A Rant About Being Broke

In my quest to learn more about business and money and the security it can provide, I recently purchased a couple of audio books on sale for a mere $5 each at Half Price Books.  The first one was You’re Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead by Larry Winget, and the second was the latest by Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ. Today, I will discuss the Larry Winget audio book.
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Freakishly Interesting Economic Theory

My never-ending quest to understand the world around me – and my love of a good story – led me to read the Freakonomics sequel, Super Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.  I liked the first one much better.  I’m not sure if it’s because the first one was actually better or if it was just because the surprise was gone.  I think it was because the second one was trying too hard to make connections between two disparate ideas – that was the “gimmick” of the first one.
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Getting to Great

A man interested in going to my alma mater, NYU’s Stern Business School, emailed me to ask advice about making himself POP on its waiting list.  He wanted to stand out.  After an hour of my no-doubt-highly-insightful advice, Aaron Butler recommended that I read “Good to Great” by Jim Collins.  He even reminded me to visit the Texas institution – Half Price Books – to find a copy of this 2001 bestseller.  Mr. Butler is clearly an astute businessman already.

Thanks, Aaron!
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The Life & Times of A Speechwriter

My former co-worker Matt Latimer wrote a book last year on his life as a Republican communicator, which included time as speechwriter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the last year with President George W. Bush.  His book “Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor.”  I loved this book!  It was hilarious and tragic at the same time.

Maybe my friends and family will believe all of those stories I’ve been telling about how DC works!  Thanks, Matt, for backing me up.
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Ghostwriting as a Business

Leave it to the Financial Times to write a great article on the business aspects of ghostwriting books this past Monday (Feb 22, 2010).  Check it out!  Here are some key points:
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James Patterson and the NEW Rules of Publishing

Thanks to successful entrepreneur Robin Callan of Room Fu, I read this article on James Patterson, the author of dozens of thrillers, and how he changed the publishing business.  It’s a fascinating read and shows how someone with a solid product or service can change the way an entire industry does business.
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