†)
2	TELL TO WIN, by Peter Guber. (Crown Business, $26.) The role of storytelling in business success. (†)
3	WIN, by Frank I. Luntz. (Hyperion, $25.99.) Using communication skills to improve a business. (†)
4	THE THANK YOU ECONOMY, by Gary Vaynerchuk. (Harper Business/HarperCollins, $24.99.) Tips on using social media tools to connect to customers. (†)
5	THE ENTREPRENEUR EQUATION, by Carol Roth. (BenBella, $24.95,) Evaluate your qualifications to establish if you should endeavor to become an entrepreneur. (†)
6	OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”
7*	ENCHANTMENT, by Guy Kawasaki. (Portfolio/Penguin, $26.95.) A former Apple employee explains how to gain professionally and personally by bringing about change in others. (†)
8	THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown, $22.) Reconstructing your life so that it’s not all about work. (†)
9	THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)
10*	SURVIVING YOUR SERENGETI, by Stefan Swanepoel. (Wiley, $21.95.) African animals provide inspiration for mastering business and life. (†)
11	SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (Broadway Business, $26.) How everyday people can effect transformative change at work and in life. (†)
12	ENDGAME, by John Mauldin and Jonathan Tepper. (Wiley, $27.95.) How the “debt supercycle” is adversely affecting developing countries around the world, including the United States.
13*	THE INVESTMENT ANSWER, by Daniel C. Goldie and Gordon S. Murray. (Business Plus, $18.) Five questions every investor should ask. (†)
14	STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. (Gallup, $24.95.) Three keys to being a more effective leader. (†)
15	DELIVERING HAPPINESS, by Tony Hsieh. (Grand Central, $23.99.) Lessons from business (pizza place, worm farm, Zappos) and life. (†)

——

You can purchase many of our synopses, with audio + handout, at our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.    (Be sure to read the faqs).We have presented these to live audiences every month for over 13 years, and people find them quite useful and valuable.

The 1st New York Times Hardcover Business Best-Sellers List of the Year – January, 2011

Here is the latest (January 2, 2011) Hardcover Business Best Sellers list from the New York Times.  If you take out some of the finance-related and investment-related books, we have presented most of these at the First Friday Book Synopsis.  (I am presenting the number one book on the list, All the Devils are Here, at the February gathering).   I have presented The Big Short to an outside gathering, and my synopsis of that book is available on our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.

(We have presented Delivering Happiness, The Big Short, Outliers, Switch, The 4-Hour Work Week, Drive, Rework, and Superfreakonomics from this list.  Most of these are now available on our companion web site, with audio + handout, at 15minutebusinessbooks.com).

 

1	ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE, by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera. (Portfolio/ Penguin, $32.95.) Two business journalists ex­amine the financial crisis of 2008.
2*	THE BIG SHORT, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $27.95.) The people who saw the real estate crash coming and made billions from their foresight.
3	DELIVERING HAPPINESS, by Tony Hsieh. (Grand Central, $23.99.) Lessons from business (pizza place, worm farm, Zappos) and life. (†)
4	OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”
5	SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (Broadway Business, $26.) How everyday people can effect transformative change at work and in life. (†)
6*	THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)
7	GRIFTOPIA, by Matt Taibbi. (Spiegel & Grau, $26.) The rise of the grifters and the stranglehold they have on America, financially.
8	THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown, $22.) Reconstructing your life so that it’s not all about work. (†)
9	SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $29.99.) A scholar and a journalist apply economic thinking to everything: the sequel.
10	DRIVE, by Daniel H. Pink. (Riverhead, $26.95.) What really motivates people is the quest for autonomy, mastery and purpose, not external rewards.
11	DEBUNKERY, by Ken Fisher with Lara Hoffmans (Wiley, $27.95.) Avoid bad investment practices by learning to debunk 50 myths common to the market. (†)
12	THE MENTOR LEADER, by Tony Dungy. (Tyndale House, $24.99.) The former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team offers tips for helping to inspire growth. (†)
13	STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. (Gallup, $24.95.) Three keys to being a more effective leader. (†)
14	AFTERSHOCK, by Robert B. Reich. (Knopf, $25.) Looking at the future of the United States economy, the Clinton-era labor secretary fears that inevitable national belt-tightening could trigger a political convulsion.
15	REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. (Crown Business, $22.) Counterintuitive rules for small-business success, like “Ignore the details early on” and “Good enough is fine.” (†)

