Industry Books

If you have a martial arts school or just a club, this is a must have book! Go for it immediately!

If you are a martial artist who wants to make a living full time and not just do martial arts on the side then you NEED this book. You'll learn how to set up a very successful school that you can be proud. Every instructor no matter what should get this book!!

...and this time around it should at least ruffle your feathers!

John Graden, Martial Arts Master Teacher, has gone to the heart of what it takes to be an effective Martial Arts teacher today. Without completely disgarding the training ideas of the past, he instead shows how to build on these ideas, how to use what we know about the psychology of learning, the physics of motion and the economics of the 21st century to create a learning environment that firmly turns it's back on the "Dungeon Dojos" of the last century and creates a modern, safe atmosphere where serious, effective and (dare I say it?) FUN martial arts training can take place!

(Lest any naysayers regard the concept of "safety" and "fun" as somehow being contrary to "real" martial arts training, I refer them to the summary chapter entitled "A School Full of Pooh Bears"--it will open your eyes!)

There are lots of things to learn here, lots of great writing, too. If nothing else, I will always remember Mr. Graden refering to the war-like aspects of the Martial Arts and explaining that this doesn't mean that every class is devoted to destroying the enemy. He explains: "...that our foundation is one of peace through superior firepower."

I like that. Get the book. You'll like it, too.

John Graden has a unique way of showing you everything you need to successfully run a top martial art school in today's age.
He does it with the insight of someone who has obviously "been there and done that".
This new book can be used by any martial arts instructor, regardless of style, as a step-by-step blueprint for everything from how to negotiate a lease for your school up to how to train and compensate an employee/instructor.
No one else in the industry has his superb talents. The martial arts industry will forever owe a huge debt to this man for showing us how to be a professional success without selling out!

The content of this book accomplished two very important things for me, as a martial arts businessman - 1) it re-affirmed what I was already doing in my business and, most important, 2) it provided me with new concepts, methods and ideas that will help take my business to the next level. Awesome resource!

This is a masterful book full of poignancy, humor and the kind of suspense we experience in the normal path of life. Richard Haddaway has a great ability to draw characters who live. His descriptions of places and situations are vivid and compelling.

I found it hard to put the book down. I wish there were more. And I hope a movie will be made of this book.

Read it!

Really enjoyed this book. Had a hard time putting it down.

I'm a pretty picky reader...anything I read must be well written, interesting, intriguing and meaningful. This wonderful novel is exactly that for me and well worth reading. The character development is excellent. You won't want to put this book down once you start reading. The book very much comes alive the more you read. Even if you are not a Texan or have no knowledge or exposure to the unique culture of Texas, you'll love this one! Haddaway nails it!

Generally, university press novels have a hard time getting the attention
they deserve, except, of course, for THE CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, the
posthumous novel published a dozen years ago by LSU Press. Too bad, as
sometimes one reads a novel such as WHERE THE RIVER BENDS and feels it's not
going to get the coverage it deserves because of the size of its publisher
(SMU Press).

But this book ranks with Philip Roth's DYING ANIMAL and the new novel
PRAGUE, which I have just read, as well as EMPIRE FALLS by Russo--which, by
the way, I do not regard as a "regional novel" even though it is all about
Maine. Nor do I regard WHERE THE RIVER BENDS as a regional novel, even
though it is all about Texas. Novels with hefty themes and universal
characters transcend their setting. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander,
and I loved this book. Let's hope the wider public takes notice of it. -- A
reader from Arlington, Vermont.

Set in Texas from the 1950s to the 1990s, Where The River Bends by Texas native and journalist Richard Haddaway is the compelling novel of a rich family dominated by its stern and rigid-minded patriarch. Alcoholism, despair, and the challenge to rise above one's family shadow mark this determined generational journey that captures family conflict and the essence of the human spirit. Very highly recommended reading, Where The River Bends clearly documents Richard Haddaway as a considerable literary talent.

When you read this book, you need to prepare yourself for your own creativity deluge. Have a notebook and multiple pens in hand, because you may find that it is hard to write fast enough to capture all the ideas that come rushing into your mind!

Not only is the book masterfully written in easy language and simple structures giving you easy access to the basic ideas, but Mitchell and Coles wrote it in such a way that you are compelled to start churning out an abundance of great ideas as you read. They accomplish this with their helpful steps and masterful questions that appear in each chapter.

Success coaching giants such as Anthony Robbins teach that if you want to get better results in life, you need to start by asking better questions. In The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, Mitchell and Coles ask some of the most brilliant, results-producing questions I've ever encountered. Like all questions, they have the effect of communicating directly to the inner mind, commanding it to retrieve solutions. Just reading the questions within the context of the information in each chapter starts you on your journey to your own 2,000 Percent Squared Solutions.

The results for me were so powerful that although my initial goal in reading The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution was merely to stimulate a few powerful new ideas to bring to my students, I got a life-style changing idea of how to connect two areas of expertise into a fun, highly profitable, turnkey online business that frees up most of my time and allows me to pursue my true passions. Within 24 hours I had my handpicked team of experts and basic business plan established.

I could not be happier with The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, and look forward to applying it to many future endeavors. I recommend this book to anyone who is ready not only to see great possibilities, but to those of you who want to be compelled by ideas that are so exciting to you that you just can't stop yourself from taking actions to reach and exceed them.

