Steve Sammartino holds court at his book launch. PIC: Josh Rowe
I’ve been blessed and humbled to attend not one but two book launch events this past week (and no, I don’t work for a publisher – this is not a weekly occurrence for me!).
Why “blessed and humbled”?
Because both books have been written by good friends of mine; I’ve had the privilege over the journey of discussing and debating the various concepts and broad themes contained in their books so it’s terrific to finally see their hard-earned efforts come to fruition in hard copy and digital form, available for purchase from anywhere in the world!
As a published author, I know only too well the incredible time and effort (not to mention the emotional investment) required in writing a book. Launching a book is a particularly proud moment for any writer, especially if you’re a professional with ideas you’ve distilled and put out there for the world to digest and pick over.
As they say, it takes 20 years to write a book. In other words, you need to earn the right to tell your story.
That out of the way, here are the two books by Melbourne-based authors that were launched in recent days.
THE GREAT FRAGMENTATION – Steve Sammartino
First stop was the launch of Steve Sammartino’s The Great Fragmentation: And why the future of business is small.
Cold beer, warm pizzas and a spot of breakdancing from the man himself, Mr Steve Sammartino, plus great conversations with savvy, entrepreneur types were the order of the evening. And it was held in a very cool New York-style loft apartment that rumour has it recently served as the backdrop for an Ethan Hawke film.
I haven’t read The Great Fragmentation yet but I’m aware of its contents and am very much looking forward to chewing over the big picture themes ‘Samma’ outlines in the book. Here’s the blurb:
The Great Fragmentation: And Why the Future of All Business is Small is a business survival manifesto for the technology revolution. As the world moves from the industrial era to the digital age, power is shifting and fragmenting. Power is no longer about might and ownership; power in a digital world is about access. Existing businesses need to understand this shift and position themselves to survive and thrive in an environment where entrepreneurs and start-ups enabled by access to technology are genuine threats.
Author Steve Sammartino is widely regarded as a thought leader on the subject of technology and business, and helps companies transition from industrial-era thinking to the mindset and processes required to compete in today’s digital marketplace. The Great Fragmentation shows how technological changes such as Big Data, gamification, crowdfunding, Bitcoin, 3D printing, social media, mashup culture and artisanal production will forever change business and the way we live our lives.
- Examine how the digital era has altered where we work, how we work, where we live and what we do
- Discover how the digital era has impacted social and economic structures, including educational systems, financial systems and government policy
- Understand that the social media and collecting ‘friends’ is just the tip of the iceberg in a digital business environment
Weaving together insights from business, technology and anthropology, The Great Fragmentation provides both corporations and entrepreneurs with a playbook for the future of work, life and business in the digital era.
THE SOCIAL EXECUTIVE – Dionne Kasian-Lew
Several days later Dionne Kasian-Lew launched her new book The Social Executive: How to Master Social Media and Why its Good for Business to the clink of champagne glasses.
The crowd mingles at Dionne's intimate book launch event
Here’s the book blurb:
Social media is not about social media. It’s about leadership and connections.
Billions of conversations are taking place in social networks every day. But for busy executives and business owners, time constraints make it hard to dedicate time to demystifying these communication opportunities. In The Social Executive, readers are given evidence-based, data-driven strategies for mastering social media, and using it to enable business success. This book’s easy, straightforward, practical style ensures that you will gain a solid working platform in the shortest amount of time possible. The focus is on the reasons why social media is important for executives, and how it aligns perfectly with business strategies.
The Social Executive is for analogue people who know they need to be digital but need a guiding hand – the book is a safety net – it’s saying – we will guide you there – we will tell you why – we will tell you how – let us help you to remain relevant and become more influential – it’s about human communication.
It gives the tips and tools to adapt to new online environments, and the confidence to use them to build credibility, authority deeper and new business relationships.
Written by Dionne Kasian-Lew, an expert who has advised many executives on the topic of corporate social media use, this resource also helps professionals pinpoint the most important social networks to invest time in, and explores which platforms are best suited for various communication goals.
- Brings together strategy and concrete actions, so can learn not only the most rewarding approaches, but how best to carry them out
- Delves into the benefits of a strong presence on the most popular social networks, including Twitter, LinkedIn, SlideShare, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube
- Presents hard evidence that shows the positive results of investing time and energy in social networks
- Focuses on the most important aspects of social networks that can be learned in a short period, and is designed for busy professionals
Social networks represent a powerful way to make connections and draw attention and interest to your company. This resource can help you hit the ground running and become social media savvy efficiently and effectively.
MY TAKE? There are a lot of social media books out there; I’ve read a good number of them – some are excellent and very informative, but too many just regurgitate much of the same old stuff that you see everywhere. I’ve read The Social Executive and I put it in the ‘excellent and very informative’ pile: It combines intellectual depth with practical examples and case studies. Importantly, it manages to paint a broad picture of the ramifications for doing business in today’s ‘connected economy’ without losing sight of the need to provide ‘in-the-trenches’ how-to tips and advice. It’s this combination – setting the scene and then providing the know-how – that makes this book a must-read for senior executives everywhere.
HERE IS AN INTERVIEW ABOUT THE BOOK I RECORDED WITH DIONNE RECENTLY.
Both books are published by Wiley and are available in all good book stores as well as online via Amazon etc.
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