My Word with Douglas E. Welch

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

From Amazon.com…

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

 

TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments

From Amazon.com…

A fresh, effective, and enduring way to lead—starting with your next interaction.

Most leaders feel the inevitable interruptions in their jam-packed days are troublesome. But in TouchPoints, Conant and Norgaard argue that these—and every point of contact with other people—are overlooked opportunities for leaders to increase their impact and promote their organization’s strategy and values. Through previously untold stories from Conant’s tenure as CEO of Campbell Soup Company and Norgaard’s vast consulting experience, the authors show that a leader’s impact and legacy are built through hundreds, even thousands, of interactive moments in time. The good news is that anyone can develop “TouchPoint” mastery by focusing on three essential components: head, heart, and hands.

TouchPoints speaks to the theory and craft of leadership, promoting a balanced presence of rational, authentic, active, and wise leadership practices. Leadership mastery in the smallest and otherwise ordinary moments can transform aimless activity in individuals and entropy in organizations into focused energy—one magical moment at a time.

LOS ANGELES SONGSALIVE! SONGWRITER’S WORKSHOP

GUEST SPEAKER – JOHN BRAHENY
Author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting

TOPIC:  Are Song Structures Flexible, or Set In Stone?

WHEN: THIRD SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
NEXT: Sunday, November 20, 2011
TIME: Starts 12:00 am SHARP. Ends at 3 pm. Please be on time.
WHERE: THE FINNISH CENTER10701 Magnolia Blvd.North Hollywood, CA 

COST: Free for Songsalive! Pro Members. Non-members pay a donation of $10.

John Braheny is a top consultant for songwriters and writer/artists. He was one of 5 nominees for “Best Music/Performer/Artist Development Executive” in the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP) “Best In The Biz” list for 2011.

The author of The Craft and Business of Songwriting, which has sold over 80,000 copies (now in its 3rd edition), he co-founded and ran the Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase  - a non-profit organization that for 25 years provided a weekly showcase and early exposure for writers including Diane Warren, Warren Zevon, Wendy Waldman, Stevie Nicks and thousands  more. He’s a consultant and screener for Taxi, the worlds leading indie A&R company and has interviewed more than 600 songwriters and industry pros. A unique perspective!  More info at www.johnbraheny.com.

TOPIC: “Are Song Structures Flexible, or Set in Stone?”

What’s the value of song structures? Are they really rules? Are they the same in every style?  Can you break the rules if you’re an artist? Can you stretch them in live performance? Though an understanding of song structures can make or break the commercial potential of a song, if you learned there were only 3 or 4 structures that are acceptable, you may have more creative latitude than you think!

Evil Plans: Having Fun on the Road to World Domination by Hugh MacLeod

Book Description from Amazon.com…

The acclaimed author of Ignore Everybody is back with more irreverent wisdom, wit, and original cartoons.

“It has never been easier to make a great living doing what you love. But to make it happen, first you need an EVIL PLAN. Everybody needs to get away from lousy bosses, from boring, dead-end jobs that they hate, and ACTUALLY start doing something they love, something that matters. Life is short.” -Hugh MacLeod

Freud once said that in order to be truly happy people need two things: the capacity to work and the capacity to love. Evil Plans is about being able to do both at the same time. The sometimes unfortunate side effect is that others will hate you for it. MacLeod’s insights are brash, wise, and often funny.

Book Review: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

The Domino Project

Anything You Want is the type of writing I have come to describe as a “Real World Example.” It is like sitting across the table of someone as they tell their story…a story that will hopefully change your life.

Over the years I am sure we have all had moments like this. The friend who educated us about the stock market, the soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend who taught us what a relationship should be, and in Sivers’ case, the story of one business — his business — that also encompasses the nature of business as a whole.

Anything You Want is a short book – only 77 pages in printed form – and yet it illustrates a complete journey. It also details Sivers’ attitudes towards business – slow to no growth, doing it all for the customer, and knowing when to get out. In these few short pages he gives us it all, alpha to omega, and we are better for it.

I unabashedly like this book. It matches with my own beliefs about career, business and life at many points. I too believe that money should never be the sole reason for doing anything and that bigger is not always better. Sivers also touches on another important topic, success. While he doesn’t come out and say it directly, I get the sense that he understands that there are levels to success. Too often today, we believe there are only 2 levels of success – Nobody and Rich and Famous. Hopefully people will use Sivers’ example to remind themselves that supporting yourself, providing for your family and being comfortable provides unlimited gradations of success.

Settle in with Anything You Want and your favorite beverage and an hour later you will come back with ideas, plans, hope and a deeper understanding of what it is to run your own business and perhaps, your own life.