"One of the greatest challenges that business owners have is to grow their business. Don Mitchell and Carol Coles have found a great way to help you take your business to the next level and beyond using simple ideas that make a huge impact. I highly recommend you immediately read and apply the principles contained in this empowering book!"

I'm sure you've heard the old adage about working smarter, not harder. But when have you ever heard anybody try to describe precisely what that might look like? Well, The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution is an extended discussion on that exact topic.

The premise of The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution is that in most businesses (and non-profit organizations), there's a LOT of room for improvement. So why doesn't it happen? In a word, complacency. Such complacency keeps people and organizations from even realizing that they may be massively underperforming in relation to their true potential.

This book is somewhat advanced reading, and you may wish to tackle The 2,000 Percent Solution first. However, it's also possible to start here. I did, and I plan to go back for the earlier work.

Chapter 1 is about expansion of your business or non-profit. The working idea is to increase your volume of providing your offerings by 20 times or so. But consider the implications. Depending on certain factors, you might make a lot more money by expanding -- or you might actually make less than you're making now. This chapter also explores the issue of how to find the pathways that will help you expand, by asking the right questions.

Chapter 2 seeks to help you figure out the possible reasons why more customers aren't already using your product or service. These are some of your barriers to expansion. The next few chapters (3, 4 & 5) are designed to help you come up with a strategy to avoid many of these, remove those obstacles that you can't more profitably avoid, and effectively communicate your new plan.

Part 2 is on reducing your costs and serving customers better. You can do this by:

* Discovering and eliminating the unnecessary (Ch. 6)
* Redesigning (and continually adjusting) your business model (Ch. 7)
* Removing delays and extra steps, especially for your customers (Ch. 8)
* Simplifying and simplifying again (Ch. 9)
* Heading off damaging, expensive accidents in the use of your product or service (Ch. 10)
* Automating important tasks, while avoiding automation where it doesn't serve well (Ch. 11)
* Making your offering easy to use and troubleshoot (Ch. 12)
* Outsourcing -- but only when and where it truly makes sense, while protecting yourself from potential outsourcing problems (Chapters 13 & 14)

The last two chapters are on getting others to help you find the best solution, achieving breakthroughs versus incremental improvement, going beyond the limits you think exist, and repeating and improving upon the process.

Some readers may wish for a bit more inspiration and a bit less regarding details. Nonetheless, the details are where the real action is at, and one way or another, you're going to have to confront and wrestle with those if you really want to create results that are vastly superior to what you have now. And we'd do well to listen to Mitchell and Coles -- their 30 years of experience with hundreds of companies speaks for itself.

Another issue is that truly superior offerings often require a bit higher initial cost for the customer -- so they may well need better, more sophisticated marketing to convince customers that their value is more than worth the extra expense. Perhaps some companion resources or references to help market higher-quality solutions might be helpful.

Finally, you should understand that the 2,000 Percent Squared Solution will bring you face to face with two limitations that are part and parcel of attempting to vastly improve results:

1) This is a process that involves a good deal of brainstorming. Such processes inevitably produce a lot of ideas that sound good at first, but then turn out to be unworkable. I don't know of a way to eliminate the idea-sifting that inevitably occurs, and Mitchell and Coles don't propose one. But that's okay. That's the inherent price for finding the relatively few "buried treasure" ideas -- the great ones that are going to revolutionize everything.

2) A detailed brainstorming and idea-testing process represents a very small outlay of resources for a big company. But for the small or one-owner business, the costs are much higher in terms of time, effort, opportunity costs and actual money. Again, this has to be confronted, in one format or another, if your sights are set on extraordinary progress.

Are vastly superior results possible? We only need to look at the Mars rover exploration missions to realize that truly spectacular results are indeed possible.

A final admonition: To really effectively use this book, you'll need to work and think your way through it -- over time, probably more than once. Like almost anything worth doing, the process described in these pages requires some time and effort. It may not be fast-food easy, but given that it could indeed be possible to improve your results by as much as 20 to 400 times, isn't that worth investing some -- or even a *lot* -- of your time and effort?

"The 2,000 percent Squared Solution" is a comprehensive and exhaustive guide on how individuals or organisations can achieve exceptional success. The book propels you on a whirlwind tour of some unique, innovative and life changing ideas that you will really appreciate. This excellent book provides an incredible amount of practical information that will help you make smart decisions enabling you to increase your revenues (or services) up to 20 times whilst simultaneously using up to 20 times less costs or effort. The authors are world renowned and accomplished consultants and educators and you can benefit from their vast wealth of experience and expertise.

The book has solid gold ideas on achieving breakthrough success using minimal resources. The authors Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles illustrated their concepts and ideas with some interesting and enlightening stories which greatly enhance the understanding of the book.

The book is an outstanding resource for anyone who has the desire to make a huge difference to their lives and/or their organisations using simple ideas which anyone can easily grasp. The magic is in the implementation of these well thought and useful ideas which within a short period of time can result in your reputation, status and achievements skyrocketing to dizzy heights.

