We want to know which business book YOU want us to summarize in August. Voting concludes Friday, August 10th at 11.59pm EST. Look for August’s Readers’ Choice title, Likeonomics by Rohit Bhargava, summarized by Joel D Canfield, on Monday, August 20th.
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6443957/">What business book do you want us to summarize in September?</a>
1. Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It) by William Poundstone
In Priceless, the bestselling author William Poundstone reveals the hidden psychology of value. In psychological experiments, people are unable to estimate “fair” prices accurately and are strongly influenced by the unconscious, irrational, and politically incorrect. It hasn’t taken long for marketers to apply these findings. “Price consultants” advise retailers on how to convince consumers to pay more for less, and negotiation coaches offer similar advice for businesspeople cutting deals. The new psychology of price dictates the design of price tags, menus, rebates, “sale” ads, cell phone plans, supermarket aisles, real estate offers, wage packages, tort demands, and corporate buyouts. Prices are the most pervasive hidden persuaders of all. Rooted in the emerging field of behavioral decision theory, Priceless should prove indispensable to anyone who negotiates.
2. Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson
Losing My Virginity is the unusual, frequently outrageous autobiography of one of the great business geniuses of our time. When Richard Branson started his first business, he and his friends decided that “since we’re complete virgins at business, let’s call it just that: Virgin.” Since then, Branson has written his own “rules” for success, creating a group of companies with a global presence, but no central headquarters, no management hierarchy, and minimal bureaucracy.
3. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon
You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age, Steal Like an Artist is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side.
When Mr. Kleon was asked to address college students in upstate New York, he shaped his speech around the ten things he wished someone had told him when he was starting out. The talk went viral, and its author dug deeper into his own ideas to create Steal Like an Artist, the book. The result is inspiring, hip, original, practical, and entertaining. And filled with new truths about creativity: Nothing is original, so embrace influence, col- lect ideas, and remix and re-imagine to discover your own path. Follow your interests wherever they take you. Stay smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring—the creative you will need to make room to be wild and daring in your imagination.
4. Breakthrough Entrepreneurship by John Burgstone and Bill Murphy Jr.
“Writing with business journalist Murphy, entrepreneurship expert and UC-Berkeley professor Burgstone offers a strong, comprehensive handbook for aspiring entrepreneurs who are seized with the fire of ambition but unsure where to begin. The authors detail a step-by step framework for readers to brainstorm a winning business idea, test it before they’ve committed too much time and money, and develop it into something great. Using examples of companies large and small (Zipcar, Parenting, Wal-Mart, Google), Burgstone and Murphy teach readers to find and fill an unmet customer need, plan for profitability, strive for sustainability, establish credibility, gather necessary resources, lead and manage effectively, and maintain balance. Their enthusiasm and energy make even complex questions about idea generation, customer acquisition, and leadership accessible; and the practical, easy to understand instruction will be invaluable to the budding entrepreneur.”