Highly recommended

Two books picked up from the library today. Not necessarily and endorsement, but books that caught my eye recently. — Douglas

The Whuffie Factor by Tara Hunt

Comments about The Whuffie Factor

“Embrace the chaos! The Whuffie Factor weaves stories from Moleskine, 37Signals, Threadless, Willitblend, and Gary Vaynerchuk into a compelling story of the way business is now done. Tara doesn’t just talk about it, of course, she does it herself.”

—Seth Godin, author of Meatball Sundae

“Marketing–or doing business at all–in the age of whuffie and the world of social media means authenticity, listening, engaging, and trusting. That’s what Tara Hunt says, and it’s also exactly what she does. If you are in marketing now or starting a company that has customers, you need to read this book to understand exactly, and I mean precisely and with detailed examples, how the conversation between vendor and client, business and customer, has changed radically. Tara Hunt knows her stuff, and she knows how to put a great deal of knowledge into compelling ­stories that are a pleasure to read because her voice is not just the voice of extensive experience: Tara Hunt’s voice works well in this book because it’s who she is.”
—Howard Rheingold, author of The Virtual Community and Smart Mobs

The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice by Brendon Burchard

Comments about The Millionaire Messenger

“This is a must-read for any author, speaker, coach, seminar leader, consultant, or online information marketer. Brendon Burchard shows you how to get your message to the public in a bigger way (and get paid for it too).” –John Gray, New York Times Bestselling Author of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus”

“We all have a life story and a message that can inspire others to live a better life or run a better business. Brendon Burchard’s book proves it and shows how you can share your message to make a difference and also make an income. This book will help you change a lot of lives.” –Marci Shimoff, New York Times best-selling author of Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul

“The expert industry has been shrouded in myth and mystery for far too long. Now Brendon Burchard, one of our most innovative and powerful leaders, reveals exactly how we—authors, speakers, coaches, consultants, seminar leaders and online information marketers–make a difference and earn an income with our advice and expertise. This is an industry defined by how much value we add to others’ lives, and this book delivers and shows exactly why Brendon is one of the best.” –Jack Canfield, New York Times best-selling author of The Success Principles and originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(R) series
“I love making a difference in the lives of millions of people worldwide. It gives my life a deep sense of meaning and purpose. I wish I had read Brendon Burchard’s new book, The Millionaire Messenger, twenty years ago, because it has many of the lessons that would have dramatically boosted my career, both in terms of impact and finances. Lessons I had to learn the hard way. No matter what your age, now is the time to make the biggest difference in the world. Brendon will show you how.” –Daniel G. Amen, MD, New York Times best-selling author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and Magnificent Mind at Any Age

Description:

Social Media Self Preservation: Taking advantage of social media without losing your mind

7100 Words

Price: $5

Using social media as part or business or personal life can seem overwhelming and fraught with pitfalls. There is a way, though, to make the best use of social media without falling into the traps of lost privacy and social media burnout.

This guide explains what you need to know as you start your journey into social media and how to make social media productive for you.

The great thing is that is doesn’t require a Kindle to read. You can get free Kindle software for nearly any device (Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android, Blackberry) and read the book there.

Please share this with your friends using the email and social media icons below.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: Why Social Media?
• Chapter 1: Which social networks should you join?
  • Be Found!
  • Reserving your name
  • A few social networks to get you started
• Chapter 2: How to decide who to include in your online community
  • It is all about value
  • Where to begin building your online community?
• Chapter 3: Maintaining your online community
  • Re-evaluation
  • No longer needed
  • People Change
  • Too much information
  • Information you can find elsewhere
• Chapter 4: What to share online
  • Share your knowledge and expertise
  • Share your work
  • …but my work is secret!
  • Share your life
  • Balance in your social media sharing

Here is what I am reading at the moment.

Thames: A Biography | Fifty Dangerous Things you should do with your children | The Referral Engine

All links go to the WelchWrite Bookstore in association with Amazon.com for reviews and more info.

At the Techmunch food blogger conference on Friday, Bakespace.com announced their new cookbook app for the Apple iPad — Cookbook Cafe!

Cookbook Cafe allows anyone to produce a personal, organizational or fund-raising cookbook and deliver it directly via the iPad. I was asked to create one of the first cookbooks for the app and it is now available in the store (Don’t worry, it’s FREE right now!)

Sharing Christmas with Friends includes some of my cookie recipes, but also the recipe for my Super Secret Christmas Chili!

If you ever wanted this recipe, this might be the easiest way to get it.

Please check out the app on your iPad and give it a review and rating in the iTunes store. This will help spread the word!

Thanks!

Here are some screenshots of my cookbook in the iPad App. Thanks to Ric of his help in grabbing these!

Can’t see the slide show – Click here to watch it on Flickr

This started to roll out here in the US yesterday, but I see today that the LA Public Library now has the ability to check out Kindle format books via its online eBook Catalog.

Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free software to read Kindle books on almost any device including Windows and Mac computers, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android device. I have “checked out” several eBooks via the existing methods, but I think this Kindle method will open up the number of titles available and also make them easier to download and read.