Overal, a fantastic book that is well recommended. I also recommend that in case you have not read their other marvelous book "The 2,000 Percent Solution" go ahead and get a copy. You will also thoroughly benefit from this world best seller.

I am among those who have read and admire Donald Mitchell's previously published The 2,000 Percent Solution: Free Your Organization from "Stalled" Thinking to Achieve Exponential Success that he co-authored with Carol Coles and Robert Metz. Its subtitle correctly suggests why the authors wrote it: To "free" organizations from "stalled" thinking so that they can achieve exponential success. Note the words enclosed by quotation marks. Most organizations (especially the larger ones) can easily become captive to basic assumptions and presumptions which are no longer valid...or at least appropriate. As a result, those involved feel obligated to defend the status quo. Their thinking is stalled. Managers become bureaucrats. Because they are defending the status quo, they resist and resent any suggested changes of it. Of course, as a result, change does occur: The organization deteriorates. The "best and the brightest" employees leave as do under-served customers. How to solve such problems? Effectively apply the "2,000 percent solution" process that the co-authors explain with rigor and eloquence.

I am delighted that Mitchell and Coles have co-authored The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution in which they examine "the fast and effective road less traveled for creating 400 times greater profits and effectiveness." Of course, the ultimate results achieved will vary from one organization to another and depend on several factors that include strong leadership at all levels and within all areas of operations; provision of sufficient resources; effective communication, cooperation, and especially collaboration among everyone involved; accurate and consistent measurement of process improvement initiatives; and perhaps most important of all, a shared and sustained commitment to achieving to achieving the desired objectives, whatever they may be.

Mitchell and Coles carefully organize their material as follows. First, they explain what a "2,000 percent solution": any method of operating that enables an organization to do what it does with only 0-4% of the time and resources it now expends, or accomplish an increase of 20 times in results while expending the same or less resources They then explain why such solutions are available for almost any business activity if decision makers (a) select the highest payoff opportunities first and then (b) develop the skills needed throughout the given organization to design and implement the 2,000 percent solutions.

Then in the Introduction, they observe that when there are initiatives to make large improvements with the 2,000 percent solution process, there is a tendency to "take a more-traveled road" by applying that process to only one improvement at a time. Invoking a metaphor from one of Robert Frost's poems, Mitchell and Cole observe that relatively few "take the poetic road `less traveled by' to seek first expanding usage 21 times...but that road `makes all the difference.'" Why? Because (mixing metaphors) picking what is often referred to as "low hanging fruit" is far easier and less perilous than attempting expanding usage.

Successful simultaneous application of 2,000 percent solution process to both usage and delivery effectiveness, two complementary solution processes, can to gain 20 times more benefits than from either alone. "That's what we mean by a 2,000 percent squared solution. You can also think of this concept as developing a 40,000 percent solution, or a 400 times increase in benefits."

The balance of the material is presented within two parts:

Part One: Build the High-Speed Road to 21 Times More Availability

Comment: Mitchell and Coles explain how a 2,000 percent solution that can achieve what Jim Collins would characterize as a BHAG (i.e. "big hairy audacious goal") but I presume to add a major caveat: there is no way to exceed, achieve, or even come near such a goal without formulating and then implementing an appropriate strategy to achieve only results that are most important to the given enterprise. Once again, I am reminded of what Peter Drucker observed in 1963: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."

Part Two: Follow the High-Speed Road Inexpensively to Enjoy Increased
Benefits for 96 Percent Less Cost

Comment: Mitchell and Coles focus on how to make large cost reductions that are independent of the expansion size involved while achieving economies of scale and a more appropriate distribution of shared costs. In Part One, they recommend taking the road less traveled, building a new, high-speed highway. In Part Two, they extend the "road" metaphor when explaining how to maximize efficiencies during the journey to achieve optimal solutions (i.e. those with the greatest ROI). They examine a number of applications that have a cost-reduction focus.

For me, some of the most valuable material is provided in Chapter 12, "Write a Great Owner's Manual: Add Do-It-Yourself Features." Long ago, I realized that no two organizations are exactly the same, nor is any one organization the same two days in a row. Mitchell and Coles' point, with which I totally agree, is that it remains for decision-makers to collaborate on determining which "primal solutions" are their organization's highest priority. With all due respect to the methodology that Mitchell and Coles propose, it must be "translated" (if that's the correct word) by those who are responsible for implementing it and then customized to accommodate their organization's specific circumstances.

Worst case; let's say that no 2,000% solutions are achieved. Would 500% percent be acceptable, at least for the time being? Process improvement is a journey, not a destination, and it never ends. Build on the 500% solutions as you continue the journey.

More a quibble than a complaint, the material in this book requires a comprehensive index. The next edition should have one. That said, credit Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles with another brilliant achievement.

The substantial value of this book will be increased even more (if not by 40,000%!) if read in combination with one of more of these: Enterprise Architecture As Strategy co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson, Richard Ogle's Smart World, Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and the more recently published Open Innovation, Vince Thompson's Ignited, and Oren Harari's Break from the Pack.

a great book to review past Academy Award winners and nominees
i really enjoyed the notes from previous award winners and their thoughts on receiving the award
i have given this as a gift to fellow movie lovers and it is a big hit
has also helped me in a few movie trivia contests too!!

