‘It’s an unfair advantage to have a platform, it massively helps, don’t get me wrong. But it’s totally possible to do it without one.’ When Hasan Kubba and Ash Ali got together to write ‘The Unfair Advantage: How you already have what it takes to succeed’, they assumed they’d self-publish. They even put up a ‘lean’ version of the book on KDP. But as it turned out they had publishers fighting over it (sensibly, as it went on to be named Business Book of the Year), and Hasan has gone on to help other authors achieve the same feat.  While having a big following certainly helps in the battle ..read more

‘Embrace AI, but also make sure that you evolve as an individual and you understand the art of the possible while still staying grounded in the art of the practical.’ Implementing AI in your business isn’t easy, but NOT implementing it could be disastrous. Sol Rashidi is a former C-suite executive turned AI consultant who knows more than most about the real-world challenges and opportunities in AI deployment. She’s been in the field since 2011, developing enterprise-grade applications that integrate AI into business processes effectively, and now she’s written a book to help leaders avoid ..read more

Henry Mintzberg is quite simply a legend, and my personal business thinking hero. When I was studying his writings for my MBA I could only have dreamed that one day I’d be chatting about writing to him on my podcast – and sometimes when dreams come true, the reality is even better than you dared imagine. Along with the nuances of management theory and social change, he revealed insights into his own remarkable writing process. And these elements aren’t as different as you might think: his insistence on the non-linear nature of writing and the importance of ‘cherishing anomalies’ refl ..read more

Journalism is changing, which means journalists have to change too. And a great example of this is the way that BBC reporter Dougal Shaw has reinvented his own role from pure video journalism, transforming what started as corridor conversations with business leaders who happened to be visiting the BBC into a high-profile series that runs on rolling news channels, on social media, in radio and podcast formats, and now as a book. It’s a story of intrapreneurship, which is fitting for a series that draws out lessons in both entrepreneurship and corporate leadership from visionary leaders who are ..read more

At this risk of going a bit meta, this is a brilliant conversation podcast about how brilliant podcast conversations are… Michelle Glogovac is an author and host of the My Simplified Life podcast, and a frequent guest on other podcasts. She’s passionate about the special, intimate connection that podcasts create between authors and their readers, and the triple win of a good conversation: great content for the host, great marketing for the guest, great insights for the listener. If you’re sitting there waiting to be asked to be a guest on a podcast, then that stops today: discover exactly how ..read more

‘So they go, “Hang on, I’ve got to look confident… I have to have all the answers,” which is the worst place to come from.’ Becoming a first-time CEO is a lonely experience, and David Roche (who’s got that particular t-shirt himself) believes every new CEO should be assigned a coach and mentor, because if we expect our leaders to have all the answers, we’re setting them – and ourselves – up for failure in a complex, fast-moving, uncertain world.  David has been involved in the book trade for many years, but that didn’t insulate him from the hard work of authorship, including the paranoia ..read more

‘We basically treated legal compliance as a proxy for ethics, which has never really been a particularly good fit.’ I think we can all agree the world is ready for some fresh perspectives on the ethical obligations of the business world: Alison Taylor is here to provide them.  All too often there are stark differences between company statements and their day-to-day actions, as they perform the delicate dance between ethical decisions and turning a profit. Alison questions long-standing business beliefs, including the assumption that compliance is a proxy for ethical behaviour, propos ..read more

“Do what you can in the circumstances you are given right now. And don’t wait for the systems in the world around you to change in order to get some life into your life.” Most of us are only too familiar with ‘languishing’ – the opposite of flourishing. It was when Adam Grant wrote his famous 2021 New York Times article that we all recognised it as the defining post-pandemic emotion, and it continues to dominate discussions of wellbeing. Grant’s article credited research by Dr. Corey Keyes, a distinguished professor emeritus and a leading voice in the study of mental health and human flourishi ..read more

‘For an academic book, you are looking to demonstrate that you stand on the shoulders of giants. For a practitioner book, you ARE the giant… But you’re not the first giant.’ Meredith Norwich is a senior acquisitions editor at Routledge, part of Taylor and Francis Publishing, and she has seen a LOT of business book proposals. What makes a proposal stand out for her? You might be surprised… Packed with valuable insights for first-time authors and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the publishing industry, this is essential listening for anyone contemplating writing a business book.  AUDIO VID ..read more

I’m just back from an exhausting, exhilarating few days at London Book Fair. My ears are still ringing slightly, my feet hurt, I need to spend a few days on my own in a darkened room and I can’t even tell you how many follow-up actions are on my to-do list – in other words, it was a great Fair. But what does that mean? As publishers, we at Practical Inspiration Publishing are all about selling books, but we don’t actually sell our books at book fairs: so what DO we do? Here’s an insider’s guide to what actually goes on at London Book Fair for book trade professionals and for authors and illust ..read more