Hello everyone,
it's that time of the week when I review the books I've been reading lately. Here we go:
![]()
Fizz: How to Drive Word of Mouth Marketing for Outrageous Success by Ted Wright
Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to drive sales. A lot less expensive than advertising in traditional media, it provides much better results, albeit at an initially slower pace. This slower pace is one of the reasons why a lot of businesspeople are sceptical of its success and refuse to use this all powerful technique. But after reading Wright's book, you'll look forward to start your own word of mouth campaign.
The secret of its success? Influencers. For it to work, you must first find people who love your product and are willing to spread the word about it to everyone who will listen. And then you need to train them to do so in the most effective way. But of course, you also need to have a good product with an exciting story or feature that will make it easy for people to talk about and buy it. Giving out samples also helps. A LOT. But that's not all. Wright also debunks popular myths about word of mouth marketing and explains how to track the results of your campaign.
Although a bit repetitive at times, Fizz is full of case studies and interesting tips and tricks to help you harness the full power of word of mouth for your business. The writing style is quite colloquial and engaging. This is not your average boring business book. You'll love both reading it and implementing its tips.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 4/5
![]()
The Woman Code: 20 Powerful Life Strategies You Need to Navigate Today's Challenges by Sophia A. Nelson
We all live life by a code, whether we realise it or not. It's the set of values that governs all our actions. If it is not solid and authentic, we'll make mistakes and hurt ourselves and others. We've all been there. We've all been through tough times, done things we regret, and questioned our self-worth. If that's you, this is book is for you.
Nelson shares her powerful code to help you lead a balanced and fulfilled life. This code unlocks your potential of being the best person you can be, and that already resides inside of you. You just have to find it, and harness its power. The code is made up of 20 principles divided in five sections: The Personal Codes, The Emotional Codes, The Spiritual Codes, The Professional Codes and The Relational Codes. The first, and most important one, is knowing your value. Others include being authentic, accountable, resilient, unafraid of aging, being ready to apologize when you make a mistake, refusing to engage in gossip, and lots more. When applied, the code helps you navigate life's challenges, both in your personal and professional life, go after your dreams, and build meaningful relationship with people.
None of the advice given here is groundbreaking. Some will say most of it simply good ol' common sense. But the tips are still effective and inspirational. When we lose our way, a reminder of what we can achieve when we stay true to ourselves and treat ourselves and others with respect is always welcome.
My only problem with the book is the writing style. Nelson never preaches. She's smart, wise, and compassionate, and yet I found it hard to relate to her. I didn't find her style particularly engaging, and yet I can't quite pinpoint why. It's annoying. But the book isn't. It's a useful and inspirational resource for all women, especially those who have lost their way.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5
![]()
Science ...For Her! by Megan Amram
I had never heard of Megan Amram before coming across her book, but from her credentials, she sounds pretty smart. She is one of Forbe's 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a writer for NBC's hit show Parks and Recreation, and one of the funniest people on Twitter. Her new book, Science... For Her! is described as a "politically, scientifically, and anatomically incorrect textbook, [...] a pitch-perfect attack on everything from those insanely perky tips for self-improvement to our bizarre shopaholic dating culture to the socially mandated pursuit of mind-blowing sex to the cringe-worthy secret codes of food and body issues," and a blend of "Cosmo and science to highlight absurdities", including subjects like "this Spring's ten most glamorous ways to die" and "what religion is right for your body type".
I wasn't sure what to make of that, but I hoped it would be a satirical funny book with some actual science, written in the style of, and poking fun at, women's magazines. Instead, I got neither science nor humour. Not only the book wasn't funny, it was very offensive. Now, I'm not one of those people who gets easily offended. I abhor political correctness, believing it to be a form of censure. I can easily laugh at things the politically corrected crew would find offensive, but one thing I will never laugh at, and I will always find offensive, are rape jokes. Seriously, this book is full of them! They have nothing to do with science and they just help to normalize rape and create a culture where this hideous crime is acceptable.