This is a must-have of any film buff and is the most comprehen-
sive book of its kind that I have seen.

This book is not a history in the since of most history books. It does not detail how the academy began, or how it changed over the years, or give you any kind of insider view of its workings. Instead, it is a complete listing of every nominee and every winner in every category since the award ceremony's inception in 1927. There are plenty of photographs of the nominees and images of scenes from the nominated films for each year, so it is not dry in the way many reference books are. In fact, Mr. Osborne's love of film and its history really shine through in the book. It is interesting to look through this book and see what we consider to be films that have withstood the test of time versus which ones were rewarded by the academy at the time. For example, in 1939, the Academy did recognize that "Gone with the Wind" was the best picture of the year, which people were lining up to watch in movie theaters until its television broadcast premiere in 1976. However, in 1941, "How Green was My Valley" won best picture, which is a film that hardly anyone watches anymore, while "Citizen Kane" was completely ignored. It's also interesting to see how the Academy compensated for past oversights by awarding performances that were less than stellar in subsequent years. For instance, in 1934 Bette Davis was overlooked in her performance in "Of Human Bondage". This caused a huge public outcry. The following year the Academy gave her the best actress award for her performance in "Dangerous"- a move that has largely been seen over the years as a consolation prize for what happened the year before.
This book is full of little insights such as these, and it is a fun book that gives hours of entertainment for film history buffs. I bought my first copy of this history by Mr. Osborne back in 1987 when he was then detailing the 60 years of the Oscar, and I enjoyed it so much I have been updating my copy every time he releases a new edition. Highly recommended.

Over the years, I have picked up a few books about the Academy Awards. I did so primarily to get a list of winners but I have also been interested in knowing the nominees. In the early days of the award it wasn't unusual to have eight or nine nominees for a particular award. However, the inference was still that there was something special about this particular movie in regards to this particular awards. I like that "75 Years of the Oscar" lists not only each award winner but each award nominee as well. I espcially appreciate the listing of all nominees for the Best Foreign Language award. I hadn't come across that before in any of the books I'd found.

"75 Years of the Oscar" makes for a large tome and I did have to send back the first edition of the book that I received due to weak binding for a book this size. The book provides an overview of each individual year as well as each decade of the award. Over the years the Academy Awards have over-rated some turkeys and ignored some movies now considered classics. The Academy has had a tendency, over the years, to focus on five to eight movies a year for 95% of all nominees. It certainly seems that it is a popularity contest more than an artistic examination. However, it's still a fairly reliable source for finding good movies of the past and that's what I use it for.

This book is chock full of facts about everything to do with the Academy and it's evolving from nothing to what it is today. It tells how and who started it, and how the different categories for Oscars were added as the years went by. The first 2 chapters or so overwhelm you with dry details which make it tedious reading; at least that is how I felt about it.
The rest of the book's chapters go year by year telling you all the nominations and winners of Oscars in all the different categories, and show you dozens of good pictures of the stars. You can also read the acceptance speeches given in the book by the stars that won Academy Awards.
There also is a section that lists the names of all the stars that have won 2 or more Academy Awards. This is what I really liked. This is what I bought the book for.
It is a huge book to read, so just take your time and read a little bit at a time.
I'm glad I bought it because I am a movie fan and have learned from it; and can always refer back to it when I want to find something out.

This book shows the reader the optimal process to reach well-thought-out decisions that not only pick the best possible solution to a problem or opportunity, but also rates how well the solution meets the overall criteria. This help assure that the solution will actually solve the problem, not just be the best of mediocre options. If the solution does not reach the level of comfort of the team, that it will solve the problem to the actual criteria determined, the team has the tools to reopen the process and further research, brainstorm, etc., until the criteria are met. Fabulous book, fabulous process. Any team can benefit greatly by implementing this process.

I only wish I had had this book 40 years ago when I first started in business. Tom has hit the problem with a 100% solution. I hope he follows up with more of his insight and business savy.

Tom McAuliffe is a brilliant leader in business! This book should be required reading for anyone starting out in the Business World.
As an individual who has started a *few* successful companies.
In my opinon this author's book is priceless for it's sheer knowledge it has to offer. I have consulted with this author on several occasions with much success.

Adopting and using McAuliffe's techniques, process and website tools will speed your organization's decision making process and will yield vastly improved communications throughout your business.

In my final semester of a strong MBA program, I was surprised to discover a totally new approach to management decision-making. I think it is a topic that is largely overlooked by most schools. Perhaps it is assumed that smart students will be able to make smart choices, make them quickly, and be successful bringing others to their point of view. My prior business experience would suggest that these goals are not so easy to attain. Tom McAuliffe's book, The 90% Solution, might offer a clue as to why some management teams are so much more effective than others. I think the tools offered in this book could be important to any business student who wants to succeed in the real world. Or, to paraphrase American Express, "...don't leave business school without it."

With inimitable wit and clarity, Lou captures the true essence of Alan Siegel - and his role in helping make modern business communications simple for readers. From reducing mundane statements and contracts to paragraphs of plain English to inspiring breakthrough corporate and brand identities, Alan Siegel's vision and successes have compelled companies everywhere to rethink and retool how they market to and connect with customers.

