http://jeffreykrames.com The Dean of Leadership Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:04:57 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Every so often a literary agent gets the chance to represent a book that is so unique in every way that it is a privilege to represent. Last week I was given the opportunity to handle such a property. However, I must confess, that I did not  immediately "get" the book, largely ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2010/02/20/a-new-business-model-and-a-new-bestseller/ This week marked a milestone for me and my relatively new publishing business: I signed on to ghost write my first major book project. The book---a much anticipated watershed book that is the brainchild of one of Wall Street's most sagacious former money managers---will be published by McGraw-Hill, the same great publisher that employed me for more than a decade. Although ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2010/01/25/winning-in-the-zero-growth-decade-ahead/ Last week I had the chance to meet with many editors from the most prestigious publishing companies in the industry.  All of these smart people publish business books, although many of them publish in other non-fiction categories as well (e.g. history).  I am writing this post to tell you how completely ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2010/01/13/business-book-editors-at-the-top-of-their-game/ I must forewarn you that I am an optimist at heart and always will be.  However, I am also a pragmatist and have learned that "facing reality" is one of the most important business philosophies if one is to succeed. That said, I believe 2010 is going to be a very good ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/12/31/my-publishing-outlook-for-2010/ The most common question I get from first time (0r even second time) authors  focuses on how the publishing process works:  How do I get started? How do we make sure that publishers will be interested in my book ideas? How do I set my work apart from the pack? These ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/12/16/the-killer-book-proposal/ Many of the best books that I have worked on over the years have had a ghost writer.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing on a professional writer to help you to repair or write your book from scratch. I have always believed that if you're not a "natural" scribe, then bringing someone ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/12/14/find-a-writer-that-speaks-your-language/ I talk to dozens of authors who have written one book without the benefit of an agent who realize the error of their ways, and search out an agent for book number two.  That makes perfect sense. They tried doing everything themselves first time around, so they look for professional help ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/12/08/when-no-track-record-is-better-than-some-track-record/  If you have worked for a large company for any length of time, chances are that your firm has been involved in multiple mergers and/or acquisitions. This phenomenon has become a more prominent part of big company life since the 1980s, and the publishing industry has been a prime example of the kind ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/12/01/ma-the-mad-men-way/ It used to be that nothing ever happened in the publishing business Thanksgiving week. For all the years I can remember this was a "dead" week.  It was so quiet that we were lucky if half the editors showed up at their desks. Well, times have changed.  Thanks to a continuing lackluster ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/11/23/thanksgiving-and-publishing/ Many people did not think we would see the Dow Jones Industrials---consisting of 30 bell-weather stocks---would reach 10,000 so fast.  In March of this year, the Dow slipped to a multi-year low of about 6,500, a horrible and frightening drop from our all time high of 14,000 achieved in late 2007. However, while ... http://jeffreykrames.com/2009/11/19/dow-10000-a-sign-of-things-to-come/