 

 

 

 

 

A New Title at the top of the NY TImes List: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh of Zappos

As I have blogged about before, I believe the best list of business best-sellers is the New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list.  It comes out at the beginning of each month.  There is a new title at the top of the list, a title that we have not yet presented at the First Friday Book Synopsis.  Seldom does a book come from “nowhere,” and land at the top of the NY Times list in its first month.  But…  here it is:  DELIVERING HAPPINESS:  A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose, by Tony Hsieh. (Grand Central, $23.99.) Lessons from business (pizza place, worm farm, Zappos) and life.   Tony Hsieh is the “visionary CEO of Zappos,” and the cover of the book looks like Zappos.

The rest of the list is what we expected, and we have presented most of these except the “finance” books (and I have presented The Big Short for a client at his request).

The list was published July 1, 2010.  Here’s the list.

1	DELIVERING HAPPINESS, by Tony Hsieh. (Grand Central, $23.99.) Lessons from business (pizza place, worm farm, Zappos) and life. (†)
2	THE BIG SHORT, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $27.95.) The people who saw the real estate crash coming and made billions from their foresight.
3	OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent — from the author of “Blink” and “The Tipping Point.”
4	SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. (Broadway Business, $26.) How everyday people can effect transformative change at work and in life. (†)
5	DRIVE, by Daniel H. Pink. (Riverhead, $26.95.) What really motivates people is the quest for autonomy, mastery and purpose, not external rewards.
6	THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown, $22.) Reconstructing your life so that it’s not all about work. (†)
7*	THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson, $24.99.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)
8	THE FACEBOOK EFFECT, by David Kirkpatrick. (Simon & Schuster, $26.) The origin of Facebook.
9	THE UPSIDE OF IRRATIONALITY, by Dan Ariely. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) How we can make better choices about money and relationships given the human tendency toward irrational, emotional decision-making.
10	SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $29.99.) A scholar and a journalist apply economic thinking to everything: the sequel.
11	MORE MONEY THAN GOD, by Sebastian Mallaby. (Penguin Press, $29.95.) Hedge funds and how they came to be.
12*	CRISIS ECONOMICS, by Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm. (Penguin Press, $27.95.) How the global financial system broke down in 2008, and what may happen if new regulations are not embraced.
13	CONQUER THE CHAOS, by Clate Mask and Scott Martineau. (Wiley, $21.95.) The way to the top for entrepreneurs over¬whelmed by a small business. (†)
14	STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. (Gallup, $24.95.) Three keys to being a more effective leader. (†)
15*	REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. (Crown Business, $22.) Counterintuitive rules for small-business success, like “Ignore the details early on” and “Good enough is fine.” (†)

—

To purchase our synopses/briefing of some of these titles, with audio + handout, check out our companion site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.

This Month’s Business Best Sellers – Led by The Big Short by Michael Lewis

As I have written before, the best-seller list I pay the most attention to is the New York Times Hardcover  Business Best Sellers list.  It is updated only once a month, thus it does not demonstrate the flux of the hour-by-hour Amazon list.  They just published their latest list (dated June 3).  (I blogged about last month’s list here).

Observations:  Except for the “finance” books, we have presented synopses of all of these books except one at the First Friday Book Synopsis.  The one we have not yet presented is The Way We’re Working isn’t Working, and it is on our “to consider” list.

One other observation:  I have presented The Big Short for a priviate client, and my synopsis will be available soon on our companion web site, 15minutebusinessbooks.com.  (In fact, many of these are either now available, or will be soon, on our companion site.  Each synopsis comes with audio + handout).

And one more observation.  Note that this list of current best sellers has a few books that have been out quite a while.  That says something about the lasting popularity, the lasting interest people have in a relatively small number of books.

Here are the fifteen business best sellers from the June 3 list.

THE BIG SHORT, by Michael Lewis

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell

SWITCH, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

THE WAY WE’RE WORKING ISN’T WORKING, by Tony Schwartz with Jean Gomes and Catherine McCarthy

CRISIS ECONOMICS, by Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm

DRIVE, by Daniel H. Pink

THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss

13 BANKERS, by Simon Johnson and James Kwak

STRENGTHS BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie

REWORK, by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

THE TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey

THE END OF WALL STREET, by Roger Lowenstein

HOW AN ECONOMY GROWS AND WHY IT CRASHES, by Peter D. Schiff and Andrew J. Schiff

TOO BIG TO FAIL, by Andrew Ross Sorkin

SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

What Books are on the Current Business Best Sellers list?