Thanks in large part to Alan, companies today get the need to satisfy customers as well as the benefits from streamlined processes and communications designed to achieve this goal. It's a mission companies like mine, Ohlin Associates (www.ohlinassociates.com), which grew out of my time with Siegel & Gale, continue to promote.

Lou deserves much credit for writing such a user-friendly and compelling narrative. It reminds newly indoctrinated readers as well as us protégés of Alan Siegel (and Siegel & Gale) that business-speak creates barriers to customer satisfaction and commercial success.

Simple is Smart.

Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (4/07)

Alan Siegel is one of the best-known gurus in the industry as far as knowledge and experience in the business/corporate world. He dedicates his time as a consultant to large corporations such as Xerox, American Express, the National Basketball Association, the Girl Scouts, plus creates guides to the Wall Street Journal on how to understand the financial market. Actually, these are just a few of the effects in Siegel's repertoire.

Louis J. Slovinsky created what is called the "working biography" on Siegel. In his book "Alan Siegel: On Branding and Clear Communication" Slovinsky produced not only a biography of a man that became successful and a leader in the industry, but also included the deeper side of Siegel so that readers would understand why he is so successful. The book delves into the Siegel's innate abilities and consciousness.

But, there is more. Slovinsky qualifies Siegel's expertise on branding by saying "Competition is more aggressive and the stakes higher than they were a couple of decades ago. Moreover, clients want to confirm that their investment in identity supports their business results." Siegel's expertise in branding model does just that.

Slovinsky also focuses on many of Siegel's successful programs he advised for implementation or research -- one being the Document Design Project, funded by the Department of Education. Slovinsky says "Siegel's role in promoting the Plain Language movement was seminal."

"Alan Siegel: On Branding and Clear Communication" is an inspiration to all interested in establishing a brand for their company. Reading Siegel's story not only teaches us how to be successful and a leader in the industry but inspires us, as entrepreneurs, to look at our own branding and communication strategies. After reading Slovinsky's account of Siegel's successes I am inspired to implement some of the ideas in my own business.

Being consistent with the title, Clear Communication, the author, Louis Slovinsky, writes without jargon but with humor and simplicity. For those who are concerned with building a consistent image for a non-profit or a small business, this book will give you tools to help define the methods to find your singular voice. Alan Siegel's innovative ideas are not just for the large coorporations that can afford his services, but are also appropriate for smaller entities who want to impact their customers with a clear, consistent message.

Louis J. Slovinsky's superb book captures the essence of its subjects, the field of corporate branding and one its leading figures, Alan Siegel, whose work and ideas have been hugely influential in the growth and evolution of this emerging field.

Since founding Siegel & Gale in 1969, Alan Siegel has worked with many of the most recognizable names in the corporate, non-profit, educational and governmental worlds to create or refine their images. You may not have heard of Alan Siegel, but you certainly know his work. MasterCard's now ubiquitous logo and new global corporate identity and the memorable Dell logo with the "E" standing on its edge - reflecting how Dell made the PC industry stand on its ear - are but two notable examples. However Siegel did much more than create catchy new logos or slogans for companies and graft them onto companies that needed to retool their images. These highly visible creations were the merely end-products of what Siegel calls defining the "corporate voice." Slovinsky brings to light the processes Siegel used to define this "voice." Working with a corporate client, Siegel & Gale creates a project team to examine the history, culture, values and vision of the company and examine how the company differentiates itself from their competition. The team then distills the essence of its findings into a concise "big idea" and elaborates a strategy to express this new positioning. Siegel believes that corporations must speak with a "clear, coherent and distinctive voice", a voice that should resonate at all levels of the organization from the bottom to the top. We the consumer may only see a new logo, but, as Slovinsky demonstrates, Siegel's work involves bringing about significant changes in the internal workings of the company to achieve a coherent corporate voice. Siegel's success with high-profile clients speaks volumes for the effectiveness of this holistic approach.

Clarity, simplicity and comprehensibility in communication are hallmarks of Siegel's work, therefore it makes sense that Siegel's most enduring legacy may be his concept of "language simplification." In short, this means simplifying and putting into plain English, documents, forms and fine print that companies and governmental bodies use when dealing with the public. I was fascinated by the book's description of Siegel's groundbreaking work in this field and the resistance that had to be overcome to accomplish these worthy aims. In Siegel's view, by being simple and clear in their forms and fine print, companies can enhance their image and improve customer loyalty. Amen. Now, if only you can get those ideas past those pesky lawyers!

On Branding and Clear Communications is a perfect introduction to the branding field and an excellent tool for all who are interested in creating a simple, clear and resonant voice for a company or organization of any size. I highly recommend it.

Finally, a clear and accesible introduction to the subject of branding!!!

Slovinsky's extensive research, career experience and lucid writing style make this an essential read for practioners as well as students of marketing. I was so impressed by the content -- and context -- of this book that it will be required reading for the grad course I teach in marketing and public relations for libraries.

If you don't know this book, buy it immediately. It takes American film criticism up to about 1970 and coincides with the time Sarris was involved with the (real) Village Voice, Jonas Mekas, American Cahiers,and the founding of the NY Film Festival and the national society of film critics. It took me about five years of reading his reviews until I finally got it - Sarris had understood that the most profound thoughts and themes were played out with style and panache by genre filmmakers with personal obsessions and ideas that did not require Western Union to spell it out.