But even if someone had had the decency to remove the rape jokes, this book still wouldn't be funny. I get what Amram was trying to do. Science... For Her! tries to mimic the colloquial style used by women's magazines and, like them, is full of silly tips that make no sense. My problem is that she has taken the satire too far. The silliness, which permeates every page, is just over the top and exaggerated. For the first 10 minutes, it makes you laugh, but then it just bores you senseless. There is just no substance to it. Science... For Her is a lot more vapid than Cosmo will ever be, and because of that, the satire completely fails. Satire is a great way to bring out and challenge what's wrong with society. In this case, the belief that women know nothing about STEM and are not encouraged to pursue a career in those fields. But that isn't even addressed here.
While I love the concept of Science... For Her!, the execution is just bad and painful. So disappointing.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 1/5
![]()
The Management of Luxury: Strategy in the Global Luxury Market by Benjamin Berghaus, Sven Reinecke, Günter Müller-Stewens
Are you a manager for a luxury brand? Then, this book is for you. The Management of Luxury is a collection of 26 articles written by 51 individual contributors from around the world and edited by Benjamin Berghaus, Günter Müller-Stewens, and Sven Reinecke, that will help your company evolve with the times and stay competitive.
After defining what luxury is and who its customer are, the authors provide tips, backed by case studies and market research, on all aspects of the business. You'll learn what the most promising emerging markets for luxury are and how you can successfully start trading in those countries; how to create a brand that customers love and don't feel guilty purchasing from; how to create a business strategy that allows your business to grow and be successful; how to create luxury products responsibly, without damaging the environment; how to use social media to your advantage; how to hire the best employees for your brand; how to fight fakes; and lots more.
The book is very comprehensive and extremely useful, although somewhat boring. The writing style is very academic, and thus quite dry in places. As such, it has a very limited audience: managers of luxury brands. For them, the information in this book is highly valuable, regardless of the way in which it is presented. But for anyone else, the book just isn't entertaining enough to hold their attention for long.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5
What do you think of these books?
Disclaimer: this book was sent by PR for consideration. In addition, this post contains affiliate links.
it's that time of the week when I review the books I've been reading lately. Here we go:
Word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to drive sales. A lot less expensive than advertising in traditional media, it provides much better results, albeit at an initially slower pace. This slower pace is one of the reasons why a lot of businesspeople are sceptical of its success and refuse to use this all powerful technique. But after reading Wright's book, you'll look forward to start your own word of mouth campaign.
The secret of its success? Influencers. For it to work, you must first find people who love your product and are willing to spread the word about it to everyone who will listen. And then you need to train them to do so in the most effective way. But of course, you also need to have a good product with an exciting story or feature that will make it easy for people to talk about and buy it. Giving out samples also helps. A LOT. But that's not all. Wright also debunks popular myths about word of mouth marketing and explains how to track the results of your campaign.
Although a bit repetitive at times, Fizz is full of case studies and interesting tips and tricks to help you harness the full power of word of mouth for your business. The writing style is quite colloquial and engaging. This is not your average boring business book. You'll love both reading it and implementing its tips.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 4/5
We all live life by a code, whether we realise it or not. It's the set of values that governs all our actions. If it is not solid and authentic, we'll make mistakes and hurt ourselves and others. We've all been there. We've all been through tough times, done things we regret, and questioned our self-worth. If that's you, this is book is for you.
Nelson shares her powerful code to help you lead a balanced and fulfilled life. This code unlocks your potential of being the best person you can be, and that already resides inside of you. You just have to find it, and harness its power. The code is made up of 20 principles divided in five sections: The Personal Codes, The Emotional Codes, The Spiritual Codes, The Professional Codes and The Relational Codes. The first, and most important one, is knowing your value. Others include being authentic, accountable, resilient, unafraid of aging, being ready to apologize when you make a mistake, refusing to engage in gossip, and lots more. When applied, the code helps you navigate life's challenges, both in your personal and professional life, go after your dreams, and build meaningful relationship with people.