This is  a simple “information – fyi” blog post.

It’s hard to know what the real business best selling books are.  But one list that comes out only monthly is the New York Times Hardcover Business Best Sellers list.  Because it is only once a month (thus it’s not updated hourly like the Amazon list, which can make for some unexpected best-sellers with short-lived moments at the top), it might be a better representation of the true best sellers over time.

So – what does the latest (April 29) list tell us?  This:

Finance/Wall Street dominates the list.  Of the 15 books, 8 deal with money/Wall Street/personal finance issues.  (The Big Short by Michael Lewis is number one.  It is also number one on the Hardcover Nonfiction list).  Of the other 7, we have presented (or will present soon) 6 at the First Friday Book Synopsis.

That leaves only one non-finance book that we have not presented or do not have scheduled:  The Daily Carrot Principle, by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton.  And this book does not quite match our usual parameters – it appears to be a “daily devotional” for time management/productivity.  A good idea, but tough to do in a synopsis format.

(We seldom do finance/Wall Street books.  But it is getting tougher to keep that practice…  there are so many!)

Here are the books from the list we have presented, or have scheduled to present within the next two months:

# 3 on the list:  Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell
# 4 on the list:  Switch, by Chip Heath And Dan Heath.
# 6 on the list:  Rework, by Jason Fried And David Heinemeier Hansson.
# 7 on the list:  The 4-Hour Workweek, by Timothy Ferriss.
# 8 on the list:  Drive, by Daniel H. Pink.
# 14 on the list:  Superfreakonomics, by Steven D. Levitt And Stephen J. Dubner.

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Note:  four of these synopses, Outliers, Switch, The 4-Hour Workweek, and Superfreakonomics, are available on our companion web site, with handout + audio, at 15minutebusinessbooks.com.  The other two, ReWork and Drive, will go up on the site over the next two months.

Rework, for May, for the First Friday Book Synopsis

How do you choose your books for the First Friday Book Synopsis?

I’m asked this question all the time.  And there is no good/easy/simple answer.  But I have a master list of all the books that we have presented, and at the end (it’s just a very, very long Word document) I have pages of “possible” titles.  Whenever I hear of any book, read about any book, read a review of a good book, see a new book on a best-seller list, it gets added to the “possibles” portion of this master document.  (By the way, of all the items in my computer, this one document may be the one I would most hate to lose.  Yes, I do back up!  I learned to do that the hard way.).

We try to choose books that are useful, published by known publishers, either on, or have the chance of being on, best-seller lists.  (We haven’t done many finance books).  And then, it’s simply our choice.  I choose books that I think I will like, and Karl Krayer chooses books that he thinks he will like.

For May’s First Friday Book Synopsis, I am going to present Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.  Bob Morris has posted about this book a number of times on our blog, including his review of it here, and this post: Long lists don’t get done.  Karl is still deciding on his book for May.

And – PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY TIP:  go right now to this web site, provided by 37 Signals, the company started by the authors of Rework, and set up an account.  It’s free.  It’s fast.  You can immediately begin using their on-line list making marvel, Ta-da Lists.  I promise you, you will like it – immediately!

Anyway, yes, you can recommend a book to me – and no, I do not promise that I will choose to present it.  But I might.  And I appreciate all suggestions.

What I’m Not Reading – and why I’m bothered by it (should companies focus, much more, on nurturing jobs?)

From today…
…l’m making it the responsibility of this government…
…to find a job for every American who wants one.

Have you seen the look in someone’s face…
…the day they finally get a job?
I’ve had some experience with this.
They look like they could fly.

And it’s not about the paycheck.
It’s about looking in the mirror…and knowing you’ve done
something valuable with your day.
And if one person could start
to feel that way, then others….
Soon all these other problems
we’re facing may not seem so…
…impossible.
(Dave, the “stand-in” President, at the Presidential press conference, from the movie Dave)

———————-

For eleven and a half years, my colleague Karl Krayer and I have each presented one synopsis a month of a best-selling business book.  In that time, themes emerged as dominant and lasting.  We’ve read books about how to find the right/best people; how to encourage your best people; why it takes such a serious work ethic to succeed – including the 10,000 hour rule and the need for deliberate practice; how to nurture innovation and cultivate creativity; how to be personally more productive with energy and time management in an ever-more-complex world.  These are just a few of the major themes over the last 11+ years.