There's some things to quibble about (I never could see why he thought so highly of Blake Edwards, but I keep trying because I trust his insight. Even Sarris can change his mind as he did on Billy Wilder a few years back).

If you are a film buff and have not discovered his work (also recommended:
Confessions of a Cultist; The John Ford Mystery Book; You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet are among the best) start here. That goes double if you experience guilty pleasure and see things no one else does in people like Anthony Mann, Michael Powell, Sam Fuller, Max Ophuls, Budd Boetticher or James Whale. I have often given this book as a gift to film loving friends. It opens a world of discovery and rapport when a friends "gets it" and suddenly, you both have a shared sensibility and frame of reference.
Also, check out his website for yearly top ten lists and also the work of his wife Molly Haskell (especially good on Howard Hawks).

This volume parses the good guys from the bad guys, tells you whom you should love and why, and summarily dismisses the ones not worth taking seriously. In other words, for good or bad, it arms you, as will no other film book ever written, with a set of eloquently-stated prejudices that may seal off certain directors from your serious consideration for all time. (It would be too glib to say that this is the books best and worst point.) Suffice to say, it has taken years for me to tear down the wall Sarris built between me, as a budding cinephile, and William Wyler, Billy Wilder, John Huston and even John Frankenheimer, for that matter. (These are just a few of the ones I think he was, or may have been, wrong about.)

But I love this book and always find it worth picking up to reread a few entries, for two or three reasons that never grow old:

1) Sarris IS an absolutely remarkable writer. His prose bristles with alternately apt and acid phrases and insights. The parallel between Ambrose Bierce and Sarris has grown on me through the years. (I think it was Sarris who brought currency to the word "pretentious"-- possibly THE serious put-down word from the 70s to the 90s, possibly to the present-- by the way. He used it with unerring surgical delicacy, as a bludgeon.)

2) He is hard to argue with in his negative evaluation of certain other respected directors. Thirty-five years ago, Sarris renounced Kubrick, noting, in typical form, that the very fact that he made one film every 5 years seemed to be all the proof his advocates needed of his integrity. Ouch! And he said that Kubrick is the director of the best coming attractions in the business.

This last is highly prophetic of the present general situation, when Hollywood has made a sort of science of over-selling weak films with absurdly hyperbolic trailers that often have little to do with the tone or experience of the films they advertise. This comment indicates also how much of Sarris is audaciously arguable, and out of synch with conservative academia re Kubrick and just about everything else. --Not a bad thing, as far as I am concerned.) And I think he was also decades ahead of the curve in recognizing Keaton as Chaplin's better.

3) He has been, for decades, an antidote to Pauline Kael. Period.

If you know the directors covered well enough to take it all with a grain of salt where needed, this book is probably the best read on movies and their directors from the second and third quarters of the 20th Century that will ever be written. THE great mapping out of this seminal period by the auteur theorys chief surveyor-- and a fun and drolly amusing place to pick up your snazzy-looking anti-philistine, anti-pretentious attitude off-the-rack.

There are few books on cinema that are more important than this title. To any serious student of film this book is perhaps the only book that you will refer to as long as you watch films.

Extolling the virtues of The American Cinema would be too hard. Beside being an invaluable reference for cinema between 1929-1968, it also contains wonderful peices of film theory. Because of this The American Cinema can be read a few pages at a time or you can completely dwelve into the material. No matter the method, Sarris will engage you in a meaningful dialogue of film. Film literature is rarely able to be this give and take. Those with an above average inclination toward cinema should purchase.

When it first appeared in the late '60s, Sarris' book was literally memorized by critics, students and teachers. It provided a root approach to discussing film, quickly absorbed, and readily shaped to one's personal tastes. A beautiful combination of reference and aesthetic, it ushered in the era of "the director as superstar," and was completely absorbed by everyone in film. Unfortunately, its absorption was so complete, the author, Mr. Sarris, was for the most part uncredited and unrewarded.

This book already saved us money!

I have only had "The Art of Film Funding" about a week and already it's saved our production company hundreds of dollars. The research I was able to do in the pages of Dean's book made our first meeting with an attorney go quickly and smoothly. It's putting us a few precious steps ahead of the game, and in the documentary world that can make worlds of difference in the cost of your production.

There are so many post-its on the different pages it looks like I trapped a herd of butterflies inside the book.

Buy it, read it, keep it by your side all during your film funding process.

PJ Smith
Producer, RGO Media Associates
Author - The Power of the Dark Side: Creating Great Villains, Dangerous Situations, & Dramatic Conflict
Inner Drives: How to Write and Create Characters Using the Eight Classic Centers of Motivation

As a documentary filmmaker in desperately search for funds to make my film a reality, I can say that this book has helped me explore the infinite possibilities that lay out there in the universe waiting for me to tap on them. As the cover of the book evokes, Carole Dean gives you the best tips for you to catch those colorful funding butterflies that can not only bring you the moneys you need but will help you spread the word on your film and sow the seeds of what can become a forest of funding opportunities. The back of the book is an incredible resource that has over 100 funding organizations listed with contact information, you have months of research done for you to find the funding you need.