None of the advice given here is groundbreaking. Some will say most of it simply good ol' common sense. But the tips are still effective and inspirational. When we lose our way, a reminder of what we can achieve when we stay true to ourselves and treat ourselves and others with respect is always welcome.
My only problem with the book is the writing style. Nelson never preaches. She's smart, wise, and compassionate, and yet I found it hard to relate to her. I didn't find her style particularly engaging, and yet I can't quite pinpoint why. It's annoying. But the book isn't. It's a useful and inspirational resource for all women, especially those who have lost their way.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5
I had never heard of Megan Amram before coming across her book, but from her credentials, she sounds pretty smart. She is one of Forbe's 30 Under 30 in Hollywood & Entertainment, a writer for NBC's hit show Parks and Recreation, and one of the funniest people on Twitter. Her new book, Science... For Her! is described as a "politically, scientifically, and anatomically incorrect textbook, [...] a pitch-perfect attack on everything from those insanely perky tips for self-improvement to our bizarre shopaholic dating culture to the socially mandated pursuit of mind-blowing sex to the cringe-worthy secret codes of food and body issues," and a blend of "Cosmo and science to highlight absurdities", including subjects like "this Spring's ten most glamorous ways to die" and "what religion is right for your body type".
I wasn't sure what to make of that, but I hoped it would be a satirical funny book with some actual science, written in the style of, and poking fun at, women's magazines. Instead, I got neither science nor humour. Not only the book wasn't funny, it was very offensive. Now, I'm not one of those people who gets easily offended. I abhor political correctness, believing it to be a form of censure. I can easily laugh at things the politically corrected crew would find offensive, but one thing I will never laugh at, and I will always find offensive, are rape jokes. Seriously, this book is full of them! They have nothing to do with science and they just help to normalize rape and create a culture where this hideous crime is acceptable.
But even if someone had had the decency to remove the rape jokes, this book still wouldn't be funny. I get what Amram was trying to do. Science... For Her! tries to mimic the colloquial style used by women's magazines and, like them, is full of silly tips that make no sense. My problem is that she has taken the satire too far. The silliness, which permeates every page, is just over the top and exaggerated. For the first 10 minutes, it makes you laugh, but then it just bores you senseless. There is just no substance to it. Science... For Her is a lot more vapid than Cosmo will ever be, and because of that, the satire completely fails. Satire is a great way to bring out and challenge what's wrong with society. In this case, the belief that women know nothing about STEM and are not encouraged to pursue a career in those fields. But that isn't even addressed here.
While I love the concept of Science... For Her!, the execution is just bad and painful. So disappointing.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 1/5
Are you a manager for a luxury brand? Then, this book is for you. The Management of Luxury is a collection of 26 articles written by 51 individual contributors from around the world and edited by Benjamin Berghaus, Günter Müller-Stewens, and Sven Reinecke, that will help your company evolve with the times and stay competitive.
After defining what luxury is and who its customer are, the authors provide tips, backed by case studies and market research, on all aspects of the business. You'll learn what the most promising emerging markets for luxury are and how you can successfully start trading in those countries; how to create a brand that customers love and don't feel guilty purchasing from; how to create a business strategy that allows your business to grow and be successful; how to create luxury products responsibly, without damaging the environment; how to use social media to your advantage; how to hire the best employees for your brand; how to fight fakes; and lots more.
The book is very comprehensive and extremely useful, although somewhat boring. The writing style is very academic, and thus quite dry in places. As such, it has a very limited audience: managers of luxury brands. For them, the information in this book is highly valuable, regardless of the way in which it is presented. But for anyone else, the book just isn't entertaining enough to hold their attention for long.
Available at:Amazon
Rating: 3.5/5
What do you think of these books?
Disclaimer: this book was sent by PR for consideration. In addition, this post contains affiliate links.