In the last 15 months, a new theme has emerged – what went wrong? We’ve only presented a handful of such books (we generally have avoided “finance books” at the First Friday Book Synopsis), but the current best-seller lists include titles that make us sort of wish we could simply run for the hills.

For example, this week’s list of business best sellers from the New York Times includes
Too Big To Fail, by Andrew Ross Sorkin. — The 2008 financial implosion on Wall Street and in Washington, by a New York Times reporter and columnist.
and
This Time is Different by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff.  — Analyses of centuries of financial blinders.

But there is one theme that is not being written about.  At least, if it is, it has not made it close to anyone’s best-seller list.  It is this theme:
how can we build companies that nurture and protect the jobs of the people who make those companies successful?

There are a couple that are close, like the terrific Encouraging the Heart by Kouzes and Posner.  But such books deal more with the idea of “bringing out the best in people” than with how to build a company that puts and keeps its own people first.

In other words, the growing joblessness, though understandable, may reveal a subtle truth – companies really do put maximizing profits and increasing productivity as the highest priorities, taking precedence over this question — what is the role of corporations and organizations in maintaining the overall work force for this great nation?

Some popular radio commentators like to call America the greatest country this planet has ever seen.  I agree.  But I know that one of the things that made it great is the American worker.  From Rosie the Riveter, who played such a key role in winning the second World War, to all of the men and women who worked in all for the factories for so many decades, this country was built by a rich and great combination of corporate leadership and an in the trenches workforce of unparalleled strength.

All the day long,
Whether rain or shine
She’s a part of the assembly line.
She’s making history,
Working for victory
Rosie the Riveter
(Big band era song popularized by Kay Kyser).

So this is what I am not reading, and it bothers me — I’m not reading any books about how corporations can nurture this great American work force.  We send jobs overseas, we cut jobs in entire industries, we cut entire industries, and we read, month after month, that we have lost even more jobs.

In the article Stop the ‘jobless recovery’ madness! — An economy that isn’t creating employment opportunities simply isn’t doing its job from Fortune, there are two charts that illustrate this truth:
But job and wage growth have been weak for a decade. Total private sector employment has dropped since the Yankees held their previous victory parade, in 2000.
That means there has been no net private sector job growth over a nine-year span where the U.S. population expanded by 11%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In my opinion, the fact there are no best–sellers on this reveals part to the problem. We might have a tendency to take the American worker for granted.  We might have a tendency to focus on everything but the well-being of the American worker.  And our negligence might be contributing to our biggest problem – a nation without enough jobs is a nation without a healthy economy.

Now, I’m not crazy.  I know that if there are not profits, then there is no way to hire and keep the workers.  But Henry Ford understood that if you don’t pay your workers enough to afford the cars they were making, then there would be no market, no buyers for the cars.

Well — if you don’t have enough workers to begin with, then the whole economy shrivels and collapses.

I think that CEO’s and Board s of Directors need to be asking, constantly, how can we keep people at work?

The reason that President Obama has called a jobs summit is that we don’t have enough jobs.  This is not a small problem – this may be the problem of the era!

Help me out.  Anybody got any really good books to recommend on this for me?

Let’s Have A Conversation

Let’s have a conversation. About business books.

Karl and I have each read a minimum of one business book a month for nearly 10 years. We know the field. We have traveled the terrain. And there have been periods of really good books, and a few sparse periods. I wonder – are we in one of those sparse periods?

Check the current Amazon business best-seller list, and you will find titles we presented (many, long ago) at the First Friday Book Synopsis.

(The Amazon list is updated hourly, but look at this from the list at midday on 1/17/08: Good to Great, #1; Freakonomics, #6; The Tipping Point, #7; Getting Things Done, #8; The Black Swan, #12; Made to Stick, #14; Now Discover Your Strengths, #15; Blink, #16; Who Moved My Cheese, #18; Nickel and Dimed, #20.)

The rest of the current business best-sellers in the top 20 don’t quite fit our purposes (books on personal financial success seem to be prominent).

As we choose titles, we do our best to choose books that have a broad appeal, books that point us to a new direction, or at least point us to new questions, and, of course, books that are worth our time and yours.

I ask you: do you have any thoughts about the current list of best sellers? Why are so many of these current business best-sellers not really “current” books? Are we in a stagnant time? Are the economic woes in the country affecting the choice of books that land on our radar?

Please write your comments. I would love to think through this question with others.