At last...a positive attitude successfully combined with real experience in the independent film world!! The admirable Ms. Dean, who started a business selling those end pieces of film from the major studios to aspiring filmmakers with tight budgets has her heart in the right place. She admires people who are following their dreams by taking those first steps and wants to help them keep steppin' to the finish line. I gleaned a lot out of the stories of how individual filmmakers got their films made. Read the book, then get to work on your film!

This book aims at the beginning independent filmmaker. As such, it's an excellent introduction to thinking like a business person, opening your mind to new approaches to funding, and becoming aware of potential legal issues. The prose is highly readable, even energizing as her positive spirit infuses every page. Reading this book is like a late-night jam session crammed full of the excitement of ideas and possibilities. The interviews in the book are useful both for their good advice and for the sense they convey that there are very specific people available to help you get through the process. The information presented in this book makes film funding seem doable.

When I opened this book, I expected two things. One: Due to the sub-title "Alternative Financing Concepts" - I expected a chapter on "How to Sell Your Body Parts!" and, Two: I expected this book to be boring.

Happily, I was wrong on both parts - but why do I need an extra kidney anyways?

Ms. Dean does a great job in making the art of film fund finding, well, fun. With years of experience on both sides of the business, she explains in a mix of interviews and stories the process of pitching your idea, looking for those willing to fund your film and all the nuances and approaches you should take. Not only that, she includes an EXCELLENT reference section (50 pages of a 250 page book) with names, addresses, phone numbers, websites, etc. That alone is worth the price of the book.

Much of the first few chapters in the book revolve around pitching your idea. Even if you are on the fence in terms of whether to make your film or not, Ms. Dean emphasizes a lot of the aspects of Pitching that can come in handy in any situation where you have the opportunity to talk about your idea.

With my own independent film on the horizon, and the aspect of me trying to sell a kidney to raise funds, I was surprised when the first half of the book focused mostly on documentaries. I wondered as I read through those pages as to how the rules and ideas and suggestions she was giving would fit my project: A feature film with 15 actors using an original script written by me. Not my documentary on the slaughter of innocent ants by rabid 10 year old boys with magnifying glasses.

Half-way through the book, though, she does focus on the aspect of how to find funding for your independent film and then she goes on in later chapters to deal with "Branding" (making your pitch unique with photos or other graphics), "Finding Partnerships" and even a chapter on "Federal Tax Laws" - and again, if you think these chapters are pages and pages of droning commentary - think again: Most of these are interviews with people in the trenches who have worked through the process, know the process, live the process.

One of the things I found surprising in this book is there is a lack of focus on story and the story you are trying to tell (whether it is in Documentary Form or Fictional/Non-Fictional 3-Act Structure Story Telling). A recent seminar I went to on Independent Film one of the speakers came right out and said: "Is your story worth telling?" Though Ms. Dean touches on it a little, there is not a lot of time spent on making sure that your story is one that has an audience. Granted, a book about film financing should be about film financing not a book on whether your documentary of sadistic 10 year old boys is worthy for a slot on PBS during their next pledge drive.

Another issue I have with this book is a common one: Create a list of all the websites mentioned in the chapters for easy reference. Though the expansive reference section alone is worth the price of the book, Ms. Dean sprinkles almost every chapter with names, websites, even phone numbers of people to contact. It would have been the icing on the cake to also include those in the reference section under a separate heading broken down by chapter. That way lazy writers like me don't have to skim through the chapters looking for the familiar www. Though, in their defense, they did a unique thing of highlighting the interviews so they could be found quickly.

Once again Michael Weise Productions has produced a great book, unique to the marketplace filled with all the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to find financing for your film. Hats off to them, and Ms. Dean.

If you're a small company (or maybe an eBay Power Seller) auctioning online, this book can take you up a level. Also a good book for medium to large companies that want to use online auctions to establish another selling venue and to gain new customers.

This book is quite useful if you want and/or need an overall introduction to the Auction Process both in the Business field and in the private management of eBay auctions.
I used it for understanding how companies organize their e-procurement.In particular this book is among those few dealing with Covisint, which is a common auction platform for automotive brands.
It starts with very simple concepts and classifications of auctions and ends up with real examples. I would rather advise "The Auction-App" only for those who want to get in touch with B2B approach to auctions.It does really worth its price.

This book is too basic if you're counting on it to earn big bucks. It does touch a few aspects of opening a online auction business - finding the right marketplace, marketing, etc. However, the lessons are too basic which I think most of us already knew it without reading this book.

The biggest benefit of this book is lots of examples & reference. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the book is case studies, resources/reference. So you're already know how to run online acution business but just lack of information, this is it. If not, better look somewhere else.

I only recommend this book to people who know about online auction business but just don't have time to collect information themselves. This is an easy solution.

If you're a small company (or maybe an eBay Power Seller) auctioning online, this book can take you up a level. Also a good book for medium to large companies that want to use online auctions to establish another selling venue and to gain new customers.

Harden does it again. Mr. Harden, the Internet Marketing expert and author of "Net Results" and "Net Results 2" (books that set the standard for setting up company web sites and THE primer of Internet Marketing), has focused on the niche, but growing, Internet segment of Auctions. Whether you're a "consumer buyer," the owner of a "Mom & Pop" store (who might sell trading cards, comics or antiques) or the Sales executive of a manufacturing company who needs to move excess inventory, everyone can learn how to make auctions build revenue and increase the customer base for their enterprise. With the Internet, and company, large or small, can gain worldwide attention (and business) through advertising their products via various auction sites. From one-time customers those companies can now develop on-going relationships and referrals. Thinking of starting your own home-based business? Look at what you can advertise and sell via Internet auction sites. Did I mention the minimal cost of auctions "advertising" vs. the more traditional forms of newspaper ads, yellow pages, direct or co-op mail, etc.? Harden leaves nothing out. Auctions provide one of the most cost-effective marketing media available; lower cost marketing = greater profits. As a Vice President of a sizable regional company, I'm glad I've got "The Auction-App" on my "refer to again and again" book shelf.

Sassy and witty is the plot formula for this totally enjoyable "who-done-it". Intrigue, deception, betrayal, lust, passion, sex are coupled with sarcasim, cynicism, and biting commentary to produce a novel worth of an award itself. The story line is written with such clarity that the book is a very easy read, and THEREIN, lies the trap for the reader. READ CAREFULLY, and you just might be able to figure out who the "bad" guy/gal is. The clues are there, but they are so nicely hidden that a casual reader (which most of us are) will skim past the clues that would, if one was more judicious in one's reading, bite them in the proverbial butt. Have fun with this one.

This surprising "inside" Hollywood mystery is a delightful romp through the seedy world of Hollywood. It is delightfully satirical of Hollywood and its ways and waywardness. Though very funny, it is also suspenseful and engaging. Perhaps the most delightful gay comedy/mystery since the wonderful Aldyne series and the Grant Michaels masterpieces.

Pushes close to the edge of heavyhandedness, but does not cross it. A good, fast read! Recommended!

For the seventh year, Hollywood gossip columnist Rick Domino hosts a live pre-show broadcast of the Academy Awards. Rick has mixed feelings about this year's show because his lover actor Shane Kirk is up for a Best Actor award. He is proud that Shane received the nomination, but disappointed that his beloved refuses to come out of the closet and acknowledge that he is gay let alone in a relationship with Rick. Adding to that insult is the fact that Shane is keeping a straight image by escorting best actress nominee Tara Perez to the ceremony.

Though Rick has to share the spotlight with predator Mitzie McGuire, their show goes over relatively smoothly though Rick does less clothing dissing of the attendees than usual as he mopes over Shane. Afterward Rick looks for Shane only to find his beloved near the corpse of Tara. The police arrive as Shane shouts his innocence and Rick is nearer to the corpse and holding the murder weapon that he picked off the ground. Though the police arrest Rick, homicide detective Terry Zane thinks things are too pat. He and Rick investigate the Hollywood scene as only a veteran police officer and a catty gossip columnist could do.

The who-done-it is fun to follow as the obviously gay Rick and his new partner the straight Terry make a humorous team who uncover a lot of Hollywood secrets during their investigation. However what makes THE BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR so enjoyable is not the homicide or the inquiries, but the satirical look at Hollywood at its most pompous and even more subtly strips the invincibility of the mystery genre fictional superstars. The movies that the nominees star in are hilarious and worth the read by themselves. Fans of a tongue in cheek (not saying which one) will want to read the adventures of Rick Domino in the world of make believe.

Harriet Klausner

This surprising "inside" Hollywood mystery is a delightful romp through the seedy world of Hollywood. It is delightfully satirical of Hollywood and its ways and waywardness. Though very funny, it is also suspenseful and engaging. Perhaps the most delightful gay comedy/mystery since the wonderful Aldyne series and the Grant Michaels masterpieces.

Pushes close to the edge of heavyhandedness, but does not cross it. A good, fast read! Recommended!

When the beautiful winner of the best actress Oscar is murdered outside the theater, all the evidence points to Rick Domino, gay movie gossip columnist. After all, Tara Perez just stole Rick's boyfriend, his fingerprints are on the gun whose bullets are inside Tara, and he was found standing over the body. The only problem is, Rick knows he didn't do it. Now he has one week to find out who did--and find a way to keep himself alive while he does it. Fortunately, one of the arresting cops decides to take some time off to help Rick look--or is he simply trying to get more evidence for the State? Rick sets off to investigate Hollywood and finds that there were plenty of other people with motive and opportunity to kill Tara. She cheated, lied, and slept her way to the top, and Hollywood doesn't forget. But motive isn't enough when the prosecution has all the physical evidence it needs to convict Rick.

Author Jon P. Bloch writes convincingly of a Hollywood where sexual roles are blurred by secrets and fear of being 'outed' can cause almost any crime. Rick manages to meet the standard stereotypes but in a believable and sympathetic way.

Although Rick's investigations are entertaining and believable, the wrapup to BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR was not. Frequent mystery readers might guess the killer's identity, but Bloch didn't really deliver the clues to give us a sense of satisfaction in figuring it out. The resolution of the sexual tension between the gay Rick and his straight cop-sidekick also seemed a little forced--less clever than the rest of the novel led me to hope for.

Overall, BEST MURDER OF THE YEAR is enjoyable reading--but maybe not the best mystery of the year.